Dylan Thomas
The birds of the winged trees flying my name Above the farms and the white horses I rose in rainy autumn And walked abroad in a shower of all my days. – Dylan Thomas
May 1, 2009
Take a Seat at Flower Art Show With Dragonfly’s Fresh Hosts
If just the thought of a trip to an art museum gives you a dull ache in the lower spine, you are not alone.
When she was deputy director for finance and operations at the Peabody Essex museum, Susan Davy, the new co-owner of the Dragonfly Gallery in Oak Bluffs, noticed that visitors…
Knitting Her Bit for American Soldiers
Somewhere in the mountains of Afghanistan, beneath his army issue helmet, a U.S. soldier is wearing a soft black hat of blended wool and alpaca, knitted for him by Fran Resendes of Edgartown.
“I’m just getting to the end of this one. I have about two more rows to do and then I…
Fleeting Mercury
The hardest planet to see could be easy to spot tonight and tomorrow night. Mercury appears low in the southwestern sky after sunset, in the familiar star cluster Pleiades.
Free Band Concert
The Martha’s Vineyard All Island Band Program presents its Spring Concert on Wednesday, May 6 at 7:30 p.m. at the performing arts center at the high school. Admission is free.
This concert is a culmination of a year’s hard work and talents for over 200 children ranging from grades four to eight.
…
Help Shape the Future Use of Our Waters
The Ocean Advisory Commission will hold a public workshop tomorrow in Woods Hole in preparation of the draft ocean plan for the commonwealth.
Since passage of the Oceans Act in 2008, effort has been underway to develop the Massachusetts Ocean Plan for the nearshore waters of the commonwealth, which includes the land and…
Philanthropy Group Seeks Nominations for Awards
The Planned Giving Council of Cape Cod is seeking nominations for distinguished service to philanthropy awards on Cape Cod and the Islands.
Besides the Outstanding Volunteer, Outstanding Business and Outstanding Philanthropist awards, the committee is introducing a new category: Outstanding Youth/Youth Organization. This award will be presented to a youth or youth organization…
Savers Rewarded
Savers Rewarded
Two Island students won prizes in the annual Save for America drawing. Benjamin Davey of the Tisbury School won the grand prize, a $250 gift certificate redeemable at amazon.com, and Jack Sayre of the Oak Bluffs School won a $25 voucher.
The contest selects 10 students from some 3,500…
Oliver Joins the Crowd
Oliver Joins the Crowd
Brett and Sarah Hopp Marcotte of Seekonk proudly announce the birth of their first child, Oliver Edward Marcotte, on April 9 at the Women’s and Infant’s Hospital in Providence, R.I.
Oliver weighed 6 pounds, 9 ounces and was 21 inches long at birth. His grandparents are Mary…
Small Business Workshop
A small business workshop called How to Grow Your Business in a Recession is set for tomorrow, Saturday, May 2, at the Harbor View Hotel in Edgartown. Professional business coach Ron Melbourne promises an interactive program showing how small businesses can implement marketing plans and cash flow strategies to capitalize on their uniqueness. The idea…
Capawock Thieves Sentenced For “Cowardly, Violent Crime”
Calling their late-night robbery of an elderly Capawock Theatre ticket-taker a cowardly crime of violence, the Hon. Cornelius J. Moriarty yesterday sentenced Michael B. Ellis, 21, to two years’ incarceration in the Barnstable County Correctional Facility and Brett Geddis, 18, to a year in the Edgartown House of Correction.
Price Watch
Gas
Prices for regular unleaded gas as of Apr. 28:
Edgartown
Airport Mobil $2.679
Depot Corner $2.699
Edgartown Mobil $2.759
Oak Bluffs
deBettencourt’s $2.679
Jim’s $2.729
Vineyard Haven
Citgo $2.679
Tisbury Shell $2.699…
Roland Miller Elected to Tisbury Board
After 21 years in the job, Ralph Packer lost his position as a Tisbury water commissioner in this week’s annual town election.
Mr. Packer’s defeat by Roland Miller, by a margin of 359 to 191 votes, was the only upset of the election; all the other candidates standing for reelection were returned.
…
Sophomores Speak Out
Editor’s Note: It’s not sophomores this week — it’s juniors and seniors. Guest columnists are members of the Irish History and Culture class at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School. They write about their trip to Ireland over April vacation.
Ireland — I’ll Be Back
By Troy Small
Pirates Capture Hostages, Imagination
Around the globe, people were shocked by the recent attack by Somali pirates on the U.S. cargo ship the Maersk Alabama, and the abduction of Capt. Richard Phillips. The story was riveting. Who knew there were still pirates?
Pirates have always prowled the ocean. As Capt. John Smith wrote in 1630: “As in…
The World’s Darling: Susan Boyle
The film is a musical. Shortly after the movie begins, a brave but nervous girl walks onto a nearly completed stage. High overhead workmen are rigging electrical wire and so on. In a bored voice an assistant director says, “Okay, kid.” A pianist launches for the 89th time into the audition song. And there it…
A Man of Humor and Dignity
Editors, Vineyard Gazette:
Of anyone that I know, Michael McManus deserves an addendum to his obituary, especially after seeing his photo published two weeks ago, taken about 25 years ago. The current photo, taken by my son Christian Billotto, is the Michael that we all knew.
Solar Cars Race Toward a Brighter Future
This time last year I was adding the final touches to my solar car. My partner, Lucas Amarins, and I were fixing a few engineering problems, enhancing the appearance, and testing it out on the Tisbury School blacktop under the watchful eye of our helpful science teacher, Mrs. Gatchell. We named it Ra, after the…
A Different Tune
A Different Tune
The sound of whistling in the street is a rare, sweet pleasure.
Eschewing headphones rather to entertain strangers, the whistler and her clear and human music are a precious gift to passersby, who are irresistibly cheered.
“How lovely!” cried one listener on the streets of Edgartown…
A New Beginning
A New Beginning
After sixty-two years of ownership by the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the Katharine M. Foote Memorial Shelter in Edgartown quietly changes hands today. And so begins a new era of public-private ownership at the Island’s only animal shelter. A nonprofit organization has been formed, a…
Open and Shut Case
Open and Shut Case
The plan to rehabilitate the old Oak Bluffs library by converting the building into affordable housing for seniors and a pharmacy must be referred to the Martha’s Vineyard Commission for review as a development of regional impact.
Lauded Czech Film Screening Saturday
“An elegant, ironic fable with literary origins that belongs to a distinctive middle-European artistic tradition with a puckish spirit that sometimes seems sweet and at other times ruthless.”
So says Andrew O’Hehir of salon.com about I Served The King of England, a documentary film that screens Saturday, May 2 at 7:30 p.m. at the…
Savor The Moment Photo Contest Accepting Entries
The Oak Bluffs Public Library, in conjunction with the annual celebration of Della Hardman Day on Saturday, July 25, is now accepting entries for a photography contest to will select Martha’s Vineyard images that reflect Della Hardman’s legacy theme — “Savor the moment.”
The winning entries will be published in the Oak Bluffs Public…
Watercolor Workshop
Watercolor Workshop
A Watercolor Workshop with Priscilla Levesque will take place at the Camp Ground in Oak Bluffs on Saturday and Sunday, May 16 and 17, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Priscilla lives in Cataumet on the Cape and makes frequent painting trips to the Island. She has taught drawing and watercolor…
Firefighters Move Fast to Save Edgartown Great Pond Homes
Firefighters from three Island towns moved quickly Sunday to extinguish a fast-moving brush fire in a rural area near the Edgartown Great Pond, stopping the blaze not far from two homes in the Boldwater subdivision. The fire capped a busy day for Edgartown firemen, who also put out a transformer fire off the Edgartown-Vineyard Haven…
Oak Bluffs Selectmen Defend Handling of Library Conversion
Responding to questions about plans to convert the old town library on lower Circuit avenue into a mixed-use building with affordable housing and a new pharmacy, Oak Bluffs selectmen said this week that the project conforms with state regulations for public works projects.
In recent weeks, questions surfaced over why extensive work had…
Child Care Class
Child Care Class
The American Red Cross, Cape Cod and Islands Chapter is organizing a Childcare Provider class on May 9 for residents of the Vineyard. The class will be held at the YMCA at 57 Pequot avenue in Oak Bluffs.
Infant and Child CPR will be taught on Saturday, May…
Hard Landing in Superior Court For Chappy Helicopter Dispute
William S. O’Connell may have clear-cut a 100 by 106-foot area on his land in Chappaquiddick, put up a wind sock and a sign saying “Heliport,” but that did not make it a heliport, a Dukes County Superior Court judge was told on Friday.
Nor did occasional takeoffs and landings make it one,…
Chilmark Voters Curb Spending
Chilmark voters opted for smaller government and a quieter town at Monday’s annual town meeting, approving a reduced town budget and stricter new noise bylaws.
The budget cuts, however, amounted to the lightest of prunings — about $6.64 million for fiscal year 2010 compared with 2009’s $6.68 million appropriation — after the meeting…
MSPCA Hands Over Keys to Shelter
The newly created Animal Shelter of Martha’s Vineyard opens today at the site of the Katharine M. Foote memorial shelter in Edgartown, quietly taking over where the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which ran the facility for the past 50 years, left off.
The old MSPCA sign came down…
Affordable Housing Backers Defend Their Cozy Contracts
A project by the Island Housing Trust to build eight affordable homes at 250 State Road in West Tisbury has rankled some elected officials who question why the cost of construction — which is partially subsidized by the town — is so high — and why the contractor hired to build the project is also…
Concert at the Cliffs Plan Riles Aquinnah Residents
A budding plan to allow two Aquinnah concert promoters to build a summer outdoor performance center at the Gay Head Cliffs has begun to draw more darts than the P.A. Club on a Friday night.
A public hearing was set for last evening and Aquinnah selectmen moved the location to the old town…
Packer Agrees: No Rental Cars
In the face of legal action by the Steamship Authority, Ralph Packer has finally agreed to stop the unlicensed transport of rental cars to Martha’s Vineyard on his barges for the summer tourist trade.
Fullers Landscaping
Island House & Yard is changing its name to Fullers on May 1. Other than the name change, Fullers landscaping will continue with business as usual. Started in 1997 by Jesse and Luciana Fuller as a small lawn mowing and house cleaning company, the company has expanded over the years into one of the Island’s…
Improv Free for All
The IMP Free For All — when award-winning improv students open their doors to the community for free improv performances and workshops for all ages — begins on Friday, May 8, with two performances.
First the middle school troupe, IMP-act, takes the stage to perform short pieces from games and skits based on…
Lambert’s Cove Inn Sign Stolen Again
For the second time in three months, the sign at Lambert’s Cove Inn in West Tisbury was stolen sometime Saturday night or Sunday morning. Police said they are searching for suspects in a string of sign-related heists in recent months.
The previous sign at the Lambert’s Cove Inn was stolen in February, and…
Crew of Docu-drama Filming Next Week, Seeking Crab Cakes
Oak Bluffs selectmen reacted with laughter but also some worry on Tuesday to a proposal from a Hollywood production company to shoot a pilot in town for a reality docu-drama depicting the lives of young people spending the summer on the Vineyard.
A majority of selectmen felt the proposal from 25/7 Productions about…
YMCA Director John Clese To Exit Just as Building Begins
There was good news and bad news this week for the YMCA of Martha’s Vineyard, as the nonprofit announced that executive director John Clese is stepping down, and that construction of the new $11 million YMCA on the Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road is set to begin in the coming weeks.
Mr. Clese will end…
Cape Air Offers Direct Flights to New York
Cape Air will begin direct service between Martha’s Vineyard and New York June 12, starting with a daily flight between West Tisbury and White Plains Airport in Westchester County.
The airline is ready to increase the number of flights per day at any time if demand is there, according to director of communications…
Artists Light Up Lunch
Vineyard artists Elizabeth Straton, with her daughter Suzanne, and Ellen McCluskey have decorated two of 80 lighthouse birdhouses that will serve as table centerpieces at Wellspring House’s Women Honoring Women luncheon on Monday, May 4.
Helping families light the way home is the theme of the luncheon, where 800 women are expected to…
Towns Spread Information To Stop Swine Flu Spread
As cases of swine flu (H1N1) virus multiplied elsewhere, Island towns were quick to issue guidance this week about taking precautions and being prepared should the virus spread. In Massachusetts, Department of Public Health officials confirmed two cases in Lowell.
Shave and a Haircut
Shave and a Haircut
The Vineyard Gardener
By LYNNE IRONS
Volunteers Are Needed For Breeding Bird Survey
Wild turkey numbers are way up, kestrel numbers are way down and robins are holding steady. These are some of the early findings from Breeding Bird Atlas 2, a statewide, volunteer-based initiative by Mass Audubon to map the distribution of all bird species known to nest in Massachusetts. Volunteers are needed to be part of…
Oak Bluffs
HOLLY NADLER
508-274-9239
(hollynadler@gmail.com)
If you don’t happen to love dogs, scientific data has shown, you’re missing an opportunity to improve your health and even prolong your life. I’m wondering why dog exposure, in fact, isn’t used as a control factor in medical research. For instance, one group takes…
Fragrant Foreigner
Naturalist Nicholas Culpepper made a valid observation when he noted that “God and nature made nothing in vain.”
He was speaking of honeysuckles, one of the first plants to leaf out in early spring, when he identified one of its detriments. Culpepper’s unfortunate observation was that “the chewing of a leaf is more likely…
Weekend Bird Events
Birders have a tough decision, as there are two very important bird-oriented events this weekend; one for least terns and another for the Massachusetts Breeding Bird Atlas.
Island Poet Dan Waters Shares Verse at Library
The Edgartown Public Library will present an evening program with Island poet, artist and printer Dan Waters on Wednesday, May 6, from 7 to 8 p.m.
Mr. Waters is a man of many talents and seemingly boundless energy. A former poet laureate of West Tisbury, he is proprietor of the Indian Hill Press…
Tisbury Mural to Be Unveiled Saturday
The long-awaited transformation of the Stop & Shop parking lot wall in the Gateway to the Island is set to take place tomorrow, Saturday, May 2, at 11 a.m., when the Tisbury mural is to be unveiled. This will be the public’s first viewing of the massive public art project, and a chance for all…
Folk Singer Gets Birthday Tribute
Sunday, May 3 is Pete Seeger’s 90th birthday, and as part of a worldwide celebration of the man and his music, Featherstone Center for the Arts in Oak Bluffs will host a free concert. The event begins at 4 p.m. Tristan Israel, Nancy Jephcote, Mark Lovewell, and Paul Thurlow will perform songs both written and…
Art Classes for Adults
Donna Blackburn, the resident artist on the staff of the Edgartown Public Library, will lead two free, four-week art classes at the library this May.
Basic Watercolors, a class for adults, will meet from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, May 5, 12, 19 and 26. Enrollment is limited to six people. To…
King Lear Debut for Island Masses
By HOLLY NADLER
In the good old Globe days, William Shakespeare’s audience welcomed the many hours it took to plow through one of his plays. What else did they have to do? There were no movies, no television, even books were in short supply: the richest citizens had two or three volumes per…
Correction
Correction
A story in last week’s Gazette previewing the Chilmark annual town meeting inaccurately characterized the town budget. Chilmark was not the only town to see its annual budget go down this year; the West Tisbury budget also went down. The Gazette regrets the error.
Edgartown
KATHIE CASE
508-627-5349
kathleencase@comcast.net
Wow! What else could you say about this last week? The buds on the trees have burst open, and a lot of the plants have sprouted. What a week.
Happy birthday to all who celebrated this past week. Big balloons go out to…
Aquinnah
JUNE MANNING
508-645-2574
(lthslnks@gis.net)
The Women’s Symposium will be held at the Chilmark Community Center tomorrow from 9 a.m. to noon. The discussion topic is Coping.
Chilmark
JANE N. SLATER
508-645-3378
(slaterjn@comcast.net)
Happy May Day to all! This date used to be a fun holiday in town when folks hung May baskets on each other’s doors in the hopes of surprising them and then getting invited in for food and fun. Maybe someone will hang a…
Vineyard Haven
NANCY GARDELLA
508-693-3308
(vhavenvgazette@yahoo.com)
It is always a pleasure to hear from my dear friend, Anna Duarte. Anna wants you all to know she has returned from successful eye surgery, she is recuperating nicely from her accident, and, no surprise here, she will be Poppy Chair again for the…
Welcome, Kylie
Welcome, Kylie
Ashley Hersman and John Gibson 2nd of Oak Bluffs announce the birth of a daughter, Kylie Marie Gibson, born on April 22, 2009, at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Kylie weighed 7 pounds, 2 ounces at birth.
Welcome Neve
Welcome Neve
Holly and William Jackson of Vineyard Haven announce the birth of a daughter, Neve Theresa Jackson, on April 25 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Neve weighed 9 pounds, 10 ounces at birth. She joins big sister McKensi.
New Photography Show at Featherstone
The Center for Creative Expression opens its fourth annual student photography exhibit with a reception at Featherstone Center for the Arts on Barnes Road in Oak Bluffs on Saturday, May 2, from 4 to 6 p.m.
Temperatures
Temperature: Precip.
Day Max. Min. Inches.
Fº Fº
April 24 57 42
April 25 61 44 Trace
April 26 80 48
April 27 86 50
April 28 64 51
April 29 70 50 Trace
April 30 58 33
Water temperature in Edgartown harbor:…
Chapter 50: Quincas, Up and Down
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…
Dancer and Comedienne Claire Porter Visits Island
How many women live in New Jersey, perform at Mikhail Baryshnikov’s gala in New York city one week, then in the next travel to the Vineyard to lead school kids in movement and the art of the spoken word?
It’s Claire Porter — here under the auspices of The Yard and its artistic…
New Group For Playwrights
The Vineyard Playwrights’ Studio will hold its inaugural meeting at the West Tisbury Library on Wednesday, May 6, at 4:30 p.m.
The group is open to playwrights interested in an interactive workshop for evaluating plays of all lengths, themes and degrees of completion. Actors will provide readings, and a short, constructive discussion of…
Volunteers Clear State Forest Trail
A dedicated half-dozen volunteers gathered last Saturday to clear a trail in the Manuel F. Correllus State Forest, as part of the Island’s first participation in Massachusetts’ Park Serve program.
Sweating from the exertion of running a chain saw through dozens of fallen trees, state forest supervisor John Varkonda looked up and said,…
