Mary Oliver
The wind wags its many tails. And in the evening the piled firewood shifts a little, longing to be on its way. —Mary Oliver
April 24, 2009
Improvements To Cell Service Draw Skeptics
American Tower Corporation, the company that wants to build a distributed antenna system (DAS) to improve cell phone coverage in the three up-Island towns, has dramatically changed its proposal following an emotional public hearing earlier this month during which residents raised concerns about aesthetics, finances and health, a company spokesman said yesterday.
Chilmark Town Meeting Monday
Money to rebuild stone walls and jump-start building design for the Middle Line housing project, shared spending on health care access and rodent control, and a $6.6 million annual town budget are the central items that will come before Chilmark voters at their annual town meeting Monday night.
The 32-article warrant reads much…
Confusion Swirls Around Library Project
A project to convert the old Oak Bluffs library on lower Circuit avenue into a mixed-used building with affordable housing and a new pharmacy has become increasingly mired in confusion, as questions surface over management of the project and whether it should have been referred to the Martha’s Vineyard Commission for review as a development…
Farmers Seed Plans to Sell Wind Power with Produce
Imagine a future in which you join a farm share program and receive, along with your in-season fruit, vegetables and flowers, cheap electricity.
A future where you receive a wider range of produce over a longer season, maybe even year-round, as greenhouses proliferate on those farms, taking advantage of that cheaper, price-stable, renewable…
Boatline Traffic Drops Sharply
Passenger traffic to the Vineyard on Steamship Authority ferries fell to its lowest level in more than a decade in March, more than 11 per cent below that for the same month last year.
Not since 1997, said SSA general manager Wayne Lamson, had fewer people visited for the month. And it was…
Trap Champion
Trap Champion
On Sunday, April 19, in blustery wind conditions that caused the targets to soar upwards like frisbees, Bob De Lisle of Edgartown picked up his third club trap championship since 2005 at the Martha’s Vineyard Rod and Gun Club’s trap facilities.
Undefeated Lacrosse Girls Lead Lineup
Things are looking bright for many Vineyard high school athletic teams early in this spring sports season. There were fewer games and matches this week due to April vacation.
Girls’ Lacrosse
The team led by coach Betsy Dripps continued its dominance last Thursday with a 13-3 drubbing of Fairhaven on the…
Vineyard Youth Lacrosse
The boys’ under-13 team lost to Falmouth this past Sunday 8-2. In their second game of the season, Greg McCarron and Spencer Schofield each had goals in the loss. All three youth lacrosse teams will be at home on Sunday; game times are noon for the under-11 team, 1:30 p.m. for the under-13 team and…
More Than Man’s Best Friend
Miss Crumpet died a virgin. It was her wish, respected by her family and certified by a veterinarian’s scalpel. The act was done in her third year of life, when she was most desirable to gentleman callers. But by then, Miss Crumpet had adopted us. She had no need for traditional motherhood. It was not…
Island Plan’s Final Forum Turns to Social Issues
The Island Plan wraps up its look at specific aspects of the Vineyard’s future by focusing on the human side, the social environment. A forum on April 30 will look at some challenges facing the people of the Island and how we can best adjust to changing circumstances. The focus is not on specific services…
Buy Me Some Peanuts and Crackerjacks
Our national pastime is played on a diamond. But for me last Wednesday night it was played in a circle — a full circle. I was a guest of Jackie Robinson’s widow Rachel at Citifield, the new home of the New York Mets.
Information, Please
Information, Please
Some fifteen-hundred Vineyarders soon will find themselves with virtually useless medical insurance. These are people on low incomes with no employer health insurance, many working multiple low-wage jobs that leave precious little time for navigating complicated bureaucratic insurance matters.
Aquaculture Stimulus
Aquaculture Stimulus
We have seen the future and this is it: American oysters, bay scallops, blue mussels, quahaugs and softshell clams, thriving by the thousands in natural nurseries that are the coastal ponds and embayments of the Vineyard. The nurseries are aided by the able work of the Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group, which…
Suicide Prevention Grant
Suicide Prevention Grant
The Community Health Network of the Cape & Islands and Community Health Center of Cape Cod have received a $300,000 grant from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to implement youth suicide prevention strategies across Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.
The focus of the grant will be…
Boat Sale
Boat Sale
The Massachusetts Maritime Academy’s Yacht and Boat Donation Program’s annual sealed bid boat sale will take place at Otis Air Force Base Saturday, May 2, and Sunday, May 3, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Entrance onto the base will be allowed through the Falmouth gate only.
There will…
Red Cross Instructors
The American Red Cross, Cape Cod and Islands Chapter is looking to train CPR and First Aid instructors to teach classes on the Vineyard.
Instructor training courses will be held in Hyannis on Fridays, May 8 and 22 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The cost of the course is $145, but financial…
Casting Calls
Casting Calls
An Island of Women, an original musical, has begun rehearsals ahead of a premiere in June. Two singing roles are open, for women between 16 and 30. The roles are Hannah Norton Vincent, a young wife whose husband is at sea whaling, and Grace Mayhew, who is working in a Fall…
Wine Dinner to Benefit The Yard
Boston winemaker turned Burgundy prodigy Alex Gambal will make his debut on Martha’s Vineyard on Wednesday, May 13, at the Sweet Life Café before heading to the Nantucket Wine Festival for his already sold-out tasting event the following night.
The evening is a benefit wine dinner for the artists-in-the-schools program at The Yard,…
West Tisbury Poet Wins Lilly Prize
Fanny Howe of West Tisbury was honored last week with the 2009 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, awarded annually by the Poetry Foundation to a living American poet for lifetime accomplishments that warrant extraordinary recognition. The $100,000 that accompanies the award is one of the largest literary prizes in the nation.
Dine Out, Sleep In
Dine Out, Sleep In
Ready to escape before summer arrives? Winnetu, the South Beach resort in the Katama is offering a rare escape for winter-weary Islanders throughout the month of May. Islanders who eat at Lure restaurant on any Wednesday or Thursday may stay the night in a one-bedroom suite at Winnetu for…
Work Day at Felix Neck
What better way to celebrate Earth Day than by rolling up your sleeves and helping Felix Neck get ready for spring? Saturday, April 25 is Mass Audubon’s Statewide Volunteer Day, and Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary needs volunteers of all ages to help from 9 a.m. to noon. After working up an appetite, volunteers will be…
Earth Day Volunteers Scour Beaches
The Vineyard Conservation Society’s Earth Day Beach Clean-Up saw volunteers taking to beaches around the Island last Saturday, April 18. Among the many organizations to dedicate their afternoon to the effort was the Martha’s Vineyard Surfcasters Association. The association put their work in on the familiar strand of South Beach, hauling refuse of all shapes,…
Ann Allen Brings Island History to Life
It’s possible to put two and two together and come out with a number not exactly four. Ann Coleman Allen of West Tisbury bears the last name of one of our original settler families, and she teaches courses on Vineyard history. One could reckon, therefore, that her interest in the subject stems from the irresistible…
Breast Cancer Benefit
Boston Bakes for Breast Cancer is a sweet and delicious way to raise “dough” to battle breast cancer. More than 100 restaurants and bakeries, including Mediterranean Restaurant and Sweet Life Cafe in Oak Bluffs, will bake unique desserts the week leading up to Mother’s Day, May 4 to 10. One hundred percent of sales from…
Completes Certification
Anne Mayhew of Sandpiper Rentals Inc. has successfully completed the Realtor e-Pro course to become one of a select few real estate professionals to earn the prestigious certification offered through the National Association of Realtors.
The course is designed to provide real estate professionals with the technology tools needed to assist consumers in…
Savings Bank Grants
Savings Bank Grants
This month the Martha’s Vineyard Savings Bank Charitable Fund joined the Martha’s Vineyard Savings Bank to award $13,000 in grants to eight local nonprofit organizations and community groups. The grants will help fund programs in the arts, education, health care, veterans affairs and youth.
Blood Drive Tuesday
Blood Drive Tuesday
The next Martha’s Vineyard Community Blood Drive will be Tuesday, April 28, at the Portuguese American Club on Vineyard avenue in Oak Bluffs from noon to 5:30 p.m.
Valid identification is required. Free pizza and a chance to win Red Sox tickets are available to all donors. To…
Consumer Price Watch
Gas
Prices for regular unleaded gas as of Apr. 22:
Edgartown
Airport Mobil $2.699
Depot Corner $2.699
Edgartown Mobil $2.759
Oak Bluffs
deBettencourt’s $2.719
Jim’s $2.679
Vineyard Haven
Citgo $2.679
Tisbury Shell $2.699…
Water Commission Race Tops Ballot
Tisbury voters face a relatively straightforward task at their annual town election on Tuesday, with no particularly controversial ballot questions, and few election contests.
Polls will be open from noon to 8 p.m. at the American Legion Hall.
What would have been the major contest of the election — that of…
Inn at Blueberry Hill Shuttered For Coming Summer Season
Apparently the latest victim of the Wall Street meltdown, the Inn at Blueberry Hill in Chilmark will not open this summer, the Gazette has learned.
Squash Grows Green
Squash Meadow Construction Inc. will be building green homes on the Vineyard. Owner Bill Potter recently passed the LEED, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for new construction exam, making him a LEED accredited professional. With the certification, Squash Meadow Construction INC. of Oak Bluffs is now available to build green residential and commercial buildings…
County Plan for Animal Shelter Will Need Some Financial Aid
The Dukes County Commission this week unveiled a financial plan for the takeover of the Island’s only animal shelter, the Katharine M. Foote memorial shelter in Edgartown, after the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals pulls up stakes and leaves the Island at the end of this week.
The plan…
Aquinnah
JUNE MANNING
508-645-2574
(lthslnks@gis.net)
Congratulations and all the best to William Durwood (Woody) Vanderhoop and Jamie Sue Spears who were married on April 17 in San Diego, Calif. They are still having their traditional ceremony in September as planned with their family and friends. Their honeymoon included a side…
West Tisbury
JOHN S. ALLEY
508-693-2950
(alleys@vineyard.net)
The spring flowers are in bloom most everywhere, even though the weather, up until last weekend, was unseasonably cold. Last weekend the temperature reached nearly 70 degrees and it was delightful. It was a great weekend for outdoor activities, and a few grills were…
Chilmark
JANE N. SLATER
508-645-3378
(slaterjn@comcast.net)
Word has reached us of the birth on April 6 of Lucy Tower Churchill in Los Angeles to Elizabeth Day and John Churchill. Her two brothers, Freddy and Bobby, and her grandparents, Bob and Barbara Day, of West Tisbury, welcomed her. Lucy and her…
Edgartown
KATHIE CASE
508-627-5349
(kathleencase@comcast.net)
I think spring is here. The other night when I went up to bed and I was listening to the wind and rain and the down comforter was up to my nose, I asked Ralph if it was April or November.
Isadora Arrives
Isadora Arrives
Alexsandra Andrade Silva and Silas Cordeiro of Oak Bluffs announce the birth of a daughter, Isadora Andrade Cordeiro, born on April 20, 2009, at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Isadora weighed 6 pounds, 10.2 ounces at birth.
Announcing Macallan
Announcing Macallan
Adam and Maya Moran of Oak Bluffs announce the birth of a baby boy, Macallan James Moran, on April 7 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Macallan weighed 7 pounds, 8.8 ounces at birth. He joins big sisters Lily and Ella.
Chappy
MARGARET KNIGHT
508-627-8894
(margaret02539@yahoo.com)
Living at the edge of a continent, we should expect to see more change than as if we lived somewhere in the middle of things, like Iowa. Since we actually live beyond the periphery, on our own tiny “continent,” with the ocean acting as catalyst,…
Temperatures
Temperature: Precip.
Day Max. Min. Inches.
Fº Fº
April 17 52 31 .00
April 18 63 45 .00
April 19 70 45 .00
April 20 53 35 .00
April 21 55 45 1.94
April 22 57 45 .18
April 23 60 43 .29
…
Capoeira Classes Combine Combat and Dance Moves
It is early evening at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School and the halls are empty, except for the occasional sound of voices escaping from classrooms in use for the Martha’s Vineyard Adult Continuing Education program — a fast-paced conversation conducted in French, a writing student reading her latest composition aloud, an intent discussion about…
Plum TV Nominated
Plum TV Nominated
Plum TV of Martha’s Vineyard (channel 76), along with Plum’s Nantucket and Sun Valley stations, has been nominated for eight New England Emmy awards. Winners will be announced at Boston Marriott Copley Place on May 30.
Masculinity, Nonviolence Subject Of Discussion Panel For Dads
How do parents raise emotionally healthy, nonviolent sons? The question has special pertinence during April, Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
Island Pianist Charms on New Album
That proud twinkle in John Alaimo’s eye on the cover of his latest solo album does not deceive.
Called Songs for Three Seasons, the disc delivers a rich and textured display of a master mood painter on an enchanting and enriching spree. Mr. Alaimo affably invites us to share his whimsy, his nostalgia,…
Rod and Gun Club Hosts Annual Trout Tournament
The Island’s big fishing event for youngsters, the Martha’s Vineyard Trout Tournament, is into its 35th year. Each year hundreds of our young Island fisherman vie for the many prizes and gifts that are made available to the winners of the various fishing categories. This year, it’s May 9, and as always it’s at Duarte’s…
Farm Grants Announced
Farm Grants Announced
The Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Society has announced its 2009 grant awards. Breezy Pines Farms will receive $400 for seed and soil; the Farm Institute will receive $1,000 for a mobile hen house; Down Island Farm will receive $1,000 for herb, berry and nut production; Glenn Jackson will receive $1,000 for…
Oral History Workshop
Oral History Workshop
A workshop in collecting oral histories will be held at the Martha’s Vineyard Museum, 59 School street in Edgartown, on Saturday, May 9, from 1 to 4 p.m. with a follow up meeting at a time to be determined by participants.
Explore methods for conducting oral history interviews…
Social Environment Forum
The last Island Plan forum on a specific topic will examine the challenges the Vineyard society faces today.
The social environment forum will be held on Thursday, April 30, at 7 p.m. in the Tisbury Senior Center. The forum is free and open to the public.
A panel will include Laurie Halt,…
The Vineyard Gardener
By LYNNE IRONS
I have a word to the wise. After a certain age, the best thing to cultivate in gardening is young friends. A big thank you to Amanda, Zoe, Sam and Marie for all their help last weekend. Hopefully we will grow plenty to eat and share. We put in four…
British Invasion
“The Redcoats are coming, the Redcoats are coming.”
This isn’t a flashback to 1775, although I am writing on the historic Patriots Day holiday. And, no, you don’t have to hear of the midnight ride of Paul Revere. I will save you from that poetic prose, but will tell you of the Redcoats that…
Nest Boxes
There are many Island birders who have nest boxes of one kind or another. I have eastern bluebird boxes and also American kestrel boxes. It is great to get a front row seat, as it were, to watch the birds from mating to fledging. Cornell Lab of Ornithology has set up a nest watch program…
From Endless Summer to The Present
It was a time before Rip Curl or Billabong, a time before Gidget, before Frankie (Avalon) and Annette (Funicello) or Beach Blanket Bingo. In the early 1960s, surfing was still considered a cult sport, limited to beach bums in Southern California and Hawaii.
Chapter 49: Abe Writes A Letter
In this year-long serialized novel set on the Vineyard in real time, a native Islander (“Call me Becca”) returns home after two decades to help her eccentric Uncle Abe keep his landscaping business, Pequot, afloat. Abe fears and detests Richard Moby, the CEO of an off-Island wholesale nursery, Broadway. Convinced that Moby wants to destroy…
