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
April 19, 2013
30 Renear Street, Vineyard Haven
30 Renear Street in Vineyard Haven sold for $180,000 on April 12.
20 Ferreira Way, Oak Bluffs
20 Ferreira Way in Oak Bluffs for $330,000 on April 12.
17 Bay View Avenue, Oak Bluffs
17 Bay View Avenue in Oak Bluffs sold for $367,500 on April 12.
131 North Water Street Unit 91, Edgartown
131 North Water street, Unit 91 in Edgartown sold for $627,950 on April 8.
Just 17 Years Old, Professional Photographer Is Ready for His Close-up
Eli Dagostino stands out. But it’s not the shock of well-groomed bright red hair. And it’s not the ankle-skimming plum-colored chinos, cream-colored waffle tee and elegantly-tied brown chukka shoes. It’s his energy.
Big House Bylaw Set for a Vote at Chilmark Annual Town Meeting
How to preserve the rural character of Chilmark while planning for the future: the question is expected to take center stage when voters consider a proposed bylaw to regulate house size at their annual town meeting Monday night. After a few years of annual town meetings that were quiet and largely routine, the Chilmark warrant…
Roundabout Construction Yields to Traffic Jams
In early April, without any fanfare, the Vineyard lost its only traffic signal. With the installation of a roundabout now about two weeks away, the two blinking lights at the intersection of Barnes Road and Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road were taken away to the Oak Bluffs highway department, their lights dimmed for the foreseeable future.
Earth Day 2013: Out of Trash, Treasured Effort Unfolds
April 22, 1970, the very first Earth Day, dawned pure and clear on the Vineyard. “One might almost have thought all the brouhaha about Earth Day was nonsense, and unnecessary . . . but by 5:30 p.m . . . it was evident that the Vineyard was far from unlittered,” a Gazette story said at…
Moments of Silence For Marathon Victims
On the Vineyard everybody knows somebody in Boston. Over the past week, in the aftermath of Monday’s bombing during the 117th Boston Marathon, flags flew at half-mast across the Island in honor of the victims of the attacks as Vineyarders took time both to reflect and to offer help to those in need. The Vineyarders…
Foreign Visa Workers Fill Unmet Demand for Summer Labor, But Trend May Be Changing
It’s that time of year when seasonal businesses are taking down the shutters and the summer workforce is beginning to arrive. In recent years Eastern Europeans and Jamaicans have been filling a growing share of summer jobs. Foreign workers wait tables, greet guests, pour beers, make hotel beds, bake peanut brittle and fudge, serve lobster…
Winter Storms Blow in Higher Rates for Fair Plan Home Insurance
A steep rate hike is in the offing for the only home insurance available to many Vineyard residents. The FAIR Plan has proposed a rate increase of nearly 10 per cent for the Cape and Islands. According to information released by the Massachusetts Property Insurance Underwriting Association, also known as the FAIR Plan, owner-occupied home…
Shark Release Ballot Question Passes
Oak Bluffs voted in favor of catch-and-release shark tournaments, West Tisbury approved a new police station and Edgartown approved two spending projects during annual town elections last week. Voter turnout was sparse, between nine and 13 per cent, and few races were contested. Oak Bluffs voters approved a nonbinding referendum that would make shark tournaments…
West Tisbury Cab Fleet Will Double
The West Tisbury selectmen agreed to allow Alpha Taxi this week to double the size of its cab fleet, over the objection of the two other taxi companies in town. Alpha Taxi owner Benoit Baldwin requested two more taxi permits for his company, bringing the total to four. In a letter to the board, Mr.…
Wire Transfers to Brazil Go Missing
A company that transmits money to foreign countries was temporarily shut down by the state banking commissioner this month after remittances went missing, and a Brazilian businessman on the Vineyard said he will work to help collect refunds for Island residents who were caught unawares by the problem. On April 10 the Massachusetts Commissioner of…
Land Bank Revenues: April 12
The Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank reported revenues of $128,109 for the business week ending on Friday, April 12, 2013. The land bank receives its funds from a two per cent fee charged on many Vineyard real estate transactions.
Tennis, Track Teams Undefeated; Sailing Squad Has Wind at Back
Home sports action picks up after April vacation on Monday with boys’ lacrosse taking on Dartmouth at 3 p.m. On Tuesday girls’ lacrosse hosts league opponent Coyle and Cassidy at 3 p.m., and sailing takes on Barnstable at the Sailing Camp Park at 3 p.m.
Chilmark’s Big Decision
There are few things as enduring in American politics as the tension between individual freedom and community values. In Washington this week, the defeat of an amendment on background checks for gun owners marked a startling victory for those who don’t want government infringing on their personal rights. The stakes are somewhat lower, but the…
Oysters and Dancing
Eat more shellfish. Your mother might not have told you that, but she could have, at least on the Vineyard. Here shellfish is a readily-available and abundant source of inexpensive protein. You can buy it at your favorite fish market or go get it yourself in your favorite pond (shellfish permit required). And if you…
Washashore Chronicles: All Signs Indicate It Will Be Artfully Done
So is Vineyard Haven now the Taos of the East? I knew two years ago there was something very special about what lured us to permanent living in Vineyard Haven, but who knew it would be nationally noted? Our Chamber of Commerce announced on April 3 that Vineyard Haven was named one of America’s best…
A Poem for Boston
When courage comes knocking Open the door Although your mind screams how can it be And your heart cries why me?
A Terrifying Hit, A Newfound Sense of Home
Vineyard roots run strong and deep and I never have imagined calling anywhere else on earth home. I grew up on the Island, but plenty of people grow up plenty of places. They move, they call other cities, other towns their own. What has always rooted me to Martha’s Vineyard is what roots so many…
No Peace in Barnyard with Him Gone
Two years ago my wife and I moved from Pensacola, Fla. to Oklahoma avenue in Vineyard Haven. One afternoon as I was riding my bicycle around the state forest, close to the Vineyard Youth Tennis club, I saw a big red rooster standing in the middle of the path. Having grown up in rural South…
The Things We Carry Forward
This morning going through the 20 mile-per-hour zone in front of my town’s grade school I watched the little kids walking along the sidewalk with their enormous backpacks. Little kids, first graders; what on earth is in those bags? And the older kids look like they are setting out on a serious trek, and they…
Thorny Issue, Reasonable Solution
Next Monday night voters in Chilmark will have the opportunity to decide whether the town should better protect the community’s character by regulating the size of new residential construction.
Doing the Right Thing
I have lived in Chilmark since the early 1970s. I have been a member and chairman of the board of appeals as well as a selectman. In addition I am a licensed contractor and real estate broker. I do not mean to bang my drum but simply to state my long years of involvement with…
Keeping Vineyard Healthy
The average house size in America in the 1960s was 1,200 square feet. Two thousand square feet of house is big, 5,000 square feet is huge, yet 10,000 and bigger is becoming commonplace. If everyone builds out to zoning capacity not only will the bird and other animal populations dwindle because of habitat destruction but…
Protecting the Commons
Our thorniest national problems — climate change, environmental degradation and an economy in which one per cent of the population holds more than 90 per cent of all assets — are the result of the empowerment of individuals to abuse the commons we all share.
Chilmark’s Proud Legacy
The Chilmark board of health would like to pay tribute to the long and dedicated service of Mike Renahan, who served on the board from 1995 until his untimely death in October 2012. Throughout these years, Mike’s vast experience in the building trades, his intimate knowledge of the town and its citizens and his devotion…
Sad New World
As a grandmother, and I specify grandmother rather than mother, it saddens me to my core to know that our grandchildren are living in a world where just another horrific event has occurred. As we grew up in the 1940s and beyond, never did we witness violence to the degree it is happening today.
Against Good Judgement
I was appalled by the recent front page article in the Boston Globe regarding an 8,300-square-foot house on Chappaquiddick.
Two Strikes Put Connector Road Out
After yet another rejection at town meeting, it seems clear to me that Tisbury voters do not want the connector road. They don’t like its roundabout route, they question whether it will effectively reduce traffic and they don’t like its high price tag.
Community Effort
The development office of Martha’s Vineyard Community Services thanks the Martha’s Vineyard community for disposing of your old, tired and used electronics at our spring electronics disposal day on Saturday, April 6. By 2 p.m. we had filled more than four containers graciously provided by Bruno’s Rolloff, Inc. Thank you to Greg Carroll and his…
Cat Calls
From a May, 1954 Vineyard Gazette article by Charles Waldron Clowe: Memory takes me back to the glorious summer at the Vineyard. We had engaged a cottage at Menemsha for the season, and after some debate it was decided that Genevieve should go with us. Throughout her young life she had only known the city,…
Oak Bluffs Town Column: April 19
Soon after the demise of the Martha’s Vineyard Railroad, The Vineyard Gazette reported “Edgartown is in the swim with the other resorts. The first horseless carriage is here. The first to appear is the Locomobile of Elmer J. Bliss, of the Regal Shoe, who brought the vehicle down from Boston Saturday night.” On Saturday, August…
Chappy Town Column: April 19
On a small island, everything that goes on seems to have a greater effect than in a place less circumscribed. We’ve certainly seen the extended and radiating effects of big storms in recent years, but it’s true about the small things as well. When someone paints a ring of daffodils around the bottom of a…
Vineyard Haven Town Column: April 19
Wasn’t I writing about Newtown just last week? The evil is spreading and I feel helpless. Two of my wonderful and talented former students, Shannon Rose McAuliffe and Emily Bevis Rives, ran in the marathon. Shannon participated with her fiance, Ian, and Emily ran with her husband, Clay.
West Tisbury Town Column: April 19
Spring flowers and trees are finally in bloom. The baseball field on Sunday hosted a youth baseball game and the tennis courts were also busy. Paul Cook’s front lawn on Music street is a sea of tiny blue flower’s that Ann Nelson says are called glory of the snow.
Chilmark Town Column: April 19
Chilmark joins the rest of the world in sending good wishes to the injured, condolences to the families and friends of those who were killed and a plea for peace for us all, after the dreadful bombing in Boston.
Aquinnah Town Column: April 19
JUNE D. MANNING 508-645-2574 (lthslnks2004@yahoo.com) Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by the tragedy in Boston on Monday. A very sad ending to what is usually a very joyous event for those participating in the marathon as well as the spectators. Daffodils are in full bloom around town and the forsythia is as…
U.S. Army Promotion
Lieut. Col. Sean M. Smith of the United States Army was promoted to his present rank on April 5. The promotion ceremony was officiated by Maj. Gen. Genaro J. Dellarocco, the Commanding General of the United States Army Test and Evaluation Command at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland.
Please Adopt Us
The Animal Shelter of Martha’s Vineyard is happy to feature a very special cat this week. Her name is Rosie and she is a beautiful black and white tuxedo cat. Rosie needs a home badly. She was the companion of an elderly lady who loved her dearly. She is an indoor cat and needs to…
Vineyard Reality TV Show Will Film in Menemsha
The crowds that gather in Menemsha to watch the sunset will have the added company of a film crew come May. At their meeting Tuesday, the Chilmark selectmen approved filming dates for the ABC Family reality TV show The Vineyard to film on the public beach. The filming will take place on May 11, 18,…
Basketball Standout
Kia Minor of Edgartown was named a member of the 2012-2013 State Collegiate Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball All-Conference First Team last week. Kia, a senior at Framingham State University, is captain of the women’s basketball team. She has been chosen twice this year as the MASCAC Women’s Basketball Player of the Week, and is the…
Veterinarian Earns Top Post
Dr. Steven W. Atwood of Animal Heath Care Associates in West Tisbury was recently elected chairman of the Veterinary Medicine Academy of the prestigious National Academies of Practice at the NAP’s annual meeting and spring forum in Washington, D.C. The NAP is comprised of 10 health care academies whose members include top individuals in their…
Dean’s List
Andrew Larsen of Chilmark was named to the dean’s list at the New England Institute of Art in Brookline for the winter quarter. Andrew is a senior studying recording arts and audio engineering.
Do the Math: Climate Change Film Screens Here
A recently-formed environmental group called 350 Martha’s Vineyard will present a movie about climate change on Sunday, April 21. The 42-minute educational film Do the Math will be shown at 7 p.m. at Howes House in West Tisbury. Admission is free. The group has partnered with the international group 350.org. For information, call 508-560-6111.
Master Swimmers Compete in New England Championship
In March, four of the Martha’s Vineyard masters swim team made the journey to Harvard’s Blodgett pool for two weekends of competition at the New England Short Course Yards Championships. More than 770 swimmers from every New England state and as far away as California competed; 48 New England and three National records were set.
With Fish and Lentils, Eat to Heart’s Content
Lately I’ve been thinking about Island hearts. With the opportunity to write this, my first Gazette article and the launch of what I hope will become a regular column about nutrition, I’d like to focus on our community of hearts. What can we as individuals do nutritionally to protect and strengthen them? There are dozens…
Engineering Challenge
Each month, regional high school students will be signing up to compete in a monthly engineering meet. At the meet students will be issued a design challenge, and will work in teams of two to three to meet that challenge. After 45 minutes, the designs will be evaluated, and the meet winners will be determined.…
In Still Photos Time Marches On
Michael Zide, a former Island resident, Vineyard Gazette photographer and current instructor at the Hallmark Institute of Photography, will present images of the Vineyard landscape and lead a photography discussion at the Williston Northampton School in Easthampton on Tuesday, April 23. The lecture, An Exploration of Time, Fact and Imagination: the Changing World of Landscape…
Shuck and Jive Shellfish Extravaganza
For a buck a shuck and a dance with Johnny Hoy and the Bluefish, the Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group has Saturday night covered.
Sheepapalooza is Baa-ck
It’s Sheepapalooza time again. On Saturday, April 20, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. the Farm Institute is reveling in all things sheepie. Morning chores begin at 9 a.m., followed by sheep shearing with Andy Rice, fiber arts, lunch (play with sheep, eat sheep), farm tours and sheep herding demonstrations. The event takes place rain…
Lyrid Meteor Shower
The Lyrid Meteor Shower will reach its peak in the early hours of Monday morning. One can expect to see a couple of meteors if you are patient and willing to commit a half hour to looking up. There are about a dozen meteor showers each year and the Lyrid is a favorite. The meteors…
Art of the Ephemeral
Once towering, now crumbling, the cliff at Lucy Vincent Beach has inspired artists and photographers throughout the world. Beginning this weekend Featherstone Center for the Arts will showcase artwork featuring the Chilmark beach and its famous cliff in both its present and past formations. The theme was suggested by Linda Ziegler, and provides an opportunity…
Northern Lights
“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”
Beach-Nesting Birds
It is that time of the year again! Any visitor to a wide variety of beaches can find roping that marks off the places where piping plovers, American oystercatchers and least terns nest. The first two species are back and the first oystercatcher nests are now present — the first one was reported on April…
Dean’s List
Oliver Filley and Margaret Hibbard of Edgartown and Alexander Dimovich and Lucas Pisano of Vineyard Haven were named to the fall 2012 dean's list at Savannah College of Art and Design.
Dean’s List
Anna Hughes of West Tisbury was named to the fall 2012 dean’s list at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Spring Bursting Out
Just as I prepared to abandon all hope, the tiniest carrot seedlings emerged. It has been more than three weeks since I planted. Both the lettuce and radishes came up in a little more than a week. Why I can’t remember one simple truth in gardening is beyond me. It takes what it takes. Peas…
Alessandra Arrives
Olivia Florentina Saloparu and Robson Gomes Lopes of Oak Bluffs announce the birth of a daughter, Alessandra Gomes Lopes, born on April 16 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Alessandra weighed 8 pounds, 3.3 ounces at birth.
Rock Steadies Community
Support for community members in need and a tribute to an Island visitor will come together this weekend in a celebration of all things Led Zeppelin.
Dazed, a Led Zeppelin tribute band, will perform Saturday at 9 p.m. at Dreamland in Oak Bluffs. The show is in honor of Mark Wojnilo, who visited his sister…
Damaged Squibnocket Beach Parking Lot Will Be Repaved
The storm-ravaged Squibnocket Beach parking lot will be repaved this spring while a newly-formed beach committee considers long-term solutions to address increasing erosion at the town beach and abutting development of Squibnocket Farm, the Chilmark selectmen said this week.
Boston Man Accused of Raping Island Woman Is Acquitted
A Boston man charged with rape was found not guilty on all counts Tuesday morning in Dukes County Superior Court. Bryant K. Brown, 33, was found not guilty of two counts of rape, three counts of assault to rape, one count of indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or older, and one count…
Two Vineyard Marathoners Unharmed in Explosions
Two well-known Vineyard runners who participated in the Boston Marathon are safe and unharmed following the explosions at the finish line Monday afternoon that made instant international news. In a text message to the Gazette late Monday, Joe Schroeder said his wife and marathon runner Marylee Schroeder was safe. “All good and [we’re] out of…
Coast Guard Plans Lantern Changes at Gay Head Light
Its sweeping beam has guided mariners to safety and cast long flickers of shadow and light across the westernmost edge of the Vineyard for many decades. But now the Gay Head Light is slated for a lantern change, and in the process the beam will change from sweeping to pulsing. Lieut. Matthew Stuck of the…
