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 12, 2012
115 Franklin Street, Vineyard Haven
115 Franklin street in Vineyard Haven sold for $980,000 on Oct. 5.
3 Pepperbush Lane
3 Pepperbush Lane in Chilmark sold for $2,950,000 on Oct. 4.
24 Hye Road, Edgartown
24 Hye Road in Edgartown from Christopher P. Klouman and Ann R. Yang Klouman for $428,000 on Oct. 5.
6 Pamela Way, Edgartown
6 Pamela Way in Edgartown sold for $260,000 on Oct. 4.
21 Kitts Field Circle, Edgartown
21 Kitts Field Circle in Edgartown sold for $775,000 on Oct. 3.
6 Laurel avenue, Oak Bluffs
6 Laurel avenue in Oak Bluffs from Anthony Loftis for $150,000 on Oct. 2.
39 Old County Road, West Tisbury
39 Old County Road in West Tisbury from James H. Paquette, trustee of Shovelhead Realty Trust, for $497,000 on Oct. 3.
62 and a portion of 30 Ophelia Way, West Tisbury
62 Ophelia Way and a portion of 30 Ophelia Way in West Tisbury sold for $965,000 on Oct. 1.
235 Great Plains Road, West Tisbury
235 Great Plains Road in West Tisbury sold for $421,000 on Oct. 1.
Education Mixed With Creation, Island Artists Reveal Heart of Glass
In most people’s lives, glass has become so transparent as to be almost invisible. We drink from glasses, store food in glass jars and look out of glass windows. But a customer walking into the main building of Martha’s Vineyard Glassworks can’t help but consider the artistic process of making glass, too. Inside the welcoming…
Fishing Boat Washes Up on Lobsterville
Officials worked to salvage a fishing vessel Thursday morning after it broke mooring and washed ashore on Lobsterville Beach. The Betty B, a 46-foot wood dragger from Hyannis Port owned by Karl Niehoff, was moored off Menemsha Wednesday night when 40 mile per hour winds caused the line to snap, Aquinnah harbor master Brian (Chip)…
Senior Shatters School Record in Cross Country
Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School junior Jeremy Alley-Tarter had exactly one week atop the record books for the school cross-country team.
If These Walls Could Talk, They’d Tell Tales from Old Gazette Articles
Abraham Lincoln, Stephen Douglas and Cy Young made headlines 150 years ago, and last week those headlines were uncovered when the shingles came off the front of the Littlefield house in West Tisbury. Newspapers dating to the mid 19th century were discovered on the State Road home by Island builder Tucker Hubbell when he and…
Kids Feed Community With Kindness
“Tikkun olam” is a Hebrew phrase meaning to repair or heal the world. On Wednesday, a couple of dozen students from the Hebrew School at Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center in Vineyard Haven did their part to make that a reality. They loaded 128 bags of nonperishable food into vehicles to be transported to the Island…
From Scuba Kid to Plankton Scientist, Keeping Tabs on the Sea
Even while he was growing up, Chris Melrose, a scientist for the National Marine Fisheries Service, knew that the currents on the Vineyard were pushing him towards marine science. A 1993 graduate of the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School, Mr. Melrose is today one of the leading scientists working on a global study of plankton.…
Bay Scallop Prognosis Good Up-Island, Aw Shucks Down
As the bay scallop season begins, reports and forecasts are in from the five Island towns that have a fishery. And if the predictions from shellfish biologists are accurate, scalloping in Edgartown, Chilmark and Aquinnah will be solid this year, while Oak Bluffs and Tisbury may be a step off from last year.
Land Bank Path Maintenance Status Quo, Not New Strategy
A trail-widening project by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank on its properties has sparked strong reaction from a small group of bikers and horseback riders, who took their concerns to the land bank this week. Laura Bryan, an off-road biker who lives on Chappaquiddick, said she and her friend Michael Berwind were biking through Pennywise…
Big Enough to Fish, Smaller Than Biggest Fish
Down at the Menemsha docks on an early October evening, a regular is out casting into the harbor. He’s dressed for the occasion in red rubber boots and rain pants and a bright yellow rain jacket. His blue derby hat is decked with four pins — one with his derby number, two daily bluefish award…
After the Weigh-In, Derby Fillet Program Helps Feed the Hungry
There is always tough competition at the The Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby which these days attracts close to 3,000 fishermen. But amidst the awards and bragging rights there is also a tradition of generosity.
Alleged Prostitute Accused of Misleading Officers
A woman arrested in Edgartown two weeks ago on theft and prostitution charges originally identified herself as her younger sister, police said. Shannon M. Owens, 27, of New York city was arraigned for a second time Oct. 5 in Edgartown district court and charged with refusing to identify herself, larceny more than $250, receiving stolen…
West Tisbury Rails Against New Guardrail
With no apparent notice to the town, state highway officials have replaced a wooden guard rail with a metal one along one side of the Mill River Ford bridge in North Tisbury — and the West Tisbury selectmen are unhappy about it. Selectmen said at their meeting this week they will ask state highway officials…
Edgartown Refers Injured Firefighter’s Case to Panel
The Edgartown selectmen Tuesday voted to refer the case of an Edgartown volunteer firefighter injured on the job to a medical panel. Labor counsel Jack Collins outlined for selectmen the financial history and town obligations for James Klingensmith, who was injured fighting a fire three years ago as a volunteer firefighter for Edgartown. Mr. Collins…
Creative Living Award for Paul Brissette
Paul Brissette, the accomplished and longtime art teacher at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School, will receive the prestigious Creative Living Award this year, the Permanent Endowment Fund for Martha’s Vineyard has announced. A ceremony will be held on Thursday, Oct. 18 at 5:30 p.m. at the Grange Hall in West Tisbury. The public is…
Cocaine Trafficking
A Worcester man was arraigned Tuesday in Edgartown district court on cocaine trafficking charges. Bail was set at $30,000 for John J. Polydores, 30, who was charged with trafficking in cocaine after police allegedly found 52 grams of cocaine at the Edgartown home where he was staying. According to the police report, members of the…
Moxie Ready to Open
Cafe Moxie is set to open its doors today on the corner of Main and Centre streets in Vineyard Haven. Owner Michael Ryan said the cafe will be open year-round, every day from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. with chef Willy Wannamaker preparing American bistro dishes. Mr. Ryan said the credit card system will not…
Land Bank Revenues: Oct. 5
The Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank reported revenues of $153,150 for the business week ending on Friday, Oct. 5, 2012. The land bank receives its funds from a two per cent fee charged on many Vineyard real estate transactions. Much of the land bank revenue last week came from the town of Chilmark, where one transaction…
Please Adopt Us
Where are all the kitten lovers who put their names on our wish list? The Animal Shelter of Martha’s Vineyard still has four adorable kittens who would love to be in a home. They are Blackie, who, as her name indicates, is an all-black 10 week old; Danny, a black and white male; Huey, the…
Chickie Baby
First and foremost I would like to thank all my friends and family for making my 70th birthday an occasion that I will never forget. The food that people brought; the pig, chickens and ribs cousin Everett smoked; the Strugglers and the Chickie Babies that played for us to sing with and dance to, all…
MoGlo Throws Pumpkin Festival and Pumpkins
On Saturday, Oct. 13, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Morning Glory Farm hosts its ninth annual pumpkin festival. There will be live music by the Flying Elbows, hay rides, children’s games, face painting, a hay maze, pony rides, farm tours, the trebuchet (aka pumpkin catapult), food and a pumpkin carving contest.
Brilliant Venus
The brightest planet in our sky, Venus is a beautiful sight early in the morning. The planet was visible last weekend over Edgartown harbor. It was so brilliant, it looked like an airplane approaching with landing lights from the east. With the Edgartown Lighthouse flashing red and the Cape Pogue lighthouse flashing white, Venus easily…
Youth Leaders Travel
Vineyard high school seniors Isabella El-Deiry and Jacob Lawrence recently traveled to Boston to discover how Massachusetts leaders support young people. The trip was part of the Martha’s Vineyard Youth Leadership Initiative. Bella and Jacob met with Sen. John Kerry’s education policy advisor, Nicole Caravalla. Senator Kerry is chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on…
Antlerless Deer Permits
The Dukes County office will be selling antlerless deer permits for the hunting season this year. The county commissioners voted at their meeting Wednesday for the county to become an authorized vendor for hunting licenses. In addition to doe permits, the county office will sell all licenses, permits and stamps available from the Division of…
Social Justice Award
Rebecca Haag, president and chief executive officer of AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts, was honored last week by Eastern Bank with the 24th annual Wainwright Social Justice Award. Eastern also honored 30 Massachusetts community health care organizations before more than 500 people in an evening reception in downtown Boston. The award recognizes nonprofits and affiliated…
Aquinnah Town Column: Oct. 12
The Martha’s Vineyard Center for Living will hold the first in a series of fall and winter cultural luncheons on Saturday, Oct. 20 from noon to 2 p.m. at the Grill on Main. Chef Anthony Saccoccia and his staff will once again provide a culturally delicious luncheon.
Chilmark Town Column: Oct. 12
Chilmark’s last holiday of the tourist season was a busy one with many visitors and seasonal residents here for the end-of-season fun and chores. There were many fishermen, a few swimmers and several weddings around town as the sight of the tents told us. Cheers to all!
West Tisbury Town Column: Oct. 12
The holiday weekend weather was not the greatest we have ever had, fall-like in the evenings but mostly cloudy and rainy. It was busy, with yard sales just about everywhere in town. Sunset, regrettably, is now around 6 p.m. and earlier each day. Pumpkins and Halloween decorations grace many front lawns around town and it…
Vineyard Haven Town Column: Oct. 12
You say pajamas, I say pyjamas. Remember what a ratty day Tuesday was? Thank goodness I could work from home, and did so in my pajamas.
Oak Bluffs Town Column: Oct. 12
Amid Cottage City’s growth and development, in 1871 a New Bedford newspaper fanned the flames of tourism: “Men and women of all nations and all natures, of all sections and complexions — the Portuguese, the Englishman, the Frenchman, the Southerner, the Easterner — all going to the Eden-like city by the sea.”
Edgartown Town Column: Oct. 12
The leaves are really starting to get their fall colors. I see more people in jackets, and some people have their fingers on the thermostat — but most of them have vowed not to turn it on until Nov. 1. We will see how long that lasts.
Chappy Town Column: Oct. 12
By the time Columbus Day weekend comes along, there’s no denying summer is over. The weather, which had been warm enough for swimming all the week before, turned cool. The Island woods and roadsides are full of reds and yellows, and the last flowers of the season are blooming — beach goldenrod and the purple…
Diamond Anniversary
A joyous reunion took place on Martha’s Vineyard to celebrate the 60th wedding anniversary of Beverly and Allen Dea, former residents of the Vineyard. They were married at the Chestnut Street Congregational Church in Worcester. Joining them were son Peter and wife Cathy of Golden, Colo.; son John of Winter Park, Fla.; nephew Allen Camp…
Ava Arrives
Heather and Mike Lane of Plymouth announce the birth of a daughter, Ava Ivy Lane, born Sept. 21, 2012 at South Shore Hospital in Weymouth. Ava weighed 6 pounds, 5 ounces at birth. Ava is welcomed by maternal grandparents Chris Ewing of Oak Bluffs and Colin Ewing of Edgartown, paternal grandparents Bob and Cheryl Lane…
Shanoiya Arrives
Janice and Robert Coke of Oak Bluffs announce the birth of a daughter, Shanoiya Isabella Coke, born on Oct. 4, at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Shanoiya weighed 6 pounds, 5 ounces at birth.
Isla Arrives
Brooke Hardman and Brian Ditchfield of Chilmark announce the birth of a daughter, Isla Reay Ditchfield, born on Oct. 2 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Isla weighed 7 pounds, 11 ounces at birth.
Hello, Dia
Sylvia Ilieva and Vladimir Vladimirov of West Tisbury announce the birth of a daughter, Dia Vladi Vladimirov, born on Oct. 9 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Dia weighed 6 pounds, 6.5 ounces at birth.
Announcing Nina
Sybil and Carlos Teles Filho of Oak Bluffs announce the birth of a daughter, Nina Leaf Teles, born on Oct. 4 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Nina weighed 6 pounds, 2 ounces at birth. Nina is welcomed by big brother Hogan McCoy.
Fatal Attraction
There is endless fascination about sharks, and the Monster Shark Tournament staged annually every July by the Boston Big Game Fishing Club has long been an attraction for people of all stripes — shark lovers, scientists, protesters and the just plain curious. For two days at the height of summer, Oak Bluffs is transformed as…
Six Steps to Happiness
Six Steps to Happiness 1. Begin with a sparkling October day. 2. Gather waders, dip net, peep sight and basket. 3. Enter the pond, find no scallops, feel full of self doubt. 4. Find one scallop, feel hope surge. Find more. Fill basket with fresh scallops. 5. Go home, drink strong coffee with steamed milk.…
Washashore Chronicles: Surfing the Cranial Garbage Heap
The other morning I ambled down Main street into the town center of Vineyard Haven with my noble yellow lab Floyd. We stopped at his usual oasis, the generously filled water bowl outside The Green Room, and the lapping commenced. He usually doesn’t stop drinking until his bladder assumes the proportion of water associated with…
Amici Pescatori, Vineyard Style
Editor’s Note: What brings a group of Italian flyfishermen and one American friend together? Lobsterville Beach in Aquinnah and Coop’s Bait and Tackle in Edgartown. Arturo Kenney, an avid flyfisherman and former basketball pro who uses his six-foot-eight-inch height to advantage when wading on saltwater flats, began coming to the Vineyard with The Fly Angling…
Monster Shark Dilemma
In denying the 10-person petition to place on the April ballot a resolution that the Monster Shark Tournament become a completely catch-and-release event, the Oak Bluffs selectmen have actually done the opponents of the event a favor. Now they must gather signatures of at least 10 per cent of the Oak Bluffs registered voters, and…
Mill Pond Musings
I am not a resident of West Tisbury but I grew up in Lambert’s Cove. As a child I played with my cousins in their backyard, which basically was a field that sloped down to the Mill Pond. I moved back to the Vineyard recently.
Turbine Regulation
The following letter was sent to the Martha’s Vineyard Commission: I was not able to attend your wind regulation meeting last night. I would like to raise concerns solely on wind turbines near residential communities.
Unruly Dog Owners
My family and I enjoyed the rustic beauty of the Vineyard on a recent vacation, a return for me after many years to an Island connected with many fond childhood memories. However, we were taken aback by two incidents involving dog owners. In the first, during business hours, a dog owner abandoned his dog’s ample…
Artfully Dodgy
I am beginning to call Scott Brown the Artful Dodger. I was very frustrated about his second debate with Elizabeth Warren. After the first debate when he kept avoiding her questions, I was hoping that finally I would hear what his views are. But instead he kept dodging her questions and the moderator’s questions, using…
Paw Shake of Thanks
On behalf of the Animal Shelter of Martha’s Vineyard I want to thank all of the participants, the donors and volunteers who made the First Annual Walk For the Animals a huge success. A very special thank you to Pat Adler who brought us the idea to hold this event and her service on the…
Derby Daze
From the Vineyard Gazette edition of Oct. 18, 1946: The Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass Derby wound up in a blaze of glory at noon on Tuesday when the last fish were entered for weighing, and the Martha’s Vineyard Rod and Gun Club held open house for all entrants, with dinner served in the club rooms…
New Edgartown Restaurant Cooks Up a Touch of Class
Just as many dining options across the Island are beginning to close up shop for the season, a new restaurant in the former David Ryan’s space on North Water street opened last month with every intention of serving the year-round population. The goals for new Edgartown restaurant Eleven North are simple: keep it local, keep…
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? Squirrel Pie, Bear Sausage, You
Underneath the green canopy at the Wild Food challenge held at the Rod and Gun Club in Edgartown last Monday, Harbor View chefs Shaun Sells and Nathan Gould, dressed in sleek black uniforms, hovered over their chopping boards, quietly and meticulously slicing smoked striper. Nearby, 11-year-old Rose Herman and 10-year-old Violet Cabot drizzled a beach…
Music Festival to Benefit Breast Cancer
Breast is the word for Saturday night. On Oct. 13, from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. a bounty of local and regional female singer-songwriters will perform at Dreamland in Oak Bluffs for the first ever Breast Fest Ball, with all proceeds from the benefit going towards the Martha’s Vineyard Breast Cancer Support Group. Larry Laverdure,…
Tingle, Jimmy Tingle
The election season making you cranky? Well, Jimmy Tingle aims to turn that political frown upside down. His one-hour show will be screened on Friday, Oct. 12, at the Martha’s Vineyard Film Center.
Rock Me Charter School
What if, in one evening, you could be blessed by Godfather of Soul, disciplined by Sergeant Pepper, get some Satisfaction, sail the Sloop John B. and Feel Like a Natural Woman? Would you do it?
Long Point 5 Concert
The Long Point 5 rocks the music of Scott Joplin, Argentine tangos, the big band sound of Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, Jelly Roll Morton, George Gershwin, Stephen Foster, even Bach and Debussy.
Cultural Lunch
The Martha’s Vineyard Center for Living will hold its first in a series of fall and winter cultural luncheons on Saturday, Oct. 20, from noon to 2 p.m. at The Grill on Main street in Edgartown.The featured speaker is David R. White, executive and artistic director of the Yard. For reservations call Leslie Clapp 508-939-9440.
Birdies for Baseball
The eighth annual Birdies for Baseball golf tournament will take place on Sunday, Oct. 21 with an 8:30 shotgun start at Mink Meadows Golf Club.The tournament is a benefit to support the Vineyard baseball scholarship and field improvement fund. The cost is $90 and includes breakfast and lunch. To register, call 508-693-0600. For questions, call…
Recent Martha’s Vineyard Real Estate Transactions
West Tisbury Marc Rosenbaum and Jill De La Hunt purchased 235 Great Plains Road in West Tisbury from Jeffrey J. Lovett for $421,000 on Oct. 1. Jenny Brody and Peter M. Brody purchased 62 Ophelia Way and a portion of 30 Ophelia Way in West Tisbury from Myrnice M. Ravitch, trustee of the Ravitch Family…
Gas Giant
What’s up tonight? The answer is definitely Jupiter throughout October. Have you noticed the solar system’s largest planet in the night sky this month? In the last few weeks, Jupiter rose in the late evening, climbing higher into the heavens and dominating the sky. Early risers can also see Jupiter before dawn, approximately 60 degrees…
Meat Matters
For you vegetarians, or the much too tender-hearted to think about killing animals for food, you may want to avoid reading this column. I have raised and slaughtered meat animals for 35 years. It is something (like almost everything in my life) into which I throw myself whole-heartedly.
Limiting House Size Is Legal, Chilmark Planning Board Told
As the Chilmark planning board continues to grapple with the question of how to regulate very large houses, the board looked to the town of Wellfleet this week as a possible model. At the planning board meeting Tuesday, a former member of the Wellfleet planning board gave strong words of encouragement to his counterparts in…
Shark Contest Under Scrutiny
Citing unruly crowds and a drain on town resources, Oak Bluffs selectmen Tuesday called for changes to the annual Monster Shark tournament held at the Oak Bluffs harbor, including a greater police presence and working more closely with event organizers. But selectmen voted against putting a petition to change the tournament to catch-and-release only on…
Nearly Ten Tons of Fish Later, Fishing Derby Comes to a Close
Although relatively few weigh-ins took place Wednesday night at derby headquarters, the docks were crowded with curious out-of-towners, fresh from eating dinner at the Atlantic and on their way back to their hotels. Outside, bundled-up derby newcomers watched the fillet volunteers prepare fish. A woman snapped photos of a large bluefish on weighmaster Charlie Smith’s…
Setting a Spell With Vineyard’s Pastor of Peace
Years ago, in Whitinsville, the Rev. Alden Besse was asked to participate in a Memorial Day parade. “I thought, what can I carry? Lots of people carry guns and I’ll carry a pruning hook,” he recalled.
MVC Crafts Rules to Regulate Wind Farm Development
With wind energy proposals focused on the Vineyard and surrounding waters and the high concentration of wind resources, the Martha’s Vineyard Commission continued public hearings last week on its Wind Energy Plan for Dukes County, which attempts to set some controls on future wind turbine developments on land and sea. The plan drew few public…
Cross Country Senior Breaks School Record Set Last Week
The football team plays its Homecoming game tonight against Cardinal Spellman. Kickoff is at 6:30 p.m. Golf plays Dartmouth at the Vineyard Golf Club at 3 p.m. On Saturday, boys’ soccer hosts Eastern Athletic Conference opponent Bishop Feehan at 11:30 a.m.
West Tisbury Fishermen Land Giant Tuna
Although recreational fishing dominates Island chatter with the derby on this month, talk up and down Squid Row in Menemsha on Tuesday afternoon was of a decidedly commercial catch. Tim Walsh, 26, captain of the Helen L., and mate Miles Whyte, 30, landed a 1,100-pound giant Atlantic bluefin tuna during a three-day fishing trip off…
