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
November 15, 2013
Bay Scallop Moon
A full moon on Sunday will dominate the sky through the weekend. This is a moon that is hard to ignore. Only a December full moon rises higher in our night sky.
Announcing Juliet
Katherine and Jason Merrill of Edgartown announce the birth of a daughter, Juliet Rose Merrill, born on Nov. 12 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital.
In Election Countdown, Wampanoag Casino Plan Reignites Legal Dispute
Prospect of a Vineyard casino was thrust back into the spotlight this week with the announcement the tribe was moving to build a gaming facility in Aquinnah.
Edgartown Library Design Rights Questioned
Timothy Culbert, an architect and founding partner of Imrey Culbert LP, wrote in a letter to town officials that he did not transfer rights for the library design, a step he claims was required for the town to use the design. He said Imrey Culbert was originally retained for design services for the library.
Prototype Turbine Picks Up Speed
It started with a desire to influence change in the world of green energy, particularly in urban areas. On Wednesday, in the cold quiet of a November Martha’s Vineyard morning, Jeffrey and Linda Haar proved they’re well on their way to accomplishing that goal.
Changing of the Tide: Maciel Marine is Sold
Owners Robert and Barbara Maciel sold the boatyard and the business to George J. Rogers and Sheryl L. Roth Rogers, who are the owners of Edgartown Marine. The deal was closed Wednesday evening.
From Meetinghouse to Marina, Boatyard Sails Again Into Future
Situated on its familiar corner of the Lagoon Pond in Vineyard Haven, Maciel Marine holds a respected place in the long history of boatbuilding on the Vineyard.
Hard Boiled and Over Easy, Don Patrick Eased Appetites
His customers visited as much for the eggs over easy as to watch Don Patrick perfect the art of poetry in motion, herding homefries, eggs, toast and bacon around the grill without ever appearing to break a sweat, even on a hot August weekend.
Gaming Game
The only real surprise in the announcement from tribal chairman Cheryl Andrews-Maltais this week that the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) intends to move forward with gaming on the Vineyard was in the way the news was delivered.
Closet Envy, Martha Makes Looking Good Affordable
Her name isn’t Martha. But she’s become as synonymous with the Vineyard Haven consignment store as if she was selling clothing out of her own closet. She’s there all the time, and speaks of her employees like they’re family. Before she found consignment, Margaret (Mags) Mirko worked as a painter, a bartender, a cleaner, a…
Keeping Wooden Boat Dreams Afloat
The craft of building, restoring and loving wooden boats was celebrated Thursday, Nov. 10, at the Vineyard debut of the movie Wood Sails Dreams screened at the Martha’s Vineyard Film Society in Vineyard Haven. The one-hour documentary is a New England coastal story and it is a Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket story.
School Bus Driver Faces Indecent Assault Charge
A West Tisbury school bus driver has been charged with indecent assault and battery on a child. Mark A. Bergeron, 47, of Edgartown, was arraigned Nov. 7 on charges of assault and battery, enticing a child under the age of 16, and two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under the age…
Land Bank Revenues: Nov. 8
The Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank reported revenues of $127,670 for the business week ending on Friday, Nov. 8, 2013.
From Melting Glaciers to Sand, Gay Head Cliffs Walk Marks Time
The Vineyard Conservation Society had its first educational walking adventure on Nov. 10 at the Gay Head Cliffs in Aquinnah. The VCS winter walk programs were first introduced over 20 years ago and have grown in popularity which was evident by the more then 100 participants on the Sunday outing.
Duchess of Carnegie Hall Embraced Island
Editor’s Note: Editta Sherman, an Italian-American photographer, often referred to as the Duchess of Carnegie Hall, died on Nov. 1 at the age of 101. She had long ties to the Vineyard. The following interview with her was published in the Gazette in December 1988. In a circle of celebrities, the flamboyant Editta Sherman has…
Closing the Door During the Holocaust
Oak Bluffs seasonal resident Neil Rolde for 16 years was a representative in the Maine state legislature and the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate from that state in 1990. He has long been concerned with what it means to be in governmental office.
Bright Present Clouded by Uncertain Future
Last Friday I visited my son’s teachers at the regional high school. He is in a special education classroom where he focuses on vocational training, communication and how to cook and care for himself, in between fashioning impressive works of art, including a fine ceramic salsa and chip dish I opened last Christmas.
Washashore Chronicles: It’s All a Dream We Dreamed Long Ago
I lied. How best to make a clean start for part three of my trilogy on the boxes in our basement? Honestly, I totally miscalculated the number. I thought we had two dozen, but neglected to open another door down there to reveal another roomful of boxes.
Storing Up for Winter
Old-timers speak of the days of their youth and childhood; how the Island picture has changed since they can first remember, and how people and things seem like those of another country entirely, so complete has the transition been in the span of a single lifetime. They do not exaggerate in the least, but it…
Classic Capawock
Your Nov. 8 article about Benjamin Hall Sr. and the future of the Capawock Theatre (the Vineyard’s oldest movie theatre) is a sad commentary on a possibly missed opportunity.
Crumbling Chapel
On my last visit to the Vineyard, in September, I was shocked at the condition of the Mayhew Chapel in Christiantown: windows broken, exterior shingles rotting, bird droppings on benches inside, weeds taking over the burial ground.
Flawed Statistics
Really?! Thirty per cent of Island children are overweight or obese? Really? While I support and celebrate the many initiatives that have brought healthier foods and increased opportunities for physical activity to our children, there must be some mistake in a measurement that concludes that over a third of our kids have high BMIs. Sometimes…
Help for the Hungry
Your recent article Food Stamp Cuts Hit Home does a good job of showing how the Vineyard is not immune to the food insecurity challenges that affect the entire country, as cuts to government programs like SNAP make difficult situations even more difficult.
Real Estate Transactions: Nov. 4-10
Patrick Ahearn and Marsha Ahearn purchased 7 and 9 Oxcart Road in Aquinnah from Richard S. Lee for $1,700,000 on Nov. 6.
Chappy Town Column: Nov. 15
I broke the last of my 2013 New Year’s resolutions yesterday: I waited to the last moment to drain our summer house pipes. But where is the adventure in battling with wrenches and pliers with hands that have feeling in them? No, I choose to live the frontier life . . . and then go…
Edgartown Town Column: Nov. 15
Well, Mother Nature has decided that it is now winter. Snow, wind and cold all in one day was just a little much. Now they are saying it will be 60 degrees this weekend. Again, welcome to New England.
Vineyard Haven Town Column: Nov. 15
Penny Wong of Grace Church preschool announces the annual Turkey Run on Saturday, Nov. 23. The run starts at Bunch of Grapes on Main Street and continues to Owen Park where all participants will be greeted with water, oranges and medals.
Oak Bluffs Town Column: Nov. 15
One thing about the soon-to-be-here holidays is the free time we look forward to, especially the part between Christmas and the New Year when the world is on pause.
Aquinnah Town Column: Nov. 15
The Vineyard has felt like three seasons in one week. We had a slightly balmy day with a brisk wind on Veterans Day to view the splendid parade in Oak Bluffs with many of our veterans participating along with the impressive honor guard from Menemsha Coast Guard Station, sheriff’s department, Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts.
Chilmark Town Column: Nov. 15
Chilmark experienced the first snowfall of the season on Tuesday. Not much of it remains as I write on Tuesday evening but it came down long enough for some to accumulate in dark corners of yards and roadsides.
West Tisbury Town Column: Nov. 15
The weather last weekend was seasonable and with the rapidly falling leaves, time change, cooler temperatures and lowering the storm windows, we are slowly falling into the grasp of winter.
Remote Penikese School Will Relocate to New Hampshire
After months of waiting to receive state licensing to operate on Penikese Island, a treatment center for adolescent boys with substance abuse and mental health issues will move temporarily to New Hampshire.
True Islanders, Sheep Have Deep Roots
The story of sheep on Martha’s Vineyard doesn’t begin with 40 British ships sailing into the Vineyard Haven harbor, but it certainly was a turning point.
Print Sales Help Lighthouse Cause
They say you can’t put a price on art, but if sales are strong this season a limited edition photograph could defray the high cost of saving an Island landmark. Jeffrey Serusa, owner of the Seaworthy Gallery in Vineyard Haven, says he will donate a portion of proceeds from the sale of Gay Head Lighthouse…
West Tisbury Intersection Upgrade Gets Positive Review
Upcoming changes to a major intersection are on the right track, West Tisbury town officials said at a public hearing Wednesday.
Please Adopt Us
The early cold snap this year causes our furry friends to seek warm places to sleep. The Animal Shelter of Martha’s Vineyard advises Islanders to keep garage, shed and barn doors closed to prevent your or your neighbors’ cats from getting inadvertently shut in. It is easy for a cold animal to find a way…
Celebrating the 70s at the Charter School
My Sharona had a Heart of Glass that shattered when she discovered she was Born to Run and no amount of Shadow Dancing down at the YMCA could change a thing.
Seasons, They Are Changing
It has finally happened. We’ve taken the inevitable turn into the next season. Those long late summer/early fall days have ended. We had a pretty amazing stretch of beautiful days.
Reassigning the Planets
Pluto was not the only planet to get a demotion.
Wavey Goose
In the middle of October, Luanne Johnson and I watched a single snow goose fly into Sengekontacket Pond from offshore. It is odd to spot a single snow goose. They usually migrate in large flocks and when the flocks descend from the V in the sky the scene is likened to a “snow storm of…
Oak Bluffs Passes Medical Marijuana Dispensary District
After considerable debate, Oak Bluffs voters approved a bylaw regulating the location of medical marijuana dispensaries at a special town meeting Tuesday night. With the vote, three sites in town will now be included in a medical marijuana overlay district and opened to special permitting.
Schoolhouse Rock! Returns
It’s deja vu all over again as the Oak Bluffs School presents its fall musical Schoolhouse Rock Live!
Master Class with Wendy Taucher
Performing Inside Out is the title of a three-hour master class with director/choreographer/author Wendy Taucher.
Holiday Artisan Sale is Calling
Get ahead of the game and pick up some holiday gifts this weekend. Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center hosts its holiday sale on Sunday, Nov. 17 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Fruits of Their Labor
The Polly Hill Arboretum and the Martha’s Vineyard Film Center are coming together to bring The Fruit Hunters to the screen on Thursday, Nov. 21 at 7:30 p.m. at the film center at the Tisbury Marketplace. This cinematic odyssey through the jungles of Borneo and the hills of Umbria, to name a few, follows an…
Design New Fern and Feather Logo
Fern and Feather Camp at Felix Neck celebrates its 50th anniversary next year and to begin the party they are looking for a new logo design for the camp.
Duck Day at Long Point
Join The Trustees of Reservations as they host a family duck event at Long Point Wildlife Refuge.
Gay Head Light on Track for Town Ownership
Preservation and stewardship are crucial themes in the next phase for the old Gay Head Light.
Veterans Day 2013
The national holiday dawned clear and cold with gusty winds. A parade begins at 10:30 this morning in Oak Bluffs. Schools, towns halls and government offices are closed today.
Journalist and Professor Penn Kimball Was Longtime Chilmark Resident
The crusading writer, author and journalism professor who sued the federal government for keeping secret files on himself and his wife in the 1950s, died Friday in Chevy Chase, Md. Mr. Kimball, 98, had a summer home in Chilmark for more than 50 years, and lived in Vineyard Haven and Oak Bluffs year-round from 1994…
Addressing Vineyard Democrats, Coakley Says She’s in Governor’s Race to Win
Attorney General Martha Coakley, addressing a meeting of Martha’s Vineyard Democrats Saturday morning, said she feels confident about her chances to be elected the next governor.
Slow Pace of Stop & Shop Review Is Concern at Commission Hearing
As a months-long review by the Martha’s Vineyard Commission of expansion plans for the Vineyard Haven Stop & Shop continues, members of the commission expressed frustration late this week with the lack of progress. And spokesmen for the international grocery chain told the commission that they have reduced the size of the plans as much…
Island Man Pleads Guilty to Child Assault Charges
An Island man will go to jail for 18 months after pleading guilty to charges that include indecent assault and battery on a child. Andrew R. Bradshaw, 49, pleaded guilty in Edgartown district court Friday to open and gross lewdness, indecent assault and battery on a child younger than 14 (amended from rape of a…
Oak Bluffs Gets $2 Million Grant for Sea View Boardwalk
Oak Bluffs will receive $2 million to install a boardwalk along Sea View avenue extension.
The state Seaport Advisory Council announced Thursday that the town’s public access improvement project was one of 11 seaport community projects chosen to receive funding.
