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
January 27, 2012
Island Grown Schools Lands Large Grant
The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources has awarded Island Grown Schools $12,000 in grant money. The grant is part of a larger $200,000 awards program doled out to seven “buy local” organizations across the commonwealth, and will be used to support Island Grown Schools’ efforts to bring more fresh, healthy and locally produced foods to…
News Update: Thursday, Feb. 2 – Tisbury Man Arrested for Indecent Assault on Child
A Tisbury man who has worked as an assistant boys’ basketball coach at the Edgartown School was arraigned Thursday on three counts of indecent assault and battery on a seven-year-old boy.
School officials said the alleged victim is not a student at the school, but Daniel P. Parker’s arrest by Tisbury police on…
News Update: Thursday, Feb. 2 – West Tisbury Selectmen Vote Two Dogs off Island for Killing Livestock
The West Tisbury selectmen voted Wednesday to ban two Akitas from the Vineyard who had killed more than a dozen chickens and geese on a neighboring property.
After nearly an hour of contentious and sometimes emotional debate the selectmen decided not to euthanize the dogs, and will now finalize an agreement between the…
Clifford Continues Tour of Island Libraries
Clifford the Big Red Dog continues his run through the Island. The large, lovable canine will pay a visit to the West Tisbury library today at 10:30 a.m.
On Saturday, Feb. 4, he’ll finish his tour of the local libraries with appearances at the Oak Bluffs library at 10:30 a.m. and the Edgartown…
News Update: Wednesday, Feb. 1 – Tisbury Police Thwart Theft of 1,000-Pound Sailboat Keel
Tisbury police arrested two Bridgewater men this week for attempting to steal a 1,000-pound lead sailboat keel.
Corey M. Dechaine, 19 and James Carroll McFarland, 21, were apprehended in broad daylight on Monday on property off Oak Hill Road used by Gannon and Benjamin Marine Railway for the storage of boat parts.
Island Ranks Near Top for Most Liquor Licenses in the State
The Vineyard may be known for its “dry” towns, but four of the six Island towns could be considered the “wettest” — at least by some standards. According to a list of 75 Massachusetts towns with the highest number of liquor licenses per capita, Oak Bluffs is the fifth wettest town in the commonwealth with…
News Update: Tuesday, Jan. 31 – M/V Governor Facing Retirement, Says SSA
The M/V Governor’s term may be over. On Tuesday the Steamship Authority’s board members discussed the fate of the humble ferry vessel, which dates to the 1950s. Steamship general manager Wayne Lamson said that the boat line will conduct a study about options for replacing the Governor.
News Update: Tuesday, Jan. 31 – Search for New Oak Bluffs Town Administrator Nears End
The Oak Bluffs selectmen will interview the final candidate for the town administrator position on Friday.
Thomas Webb, a former Cheshire town administrator, will face questions from the selectmen. Three other candidates for the job, Anthony Troiano, John Sanguinet and interim town administrator Robert Whritenour, were interviewed on Jan. 17.
Mr.…
News Update: Tuesday, Jan. 31 – Criticized for ‘Reckless Disregard’ of Taxpayers, Edgartown Wastewater Plant Manager Placed on Paid Leave
The Edgartown wastewater commission voted Tuesday to place plant manager Joseph Alosso immediately on paid administrative leave, after a special town counsel delivered a lengthy report criticizing lax billing practices and inaccurate record keeping at the town wastewater plant over the last 10 years.
Send in Your Ag Fair Poster Submissions
The Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Society’s annual Agricultural Fair poster contest is now underway.
Posters must be 18 x 24 inches and include the words “Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Society,” the dates August 16, 17, 18, 19 and the year 2012.
Entries should be mailed to P.O. Box 73, West Tisbury, MA 02575…
Big Chili Contest Draws Big Crowds, Big Wins
For the second year in a row, Bob Dillon and Michelle Baum of The Little Red Smokehouse in Carver, Mass., took home the top prize in the professional division at the Martha’s Vineyard Big Chili (“Chilifest”) Contest on Saturday. The event, which draws attendees from across New England, is in its 26th year.
…
Center for Visual Arts Accepting Art Grant Applications
Calling all Island artists: the Martha’s Vineyard Center for Visual Arts (MVCVA) has declared that supporting and encouraging creative endeavors is the new focus of this arts organization. And they are putting money where their mouth is with grant money available for artists of all mediums. Applications are being accepted until April 1 and are…
News Update: Saturday, Jan. 28 – Oak Bluffs Wastewater Commission Ousts Plant Manager Joe Alosso
Citing budgetary concerns, the Oak Bluffs wastewater commission voted Thursday to eliminate plant manager Joe Alosso’s position.
“It wasn’t a performance-based decision. It was really a financial decision,” wastewater commissioner Gail Barmakian said Saturday, adding that the town needs to cut costs and she preferred not to raise rates for wastewater users.
Get Ready for Chili
For the second year in a row, Bob Dillon and Michelle Baum of The Little Red Smokehouse in Carver, Mass., took home the top prize in the professional division at the Martha’s Vineyard Big Chili (“Chilifest”) Contest on Saturday. The event, which draws attendees from across New England, is in its 26th year.
…
Complaints Prompt Second Look at Goodale’s Storage Silo
The town of Oak Bluffs has decided to take a harder look at operations at the Goodale’s Sand and Gravel Pit in Oak Bluffs. Recently-appointed building inspector James Dunn has determined that a hot asphalt storage silo operating on the site since last April runs afoul of town zoning.
Preseason Fish Report Card Reveals Mostly Good Students
It is months away from the start of both the recreational and commercial fishing season, yet already there is change ahead. Fisheries managers, looking at the health of fish stocks, are making a regulatory forecast and some predictions about the availability of fish for the year ahead.
Striped bass, one of the most…
The End: Edgartown Books To Close After Ten-Year Run
By SARA BROWN
When David and Ann LeBreton reflect on their 10 years as owners of Edgartown Books, the front porch of the Main street bookstore looms large.
Roundabout Saga Takes a Turn As Island Towns Drop Lawsuit
At least three Island towns will likely be asking voters in the spring what they think about the controversial roundabout, even as town officials said this week not even a lawsuit could stop the project if the state decides to go ahead with it.
Oak Bluffs this week joined the towns of Edgartown…
Aquinnah Woman Dies in Winter Storm
An Aquinnah woman who police say left home during a snowstorm Saturday night to check on a nearby property she caretakes, died of exposure to the cold on her return home.
Amanda Hutchinson was administrative assistant to the Aquinnah planning board and board of health, and also served as the town’s health agent.…
Vineyard Haven: Sights and Sounds of a Town Awakening
The thwack of a hammer reverberated through Vineyard Haven Wednesday morning. Several blocks away, the whirl of a saw carried downwind.
January may be the height of the quiet season on Martha’s Vineyard, when Main street parking spaces open up and so many storefronts remain bolted, but the streets of Vineyard Haven hardly…
Big Tax Jump Seen for Chilmark
Long known for their Yankee thrift, Chilmark officials were caught by surprise this week by an initial budget forecast that would require a funding increase of nearly 10 per cent.
Gasps were audible at the first financial advisory committee budget hearing with the board of selectmen Tuesday night, as the selectmen and committee…
Boat Abandoned in Nantucket Turns up in Spain
Be careful what goes into the sea. It isn’t always gone.
Authorites in Spain have recovered the remains of a 26-foot fiberglass recreational boat floating in the waters off Spain. The boat, called Queen Bee, has been traced back to the waters of Nantucket and a boating accident that happened three and a…
Scholarships
Scholarships
The Permanent Endowment for Martha’s Vineyard, the Island’s community foundation, is now accepting applications for its 2012 educational scholarships.
Seventeen scholarship funds are administered by the permanent endowment, which will be awarding scholarships to both high school seniors and Vineyard students currently enrolled in college or graduate school. Last year,…
Shell Recovery: Giving Back To the Underwater Community
Vineyarders are rightfully proud of the yearly abundance of oysters and scallops pulled from Island ponds, but little is made of what goes back into the water. Jessica Kanozak, creator of the Island’s nascent shell recovery program, hopes to change all that. After the first year of a pilot program on the Vineyard to return…
Youth Hockey Signup
Youth Hockey Signup
Grow MV Youth Hockey is offering an instructional winter session for four-to nine-year-olds to try ice hockey this winter at the Martha’s Vineyard Ice Arena in Oak Bluffs. The program is free for birth year 2005 and younger and $30 for older youngsters. Beginner skaters will be coached and learn…
MV Squirts Perform Well In Hockey Tournament
Martha’s Vineyard Youth Hockey hosted the Ryan Mone Memorial Tournament last weekend, with the MV Mites and the MV Squirts (White team) each taking second place in their respective divisions. The Purple Squirts team took third place after winning the consolation game 7-1 on the back of Hunter Ponte’s seven goals.
Sharks
Sharks
The Martha’s Vineyard Sharks, the Island’s wooden bat collegiate summer team, has re-signed standout starring pitcher Matt Hegarty for its second annual season. Team general manager Jerry Murphy said Matt Hegarty produced stellar numbers last year and demonstrated impeccable control. “He was part of our big three in the rotation,” said Bob…
Boys’ Hockey, Basketball Teams Clinch Postseason Playoff Berths
At least two Vineyard teams will see postseason action in March, with both the boys’ hockey and basketball teams clinching tournament berths this week.
Hello Jose
Hello Jose
Joanne Andrade and Ricardo Andrade of Oak Bluffs announce the birth of a son, Jose Hyrio Cabral Andrade, born on Jan. 20, 2012, at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Jose weighed 7 pounds, 14.5 ounces.
Please Adopt Us
Please Adopt Us
The Animal Shelter of Martha’s Vineyard has a few nice animals who need good homes. This week we are featuring two special cats who have been at the shelter for a long time and would so love to find their forever homes. Chloe and Butter are striking, sweet brindle tortoiseshell,…
It’s Just a Matter of Hitting the Round Sliotar with a Flat Hurley
Students in Elaine Weintraub’s Irish history class at the regional high school took their studies outside on Monday, trying their hand at one of the oldest sports in the world, the Gaelic game of hurling.
Budget Increase Certified For Up-Island Schools
The Up-Island Regional School District committee Monday certified a fiscal year 2013 budget of almost $8.74 million, a 5.76 percent increase from the previous year, after a debate about how to fund plans for a renovated school kitchen and new school lunch program.
Edgartown Liquor Store Seeks Move to Airport Site
Another Edgartown business is on the verge of leaving downtown. The Town Provision Company liquor store on Mayhew Lane is one step closer to moving to the airport after a Martha’s Vineyard Commission subcommittee voted to recommend the plan’s approval to the full commission.
Cronig’s Plans a Power Play With Solar Panels in Parking Lot
Summer shoppers seeking shade may be able to do so this summer while powering up. Vineyard Power hopes to install a 12,200 square foot array of solar panels over the Vineyard Haven Cronig’s parking lot. The array, which will supply a quarter of the store’s energy needs, is made up of three “solar canopies,” which…
Olivia Arrives
Olivia Arrives
Sarah Senno and Jason Sylvester of Vineyard Haven announce the birth of a daughter, Olivia Collette Sylvester, born on Jan. 22, 2012, at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Olivia weighed 5 pounds, 6 ounces at birth.
P.A. Club Revs Motor, Offers To Host Run to the Rock
The Oak Bluffs selectmen Tuesday heard the Holy Ghost Association’s preliminary proposal to host the Martha’s Vineyard Harley Riders’ annual Run to the Rock Event, a fundraiser for Island charities, at the P.A. Club building.
Embattled Attorney Offers Resignation
Edward W. (Peter) Vincent Jr. of Edgartown has offered to resign from the practice of law, according to an affidavit he has filed with the board that recommends lawyer discipline in Massachusetts.
The resignation request was filed Friday with the Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers and if accepted would mean Mr. Vincent would…
Two Acre Tract at Airport Eyed for Motocross Track
After losing their motocross track in West Tisbury, the Vineyard dirt bikers may have a new home.
The Martha’s Vineyard Airport commission is considering issuing shared use agreement for a recreational motorcycle riding area at the airport. The two-acre parcel is currently used for staging construction materials and would continue to hold those…
Dukes County Commission Says No Thanks to Its Own Demise
The Dukes County Commission has rejected a recommendation by the Department of Revenue (DOR) that it be abolished.
Scalloping Boats Plagued by Vandalism
The Vineyard Haven waterfront is on edge after a string of incidents that have seen commercial scalloping boats and equipment deliberately disabled.
Fire Chief John Schilling brought the matter to the attention of the board of selectmen on Tuesday.
Dog Settlement Is No Go in West Tisbury
West Tisbury selectmen rejected a settlement agreement this week and called for a Feb. 1 public hearing for two dogs, who on several occasions got loose and killed chickens and geese.
Rising Above the Pecking Order
Once upon a time, ever so long ago, there were machines called typewriters. In my Minnesota high school there was a room where many typewriters lived, a whole bunch of them. And this was where Miss Widgeon proudly taught her class on secretarial skills, an extracurricular class where young girls like myself could acquire the…
New Kid on Block Helps Navigate Boatyard
Gannon and Benjamin Marine Railway, a well-known boatbuilding operation on Beach Road in Vineyard Haven, has a new partner. Ross Gannon and Nat Benjamin have been running the boatyard since 1980 and together have built 50 wooden boats and a far-ranging reputation in preserving the heritage of wooden boat building.
Now, Brad Abbott,…
Remembrance of Things Past
My spirit was bent over double in the spring of 2004 when I walked into Edgartown Books on Main street, which last week announced it is closing. At the time I yearned for a nourishing distraction and some pocket change besides. I figured art gallery or bookstore. The people at Edgartown Books took me in…
Temperatures
Temperature: Precip.
Day Max. Min. Inches.
Fº Fº
Jan. 20 39 26 .09
Jan. 21 36 23 .05*
Jan. 22 33 28 .45*
Jan. 23 42 32 .00
Jan. 24 52 41 .34
Jan. 25 49 34 Trace
…
Winter’s Blanket
Ponce de Leon had it wrong. The fountain of youth was never bubbling away in some mangrove swamp in Florida. Rather, it rests on a hillside in winter, during the first snowfall of the year, the Tashmoo Overlook to be specific, where on Saturday all manner of children, big and small, towheaded and gray-haired, took…
Lite Reading
A January Miscellaney from earlier Gazette editions:
January is the perfect month to pull old books from shelves too high to reach at other times of the year. We came across a passage while reading the other night that set us to thinking about this first month of the new year. Most writers,…
Next Chapter
Next Chapter
In the 1990 sci-fi movie Total Recall, Arnold Schwarzenegger and other residents of a futuristic Earth take their vacations virtually — by having computerized pleasure-trip experiences inserted in their brains while their bodies veg out at home. This method was presumably cheaper — and safer — than physically going on holiday.…
Vineyard Haven
NANCY GARDELLA
508-693-3308
(vhavenvgazette@yahoo.com)
I always watch the State of the Union address, whether or not the president was my candidate, I like to see how well it is delivered and how well it was written. I consider it the annual pep rally for the country. I thought last…
Edgartown
Kathie Case
508-627-5349
(kathleencase@comcast.net)
A one day snowstorm, plus one day of shoveling, plus one day of fog and 50-degree temperatures equals a week in New England. I must say that I was one of those people who loved the look of the snow and it finally felt like…
Oak Bluffs
HOLLY NADLER
508-274-2329
(hollynadler@gmail.com)
I kid summer people, but the truth is that we miss you, especially when the sight of your empty houses, or a frozen stretch of beach, or closed-for-the-season cafés stir memories of times past. Often a walk down winter lanes brings out the sentimental side…
Animal Shelter Becomes Independent Organization
As of Jan. 1, the Animal Shelter of Martha’s Vineyard became a fully independent, federally chartered, not-for-profit organization.
Since 2009, more than 300 dogs, cats, guinea pigs, bunnies and other Island pets have found a home through the Animal Shelter of Martha’s Vineyard.
Welcome Fionna
Welcome Fionna
Kayla Mastromonaco and Elisha Boyd of West Tisbury announce the birth of a daughter, Fionna Kathleen Boyd, Jan. 18, 2012, at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Fionna weighed 6 pounds, 10.5 ounces at birth.
Hello Hazel
Hello Hazel
Amy Upton and Edmund McCracken of West Tisbury announce the birth of a daughter, Hazel Morgan McCracken, born on Jan. 15, 2012, at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Hazel weighed 8 pounds, 6 ounces at birth.
West Tisbury
JOHN S. ALLEY
508-693-2950
(alleys@vineyard.net)
Well, we received our first snowfall of the season, more than half a foot in some places, last Saturday. It made for some nice Currier & Ives photographs the next morning. The weather warmed to about 50 degrees on Tuesday. So far it has…
Moon and Jupiter
On Sunday night the first quarter moon appears next to the bright planet Jupiter, high in the southern sky. The two are in the zodiacal constellation Pisces. The show continues for another night, on Monday night, when the two appear close together, though the moon will appear to have passed by and to the east…
Sound Safari
Don’t expect the sounds of silence this winter.
Nature is noisy. For those that are willing to brave the cold weather, a sound safari awaits! The drumming of woodpeckers, creaking of trees, rushing of winds and cracking of ice provide a lot of acoustic action this season.
Winter is a slower…
Unusual Sightings
On Jan. 21, during the snowstorm with about one and one-half inches of snow already on the ground, Lanny McDowell spotted an ovenbird as he was looking out a window from his house near Lake Tashmoo. It was about five feet below him, hopping on the snow. He went outside and briefly saw it again,…
Farm Neck Grants
Farm Neck Grants
The Farm Neck Foundation, a charitable corporation created by the Farm Neck Golf Club, has awarded $36,000 in grant money to 16 Island organizations, programs and nonprofits. The grants are intended to provide charitable assistance exclusively for Martha’s Vineyard.
Recipients of the 2011 annual grants are listed below.
Charter School Visiting Days
Charter School Visiting Days
The Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School is hosting visiting days for prospective students and their families on Wednesdays in February at 9:30 a.m.
The charter school is located on State Road in West Tisbury, near up-Island Cronig’s.
For more information about the school and visiting…
Arboretum Awarded
Arboretum Awarded
The Polly Hill Arboretum has been awarded a level IV accreditation, placing it among arboreta that have met the highest standards in the field.
The award, announced this week by Polly Hill officials, was made through the Morton Arboretum’s Register of Arboreta and Accreditation Program, ArbNet. The purpose of…
Different Chills
Finally, some real winter!!! Last weekend’s snowstorm made all the children, young and old, very happy. Even Saturday afternoon with wind-driven sleet did not stop many of the most hardy from enjoying the hill at the Tashmoo Overlook. Then, on Sunday, even more were out and about just marveling at the beauty of it all.
Farmers’ Roundtable Grows Good Will
A Farmers’ Roundtable will be held Feb. 2, at the Farm Institute in Edgartown.
The 2:30 p.m. event, organized by the Massachusetts Farm Bureau Federation (MFBF), the Martha’s Vineyard Youth Leadership Initiative (MVYLI) and the Farm Institute, will bring together farmers from around New England to discuss farming issues.
Busy Farmers
Busy Farmers
And you thought it was quiet in Katama in winter. Well, not at the Farm Institute.
Winter is for doers on the farm as the winter program gets underway. Little farmers, for ages five to seven, chew their cud with the cows on Wednesdays from 3:30 to 5 p.m.…
Arts Grants
Arts Grants
Calling all Island artists, the Martha’s Vineyard Center for Visual Arts (MVCVA) has declared that supporting and encouraging creative endeavors is the new focus of this arts organization. And they are putting money where their mouth is with grant money available for artists of all mediums..
Applications are being…
Book Profiles Post Civil War Era Architect
Robert Taylor (1868-1942) graduated from M.I.T. in 1892 with a professional architecture degree, becoming the first fully accredited black architect in America.
His father, Henry Taylor, a freed slave from Wilmington, North Carolina, had turned his expertise with naval supplies into a thriving business that led to his reputation during the era immediately…
Serves Up at Tennis Center
Serves Up at Tennis Center
On Saturday, Jan. 28, the Vineyard Tennis Center is hosting the Falmouth Sports Center for men’s, women’s and mixed doubles matches throughout the day. The teams are set but the public is invited to watch and cheer the home team on.
On February 3 through 5…
Vineyard Songstress Rocks Judges at American Idol
Admit it, you’re an American Idol fanatic. Well, even if you’re not, have never heard of the show perhaps, there is reason for Vineyarders to tune in to the current season.
Last week, at the Pittsburgh auditions for the show, Erika Van Pelt scored a yellow ticket to Hollywood with her rendition of…
Poet Laureate
Poet Laureate
Just one week left for West Tisbury poet laureate nominations. On Wednesday, Feb. 1, the ballot box closes and then the waiting begins. Final appointment is made in April.
Nominations forms are available at the West Tisbury Library. All forms require the nominator’s name and contact information along with…
Comedy Night
Comedy Night
Tonight Mike McCarthy is one of the headliners for a night of comedy at the Harbor View Hotel in Edgartown. Who knew the guidance counselor at the regional high school moonlighted as a funny man, roaming the clubs of New England for a buck a joke payback?
Oh, wait…
Good Food, Good Behavior
Good Food, Good Behavior
On Tuesday, Jan. 31, behavioral specialist Jeanine Fitzgerald will give a talk entitled Food For Thought: The Impact of Nutrition on Behavior. The talk takes place at the regional high school’s culinary arts dining room.
Ms. Fitzgerald is the author of The Dance of Interaction: A Guide…
Susan Johnson Exhibit
Susan Johnson Exhibit
Oil paintings by Susan Johnson are on exhibit this month at the Chilmark Bank. Ms. Johnson studied en plein air painting in Tuscany with Boston University last summer. She has since utilized this style with a focus on Beetlebung Farm. Eighteen landscape paintings will be on display.
This…
Big Red Dog on-Island
Big Red Dog on-Island
Clifford the Big Red Dog is coming to the Vineyard this week. In a sense, he is always here, as his creator, Norman Bridwell, is a resident. But now the fluffy red dog himself, bigger than a house and twice as nice, is making visit to all of the…
Hot Time at Big Chili
Hot Time at Big Chili
They come from on-Island and off, the common denominator being they bring with them five gallons of homemade chili. It may be hot, super hot, incinerate-upon-inhaling hot, vegetarian or otherwise.
Who are these people? The entrants of the annual WMVY Big Chili contest, that’s who.
…
Good Food and Fellowship, Community Suppers Provide Warm Winter Respite
On Friday evenings during the winter, Pauline Speed and Loretta May phone each other to check on their dinner plans. “You feel like cooking tonight?” one friend will ask the other. Often, they said, the answer will be no and they’ll walk over to Grace Church to partake in a Vineyard winter tradition: the community…
