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
July 24, 2012
Annual Water Tasting
The Vineyard House, the Island’s only sober housing facility, will host its annual Water Tasting by the Sea fundraiser on Thursday, July 26 at the Boch family estate on Katama Bay from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Gourmet water varieties, such as Nestle’s blood orange and grapefruit sparkling beverages, as well as L. Knife and Son’s…
News Update: Wednesday, July 25 – Still Incomplete, Tisbury Emergency Services Building Prompts Complaints
With still no end date in sight for the Tisbury Emergency Services Facility building, now long overdue for completion, one town selectman expressed open frustration Tuesday and called for a new strategy.
“We have to have an end game here,” said selectman Tristan Israel. “Maybe the end game at this point should be,…
Obama Fundraiser with Cast of Wire
Want to mingle with the cast of The Wire while showing your support for President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign? On August 15, longtime Obama supporters and Island residents Judy and Ron Davenport will host a fundraiser at their home featuring the cast of the hit HBO show. The president is not expected to attend.
News Update: Tuesday, July 24 – Grand Jury Issues Rape, Cocaine Trafficking Indictments
A Dukes County grand jury Tuesday indicted a Boston man on 13 counts for allegedly raping an Oak Bluffs woman on May 28 in Chilmark.
Bryant K. Brown, 33, of Boston, was indicted on three counts of rape, three counts of assault with intent to rape, one count of indecent assault and battery…
News Update: Tuesday, July 24 – Scallop Boat Runs Aground off East Chop
The 84-foot fishing boat Kris & Amy grounded two miles east of East Chop on Hedge Fence Shoal on Monday afternoon and required the attention of several salvage firms to free her last night.
Senior Chief Jamey Kinney of Coast Guard Sector Woods Hole said that a call came in from the vessel…
Work’s a Beach for Land Bank Guards
At the bottom of a hill sits land bank attendant Jody Sherman in a blue foldout chair, reading a book with a cooler by her side. Three young girls come by in their bathing suits, getting ready for a swim in Ice House Pond.
“I know these girls, they’re awfully cute,” Ms. Sherman…
Like It or Not, Shark Tournament Is a Spectacle
Some came to revel in a summer weekend on the harbor, and others jostled for a prime spot to see the action. Some happened upon the hubbub, curious to see what all the fuss was about, and a few came to protest.
The word of the day was sharks: it was shouted when…
Lake Tashmoo Reopens for Shellfishing
Lake Tashmoo, which had been closed to shellfishing because of a rare toxic algae bloom, reopened Friday morning.
A press release from the town of Tisbury said that the state notified shellfish constable Danielle Ewart on Friday morning to say that additional testing indicated the pond had been cleared and that it could…
Contractor Fined in Wetlands Case
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has levied a heavy fine against an Edgartown contractor who did the work on a Mink Meadows project last year that violated state and local wetlands laws.
In an administrative consent order issued June 29, Steve Handy of Handy Trucking and Bobcat Service was fined $11,000 by…
No Relief from Heat in Debate on Israel
It was a Chilmark showdown Sunday night: on one side was the noted civil liberties lawyer, law professor and author Alan Dershowitz. On the other was author Peter Beinart, an associate professor of journalism and an editor at the Daily Beast.
The debate centered on Mr. Beinart’s recent book, The Crisis of Zionism,…
Some Short Takes on Some Short Films
Each week the folks at Cinema Circus show a series of short films on Wednesday evenings at the Chilmark Community Center. The films begin at 6 p.m., but at 5 p.m. the circus — complete with jugglers, face painters, stilt walkers, food and music — gets underway.
An advanced screening of the films…
What Light Through Tashmoo Overlook?
How do you like your Shakespeare? Light and comedic or deeply tragic? The Vineyard Playhouse is offering both this year in its annual summer run of outdoor Shakespeare productions at the Tisbury Amphitheatre. Those who fancy both will have the opportunity to see Twelfth Night and Romeo and Juliet, which are each running twice a…
Send in the Crowds
This column by Arthur Railton appeared in the Vineyard Gazette in June 1990:
All of a sudden, like the curtain going up at a Broadway musical, the beat has started. Longer lines at checkout counters, bumper-to-bumper along Main street, no place to park. More cars than pickup trucks. It’s that time again. For…
Booming Ben the Heath Hen Visits Camp
How do you get kids to care about a bird that no longer flies to the treetops, nor whistles to greet the day? Appeal to their senses and their incomparable imaginative faculties, says Todd McGrain, artist, arts educator and activist.
Mr. McGrain did just that last week, during his visit to Sense of…
Festival Remembers Freedom Riders
People in Oak Bluffs late this week won’t be thinking about the next number 13 bus leaving for Edgartown — they’ll be thinking about the legendary Freedom Rides that bused through the Deep South and hostile racism during the Civil Rights movement.
On Thursday and Friday, The Cottagers Inc. of Martha’s Vineyard sponsor…
Beatles Rock Flatbread
Finish off a hard day’s night with some classic Beatles music, performed by The Daytrippers.
The band is performing at the Flatbread Company in Edgartown at 9 p.m. on Thursday, July 26, for the Raise the Roof concert to benefit Habitat for Humanity for Martha’s Vineyard and the Island Housing Trust.
Arboretum Talks
This week, Polly Hill Arboretum continues its legacy of multidisciplinary programming as it invites the public to engage in the topic of landscape history at the arboretum in West Tisbury. The first lecture is by landscape historian Judith Tankard, who will discuss her latest book, Gertrude Jekyll and the Country House Garden. Ms. Jekyll is…
Music Makers Band Together for Library
Music Makers Band Together for Library
The Flying Elbows string band featuring Jemima James, Dan Waters and Al Schackman performs tonight, July 24, at the Grange Hall as part of the Tuesdays at Twilight concert series to benefit the West Tisbury Library.
YMCA Says Pick Your Pool Party
YMCA Says Pick Your Pool Party
The second annual Cool Pool Parties fundraising event to benefit the YMCA is this Saturday, July 28, from 7 to 10 p.m.
The idea is simple and yet ingenious. Guests are invited to choose one of three private Vineyard properties to relax poolside and enjoy…
Della Hardman Essay Winners Reflect on Digital Devices in High School
What follows are the three winning essays from the annual Della Hardman essay contest at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School. Students were asked to write opinion pieces about the use of digital devices at the high school. Winning essayists will be recognized at the annual Della Hardman Day event in Oak Bluffs on Saturday,…
Oak Bluffs Police Arrest 21 In Weekend of Festivities
With a shark tournament, a local festival and summer crowds in town, Oak Bluffs police had a busy weekend: Friday through Sunday, the department made 21 arrests, placed four people in protective custody, and responded to 140 incidents.
According to the police weekend log, there were 10 charges of disorderly conduct and three…
When It Comes to Nature, They’re Green
There’s a new crop of conservationists on the Island — albeit of an unexpected sort. Three students from Boston Green Academy, who have never spent much time outside the city, let alone gotten up close and personal with worms and frogs, have traveled to the Island for a paid monthlong internship with the Nature Conservancy.
Boost in Preservation Funding Could Mean Project Diversity
An increase in Community Preservation Act (CPA) funding could spell more money available for a wider range of projects for Vineyard towns.
Last week, Gov. Deval Patrick signed legislation that will allocate $25 million from the fiscal year 2013 state budget surplus to the CPA trust fund.
Seeds of Organic Farming Sown In Soil, but Red Tape Pest Persists
When state Agriculture Commissioner Greg Watson made his swing through a series of Vineyard farms last week, there was detailed discussion about what constitutes organic farming.
Against that backdrop, two Vineyard farms are now federally certified as organic.
Farm Fundraiser Grows Banner Crop
With the July sun setting over the Katama Plains and a sliver crescent moon rising as cows grazed in the vast fields, the pastoral scene was set naturally for the Farm Institute’s annual Meals in the Meadow fundraiser Saturday night.
Vineyard Notebook
I woke up early the other morning to perfect conditions for kayaking. The brackish water of Stonewall, Quitsa and Menemsha ponds was so still it looked solid until, that is, I made that first push from shore. Below me I could see sidling crabs and the eelgrass yielding to the direction of the outgoing tide.…
In Polly’s Garden: Hydrangeas: Back and Better Than Ever
Big, blue snowballs of hydrangeas backed by a white picket fence are a summer staple on the Vineyard. While the mophead flowers of bigleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) are the most popular with tourists, there is a whole world of hydrangeas for gardeners to explore. On a seed-collecting expedition to Japan in 2005, I encountered three…
Dean’s List
Hilary Dreyer, daughter of William and Stephanie Dreyer of West Tisbury, was named to the dean’s list at William Smith College in Geneva, N.Y. for the spring 2012 semester.
Dean’s List
Jaime Billings of Oak Bluffs, Jillian Grzesiuk of Edgartown and Abigail Larsen of Chilmark were named to the dean’s list at Roger Williams University for the spring 2012 semester.
Vineyard Designated No-Dump Zone
State and federal environmental officials have formally designated the waters surrounding Martha’s Vineyard and south of Cape Cod off limits for the discharging of boat effluent. The designation means that nearly 95 per cent of state waters around Massachusetts are closed to effluent discharge. State Energy and Environmental Affairs and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials…
