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
July 15, 2011
News Update: Saturday, July 16 – Norton Point Beach Opens to Oversand Vehicles
All of Norton Point Beach, on the Edgartown side, has been reopened for oversand vehicle access, The Trustees of Reservations announced Saturday. The piping plover chicks which had been using the eastern end of the beach for feeding have successfully fledged, so under state shorebird guidelines vehicle access is allowed again to this beach.
…
SSA Will Meet on Island
The Steamship Authority will meet on the Island on Tuesday, July 19, at 9:30 a.m. to discuss, among other items, the proposed closure of the Martha’s Vineyard reservations office.
The meeting is at Katharine Cornell Theatre on Spring street in Vineyard Haven. It is open to the public.
If Life Gives You No Lobsters, Make Oysters the Aquaculture Way
M. Emmett Carroll Jr. has seen change on the waterfront, from the days when lobsters were bountiful to now when they seem scarce. He has kept his faith by dancing with new ideas, shifting his attention to raising oysters. He runs Menemsha Oysters, pretty much a one-man aquaculture operation which involves raising and harvesting some…
Community Services Gains Three Year Accredidation
For the second time in a row, Martha’s Vineyard Community Services has received three-year accreditation for its Island Counseling Center, Disability Services and the CONNECT-to-end Violence programs from CARF International.
CARF accreditation represents a high standard of performance for health and human services providers. To receive accreditation an organization must undergo a three-day,…
Neighborly Web Is Aim of New Internet Site
Despite all the organizations on the Island dedicated to helping those in need, some needs go unmet. The backers of a new Web site hope to change that.
NetworkofNeighbors.com, which goes live in August, is the brainchild of Squire Rushnell and Louise DuArt of Edgartown.
Wall Street Preacher
The Rev. Mark Bozutti-Jones will be celebrant at Trinity Episcopal Church for the next two Sundays, July 17 and 24.
The priest for pastoral care and nurture at Trinity, Wall Street in New York, where he has served since 2007, Rev. Bozzuti-Jones is a native of Jamaica, and has served as a pastoral…
Spirits Soaring, Joints Aching Church Mounts Capital Drive
Cathlin Baker, the first woman minister in the history of the First Congregational Church of West Tisbury, calls her church, which dates to the 1600s, “the little church in the heart of the Island.”
A Whale Even Ahab Would Love, Anthony Holand Readies Work
When the new weather vane at the bandstand in Ocean Park is unveiled, it will be a product of a centuries-old trade brought to new life by Anthony Holand of Tuck and Holand Metal Sculptors.
Remembering William Bettencourt , Ongoing Story of An Agile Mind
Editor’s Note: The following story was published in the Gazette on Jan. 18, 1985. William Bettencourt died on July 7 at the age of 87. A memorial service will be held on Saturday at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital chapel at 11 a.m.
BY HILARY STOUT
Facts of Weather Require Precaution
Southern New England is overdue for a major hurricane. The last big one, in terms of lives lost, damage and cost, was the Great Hurricane of 1938. A lot has changed since then that will make the next one even more severe.
Wind Power Full of Hot Air and Worse
Wind generation is irrelevant to energy independence: Making electricity doesn’t give us oil, asphalt, plastics or tires; only 1.1 per cent of America’s electricity is generated by petroleum. As for fossil fuel savings, adding wind into the electricity mix tends to increase fuel usage and CO2 emissions due to the inefficiencies introduced into the system.
Beehaving in Christiantown
Editor’s Note: What follows in an addendum to an the Editorial Page feature Why I Love Where I Live, published in the Tuesday Gazette.
Personal Touch of Small Town Policing
The back seat of the Aquinnah police cruiser is cramped and hot. A black wall, just inches from the edge of the seat, grows into plexiglass, reaching the ceiling of the police car. There is barely enough room to sit, and the partition keeps all the air conditioning in the front seat. In the summer…
Mighty Shrug Reverberates Through the Ages
For many years, I dragged my books around with me, from apartment to apartment and finally to our house. There are the novels of Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald, plenty of histories, art and photography books. My treasured copy of Walden is still with me. I bought a thick paperback in the early 1980s but…
Letters to the Editor
BY THE BOOK
Editors, Vineyard Gazette:
I agree with the sentiments expressed in the Gazette by the owners of the Victorian Inn and more recently by Jane Dean regarding the inappropriateness of a tasteless and potentially noisy cafe located on South Water street.
Both sets of writers are however…
High Marks for School Superintendent
High Marks for School Superintendent
The Search Begins in Oak Bluffs
The Search Begins in Oak Bluffs
Who would want to be town administrator in Oak Bluffs, anyway?
The question has become more than rhetorical with last week’s resignation of Michael Dutton, concluding a long-running drama that played out with all the inevitability of an Italian opera — the only surprise being…
Chilmark Celebrates for Community Center’s Future
Would you like a guitar signed by James Taylor? Cooking class with Joan Nathan? How about a boat and breakfast trip to Cuttyhunk? A one-on-one basketball lesson with Junior Farrell?
All of these, plus desserts, dancing and drinks will be available on Saturday, July 23 at a fundraiser for the Chilmark Community Center,…
Union Chapel
The Reverend Linda Noonan will be the guest preacher at the Union Chapel in Oak Bluffs on Sunday, July 17. Rev. Noonan, a pastor at the Chestnut Hill United Church in Philadelphia (a United Methodist and United Church of Christ congregation), has spent the past 21 years of ministry between South Africa and the United…
Homes on the Vineyard Adds Associate
Stephen Warriner of Edgartown, has joined Susan Cahoon and Tjark Aldeborgh in their real estate company, Homes on Martha’s Vineyard.
As a sales associate, Mr. Warriner will be concentrating on Edgartown home sales. He worked in the television and video industry before he got a taste for property management and commercial leasing while…
Young Angler Nathaniel Packer Bests All in Fluke Tournament
A 10-year-old won this year’s annual fluke fishing contest, held last weekend. Nathaniel Packer, of Tisbury, caught a 10.1-pound fluke which more than eclipsed anything caught by the 139 other participants in this year’s contest. Youth, persistence and luck overshadowed age and experience when it came to the grand prize.
Kids’ Clinics
Kids’ Clinics
Sports, robotics, arts and crafts clinics are offered weekly through the summer at Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School. There is even one called CSI (you investigate and tell us how this clinic ends). Registration opens each Monday. For more information or to register, visit mvrhs.org/clinics/ or call 508-693-1033, extension 235.
Life, Death and Conflict
Life, Death and Conflict
Precious Life is the story of a Palestinian infant born with a fatal immune disorder, one that requires transplant surgery that can only be performed in an Israeli hospital. A desperate plea from his doctor to save the boy’s life leads Israeli journalist Shlomi Eldar to document this story,…
Standing Ovation at Library Awards
The Edgartown Library Foundation honored Chappaquiddick author and conservationist Edo Potter with a Lifetime Achievement Award on Sunday, with the former Edgartown selectman receiving a standing ovation of nearly 200 guests.
“Edo has been an outstanding public servant,” said Ted Morgan, who was given the award last year. “She has been truly dedicated…
Bouclé Beauty Therapist Brings Oncology Services
Virginia Elizabeth Vogt has joined Bouclé Salon & Spa of Edgartown. Certified in oncology aesthetics, eyelash extensions and peels, the Vineyard Haven-based aesthetician brings to Bouclé service for individuals with cancer, or recovering from cancer.
Her certification from Touch for Cancer prepares professional aestheticians to provide safe, personalized spa treatments to people with…
No Quorum in Aquinnah
No Quorum in Aquinnah
An Aquinnah special town meeting failed to reach a quorum Tuesday night and will be rescheduled for September.
Moderator Michael Hebert and the selectmen have rescheduled the special session for Sept. 27.
There were three articles on the warrant, including one to restore $26,000 to…
Scavenger Hunt
Scavenger Hunt
The Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a photography scavenger hunt.
Nature enthusiasts, bird-watchers and those who enjoy a walk in the woods are invited to participate in the scavenger hunt which will be ongoing throughout the 2011 summer season.
Materials for…
Embattled Lawyer Suspended from Practicing
Edgartown attorney Edward W. (Peter) Vincent Jr. was suspended from practicing law on Thursday, following complaints of misuse and loss of client funds.
The suspension was issued in Supreme Judicial Court in Suffolk County on July 7.
The temporary suspension will stay in effect until disciplinary procedures are heard before the…
Cronkite Awards for Student, Filmmaker
Walter Cronkite embodied words like integrity, honesty and leadership. For many years he was referred to as the most trusted man in America. In this spirit the Stone Soup Leadership Institute created the Walter Cronkite Awards to celebrate others who, like Mr. Cronkite, work to make the world a better place.
The Stone…
Town vs. Trip Barnes: Judge Calls It Junk
By PETER BRANNEN
Clarence A. (Trip) Barnes 3rd will have to clean up his yard. Last week the town of West Tisbury learned it had won a long-running case against the colorful businessman over the alleged junk yard forming at Mr. Barnes’s State Road home.
“It’s no longer alleged,” said town…
Edgartown Cites Hotel for Serving Alcohol to Minors
Edgartown selectmen this week cited the Harbor View Hotel for serving alcohol to a minor on the Fourth of July.
At their weekly meeting Monday selectmen discussed a report from the West Tisbury police who had pulled over a 19-year-old Connecticut man on July 4 and charged him with operating under the influence…
Oak Bluffs Seeks Compliance, Bidding Investigation Dropped
The investigation into state competitive bidding law violations in Oak Bluffs has ended. Town counsel Ronald H. Rappaport told the selectmen this week that he did not feel it was a good use of the town’s resources in light of the changed behavior and tight finances.
Land Bank Numbers Suggest Weakening Island Home Market
After a strong start, the Vineyard real estate market appears to have weakened dramatically in the latter part of the fiscal year just ended, according to data for the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank.
Land bank revenues, generated from a two per cent fee imposed on most real estate transactions and therefore a good…
Swim for Jesse
Swim for Jesse
Swim for Jesse, an open-water swim race, will take place tomorrow at Joseph Sylvia State Beach, next to the big bridge. Registration for the event begins at 7:30 a.m., with races beginning at 8:30 a.m.
The event is organized by Rebekah Nivala, a student at Wheaton College, and…
To Swim or Not To Swim, That Is The Beach Question
A large number of beaches in West Tisbury and Oak Bluffs were closed to swimming this week due to high levels of enterococcus bacteria found during routine water testing. Health agents in those two towns put out notices about the closures.
Then some, but not all, of the beaches were opened again.
…
Muggles Line Up for Beginning Of the End of Harry Potter Films
Moviegoers hoping to secure tickets to the Island premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 may have wished for a Time-Turner or two yesterday, after the lone midnight showing sold out less than 20 minutes after the box office at Edgartown Cinemas opened at 2 p.m.
Tight State Budget Spares VTA; Health Care Access Gets Zero
On Monday this week Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick signed one of the tightest state budgets in years, leaving many Vineyard organizations that depend on state funding scrambling to assess the damage.
The lean $30.6 billion budget, scaled back some $750 million from the prior year, hit some Island organizations harder than others, but…
Dock Destroyed in Fire Rebuilt, Fishing Village Honors Success
The view over Menemsha harbor may be forever changed after last year’s fire destroyed the historic Coast Guard boathouse and town pier, but one thing remains unchanged: the heart and soul of the picturesque fishing village that is Chilmark’s downtown.
Tuesday marked the one-year anniversary of the July 12 fire, a fitting day…
One Town Wins Library Money
The tale of two Island libraries took a new twist this week when the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners awarded a grant to the West Tisbury library for building a new facility, but Edgartown did not make the cut and will receive no funding, at least for now.
Grant Writers Flub $2 Million
Scores of Island families face a future without money for vital early childhood education for their children, and help with leaky roofs and inadequate heating and sanitation, all because of a clerical error which resulted in the Island missing out on $2 million in state grants.
Making Sailing Fun for Kids, Racers Alike
Learning how to tie a knot is part of learning the ABCs of seamanship, and at Sail Martha’s Vineyard you are never too old to learn.
What began as one volunteer and a handful of boats has grown into a thriving organization of 14 experienced instructors and 72 boats, year-round programs for children…
Fisherman’s Moon
Tonight’s full moon appears low in the southeastern sky after sunset. The moon is in the zodiacal constellation Sagittarius and is inching towards the zodiacal constellation Capricornus. The full moon this month is called the fisherman’s moon.
Gazette Chronicle: Pieces of the Pie
Pieces of the Pie
From Gazette editions of July, 1886:
Almost the last act of the state senate was to advance its pay from $650 to $750, by a vote of 16 to 15, Mr. Norris voting for the increase. It’s only a beggardly hundred but it will help pay election…
West Tisbury
JOHN S. ALLEY
508-693-2950
(alleys@vineyard.net)
Well, if you have had the misfortune to go to town in the past week you noted that the traffic was brutal everywhere. It seems to me that despite the economic woes in the country we are busier than ever. People and cars are…
Oak Bluffs
HOLLY NADLER
508-274-2329
(hollynadler@gmail.com)
There’s so much to report this week, I’ve been sitting at my typewriter sobbing for the past 10 minutes, not knowing where to start.
Aquinnah
JUNE D. MANNING
508-645-2574
(lthslnks@gis.net)
Rev. Ellen P. Tatreau will be installed on Sunday, July 17 at 3 p.m. as the covenant pastor with a celebration at First Baptist Church in Vineyard Haven. She will be the pastor at First Baptist and at Community Baptist Church of Gay Head.…
East Chop
RICK HERRICK
508-693-8065
herricklr@verizon.net
The ancient Chinese philosopher Lao-tzu liked to point out that life is about change. The circumstances of our lives are always in flux. Successful people learn to adapt and to manage the change in their lives.
Chilmark
JANE N. SLATER
508-645-3378
slaterjn@comcast.net
Chilmark moves along through wonderful hot summer days. It rains at night and the summer days are long and steamy, just what is wanted for a day at the beach! There are so many activities scheduled for the evenings that no doubt folks are…
Please Adopt Us
Please Adopt Us
Our featured animal this week is Missy, a one-year-old spayed purebred pit bull who is very obedient and knows all her commands. She loves children and adults and gets along well with other animals. She is a beautiful red-brown and white and really needs to be seen to be appreciated.
Edgartown
KATHIE CASE
508-627-5349
(kathleencase@comcast.net)
“Olé,Olé, Feeling HOT HOT HOT!” That was the theme song for the weather most of this week. I am writing this during the thunderstorm, and I hope tomorrow will be a little cooler than the last few days.
Temperatures
Temperature: Precip.
Day Max. Min. Inches.
Fº Fº
July 8 86 66 .00
July 9 78 65 2.05
July 10 83 61 .00
July 11 81 65 Trace
July 12 82 69 Trace
July 13 83 68 .00
July 14 85 61 1.05
…
Playing With the Dread, David Gans Joins Island Jam
Every Tuesday a group calling itself Grateful Dread plays at Nectar’s. The group is made up of various Island musicians, many of whom can be seen all year long playing in various other bands. But it may be tough to recognize them amidst the trappings of the Dread. They dress like rasta dudes and play…
Exploring Art of the Third Dimension
It’s a 3-D world, and Vineyard artists are hip to that.
At artist Jeanne Staples’s upcoming exhibition at the Granary Gallery you will see Crick Hill at Menemsha, just as lovely as you know her work to be, but in addition to landscapes of Martha’s Vineyard, Staples may surprise you with some installation…
New West Tisbury Gallery Opens
Each week of late there has been a gallery stroll at one of the down-Island towns. Excellent. Plenty of opportunity for an artist date, as Julie Cameron calls it in her book The Artist’s Way. The idea being that if you take the time out of your busy lives to experience art your own creativity…
Puppets on Main Street
Puppets on Main Street
Look for romance and comedy under the linden tree every Saturday night, when the inimitable Bella brings Trouble in Paradise, her new musical puppet show, to passersby at 6 p.m. weekly through July and August.
Getting Jazzy With Chamber Music
Getting Jazzy With Chamber Music
Sometimes chamber music is just chamber music. Actually, to describe chamber music as just anything is a grave offense. The music always has the potential to elevate the moment by stirring the mind as well as the heart. It is, at the risk of tipping the boat, a…
Singing for the Beauty of the World
Singing for the Beauty of the World
When Melanie DeMore comes to the Island she doesn’t just perform. She gets us all to perform. No, this isn’t one of those uncomfortable moments when you attend a performance and are plucked from the crowd to go center stage. Melanie spends the week before her…
Friday Night Lights on Art, Authors
Don’t forget about Vineyard Haven. The town, hit by the one-two punch of the July 4, 2008 fire that destroyed Café Moxie and severely damaged the Bunch of Grapes Bookstore, and the recession, has struggled to match the crowded, bustling streets of Edgartown and Oak Bluffs.
Tonight, July 15, from 5 to 8…
Shakespeare’s Ploy Is Mistaken Identity, But Director Finds Her Own in Theatre
Chelsea McCarthy’s house burned down when she was 24 years old. She had paid off her credit card debt earlier that month, mailed her rent payment on her Christiantown home that morning, and had no money in the bank. At the end of the day all she was left with was some jewelry, perfume, her…
A Little Bonsai Talk
A Little Bonsai Talk
Bonsai: Its History and Practice will be the presentation, by Island bonsai buff Don Sibley, at this month’s meeting of the Martha’s Vineyard Garden Club, scheduled for Tuesday, July 19, at 1 p.m. at the Old Mill in West Tisbury. A hospitality hour with refreshments will follow the program.…
Death by Supermarket Author Plots Your Escape at Library
Of all the ways to go, who would have thought the grocery store would become one of the prime unravelers of our mortal coil.
Sad but true says Nancy Deville in her book Death by Supermarket: The Fattening, Dumbing Down and Poisoning of America.
The problems are many. So many foods…
Ho, to the Fair!
Ho, to the Fair!
Only about a month to go: The 150th Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Society Fair and Livestock Show opens Thursday, August 18, at 9 a.m.
Fair fans can now follow the event on Facebook (Martha’s Vineyard Ag Fair) to get a steady stream of updates, information, photos and more.
Slow Good: The Man Who Began a Revolution
The Slow Food movement and Martha’s Vineyard have a lot in common, and not just in our delight in eating locally grown plants and animals.
In the 1970s McDonald’s set its sights on the Island, targeting an area along the Vineyard Haven harbor. But the people said no. A grass roots campaign sent…
Born Again, Recycled Art Takes Seat at Table
The sight of an old barn, a beacon of red in the midst of a green and yellow field, not unlike that of a lighthouse, often brings up visions of the past, and a more idyllic time when cows owned the earth and people, well, just milked them.
Artist Richard Dunbrack sees furniture.…
They Dance by the Light of the Moon
Transformed into what appears to be a room of curiosities, the Yard’s black-box theatre this week evokes a sense of wonder. A guitar leans against a funky metal chair, a streetlight stands in one corner, a piano is angled in the other and a lamp with no shade illuminates the stage.
But there’s…
Cooking Up Real Chowder, No Short Cuts
By MARK ALAN LOVEWELL
It was showtime this week at Martha’s Vineyard Chowder Company, a new restaurant in the old Dreamland building in Oak Bluffs. The space is across the street from the Flying Horses. Diners will remember the spot as formerly the Ocean Club, formerly Balance and at one time Danny…
Jemima James Variety Show Returns to Musical Mondays
“Listen Local” might be the theme of the evening on Monday, July 18. That’s when Jemima James hosts her third annual Variety Show at Featherstone Center for the Arts, beginning at 6:30 p.m. The show is part of Featherstone’s Musical Mondays concert series.
Nature Lessons from Far Off And Close-Up at Arboretum
The Polly Hill Arboretum in West Tisbury is more than just a pleasant experience with nature, although it is definitely that. It is a place to learn and become more in tune, not just with what nature has to offer, but the drastic changes taking place in our ecosystem on a daily basis.
Wade in the Water of Civil War With Spirituals Choir Concert
For the Jim Thomas Spirituals Choir, the history is as much a part of the experience as the music. Tracing the evolution of American music through the Underground Railroad and the Middle Passage, Jim Thomas and his chorus sing a story of our cultural past.
Motivator Shares What Makes Him Tic
He’s lived most of his life as the guy you couldn’t help but notice. Marc Elliot estimates that he has “tic-ed” 21 million times in his life. Two weeks ago he stopped.
Mr. Elliot, who was diagnosed with Tourette’s Syndrome at the age of nine, tours the country speaking to audiences about tolerance…
Jingle Bells, Jingle Shells
Come out of your shell.
That is easier said than done if you are a bivalve. Bivalves are two-shelled animals that live in marine and fresh water environments. The word bivalve connotes “two leaves of a door,” which refers to its two-sided, or double-shelled, form.
Potato Advocacy
I could never live in Florida or Arizona. I’d rather it snow than be 90 degrees and humid. The Weather Channel reported 117 degrees in Phoenix.
By LYNNE IRONS
I could never live in Florida or Arizona. I’d rather it snow than be 90 degrees and humid. The Weather Channel reported 117…
Yellow-Crowned Night Heron
July and August are exciting times for birders on the Vineyard. We check the tide tables daily to find which beaches have low tides at a time there aren’t a zillion beachgoers scattered across the sand and wading along the flats. The location found, we grab our spotting scopes and head for the flats produced…
Official Contest Rules
By entering this contest, the entrant agrees to be bound by these rules and to accept as final all decisions of the judges appointed by the Vineyard Gazette.
