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
October 28, 2011
News Update: Thursday, Nov. 3 – MVC Roundabout Decision Stands
For the second time in less than a month, a sharply divided Martha’s Vineyard Commission voted Thursday night to back the controversial roundabout plan for the blinker intersection in Oak Bluffs. With chairman Chris Murphy again casting the deciding vote, the commission deadlocked 6-6 over whether to rescind its first 7-6 vote to approve the…
Holiday Drive for Needy
Holiday Drive for Needy
Island Alpaca Farm is collecting donations of food and gifts for the Red Stocking Fund. The farm will collect unwrapped presents and nonperishable foodstuffs valued at $10 or more through Dec. 24. Each person who donates an item will be entered to win one of two $50 gift certificates…
Mighty Morsels for Thought and Taste
Scallops: A New England Coastal Cookbook, by Elaine Tammi and Karin A. Tammi, Pelican Publishing Co., Gretna, Louisiana, 350 pages, color photographs and illustrations, $39.95.
With fresh bay scallops being landed at Vineyard docks it is time to think about favorite recipes. Earlier this year Pelican Publishing came out with a cookbook and…
Flu Clinics on Veterans Day
Flu Clinics on Veterans Day
The annual all-Island flu clinic will take place at Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School on Friday, Nov. 11 from 8 a.m. to noon. Registration and staging areas will be located at Waban Park in Oak Bluffs and the Agricultural Hall in West Tisbury. Participants must fill out a…
Reading Stands Up for Gay Marriage
This coming Monday, Nov. 7, at 8 p.m., the Vineyard Playhouse will present a staged reading of Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays. And they will not be alone. At the same time there will be simultaneous readings of the play worldwide.
Atria’s Creamy Parsnip Soup With Prosciutto and Edgartown Bay Scallops
Atria’s Creamy Parsnip Soup With Prosciutto and Edgartown Bay Scallops
Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
2 quarts chicken stock
4 pounds parsnips, peeled…
MVC Meets Tonight, May Reconsider Roundabount
The Martha's Vineyard Commission meets at 8 p.m. Thursday at the Olde Stone Building in Oak Bluffs. Expected to top the agenda: a proposal to rescind its vote narrowly approving the controversial roundabout. The move to reconsider was pressed last week by commissioner Leonard Jason Jr., an outspoken opponent of the roundabout. The commission voted…
Public Forum at Howes House
Should West Tisbury allow the sale of beer and wine in restaurants? The topic is on the table for discussion at a public forum today at 5 p.m. at the Howes House. The town selectmen are hosting the forum. At their annual town meeting last spring West Tisbury voters agreed to take the first step…
News Update: Wednesday, Nov. 2 – Edgartown Approves Cell Antennas, Capt. Warren House Appraisal
Edgartown voters agreed to spend money on a real estate appraisal of the dilapidated Capt. Warren House at a special town meeting Tuesday night, the first step in the potential sale of the property.
Selectman Art Smadbeck said the $10,000 real estate appraisal is intended as a planning tool, not a commitment to…
News Update: Wednesday, Nov. 2 – High Court Ruling Casts Doubt on Cape Wind
The controversial 130-turbine, 50-square-mile project slated for construction on Horseshoe Shoal hit a major roadblock late last week when a federal appeals court rejected a key finding from the Federal Aviation Administration that the wind farm would pose no hazard to pilots.
Senior circuit Judge Stephen F. Williams reached an opposite conclusion.
Fishermen Spared Cost of Monitors at Sea
The federal government will continue to foot the bill for its mandatory at-sea monitoring program for another year, after meeting with fishermen and state representatives in recent weeks and reviewing the economic impact of the costs associated with the year-old catch shares fisheries management program.
Special Town Meeting
Bring your friends. That’s the message from Edgartown selectmen to voters on Tuesday night as they try again to hold a special town meeting at 7 p.m. in the Old Whaling Church. Originally set for last Tuesday, the meeting fell 20 voters shy of a quorum and was rescheduled to tonight. The 15-article warrant includes…
News Update: Storm Blows Through, Worst Felt Elsewhere
Ferry service to the Vineyard resumed early Sunday afternoon while Nantucket service was still suspended in the aftermath of the northeaster that lashed the Cape and Islands.
The Island was spared the worst of the storm that dumped a pre-Halloween blanket of wet snow on central and western Massachusetts, prompting Gov. Deval Patrick…
Mistakenly Released from Jail, Prisoner Found on Ferry
Something wasn’t right: a man known to have violated his probation was boarding the ferry in Vineyard Haven and heading for Woods Hole, instead of being in custody.
Oak Bluffs police officer Jeff Trudel spotted Jason R. Willoughby, 26, of Edgartown, because they were on the same 8:15 a.m. ferry last Friday, Oct.…
Fatal Stabbing Case Moves to Superior Court
An Aquinnah man was arraigned Friday in Dukes County superior court on charges of second-degree murder and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon stemming from a fatal stabbing in Vineyard Haven last summer.
Ovando S. Eghill surrendered to authorities after a warrant for his arrest was issued in wake of Thursday’s grand…
Silence on Roundabout, MVC Director Warns Commissioners
A week before the Martha’s Vineyard Commission is set to possibly take a second vote on the controversial roundabout project in Oak Bluffs, MVC executive director Mark London sent an unusual e-mail to commissioners warning them not to talk about the issue with members of the public or read commentary in local newspapers.
Early Morning Fire Destroys Vineyard Haven Home
A home off the Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road was completely destroyed by fire early Friday morning. No one was injured, Tisbury fire chief John Schilling said.
Broom or Claw, William Street Calls Them All
Once upon a time, a princess stood on the stoop of Martha and Gerry Yukevich’s William street house in Vineyard Haven. It was Halloween, and the princess was the first visitor of the night.
Land Bank Adds to Aquinnah Headlands
The Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank added a small but significant piece of land to its holdings at the scenic Gay Head Cliffs this week with the purchase of a single acre near the historic clay cliffs in the westernmost reaches of the Vineyard. The seller was the Vineyard Open Land Foundation. The purchase price was…
Dolly Campbell Says Goodbye to Chicken Alley Thrift Shop After 15 Years of Service
For many, Dolly Campbell is the Martha’s Vineyard Community Services Thrift Shop. Her bright red hair, positive welcome at the door and ability to assemble a team of enthusiastic volunteers is a large part of the charm of the store. But after 15 years of working as a comanager with Sandy Pratt, Mrs. Campbell is…
Keep the Character, Chilmarkers Remind Coast Guard Brass
Chilmark residents and town officials made it clear they stand ready to safeguard their picturesque Menemsha village this week, as a U.S. Coast Guard design team presented preliminary plans to rebuild the historic boathouse that burned in the July 2010 fire.
Town leaders were adamant that the historic character of the town be…
Town Scrambles to Save Summer Fireworks
The Oak Bluffs fireworks display, a cornerstone of Island summer every August, will be cancelled next year unless the town finds a way to continue the show after the town Firemen’s Civic Association voted to end their sponsorship of the event on Sunday.
A press statement released after the vote by civic association…
Drunk Driving Drops Sharply on the Island, Statistics Show
The number of drunken driving cases filed in the Island’s district court has dropped significantly over the past few years, even outpacing a statewide downward trend.
According to figures obtained from the state Office of the Commissioner of Probation, drunken driving arraignments in Edgartown district court last year fell nearly 24 per cent…
Lyme Disease Study Aims At Better Understanding Pervasive Illness Here
A broad-based effort to combat Lyme disease is now underway on the Vineyard, with the objective of better documenting and preventing the tick-borne illness that has affected untold numbers of year-round Islanders, summer residents and casual visitors.
At One With Big Wind, Kite Surfers Rev Up Vineyard Waters
They are among the fastest sailors in the world and they’ve been having a ball over the past two weeks on Vineyard waters. Eleven world-class kitesurfers are participating in the first North American Speed Sailing Invitational, racing across the Island coastal ponds at speeds faster than most cars travel on Vineyard roads. Yesterday they raced…
Boys’ Soccer Streak Survives
Friday night lights return to the football field tonight for the Vineyarders’ league game against Bishop Feehan. The game begins at 5 p.m.
Middle School Track Meet Has Legs
After being postponed a week due to rain, the annual middle-school quad track meet — this year a pent meet, with the charter school participating for the first time — went off without a hitch last Friday at the regional high school track. West Tisbury, undefeated in the regular season, took first place on the…
Judge Keeps the Peace and Sense Of Humor in Long Day at Bench
It was a long day in Edgartown district court, and amid the serious business taking place in his courtroom, the Hon. H. Gregory Williams couldn’t help but inject an occasional quip to leaven the proceedings, if only by a little bit.
After all, he faced a 15-page list of criminal cases last Friday,…
Digging in for Affordable Housing
The flash of golden shovels against piles of autumn leaves heralded the first phase of the Island Housing Trust’s newest affordable housing project in Vineyard Haven, as groundbreaking for the Lake Street project took place last Thursday.
Boatline Workers Suspected Of Skimming Parking Fees
Steamship Authority management confirmed this week that an investigation is under way involving three former employees who may have been skimming money from parking receipts at the Palmer avenue lot in Falmouth.
SSA general manager Wayne Lamson said yesterday that the three employees under investigation, who have not been named, were fired. Information…
Disbarred Attorney Charged Again
An Edgartown man has been charged for the second time in the last month with illegally practicing law and taking money from a client.
John C. McBride, 62, was arraigned last Friday in Edgartown district court on charges of larceny over $250, removed attorney practicing law and unauthorized practice of law. Not guilty…
Edgartown Lacks Quorum
Edgartown Lacks Quorum
Falling 20 voters shy of a quorum on Tuesday night, the Edgartown special town meeting was rescheduled for this Tuesday, Nov. 1.
The 15-article warrant contains a number of key issues, including a request for money to commission an appraisal for the Capt. Warren House with an eye…
Market Owners Warned After Twice Selling Alcohol to Minors
Edgartown selectmen issued a stern warning to the owners of Sophia’s Market this week after the convenience store was caught selling alcohol to minors twice in one month over the summer
At a public hearing at their weekly meeting Monday, selectmen said the owners of the market at the Mobil Station on Upper…
Gazette Chronicle: Son of a Blacksmith
From an “Interesting Vineyarders” column:
Capt. Edward A. Perry of Oak Bluffs, a descendant of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, is one of the survivors of the era of wooden ships
Surface Beauty Requires Solid Base
The Vineyard is too beautiful for its own good, at least when it comes to climate change. It’s hard to look past the shimmering goldenrod and deep autumn ocean to see growing cracks in the Island’s foundation.
The soil, trees and plants — the powerful roots of wispy beach grass — keep this…
Letters to the Editor
TO MARKET
Editors, Vineyard Gazette:
I’ve just come from the first winter farmers’ market at the Agricultural Hall (what a perfect venue) and we are so lucky to have such a resource. The range of food from soup and baked goods to winter squash, potatoes, pork sausage, beets, beautiful dried flowers…
Edgartown
Edgartown
Like each sea captain’s home must be surrounded
by the white picket fence of a whale’s jaw full of teeth
over which morning glory vines grow like scrimshaw.
Like the White Cliffs of Dover must be rebuilt to welcome ships,
where houses stand like…
One More Ride on the Roundabout
Roundabout Rethink
Editors, Vineyard Gazette:
The roundabout application for the blinker intersection in Oak Bluffs is not the first controversial issue the Martha’s Vineyard Commission has faced in its existence, but it is surely a seminal one, and could fix public attitudes, for better or worse, toward the regional planning agency…
Public Art for Public Education
Public Art for Public Education
In her classic essay, Street Haunting, Virginia Woolf searches the streets of London for the perfect lead pencil. It is dusk, the season approaching winter, and the lead pencil merely a pretext. She wants to be out and about discovering the charms, both high and low, of not…
The Commission’s Second Chance
The Commission’s Second Chance
Public opinion is humming again over the roundabout following the surprise announcement last week by longtime Martha’s Vineyard Commission member Leonard Jason Jr. that he will ask the commission to rescind its vote on the controversial project.
Aquinnah
JUNE D. MANNING
508-645-2574
(lthslnks@gis.net)
The Community Baptist Church of Gay Head and First Baptist Church of Vineyard Haven will join for worship on Sunday, Oct. 30 at 11 a.m. at the Community Baptist Church on Church street in Aquinnah. The worship will be led by The Rev. Ellen…
Thanksgiving Turkeys, Winter Meat CSA Sign Up
The best local free-range heritage turkeys are on sale now at the Farm Institute. These pastured birds will remind you why local food is the best food. Almost bred out of production, these birds are making a comeback due to their superior flavor and biological diversity. Turkeys are $6.50 a pound with a range of…
Winter Clothes Giveaway
Winter Clothes Giveaway
The weather grows colder colder and this means it’s time to put on a thick sweater or coat for going outside and, because heating a house is so expensive, perhaps inside too. Sounds easy enough, but what if funds are scarce and last year’s coat is actually the same coat…
Announcing Abigail
Announcing Abigail
Sarah and Seth Karlinsky of Chilmark announce the birth of a daughter, Abigail Grace Karlinsky, born on Oct. 21, 2011, at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Abigal weighed 10 pounds 3 ounces at birth and joins big brothers Andrew, Matthew and Nate.
Planets Aligned
Venus, the brightest planet, hovers over the southwestern sky just after sunset. In the month ahead, Venus gets higher in the west and more visible. Tonight and for the coming week, the planet Mercury will also be visible, hovering right beneath Venus.
Chilmark
JANE N. SLATER
508-645-3378
slaterjn@comcast.net
Chilmark is a busy place this week. Hopefully, we will all get to attend the events that interest us.
Cleaning Up Starts with Letting Go
By JANE LOUTZENHISER
We’ve all been there. Too much stuff — in our homes, cars, schedules, as well as in our bodies and minds! As I write this, I’m looking around at various stacks and piles to be sorted and processed. No surprise that the flyer telling of an upcoming workshop on organizing…
Vineyard Haven
NANCY GARDELLA
508-693-3308
(vhavenvgazette@yahoo.com)
Martha Dunham’s sisters, Pat and Nancy of Northampton, spent last week visiting Martha and the whole big family on Island. The ladies shopped, toured, visited, gossiped, cooked, played cards and quilted together. I’ll bet they even ate some of that applesauce Martha put up last…
Class of 1951
Class of 1951
Tisbury High School graduation class of 1951 held a 60 year class reunion at Farm Neck Golf Course in Oak Bluffs.
Several class members attended and all enjoyed a lunch at the club. Many tales of the “good old days” were told and enjoyed by all.
…
Lecture Series Offers Personal Touch
By SAM LOW
The West Tisbury Library kicked off the first event in their Speakeasy series of talks by writers at State Road Restaurant on Wednesday afternoon.
Hello Bowen
Hello Bowen
Emily and Steve Solarazza of Vineyard Haven announce the birth of a son, Bowen Nicholas Solarazza, born on Oct. 19, 2011, at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Bowen weighed 7 pounds at birth and joins big sister Siana.
Oak Bluffs
HOLLY NADLER
508-274-2329
(hollynadler@gmail.com)
If I wanted to open a private investigations firm, say Chandler, Hammett and Nadler, I have the perfect espionage advantage — a bow window built over the top of Circuit — with a specialty in the handful of settings I look down upon, should anyone…
Young Leaders
Young Leaders
Eva Faber of Edgartown, Andrew Randall of Chilmark and Cerina Gordon of West Tisbury represented the Martha’s Vineyard Youth Leadership Initiative at the seventh annual Bioneers conference held in Marion last weekend. The internationally acclaimed conference included 100 presenters and 50 workshops on topics ranging from the environment to social justice,…
Welcome Sawyer
Welcome Sawyer
Alena and John Grady of Oak Bluffs announce the birth of a son, Sawyer Maxwell Grady, born on Oct. 21, 2011, at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Sawyer weighed 6 pounds, 13 ounces at birth.
Dominic Arrives
Dominic Arrives
Erika Weron and Phillip Fuentes of Edgartown announce the birth of a son, Dominic West Fuentes, born on Oct. 20, 2011, at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Dominic weighed 7 pounds, 3 ounces at birth and joins big brother Colby Weron.
Edgartown
KATHIE CASE
508-627-5349
(kathleencase@comcast.net)
It is now the last week of October and last weekend we were wearing short sleeves and some of us were still wearing flip-flops. Now we are looking at sweatshirts and socks and shoes. So we shall see what November brings.
Happy birthday…
Shipwrecks Below Island Waters Are Museums Unto Themselves
A mile and a half off East Chop, 50 feet down, is a 380-foot World War I British freighter laden with motorcycles, steel billets, railroad car wheels, candles and clothes, still waiting patiently for delivery to the front lines in France. It is the Port Hunter and for photographer and anthropologist Sam Low it was…
Temperatures
Temperature: Precip.
Day Max. Min. Inches.
Fº Fº
Oct. 21 72 56 Trace
Oct. 22 64 50 .00
Oct. 23 64 42 .00
Oct. 24 60 38 .00
Oct. 25 62 49 .01
Oct. 26 60 47 .00
Oct. 27 57 51 .33
…
Special Olympics Meeting
Special Olympics Meeting
Martha’s Vineyard Community Services will host an informational meeting on Nov. 1 for interested athletes, families and volunteers in the Special Olympics. The meeting will be held at Community Services from 4 to 6 p.m.
Special Olympics spokesmen will attend to provide information about the largest amateur sports…
Hunting Season Begins With the Bow
Archery hunting season began on Monday, Oct. 17 and continues through Saturday, Nov. 26. Hunting for deer is allowed from a half hour before sunrise to a half hour after sunset. There is no hunting on Sundays. Hunters must have a license and in most cases permission from property owners.
Chef, There’s Broccoli in My Pasta
You won’t find peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on white bread in this kitchen.
What you will find are adjectives. Lovely, unforgettable, nutritious, choice, happy. Luscious, unsurpassed, napkin, colorful, heavenly. These are a few of the adjectives hanging above the Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School kitchen, written by students to describe their lunch…
State Seeks Waiver on Education Law
Vineyard schools superintendent Dr. James H. Weiss praised a decision by the Massachusetts Board of Secondary Education this week to seek a waiver from the requirements of No Child Left Behind, the federal law that requires testing in public schools and sets a goal of 100 per cent student proficiency in English and mathematics by…
Falmouth Academy Hosts Information Session
On Sunday, Oct. 30, from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.. Falmouth Academy will host an information session at the Arbor Inn located at 222 Upper Main street in Edgartown.
At the reception, current parents and students from the Island will join Headmaster David C. Faus and members of the school’s faculty to discuss academics,…
Please Adopt Us
Please Adopt Us
The Animal Shelter of Martha’s Vineyard has two beautiful all-black cats who would love to come to your house to scare away the goblins! Ceilia has become one of our shelter mascots — she sits on the desk and greets everyone who come in the door, even dogs and other…
Follow the Breath
Follow the Breath
A Lot Can Happen in a Week
What a week! Finally, the end of the war in Iraq and the 42-year reign of Muammar el-Qaddafi. For me, last week’s editor’s note about me down with the flu was a small part of the story.
By LYNNE IRONS
What a week! Finally, the end of the war in Iraq…
Yellow-Headed Blackbird
Every birder has a nemesis bird, a bird so frustrating you might consider tearing your hair out. Allan Keith’s nemesis bird on Martha’s Vineyard was a yellow-headed blackbird. Allan can now relax; he saw the yellow-headed blackbird at the Maxner home on Oct. 20 thanks to Joyce Thigpen, Matt Pelikan and yours truly.
Puppet Parade
Puppet Parade
The fourth annual puppet parade takes place in Vineyard Haven this Saturday, Oct. 29, beginning at 3 p.m. The parade course starts at the St. Augustine Church parking lot on Franklin Street, heads down Church street, takes a left on Main street toward the Capawock movie theater and comes to a…
From Psychic Nerd to Star Charter, Island Psychics’ Conference Creates Healing Effect
Psychic experiences have arguably been around since before the caverns of Chauvet, and certainly by the time of the Oracle of Delphi. But whereas psychics were once the toast of the town, people blessed with the clairvoyant gene stowed away their gifts when “witches” and “diviners” fell to the flames of indignant Puritans.
Boo!
Eat, drink and be scary is good advice on Halloween.
To terrify others is perhaps the best suggestion I can give you if you consider what could happen if you don’t invoke fear and loathing from everyone that you meet during the upcoming holiday.
A Scottish saying asks that the
…
Masterpiece of Slow Torture Creeps Skillfully From the Page to Stage
The late great star of the stage, Katharine Cornell, who lies buried behind the theatre she bequeathed to the town of Tisbury, would approve of the choice of The Turn of the Screw for the Island Theatre Workshop’s Halloween presentation.
Island’s Embrace Of Halloween Is Welcome Treat
Island’s Embrace Of Halloween Is Welcome Treat
With the advent of fall, some weekends on the Vineyard can seem rather quiet. Not this weekend. The Island takes its holidays seriously and Halloween is no exception.
Muppet Maestro Movie Reveals Man Behind Elmo
Most people watch Sesame Street and think how wonderful it is. Others watch it and wish they could join in on the fun. But Kevin Clash fell so much in love he eventually became its leading light. Mr. Clash is the creator of Elmo.
Vineyard Haven Library Set to Release the Kraken
Doesn’t the word kraken conjure up the most wonderfully disturbing images. Mythical giant squids and octopi harassing sailors of yore, not to mention giving a full-sized whale a fight for its life.
Well, this Tuesday, Nov. 1, at 7 p.m. the Vineyard Haven Library is bringing in an expert to go beyond the…
Edgartown School Play
Edgartown School Play
Mark the calendars, the Edgartown school play takes place next Friday and Saturday, Nov. 4 and 5 at 7 p.m.
This year’s production is called Bluebeard and is billed as a spooky musical tale. Bluebeard is based on a cautionary tale involving sisters Mary Stephanie and Mary Elizabeth…
Raising the Bar on Levity Rocks American Dream
The American Dream can conjure up many images. Something to aspire to, something that excludes, something that is as prevalent as ever or something outdated and no longer even available to anyone. In any case, it is a particular American phrase and way of life and something most everyone has an opinion about. The problem…
Fiery Abolitionist Set Free From Shackles of Stereotype
Editor’s Note: This week saw the publication of the book Midnight Rising by Tony Horwitz. The book is an in-depth account of John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry, giving the abolitionist center stage in both the context of the time and of history. The result is a layered, nuanced account of a man who, if…
