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 28, 2010
One-Eyed Determination Took Nelson Bryant to Normandy
We’re getting close to D-Day now. A couple of days away. You can tell. These big C47s, these transport planes, were out on the airstrip. And all of a sudden one day on the sides of the planes appeared big white crosses. I guess that was to help our own fighters identify them. It was…
Ted Morgan on World War II: “You Just Don’t Know What to Expect”
The password for that drop was George Washington. If you heard a rustling and you didn’t know who was there you would say “George,” and if you received the password “Washington,” then you knew it was your own troopers.
World War II Exhibit Comes to Martha’s Vineayrd Museum
They were Islanders and they served their country in World War II, in all branches of the armed forces, men and women, most of them barely beyond their teens. This weekend the Martha’s Vineyard Museum opens the second part of an ongoing exhibit that features among other things a powerful collection of oral histories from…
Stan Hart’s Game Was His Own, Both On and Off the Court
Since 1965, Stan Hart and I have been neighbors on Abel’s Hill, coming together for countless hours of socializing, beach time, conversation — and especially tennis. We played as partners and opponents, mostly doubles but we would play singles if we couldn’t get four for doubles.
Stan’s tennis was as close as anything…
Visiting Viet Nam, and a Bygone War
With Memorial Day ap proaching, I am recalling a visit to Viet Nam last fall on which two U.S. Navy veterans of the war in Viet Nam were among my companions. As we visited city and countryside, we met Vietnamese veterans on street corners and in rice fields. Amazingly, bygones seemed to be bygones among…
Gazette Chronicle: An Island to Call Home
An Island to Call Home
From a 1985 Gazette article by Janet Bosworth:
One stormy night in May 1888, the schooner Onrust in ballast, bound from Fall River for Calais, brought up hard and fast on Schooner Reef, on the shore of Cuttyhunk. All aboard were rescued by the Cuttyhunk members…
Writing the Book on Chappaquiddick
Editor’s Note: Some stories just have to be written down. Such is the case with Edo Potter’s story of life at Pimpneymouse Farm on Chappaquiddick that began for her nearly 80 years ago at the age of four, and continues today. The Last Farm on Chappaquiddick is at once a memoir, history book and chronicle…
Letters to the Editor
BAIT AND SWITCH
Editors, Vineyard Gazette:
On May 10, 2010, National Grid filed its request with the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities for approval of two agreements with Cape Wind. The per kilowatt hour cost proposed by National Grid is 20.7 cents escalating at 3.5 per cent for 15 years, when…
Allan Manings Has a Last Word
Editor’s Note: Allan Manings, an Emmy-winning television writer who was a summer resident of Edgartown, died May 12 in Los Angeles at the age of 86. The creator of the hit sitcom One Day At A Time, Mr. Manings also wrote scripts for shows such as Leave It to Beaver and Laugh In. Perhaps less…
Memorial Day 2010
Memorial Day 2010
Seen by the side of the road in North Tisbury this week: a photographer in jeans and a T-shirt training his long lens deep into a meadow of white daisies and bluebonnets. Stippled with late afternoon light, the exquisite flowering spring meadow spills out through a line of roadside split…
Best Supporting Actress
Best Supporting Actress
Sixteen-year-old Jessica Carlson, of New York and Chilmark, received the Best Supporting Actress Award last month from the Young Artists Foundation of Studio City, Calif. Jessica’s award was given for her performance in the role of Rebecca in the Universal Studios’ film, The Vampire’s Assistant, shown in theatres nationwide last summer,…
Eliakims Way Welcomes New Neighbors
Last weekend, seven families moved into their new homes on Eliakims Way at 250 State Road in West Tisbury. The eighth home, built by Habitat for Humanity of Martha’s Vineyard, is scheduled to be completed within the next couple of weeks.
This marks two and a half years since the Island Housing Trust…
DeBettencourt – Agnew
DeBettencourt — Agnew
Beecher — Straus
Beecher — Straus
Mrs. Pat Calabrese of Lake Forest, Ill., and Nantucket, and E. Ronald Beecher of Chicago announce the engagement of their daughter, Katharine Pierce Beecher, to John Alexander Straus Jr., son of Mr. and Mrs. Straus of Darien, Conn., and Oak Bluffs.
Carson – Bibers
Carson — Bibers
Marisa Claudia Carson, daughter of Kenneth and Alba Eber of West Tisbury and Jason Bibers, son of Robert and Grace Bibers of Manchester, Vt., were married on June 6, 2009 at the West Tisbury Congregational Church. The reception followed immediately after at the Grange Hall. Family and friends came from…
Announcing Arielle
Announcing Arielle
Camila and Carlos Magri of Tisbury announce the birth of a daughter, Arielle Kayla Magri, born on May 10, 2010, at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Arielle weighed 7 pounds, 10.2 ounces at birth.
Percy Dripps
Percy Dripps
Perry Dripps was graduated from the University of New Hampshire, summa cum laude, on Saturday, May 22, after completing his senior honors thesis in psychology. He was also inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. His proud parents are Betsy and Craig Dripps of West Tisbury.
Vanderwalker-Martin Vows Made by West Chop Light
Patty and Skip Vanderwarker of Spring Island, S.C., and West Chop, announce the marriage of their daughter, Meredith, to Tucker Martin, on Saturday, June 13, 2009. Mr. Martin is the son of Patty and Emerson Martin of New Canaan, Conn.
Ives — Kelley
Ives — Kelley
Peter and Clare Ives, of Aquinnah, announce the engagement of their daughter, Chelsea Ives, to Sean Kelley. Sean is the son of Michael and Paula Kelley, of Newburyport. A September 2011 wedding is planned.
McGovern – Dowling
McGovern — Dowling
Maryellen and Joseph McGovern of Narragansett, R.I., announce the engagement of their daughter Kathryn to Michael Dowling, son of Jeanne and Douglas Dowling of Vineyard Haven.
Nectar’s Deal Keeps Getting Sweeter
At a meeting Friday morning, the Martha’s Vineyard airport commission swiftly approved a request for Nectar’s nightclub, and partners Flatbread Pizza Company, to sublease the Outerland property for a second season.
Young Yenta’s Internet Column Offers a Kinder Brand of Kibitzing
A yenta, in Jewish tradition, is a woman who without invitation meddles in other people’s business.
Merissa Nathan Gerson, 28, who grew up in Washington, D.C., and spent summers in Chilmark, (her mother is cookbook author Joan Nathan, her father Allan Gerson, an attorney), has launched a Web site and advice column called…
Mary Fisher Celebrates a Century Plus Three
It was a community bash for Mary Fisher’s 103rd birthday on Monday. The outdoor party at Windemere Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center included refreshments and a big birthday cake. Sunscreen was passed around along with colorful, bright hats for the residents.
High praise was offered to the Edgartown fourth grade teacher who retired…
Brand New Zamboni Machine Arrives to Keep Arena Ice Nice
While many people this week were thinking beach, as summer weather settled over the Island, at the Martha’s Vineyard Arena they were thinking ice.
Good ice is essential to good skating, and a good Zamboni machine is essential to good ice.
And after months of planning, wishing and fund-raising, the arena…
Lacrosse, Tennis in Tournament Play
Both the boys’ and girls’ lacrosse teams defeated their inter-Island rivals from Nantucket this week, as the girls rolled over the Whalers by a final of 18-5 and the boys won by a comfortable margin of 10-5. In recent years the teams have engaged in epic battles on both sides of the Sound, as both…
Colley Graduates
Colley Graduates
Christina Marie Colley, daughter of Carlos and Joanne Colley of Oak Bluffs, earned a bachelor of arts, magna cum laude in psychology and elementary education, from Saint Michael’s College, on May 13, 2010, in ceremonies held on the campus of the liberal arts residential Catholic college located in the Burlington area…
Escape from Siberia
Escape from Siberia
As America takes a long weekend to remember the sacrifices made by our men and women in uniform, Islander Anita Hotchkiss and the Vineyard Haven library are offering Islanders an opportunity to learn more about the kind of atrocities that Allied forces fought and died to end.
In…
High School Pays Tribute to Brazil
The halls of the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School were flooded with green and yellow on Friday, as students celebrated the first Brazilian awareness day to honor the Island’s large Brazilian population.
Signs of the Times: Interpreter Adds New Language to the Pledge
Sitting in a coffee shop in Oak Bluffs this week, Casandra Paasche could barely contain her hands as she spoke. Though speaking to a hearing person, her hands followed up every word with a signed gesture. As a sign language interpreter, she has made a career of translating spoken English for the deaf, and signing…
Need a Ferry? There’s an App for That
FerryFind is the first iPhone application that allows users to find every ferry crossing serving Cape Cod and the Islands of Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket and Cuttyhunk.
The application, now available on the App Store, sorts through data from all 12 carriers (departing from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York city and New Jersey) and…
Green Inn
Green Inn
The Capricorn House in Oak Bluffs is the first bed and breakfast establishment in Massachusetts to be certified as a green business by the Institute for Green Business Certification.
Committed to the community’s environmental health, the Capricorn House is dedicated to preserving the delicate environment that is Martha’s Vineyard.…
Tisbury May End Hospital Transport Deal
The town of Tisbury is considering withdrawing from an arrangement with the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital under which it provides an ambulance for off-Island transports.
The reason is that the agreement, which originally was hoped to provide funds sufficient for the town to upgrade its ambulance service, is not paying for itself.
…
Tisbury Janitor Faces Child Sex Charges
By JIM HICKEY
A custodian at the Tisbury school was arraigned in Edgartown district court last Thursday on charges of sexual assault against a child. Richard McElhinney, 48, of Vineyard Haven, has been charged with rape of a child with force, indecent assault and battery of a child under the age of 15…
Buckle Up for Chilmark Crackdown
To increase seat belt use and decrease motor vehicle fatalities Chilmark Police began a special two-week crackdown on seat belt use on Monday which will continue through June 7, billed as Click It or Ticket.
Chilmark police chief Brian Cioffi is teaming up with the Menemsha Texaco Station to offer a special reward…
Rev. Spinney to Deliver Last Island Sermon
The First Baptist Church of Vineyard Haven and the Gay Head Community Baptist Church of Aquinnah have been saddened by the news that their pastor of 14 years, the Rev. Dr. Roger Spinney, is leaving the Island.
“Roger is an all-around good guy and a down-to-earth person,” said Melvin Thornhill, a deacon at…
Assistant Principal Choice Close After Interviews at High School
Regional high school administrators have narrowed their search for a new assistant principal to two candidates, who were both invited to the school for daylong final interviews this week.
One candidate is Anne Wagner, who works as a dean of students and advanced placement English teacher in Gardner. The other is Michael Richard,…
Free Books for Travelers
Free Books for Travelers
Beginning in June, the Friends of the Vineyard Haven Public Library will be offering free books to travelers at the Steamship Authority terminal in Vineyard Haven. A selection of free books will be made available on a library cart, along with bookmarks featuring information on library hours, services and…
Red Cross Holds First Aid Class at the Farm Institute
The American Red Cross will hold an adult and child CPR/AED and first aid class on May 29 at the Farm Institute at 14 Aero avenue in Edgartown.
The CPR/AED class will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and costs $55. The first aid class follows and lasts until 4 p.m.…
Parades and Flowers in the Sea
Memorial Day. It’s a federally-mandated Monday off from work, a long weekend that arrives during a time of year when the lingering sun still surprises; the temperature is rising but still falls well short of oppressive. The air is sweet with scents specific to the season: blossoms, freshly-mowed grass and barbecues. Lots of barbecues.
…
Theatre Classes
Theatre Classes
Island Theatre Workshop announces classes for children and adults starting Monday, June 1, at their new home on Music street in West Tisbury. For details, 508-693-2769.
Peruvian Sweater-Maker Attends U.N. Forum
Vineyard resident and business owner Kati Johnsen recently took part in Indigenous Voices at the United Nations, a 10-day forum. She accompanied a village elder from a remote village in Peru who was invited to the forum last fall. Ms. Johnsen has been working in Peru for 25 years, employing and mentoring women in impoverished…
Parents Appeal in School Marijuana Case
Martha’s Vineyard school authorities have confirmed the exclusion of four high school students for six months over alleged drug infractions, although the exact nature of the offenses remains vague and contentious.
The four were barred from the school for the remainder of this school year and the first three months of next year,…
Change of Command at Menemsha
There was a formal change of command ceremony yesterday at U.S. Coast Guard Station Menemsha. Under crisp blue skies, with a gentle breeze accompanying the clear view of the Elizabeth Islands and Vineyard Sound, chief boatswain’s mate Jason Olsen was installed as the new chief of the station. Now officer in charge here, Mr. Olsen’s…
Sculpted 15 Years Ago, Viet Nam Memorial Finally Finds a Home
In the nearly 10 years that one Island war memorial has been mothballed in the artist’s backyard, tens of thousands of American soldiers have been killed or wounded in controversial wars being fought far away. Veterans hospitals have been overrun, new names have been given to the traumas of those returning from foreign fronts, protest…
Teen Driver in 2009 Fatal Crash Is Sent to Prison for One Year
Kelly McCarron, the teenaged driver behind the wheel during an accident last June that claimed the life of her passenger, 18-year-old Jena Pothier, was sentenced to a year in state prison last Friday by an Edgartown district court judge.
Part of a plea bargain with the Cape and Islands district attorney, the sentencing…
Furloughs Ordered At Family Planning
The latest victim of an economy that is increasingly running on empty, Family Planning of Martha’s Vineyard will close its Vineyard Haven clinic for two days this month in order to meet a mandatory work furlough before the end of the fiscal year.
Woods Hole Scientists Say Old Falmouth Spill Is a Case Study for Gulf
More than 40 years before BP’s catastrophic oil well blowout in the Gulf of Mexico, the barge Florida ran aground in Buzzards Bay one foggy night and dumped nearly 200,000 gallons of fuel. The effects of that accident still linger in the marsh mud around West Falmouth.
So while the news yesterday that…
State Suddenly Reverses, Saying Sengekontacket Must Be Closed June 1
In an abrupt about-face from an announcement made just two months ago, the state Division of Marine Fisheries said this week that Sengekontacket Pond will be closed to shellfishing after all this summer.
The DMF announced that it had not conducted enough water quality tests to warrant a reopening of the pond, which…
Mars
The red planet Mars appears high in the western sky tonight, and near the bright star Regulus. Regulus is the brightest star in the constellation Leo and is distinctly white, almost blueish in color. Put a red planet next to it and the colors of both celestial objects looks more apparent.
Birders Ramblin’
The birding community welcomes home bird photographer Lanny McDowell! And speaking of the birding community, it is always fun to put 25 birders in one house and listen to the conversations. What follows is a sampler:
• “You heard a whippoorwill. I am envious, I haven’t heard one in years. Remember when you…
Chappy
MARGARET KNIGHT
508-627-8894
(margaret02539@yahoo.com)
People are already talking about swimming! It certainly was summery enough this past week, although the water must be just about warm enough to pop in and then right back out again. After such a warm spring, and a late Memorial Day, this weekend may…
West Tisbury
JOHN S. ALLEY
508-693-2950
(alleys@vineyard.net)
Last weekend was delightful and many chores were done outside. The azaleas at the Foote tennis court have been in full bloom, a special treat that Bunny Fales enjoyed very much each year. Many people have returned after a long winter in warmer climates.…
Please Adopt Us
Please Adopt Us
Vineyard Haven
NANCY GARDELLA
508-693-3308
(vhavenvgazette@yahoo.com)
This is the kind of news I live to report. Over 50 years ago, Melvin and Neva Thornhill fell in love and stayed there. In celebration of their 50th wedding anniversary on June 4, Melvin and Neva are inviting all their Island friends to the…
Edgartown
KATHIE CASE
508-627-5349
(kathleencase@comcast.net)
Even though it is not summer, we are experiencing summer weather. On Wednesday when I got in my car the temperature said 82 degrees outside. The water was crystal clear, there was very little breeze, and I dare say there were people running their air…
The Vineyard Gardener
By LYNNE IRONS
Here we go . . . heading into another summer season. The other day while sitting in a line of traffic, I noticed people getting cut off and thought it was early to have extra people here so soon. I realized it was the anxiety-riddled workers hustling around, trying to…
Tuesday Gazette
Good morning to all our readers. The Gazette’s twice-a-week publication cycle will begin on Tuesday, June 1, and continue throughout the summer. The newspaper office will be open on Memorial Day, May 31. See you Tuesday!
Temperatures
Temperature: Precip.
Day Max. Min. Inches.
Fº Fº
May 21 70 52 .00
May 22 72 52 .00
May 23 67 56 Trace
May 24 69 55 Trace
May 25 75 56 .00
May 26 79 59 .00
May 27 84 57 .03
…
Wisteria Hysteria
Not having a television, I was unaware (until someone mentioned it) that there’s a Wisteria Lane that holds a special place in the prime-time lineup.
Wisteria may or may not have a special place in your heart, but it will have a big place in your yard if you don’t keep an eye…
Plant Talks, Tours and To Go at Polly Hill
The Polly Hill Arboretum Visitor Center opens for the season on Saturday, May 29, with daily hours from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tours of the grounds are offered everyday at 2 p.m. The grounds are open year-round from sunrise to sunset.
Season Opener
The recreational season is off and running and no one can appreciate it better now than Capt. Scott McDowell of Chilmark. His boat is in the water working perfectly after a mishap earlier this year.
May 21: Summer-Like Weather
Friday, May 21: Summer-like weather. The weekend opens with clear skies and high flying cirrus clouds. Temperature rises to the 70s, warmer at Five Corners, where cars coming off the ferry slow traffic. Rosa rugosa are in full bloom along the Beach Road in Edgartown. Breezy afternoon.
Kara Taylor, Painting at a Thousand Feet
Pilot John Levinson said the first time he took painter Kara Taylor up in his single-engine Mooney Acclaim she didn’t say a word. “She was transfixed,” he says of her response to viewing the Island’s contours at 1,200 feet.
Old Sculpin Opening
Old Sculpin Opening
The Old Sculpin Gallery and Studio School of the Martha’s Vineyard Art Association is opening for the season today, May 28, with a group members show as well as an exhibition of selected works from its permanent collection of art made on the Vineyard from 1890 to the present.
…
Galleries Get Season Going: Fresh Artists, Shows, Venues
The Vineyard has long been a haven for artists. Heading into Memorial Day weekend, art gallery doors will be thrown open for the season, with paintings, sculpture, ceramics and other objects ready to meet their public. Most of the season’s formal shows await June or July start dates, but a handful of galleries have lined…
Dance: Wild, Wonderful and World Class
“My dad has a barn,” chirped a wide-eyed, hyperactive Mickey Rooney. “And my mom can sew the costumes,” the pigtailed, pinafore-bedecked Judy Garland replied. And off they went, hand in hand, singing and dancing their way across the barnyard.
Well, it was something like that and they didn’t even live on the Vineyard…
Eisenhauer Anniversary
Eisenhauer Anniversary
The Eisenhauer Gallery invites the Vineyard to celebrate a decade of connecting artists with Islanders with a 10th annual Memorial Day exhibition. Free and open to the public, the Saturday evening opening reception runs from 6 to 8 p.m. and will feature work by gallery favorite Tjasa Owen, as well as…
Trunk Show at Granary
Trunk Show at Granary
Pep Art Grand Opening
Pep Art Grand Opening
Gould Gallery Opens With Group Show
Discover what Louisa Gould Gallery artists have been making when a group show of new works opens on Sunday, May 30 from 5 to 7 p.m. with live music and refreshments.
Hard Work, Great Stuff, Good Deals
Hard Work, Great Stuff, Good Deals
The Vineyard Artisans Festival opens for the season, Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Grange Hall in “downtown” West Tisbury will fill to bursting with handmade clothing, jewelry, botanicals, decor and more, as artists and craftsmen of all breeds put their wares up for…
Summer Runners Pounding Pavement for Benefit Race
Considered by many to be the starting shot of the Vineyard summer season, the annual Oak Bluffs Memorial Day Road Race is this Sunday morning, May 30. Consisting of a 5 kilometer road race and walk, along with a one mile family fun run, the race has seen over 600 racers and countless spectators of…
Musical Auditions
Musical Auditions
Eating Is Everywhere Again
Eating Is Everywhere Again
The tip jars have fresh pleas (“college tuition,” “ticket to Europe”) in the takeouts. The white aprons are pressed in the posh establishments. We can eat up-Island, we can eat by the sea, and for the moment we can still eat BYOB in Tisbury (by summer’s end, beer may…
Nuns Share Rocky, Riotous Road to Recovery
Heard the one about the brawling Bronx nun who drank too much Christian Brothers?
Those who do know Sister Maurice Doody and Sister Rose Patricia Reilly’s deadpan sobriety standup act well tend to complain when they drop any details: “You left out the part where you beat up your sister!”
Klezmer Duo With Clout Create Workshop, Concert
The success of the recent music jams hosted by the Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center have provided proof positive that the Island loves klezmer music. So it makes sense that this weekend, the center will ramp up the game with instruction, dancing and performance, with the guidance and expertise of the Strauss/Warschauer Duo, a pair of…
Creative Campers to Take Stage with Yard Artists
Kids’ Creative Theater classes at The Yard in Chilmark, featuring fun and skills with veteran teaching artists as well as the opportunity to participate alongside professional actors, dancers and singers in The Yard’s Saturday family matinee, begin July 5.
There are six different week-long sessions for children entering first through eighth grades, and…
Mr. Brigish’s Journey to the East
Mr. Brigish’s Journey to the East
In 2008, South African-born documentary photographer and West Tisbury resident Alan Brigish set out on a journey that would become Breathing in the Buddha, a recently-published book that serves as an image-driven chronicle of everyday Buddhist life across Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar (formerly Burma) and Laos. This Saturday,…
Season of First Looks Lays Bare The Creative Process of Theatre
Story will be fending for itself this summer on the stages of Martha’s Vineyard. Stripped like the economy (and because of it), this season promises something much more seductive than blockbuster pretense, jaw-dropping set design, or celebrity leads: a glimpse at the so-called creative process.
