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
October 24, 2014
Holmes Hole Sailors Keep Sailing Towards Winter
The winds are rising and the temperatures are dropping, telling Holmes Hole sailors that they don’t have much more time on the water. One by one skippers are calling in to say that they have put up sails and are done for the season.
Ocean Plan Critics Question Sand Mining
As leading state environmental officials look to the Island’s offshore resources to further wind energy goals and mine sand for beach fill, a small but vocal crowd of Vineyarders are airing their concerns about tapping these resources to the detriment of the fisheries and other sea life.
Sunday Services; Friendships Bloom Over Bacon and Eggs
For Trudy Taylor, Patricia Bennett and friends, a Sunday breakfast tradition has continued without interruption for 12 years, or nearly 700 breakfasts. They call themselves the breakfast mafia.
Stripers Are Down in Derby Catch This Year
By all accounts, the 69th Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby was a major success with records all around. But the number of striped bass was dramatically lower, with only 288 weighed in.
Soccer Reaches Fever Pitch, Lages Is Top Scorer in the State
With a week left in regular season play, records are falling, players are earning statewide recognition and one team is already making its mark in the state tournament.
Our New Web Address
The Vineyard Gazette has a new online address: vineyardgazette.com.
Steamship Authority Approves Fare Increases
Islanders and day trippers alike will spend a little more to travel on the Steamship Authority beginning early next year. Parking fees in the off-site ferry lots in Falmouth are also slated to go up in January.
Shared School Budget Up Again, Staffing Needs Lead the List
Continuing a trend, the Vineyard schools superintendent’s budget is up again this year.
Oak Bluffs Floating Fuel Dock Exceeds Financial Expectations
A town fuel dock that debuted this summer has far exceeded the expectations of the Oak Bluffs officials who pushed for it. The fuel dock sold about twice as much fuel as predicted.
Announcing Vivian
Sylvia Ilieva and Vladimir Vladimirov of West Tisbury announce the birth of a daughter, Vivian Vladi Vladimirov, born on Oct. 23 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital.
New Oyster Farms, Returning Food Truck in Chilmark
Four new oyster farms could be coming soon to Menemsha Pond, which already hosts six aquaculture ventures.
Selectmen Consider Gate for Waterfowl at Mill Pond
West Tisbury animal control officer Joan Jenkinson told selectmen Wednesday that the birds on Mill Pond leave the pond too often, threatening their safety.
A More Formal Moon
A thin crescent moon appears low in the southwestern sky tomorrow night. The New Moon was yesterday. The moon appears amid the light of dusk, visible right after sunset. The moon is in the zodiacal constellation Libra, inching towards the constellation Scorpius. This crescent moon is different from the crescent moon we saw back in…
Throwaway Island
We don’t call it the dump anymore, not officially anyway. We don’t even call it the landfill, because our trash is no longer buried in the ground. For the past two decades, Islanders have been disposing of their trash by taking or sending it to a transfer facility.
Station Menemsha Mom Gets a Hug
The men and women of Coast Guard Station Menemsha agreed that June Manning’s exemplary spirit of giving and “just because she’s June” merited some small town, down home recognition.
Special Needs Not a Category; It’s People
Soon it will be time to take a long look at the school district budget — never a great time for a parent of a student with special needs.
Climate Change Is Sum of Many Parts
Now is a perfect time for the Martha’s Vineyard Commission to “articulate its mission and reconsider its priorities.” To take it a step further, it is time for the commission to prioritize its planning under the umbrella of climate change.
Bridge to Vineyard May Be Too Far
If ever there was an issue crying out for a plebiscite, the proposed third bridge is it. The decision on this dubious improvement is crucial to the quality of life of everyone living on Cape Cod now and into the future.
Report from Squibnocket Beach Committee
What follows is the progress report written on behalf of the Squibnocket Beach committee and delivered to the special town meeting Monday night.
Poetry in the Pulpit
On Sunday the Unitarian Universalists are welcoming Ellie Bates to the podium. Ms. Bates will be leading the service through her poetry, and talking about what it means to be a poet.
Words and Pictures
On Sunday, Oct. 26, the Martha’s Vineyard Film Center will host a reception for the latest multimedia show by Susan Klein and Alan Brigish.
Progressive Stance
It is quite reasonable to recognize that the policy makers in the town of Oak Bluffs are exploring a “paradigm shift” to strategize making the Oak Bluffs beaches part of its revenues to the town.
Biting Back
On Monday Jaws 2 was back cluttering up Edgartown with cables, trucks, extras and all the wonderful paraphernalia used in the world of illusion.
Island EMTS Suit Up to Fight Breast Cancer
Members of the Tri-Town Ambulance Department are suiting up for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The volunteers picked up custom-made shirts featuring the Island encircled by a pink breast cancer ribbon during a meeting on Wednesday.
Where Vineyard Dead Waltz With the Living
Perhaps this Halloween is the time to dig the grave just a bit deeper. It is time to walk hand in hand with the real dead. And if Holly Nadler is your guide, it could prove to be a very crowded walk.
Island Welcomes Porcine Pandemonium
Next week, the subject will be pork at the third annual Swine and Dine festival. Come and celebrate all things pigtastically tasty, with expert butchers and cooks descending on the Island.
Island Eccentric Clucked to Her Own Beat
Nancy Luce was born at home in West Tisbury on August 23, 1814. She is remembered as a bit of a loner. But a visit to her gravestone won’t reveal that. Today, her marble gravestone is decorated with chickens of all sizes and colors, although it’s unclear when or why the tradition started.
Pictures of Experience
Johanna Wooden is a photographer, teacher and world traveler who lived and taught on the border of North Korea for two years in Cheorwon, a small South Korean army town.
Falmouth Academy
Falmouth Academy Falmouth Academy is hosting its fall admissions open house on Saturday, Oct. 25, from 2 to 4 p.m. at its Highfield Drive campus. There will be student-guided tours and presentations from faculty. Falmouth Academy is a co-ed, independent day school for students in grades seven through 12. For more information about the open…
Search Committee Formed for New MVC Director
A search committee has been appointed to find a replacement for the outgoing executive director of the Martha’s Vineyard Commission.
Please Adopt Us
A big orange male cat found as a stray in Vineyard Haven was added to the feline population at the shelter today. He looks young, despite his large size. He has been named Morris.
Sea Urchin Scrutiny
Sea urchins are the hedgehogs of the sea. With their round hard bodies covered in spines, they easily live up to that nickname.
Land Bank Revenues: Oct. 17
The Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank reported revenues of $253,325.78 for the business week ending on Friday, Oct. 17, 2014.
On Chappy: Oct. 24
Once again, the Chappy ferry has spawned a union of love. Becca and Jeff — captains both — were married last weekend. On the ferry. A beautiful sight, even to this grumpy old man.
Vineyard Haven Town Column: Oct. 24
Did you miss me last week? I certainly missed you. Time to catch up on some of the information I learned during my brief hiatus.
Oak Bluffs Town Column: Oct. 24
Oak Bluffs’ Island Theatre continues to draw attention to itself with a mixture of ire and fondness. Many have warm memories borne of days gone by; rainy day afternoon matinees with mom, first dates or simply unforgettable movies that cloud the issue of a downtown building in distress.
The Dahlia Queen
Everything I like and wish to repurchase gets discontinued or shipped off to China, where it’s manufactured cheaply and poorly.
Edgartown Town Column: Oct. 24
Welcome to New England. Last week we had the heat on, the sweaters out and I brought up my winter clothes (first mistake) and put the summer clothes away (second mistake).
Aquinnah Town Column: Oct. 24
Thank you immensely to Chief Robert Reimer, Robert Decker, Amanda Haverkamp, Thomas Lavigne and Robert Verdone of the United States Coast Guard Station Menemsha for their thoughtfulness this past week.
Chilmark Town Column: Oct. 24
Chilmarkers have quickly shed their summer personas and are now busy with the winter ones. That is the role so many of them play in the government of the town.
Birds Are Finally Flying the Nest
October 4 the feeders went up and we had our usual visitors, plus male and female eastern towhees and eastern phoebes.
Welcome, Abram
Elizabeth Seabourne and William Seabourne of Edgartown announce the birth of a son, Abram Trask Seabourne, born on Oct. 20 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital.
Aces All Around As Nick Bollettieri Visits Vineyard Youth Tennis Center
Students at the Vineyard Youth Tennis Center got a chance to work with a master on Tuesday, when famed tennis coach Nick Bollettieri visited for the afternoon. Tennis center director Scott Smith worked with Mr. Bollettieri in the 1980s.
Creative Wings Take Flight Thanks to Early Osprey Encounter
Suzanne Goldsmith’s first novel, Washashore, features a main character inspired by Gus Ben David. The novel received the Green Earth Book Award which recognizes books that promote environmental stewardship.
Talking Tisbury Turkey
Organizers of the Martha’s Vineyard’s travel and shopping website TisburyTurkey.com announced the results of its summer campaign for the Friends of Family Planning of Martha’s Vineyard.
Get Your Ghoul On
The Oak Bluffs library is offering more than pumpkin carving this fall. On Tuesday, Oct. 28, at 6:30 p.m., and just in time for Halloween, it hosts Dark Passages — Masters of Horror.
Tool Time
Habitat for Humanity of Martha’s Vineyard sponsors a construction materials sale on Saturday, Oct. 25, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 475 Edgartown Road in Vineyard Haven.
Epicurean Exploration
It’s about the farm — the land, the sea and the table. It’s about eating local — shellfish, vegetables, cheese, wine, beer — all of it. And it’s about to happen.
Art in the Stacks
An exhibit of paintings by Harry Seymour is October’s Art in the Stacks offering at the Vineyard Haven library.
Chilmark Approves Refuse District Spending, Talks Roads and Squibnocket
Chilmark residents approved spending up to $2.5 million for the restructuring of the Martha’s Vineyard Refuse District at a quick special town meeting Monday evening.
Write Stuff
ACE MV offers two upcoming opportunities to honor your inner scribe, Writing From the Heart and Envisioning Your Emerging Self: Becoming More Conscious as We Age.
West Tisbury Town Column: Oct. 24
Our foliage is at its peak of color and leaves are beginning to fall rapidly. Scarecrows and pumpkins dot the landscape these days in all parts of town.
Milton Man Sent to State Prison for Cocaine Trafficking
Fernando A. Jesurum, 27, was sentenced to three years at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution Cedar Junction, a maximum security prison in Walpole, and ordered to serve two years of probation after prison. The case dates to 2013 and involved a drug task force investigation.
Red Stocking Applications Ready
The 2014 Red Stocking fund is distributing applications beginning Oct. 24 at various locations around the Island. Red Stocking has provided clothing, food and toys for Vineyard children in need from birth through eighth grade since the 1930s.
Sweat it Out at the Y
The YMCA’s two-week boot camp runs daily until Oct. 31, with two class offerings, one at 6 a.m. and one at 11:30 a.m.
Real Estate Transactions: Oct. 13 to Oct. 19
F. Lane Heard 3rd and Margaret Ann Bauer purchased 4 Bayberry Lane and Bayberry Lane in Aquinnah from Peter O’Donnell Jr., TRS, Edith Jones O’Donnell, TRS, and Peter O’Donnell Jr. and Edith Jones O’Donnell 2013 Management Trust for $1,225,000 on Oct. 15.
SSA Meets Today to Consider Fare Hikes
A package of rate hikes for the coming year will be on the table for discussion, including increases to excursion fares. The meeting begins at 9:30 a.m. in the Oak Bluffs library.
CROP Walk Brings Awareness to Hunger on Island
More than 80 people took to the streets of Vineyard Haven and Oak Bluffs Sunday afternoon in solidarity with the hungry for the 24th annual CROP Hunger Walk. As of Monday, the effort had raised more than $14,500.
Chilmark Wedding for Vanessa Laurie Williams and Evan Daniel Smith
Given in marriage by her father, Vanessa Laurie Williams, daughter of Woodrow and Phyllis Williams of Vineyard Haven, married Evan Daniel Smith at the Tower House in Chilmark on Sept. 6.
Retired Firefighters Honored for Long Service to Town
Allan (Buddy) deBettencourt was a teenager when he first joined the Oak Bluffs fire department; at the time his father also was a fireman. Buddy deBettencourt went on to serve 56 years, and with others was recognized in a ceremony last weekend.
Dance Man; Bessie Awards Ceremony Acknowledges David White
The Yard’s creative and executive director will be celebrated tonight in New York city for his work in creating the Bessie awards, which each year since 1983 has honored the best in dance.
Welcome, Wolfgang
Tanya Chipperfield and James Goff of Vineyard Haven announce the birth of a son, Wolfgang Francis Goff, born on Oct. 17 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital.
Derby Sets Record for Attendance
Bluefish carried the day this year at the Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby, with two men taking home the grand prizes for bluefish caught from the shore and from a boat. The derby saw a record 3,282 registrants.
Final Bell for the Derby
The last weigh-in Saturday night saw Helena Kirschenbaum win the grand slam with her striped bass while Seb Keefe brought in a shore bonito to take over top spot on the leader board. And then it was over. The derby awards ceremony is today at Farm Neck.
Married on the Chappy Ferry
Jeff LaMarche and Becca Hamilton, both captains on the Chappaquiddick ferry, were married on the deck of the On Time II under a sky of pale blue at 1400 hours on Saturday afternoon. The ferry was dressed for the occasion in festive signal flags.
Warm Reception for Steve Ewing, Creative Living Award Recipient
The sound of bagpipes greeted guests as they arrived at the Grange Hall Thursday evening for the presentation of the 32nd Creative Living Award. Only the strains of Scotland the Brave, as played by Tony Peak, would do.
Water Street Apartments Clear Zoning Board With Concessions
A lengthy public hearing process came to an end Friday morning, clearing the way for the Island Housing Trust to build a six-unit apartment building on Water street in Vineyard Haven. Lack of on-site parking was a sticking point.
Gay Head Light Project Will Bypass MVC Review
The Martha’s Vineyard Commission voted unanimously this week not to require review as a development of regional impact. An intensive archeological survey is the next step in the project to relocate the lighthouse.
Standings Shift in Holmes Hole Fall Series
Mo Flam and his Alerion 28 Penelope notched two more qualifying races for the Holmes Hole Sailing Association fall series races and with them turned the standings upside down.
