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
June 24, 2011
Local Drug Bust Uncovers Heroin, Marijuana, Pills
Two Vineyard Haven men were arrested in Oak Bluffs on Friday afternoon after they were found with a quantity of drugs, including heroin, marijuana, hashish and prescription drugs, police said.
Oak Bluffs police arrested Jeffrey Sylvia, 23, and Jeffrey Rancourt, also 23, both of Vineyard Haven, at about 2 p.m. Friday in the…
Dr. Laursen on Leave
Dr. Peter Laursen, a well-known family practitioner and emergency room doctor, is on a personal leave, the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital confirmed yesterday. Hospital president and chief executive officer Tim Walsh said Dr. Prit Gill is covering Dr. Laursen’s private practice. Mr. Walsh said he could not comment further because it is a personnel matter. A…
Dancing to the Beat of a Different Drummer
By NINA TARNAWSKY
Welcome robot overlords. The Island’s own Tim Laursen, known on Friday night as Robot Drummer, took the stage at Nectar’s in a giant pink owl’s head with bright, lit-up yellow eyes, and four metal, retractable arms all connected to various instruments.
The smoke combined with the stage lights…
Baseball Awards
Baseball Awards
Two Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School baseball players earned post-season accolades: Senior pitcher Ben Ciciora and sophomore shortstop Jack Roberts were named to the Eastern Athletic Conference All Star Team.
Ciciora was among the league leaders in earned run average.
Roberts was among the league leaders in…
This Is a Test, Only a Test
The Town of Tisbury will be testing the Emergency Notification System on Thursday, June 30, at 6 p.m. Please be advised that this is only a test of the system and in no way represents an actual emergency. Should there be an actual emergency the message would clearly define the nature of the emergency. The…
Talking about Writing
Instead of writing from the heart, on Wednesday, June 29 at 5:30 p.m. Nancy Aronie will be talking from the heart. The event takes place at the Chilmark Public Library and features Ms. Aronie discussing her experiences as a writing coach. Ms. Aronie runs the ever popular Chilmark Writing Workshop. She is also the author…
Leadership Shuffle in Public Schools
Key changes in leadership at two down-Island elementary schools will take effect for the coming academic year. Richard Smith, principal at the Tisbury School, will take the helm as principal at the Oak Bluffs School, and the Tisbury assistant principal John Custer will move up to become principal at that school.
Oak Bluffs…
Two Jailed in Oak Bluffs Drug Bust
Two Vineyard Haven men were arrested in Oak Bluffs on Friday afternoon after they were found with a quantity of drugs, including heroin, marijuana, hashish and prescription drugs, police said.
Oak Bluffs police arrested Jeffrey Sylvia, 23, and Jeffrey Rancourt, also 23, both of Vineyard Haven, at about 2 p.m. Friday in the…
Shauna Beth Grob Weds Timothy Stanley in Chilmark
Shauna Beth Grob and Timothy W. Stanley were married at the bridegroom’s family’s residence on South Road in Chilmark, on May 29. As sea mists drifted in over Chilmark Pond, the couple exchanged wedding vows on the lawn. Flavia Stanley, the bridegroom’s sister, officiated.
Eva Stanley, the bridegroom’s niece, was flower girl.
Chilmark Flea
Chilmark Flea
The 44th season of the Chilmark Flea Market sponsored by the Chilmark Community Church begins on Wednesday, June 29 at the meadow on North Road. The flea market occurs every Wednesday and Saturday throughout the summer from 9 a.m. 2 p.m. It also comes complete with no admission charge and free…
Page Earners
Page Earners
Why let the kids have all the fun? This year grownups get their own summer reading program at the Vineyard Haven Public Library, with prizes just like the kids and the teens.
Registration for the youth program begins Monday, June 27, in the children’s room at the library: Just…
Union Chapel Opens
Union Chapel Opens
Union Chapel opens this Sunday, June 26, with Dr. Dorothy Watson Tatem as the guest preacher. This is her third visit and the beginning of the 141st season of Union Chapel.
Union Chapel is located in Oak Bluffs at the south end of Kennebec and Circuit avenues. An…
Democrats Party
Democrats Party
Vineyard members of the Democratic party will have a field services meeting and cookout on Satuurday, June 25 starting at the Oak Bluffs Senior Center at 21 Wamsutta avenue. The meeting is from noon to 1:30 p.m. and from 2 to 5 p.m. is the cookout at the home of Russ…
Letters to the Editor
FLAG FIX
Editors, Vineyard Gazette:
Let’s all give a big thank-you to whomever dredged up the so-called flag bylaw in Tisbury and indirectly brought it to our collective attention. Such faceless mischief-makers are rarely recognized for catalyzing unintended consequences.
In all the hubbub two questions go unanswered: Where is…
Dawn Baxter Wed to Derrin Woodhouse
Dawn Camille Baxter and Derrin Arthur Woodhouse were married Saturday, May 29, 2010 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Englewood, N.J. The Rev. Robert L. Shearer, the priest-in-charge of the church, performed the ceremony with the Rev. Charles L. Fischer 3rd, another Episcopal priest, participating.
Dawn is the daughter of Thelma Boozer Baxter…
Dance Into Summer
Dance Into Summer
Lisa Umberger Weds Dwight Arundale
Lisa Umberger and Dwight Arundale of Boca Grande, Fla., and Edgartown were married in an intimate ceremony on Sunday, May 8, at their home in Boca Grande. Family friend Donna Moore officiated with longtime friends Fred Berger and JoAnn Barwick serving as best man and matron of honor respectively.
Champagne and caviar were…
Madagascar for Tilghman-Razafindramazana Vows
Laura Marie Tilghman, daughter of Frank and Jeanne Tilghman of Newbury, Vt., and Ludovic Chan Razafindramazana, son of Kherounnissa Tombosoa and Chan Chong Tsiu of Maroantsetra, Madagascar, were married in October 2010 in Toamasina, Madagascar.
Daniel Oliver Jr. Marries Kristin Wilson on Cape Cod
Kristin Mary Wilson and Daniel Oliver Jr. were married at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Mattapoisett at noon on Sept. 11, 2010. The Very Rev. Harry E. Krauss, Dean of the Cathedral of Saint John, Providence, officiated.
The receiving line was held at the family home on 40 Water street, where the bridegroom…
Integrated Health
Integrated Health
Acupuncturist and natural medicine doctor Dr. Iris Gold and chiropractic orthopedist Dr. Steven Katz both are back practicing at Integrated Health Center of Vineyard Haven.
Farmer, Teacher, Sanskrit-Speaker: Meet Jim Norton
He’s an academic and an adventurer, an Oxford-educated expert in Sanskrit who 50 years ago traveled overland from Damascus to Baghdad, then sailed across the Arabian Sea from Bombay to Aden in an untested boat with limited charts.
Keep the Office? SSA Has Reservations
The Steamship Authority will lose the lease for its reservation office at the Martha’s Vineyard Airport, and is seriously considering closing the office.
The move is made necessary by the fact that the new owners of the so-called Beacon Building — Island Professional Realty LLC — have told the boat line they have…
Bad Luck for Hot Dogs: County To Enforce Ban at State Beach
Beachgoers whisking their dogs onto Joseph Sylvia State Beach for a quick spin hoping no one notices may want to think twice this summer — the Dukes County commissioners are calling for a volunteer-based patrol program to help enforce the no-dogs policy.
Fiscal Finish Line: Oak Bluffs Races To Balance Books
Oak Bluffs raced to balance its current town budget at the finish line of the fiscal year, after voters at Tuesday’s special town meeting moved to transfer more than $216,000 to cover shortfalls.
About 100 residents appeared at the Oak Bluffs School on Tuesday to vote on the six-article warrant. It was the…
Mr. Dutton Is Subject of Talks
Under increasing pressure over his performance, Oak Bluffs town administrator Michael Dutton is now the subject of a disciplinary proceeding in front of the town selectmen.
Selectmen have held two closed-door sessions within the last week to discuss Mr. Dutton’s performance under a section of the state open meeting law that allows executive…
Hospice Marks 30 Years of Letting Go Gracefully
With a bonfire blazing in late afternoon sunlight behind them, eight women gathered to celebrate the summer solstice. These women have special reason to celebrate the passing of spring into summer and the new cycle of life it brings — they run Hospice of Martha’s Vineyard.
Adrift No More, Bluebeard Drops Anchor
All winter, my venerable sailboat, Blue beard , has sat on her trailer in my Music street backyard. But as spring turns to summer, I have been sensing from the stirrings of the tarp that has kept her cozy on snowy days, that Bluebeard is longing to return to the water. Not that she controls…
Warmer Waters No Friend to Shellfish
Clam chowder, bay scallops, fried oysters. Wampum bracelets. Shellfish are the grand bounty of the soft, sparkling salt ponds that ring the Island shore. We’d be hard pressed to find a local cultural symbol more significant than the water-worn purple and white quahaug shell. Purple — the Island color.
Heroic Rescue Not the Whole Story
It’s hard to say which was more shocking, witnessing the near drowning of an elderly man and a young boy or the refusal of a couple on a nearby motorboat to help rescue them. Either way, it was an afternoon to remember.
Volunteering to Keep Island Beautiful
They’re the unsung heroes of the Vineyard, the volunteers and staff of The Trustees of Reservations who work tirelessly through the winter and spring to ensure the Island’s beaches, properties and other attractions are primed and ready for the enjoyment of visitors and residents during the summer. Significantly, their mission includes actively managing the lands…
Kicking Bike Lanes to the Gutter Not Safe
As a cyclist, I am sadly accustomed to abuse, including ignorant and aggressive drivers (thankfully rare on the Vineyard), so-called bike paths that are substandard in design and upkeep, and the overall attitude (despite law to the contrary) that I’m a second-class road user. Even here in Edgartown, the town has put up illegal stop…
Affordable Housing’s Gordian Knot
Affordable Housing’s Gordian Knot
School’s Out, Safety’s In
School’s Out, Safety’s In
The kids are all out! Special artworks that adorned school hallways were carried home to take new pride of place. Those old worksheets stuffed in the backpacks are now crumpled under beach towels, all freshly smudged with sunscreen. And, best of all, the bike helmets are at the ready,…
State Lauds Vineyard Health Care Access Program
Vineyard Health Care Access Program was recognized this month at the State House for its leading part in enrolling 1,479 previously uninsured kids in health care coverage as part of a statewide challenge.
While Massachusetts boasts the highest coverage rate in the nation, there were still thousands of uninsured children living in Massachusetts…
Beach Pass? With Your Tax Record? Sorry!
Last weekend several upstanding West Tisbury citizens were met with an unhappy surprise when they went to buy their beach permits for the summer.
“There was a small glitch,” town administrator Jen Rand told selectmen this week, explaining that residents of West Tisbury are unable to purchase town permits if they owe taxes.
Possible Dreams Puts New Voice on the Auction Mic
The Possible Dreams Auction will hold its 33rd auction on August 1 in Ocean Park in Oak Bluffs. Established in 1979 as an event where bidders can win “unbuyable opportunities with a Vineyard connection,” it remains one of the most enduring celebrity auctions in the country.
Chilmark to Open Rebuilt Dock One Year After Menemsha Fire
The Chilmark selectmen this week discussed the details of a management agreement for the Middle Line Road housing development, which is due to be finished now in August.
A minimum rent scheme for the property was approved and selectmen are still working on a management agreement with O’Brien Property Management. David Vigneault, executive…
Goast Guard
Goast Guard
Coast Guard and other marine law enforcement officers will be out in force this weekend, June 24 to 26, focused on the detection and enforcement of boating under the influence (BUI). Operation Dry Water is aimed at reminding all boaters that it is unsafe as well as illegal to operate a…
High School Lines Up Starting Funds to Repair Athletic Track
The Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School committee approved a series of capital improvement projects for the next five years at their final meeting of the school year on Monday night.
The projects include $147,000 to renovate the track, $50,000 for reshingling parts of the exterior of the building and $9,000 to improve the…
Lady of the Sea Trying to Save Bluefin Tuna
Catherine Kilduff has a childhood memory of summering in Vineyard Haven and having a day at the beach when she found a number of spider crabs. She recalled hand-feeding one of the crabs with the meat she plucked from a limpet. It was June, an early visit to the Island. “I must have been 11…
Summer Sailing Season Comes About
By JOHN AMABILE
The Holmes Hole Sailing Association commenced its summer season of handicap sailboat racing from Vineyard Haven Harbor with a tune-up race on June 18.
So We Think They Can Dance! Students Rise to Recital Occasion
Practicing last weekend, the eight and nine-year-old dancers of the Rise dance troupe appeared a bit sloppy. Seems it had been a few days since their last rehearsal.
“Where’s your ’tude?” asked Jil Matrisciano, their passionate choreographer and the director of Rise Vineyard Performing Arts studio.
Waterfront Issue Results In Cash Instead of Access
Edgartown selectmen voted this week to back a special variance for David Vietor’s historic bulkhead at his South Water street that would allow him to skirt a state law that requires public access to the water.
Selectmen will recommend that the State Department of Environmental Protection grant the variance, which if approved will…
Best of Luck College Graduates
Emilie S. Gitlitz of Vineyard Haven, graduated on May 12 with a master of finance degree from the A.B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University in New Orleans.
Leigh Hammond of West Tisbury, received a bachelor of arts degree in political science from the University of Vermont at commencement ceremonies on May…
Happy 100th Rod and Gun
Happy 100th Rod and Gun
The Martha’s Vineyard Rod and Gun Club will observe its 100th anniversary tomorrow at the clubhouse with an afternoon barbecue, pig roast and celebration for members and their friends.
“We want to thank all those who helped with the completion of our clubhouse in October 2009,”…
Little League Season Championship
The Little League season wraps up this Sunday with two championship games at Veira Park. The minor league game will be held at 11 a.m., while the major league championship will take place at 1:30 p.m.
Stanley Cup Arrives Saturday For Edgartown Parade, Viewing
Bruins fans unable to attend last Sunday’s victory parade through the streets of Boston will be treated to a celebration of their own this weekend, when the Stanley Cup makes an appearance in Edgartown.
The nearly three-foot-tall trophy arrives Saturday, said Edgartown police officer Dave Rossi, fresh from its pedestal at the 2011…
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Correction
A story in the Tuesday Gazette about foreclosure proceedings against the nonprofit Island Affordable Housing Fund, now renamed the Martha’s Vineyard Housing Fund, mistakenly referred to the fund in second reference as the trust. The nonprofit Island Housing Trust is a separate organization, formerly affiliated with the fund but now distinct from…
West Tisbury
JOHN S. ALLEY
508-693-2950
(alleys@vineyard.net)
Father’s Day was wonderful, just perfect for outdoor barbecues, beaches and all kinds of surprises. My daughter, Nicole, and son in law, Arsen, took me out for a wonderful lunch and sure surprised us with an announcement!
School closed Tuesday for the…
Oak Bluffs
HOLLY NADLER
508-274-2329
(hollynadler@gmail.com)
In the Gilded Age, the nouveau snobs used to say “tout Paris” when everyone (meaning everyone in the Astor 400) was following the same trend, as in “Tout Paris in Newport is eating turtle soup for a first course.”
Chilmark
JANE N. SLATER
508-645-3378
slaterjn@comcast.net
Chilmark is still prepping for the full rush of summer. Schools closed this week and now folks will be arriving for the full experience of a Chilmark summer. Are you ready?
Moonless Nights
The last nights of June are mostly moonless. For those who like to look at the stars, this is a wonderful opportunity. The moon won’t interfere until well after 3 a.m.
Gazette Chronicle: Ode to Quansoo
Ode to Quansoo
From Joseph Chase Allen:
Smoother than prairie land, wearing a summer coloring of greens and browns, Quenames, named originally for the Indians’ eel-fishing-place, lies much as the settlers found it three centuries ago. The acres which comprise the original tract lie empty save for the half dozen buildings…
Vineyard Haven
NANCY GARDELLA
508-693-3308
(vhavenvgazette@yahoo.com)
School’s out! So Bridget Slomka, granddaughter of Marge and Paul Howes of Vineyard Haven, wasted no time getting on a plane from Phoenix and heading to Logan, where Paul met her and brought her down to the Island last night. Bridget had spent one year…
Temperatures
Temperature: Precip.
Day Max. Min. Inches.
Fº Fº
June 17 76 61 .00
June 18 72 60 .37
June 19 77 61 .00
June 20 75 53 .00
June 21 77 59 .00
June 22 79 62 Trace
June 23 70 62 1.26
…
Please Adopt Us
Please Adopt Us
Cat adoptions at the Animal Shelter of Martha’s Vineyard have slowed down considerably in the last few weeks now that all the kittens have found new homes, but we still have some fabulous adult cats who need homes. Won’t you please stop by the shelter and consider taking one of…
Edgartown
KATHIE CASE
508-627-5349
(kathleencase@comcast.net)
We have been having some incredible weather. Sunny, cool at night and beautiful blue skies. As I write this it is pouring rain — but then we know we don’t have to water the gardens tomorrow!
Heytor Arrives
Heytor Arrives
Rikielly Peres and Osualdo Dias of Vineyard Haven announce the birth of Heytor Peres Dias, born on June 18, 2011, at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Heytor weighed 7 pounds, 13 ounces at birth.
Announcing Jonathan
Announcing Jonathan
Pamela and Jonathan Belain of West Tisbury announce the birth of a son, Jonathan Morgan Belain Jr., born on June 16, 2011, at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Jonathan weighed 7 pounds, 14 ounces.
Hello Sophia
Hello Sophia
Kerry and Sean Cummings of Vineyard Harven announce the birth of a daughter, Sophia Grace Cummings, born on May 25, 2011, at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Sophia weighed 6 pounds, 14 ounces at birth.
Aidan Arrives
Aidan Arrives
Noelani and John Chase welcomed the birth of their first son, Aidan Keoni Chase, on June 16, 2011 at 4:52 a.m. Aidan weighed 7 pounds, 13 ounces at birth. Noelani is the daughter of Jonathan and Hannah Scott of West Tisbury. John is the son of Diane and the late Joseph…
Suspense Builds in Artist’s Early Scenes
At first you can’t tell what the paintings are. Then you notice the gruesome red spot on one, the shape of a head on the second, the bodily form lying there on the third; three paintings playing with your perception of a man who has been shot in the head.
The artist is…
Strawberry Festival Season Upon Us
Strawberry Festival Season Upon Us
Strawberry season is upon us. Sure, just biting into a strawberry this time of year is guaranteed to make you gasp with pleasure and marvel that Mother Nature could be so generous.
But we are people, darn it, and although so often we tend to desecrate…
Vineyard Haven House Tour Features Talk and Walk
Time to get out of the house and into someone else’s house. Houses, actually.
It’s the first Vineyard Haven house tour hosted by the Martha’s Vineyard Museum taking place Saturday, June 25 from 1 to 4 p.m.
Tiny Dancers
Tiny Dancers
Having a hard time getting your four-year-old to sleep, what with the summer hours of daylight stretching into the wee hours? Starting Wednesday, June 29 help is on the way.
Independent Together
Independent Together
Have a slice of independence! No, it’s not yet the Fourth of July. This independence celebration is Tuesday, June 28, when Flatbread Pizza benefits the Vineyard Independence Partnership, also known as VIP.
Senior Music Camp
Senior Music Camp
Camps, camps and more camps for kids. All well and good, but what about the rest of us? Particularly those no longer spry enough to pogo stick but not willing to go gently into that good night, either. Hmm, is that a mandolin I hear in the distance.
…
The Martial Art of Mixing It Up
The Martial Art of Mixing It Up
This weekend at the Yard there’s a merging of the professional and the personal. The opening weekend at the dance colony in Chilmark features the H.T. Chen dancers, the Yard’s company in residence this summer, and the boys and girls next door. Say what?
…
Civil War Movie and Lecture Adds to Museum Exhibit
Denzel Washington was a relative unknown when he scored the role of Trip, an escaped slave who joined one of the first black units fighting for the Union in the Civil War in the 1989 film Glory. The New York Times called it a “beautifully acted, pageantlike movie” that tells the story of the Massachusetts…
Plein Air, Plus Critique
Plein Air, Plus Critique
On Thursday, June 30 at 6 p.m., oil painter Meg Mercier will give a brief gallery talk about her plein air paintings on view at the Old Sculpin Gallery in Edgartown.
The evening will also include a constructive critique by folk artist Brian Kirkpatrick for anyone who…
Summer Film Festivals Are Blockbusters of Talent, Never Mind the Bottom Line
Did the Green Lantern, last week’s supposed Hollywood blockbuster, fail to light up your life? Don’t despair, there are others here on the Island who also hunger for something more fulfilling on screen. Indeed, the Vineyard in summer is a movie lover’s paradise with numerous festivals bringing narratives and documentaries from around the world just…
Summer Reading
Summer Reading
School’s out so let the reading begin. The type of summer reading that can go on for hours and hours uninterrupted by anything except maybe a balmy breeze off the ocean.
But just because reading is a solitary affair there’s no need to do it alone. Head out to…
Mystery Flycatcher
Oh, good grief. It is an Empidonax flycatcher. They all look the same, they are not very bright — drab greenish, as one bird field guide suggests. They all have whitish wing bars during nesting season and they all boast eyerings.
The Benefits of Fruit
I received the AARP magazine in the mail. Now there is a publication I never thought I would receive, much less enjoy.
No Kvetch About Vetch
It was without a doubt the best Father’s Day bouquet that I had ever seen.
Elegant in its simplicity, this gift was clearly created with love and affection. It was made of found objects and plants collected in the yard. The vase was an empty Guinness beer can, well-rinsed and shined up, with…
