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
August 19, 2016
Tennis Pro Am Is Smashing Success
Sixteen tennis professionals teamed up with amateur players at the second annual Martha’s Vineyard Community Tennis Pro Am.
Oak Bluffs Fireworks Blasts Off on Friday
The annual Oak Bluffs fireworks show takes place Friday, August 19.
Going Way Back: Gazette Launches Time Machine
The Vineyard Gazette announced last week the launch of the Time Machine, an interactive online tool that lets users browse historical articles, photos and videos from the Gazette archives.
Presidential Vacation Winds Down
Nights out on the town, time at the golf course and the beach punctuated by a brief break for business marked the second week, as President Obama’s seventh Vineyard vacation neared an end.
House, Senate Candidates Introduce Platforms at Vineyard Forum
Sponsored by the Martha’s Vineyard League of Women Voters, a candidates forum on Wednesday evening attracted a sizeable crowd to the Grange Hall in West Tisbury. Seven candidates are running to replace Rep. Timothy Madden, and four candidates are seeking the Senate seat vacated by Sen. Dan Wolf.
Tick Survey
Community members have one more week to register their views about how to address tick-borne illness by participating in a short survey.
Land Bank Revenues: August 12
The Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank reported revenues of $331,800 for the business week ending on Friday, August 12, 2016.
Preparing for Next Big Storm: Complacency Not a Strategy
In 1991, with the scars of Hurricane Bob still visible on the Island, public safety officials were already looking toward the future. A number of near misses in recent years helped advance preparedness efforts.
Grand Illumination Night Lights Up Another Martha’s Vineyard Summer
Since 1869 Grand Illumination Night has been a summer staple in the Oak Bluffs Camp Grounds. This year the first lantern was lit by Diane Clayton.
Joins Endowment Board
Dr. James H. Weiss has joined the board for the Permanent Endowment of Martha’s Vineyard, the community fund announced this week.
Historic Clips Show Hurricane Bob in All His Fury
The Gazette presents a film clip drawn from two videotapes shot before, during and after Hurricane Bob, which struck the Vineyard 25 years ago this week.
East Chop Town Column: August 19
Dr. John Labis is assistant professor of radiology at Weill Cornell Medical College and director of musculoskelatal radiology at Houston Medical Hospital in Houston, Tex.
Vineyard Haven Town Column: August 19
Ah, the 155th Annual Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Fair! I made it a point to go every year since I moved here in 1978. I was sure to bring my son every year of his life on Island.
Hurricane Bob Roared, and Martha’s Vineyard Shook
Before Hurricane Bob made landfall 25 years ago Friday, Islanders stocked up on ice and batteries, secured their boats and turned on their radios.
Oak Bluffs Town Column: August 19
In 1874 Oak Bluffs’ first presidential guest Ulysses S. Grant was responsible for putting Martha’s Vineyard on the map, so to speak, when newspaper headlines heralded the visit of the nation’s taciturn leader.
Edgartown Town Column: August 19
I can come up with lots of clichés for the heat but I’m too hot to type them, so all I can say is it is hot, hot, hot and we are in desperate need of rain. We are luckier than most in the heat but it is still a bit warm to even be…
West Tisbury Town Column: August 19
Well it sure has been hot and humid, more so than I can remember. With the fair in full swing it is hard to believe our summer season is fast becoming history.
On Chappy: August 19
The Chappy Community Center will host an end-of-summer potluck on Wednesday, August 24 from 6 to 8 p.m. Please bring a dish for six.
Chilmark Town Column: August 19
Chilmark heads into the last two weeks of summer with lots of enthusiasm and plenty of plans yet to be realized.
Having Faith in the Power of History
Established in 1693, the Gay Head Community Baptist Church is the oldest continuously operating Native American Baptist Church in the country.
Aquinnah Town Column: August 19
Another beautiful week on the Vineyard. Temperatures in the 80s almost daily with a heat index of 99 degrees on one day over the weekend.
Back to the Future
When President Obama and family depart Martha’s Vineyard on Sunday, it will mark the end of another chapter in Island history.
Together and Separate Along the Hardest Road
The message came through on my cell phone just as I settled into my beach chair at Lucy Vincent on Monday.
From Short Shorts to the Streets Trail of Blueberries Always Sweet
This is blueberry and huckleberry season, and picking Vineyard berries has long been a favorite pastime of mine.
Illuminated
The illumination of Clinton avenue Saturday night was fully up to the high standard of excellence, established last year.
Protecting Ocean Treasures
Mystic Aquariums is widely known for our facility that helps visitors connect with and care about marine life.
Two Lives Saved
On Saturday, July 30, we were in a serious moped accident on Barnes Road.
Dear Mr. Postman
I’m sure I’m not the only one who can tell their woes concerning the local post office.
Slow Down!
Martha’s Vineyard is a popular summertime family vacation destination, one that my family as well as the many others call home during the summer months. The population skyrockets during the summer. This population increase means significantly more bikers, joggers and walkers. With so much happening on the roads, I would think that all drivers would…
Goodbye and Good Luck Dear Bus Driver
Frequent bus travelers to and from Boston will soon be missing the familiar greeting from Peter Pan bus driver John Ferreira to “his dear friends.”
Perfect Vacation Includes Hunt for the Perfect Ingredients
Most summer people on Martha’s Vineyard hit the beach or troll the shops. Me? I hunt food.
Using Art to Forge Multicultural Path of Creativity
On Monday, Jessica Stafford Davis held a one-day-only event on the Vineyard called Art on the Vine at the Daniel Fisher House in Edgartown.
Feeling Happiest When Playing the Harp
Annie Howell recently released an original album of harp music called Silverfrost.
Gray on Top But Young at Heart, Keeping the Magic Music Alive
Magic Music began during the late 1960s when Will Luckey, a Martha’s Vineyard native, left the East Coast for boarding school in Colorado.
Let the Games, Eating, and Herding Begin; Ag Fair Is Underway
A family of four was first in line at the entrance booth Thursday morning, waiting to buy their tickets for the first day of the Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Society’s 155th Agricultural fair.
Bringing the Sacred to the Barnyard
Danielle Mulcahy’s collection of animal paintings, BarnYard Saints, features animals with Renaissance-style halos.
Reclaiming The Birth of a Nation
In a forum last Saturday, Nate Parker — writer director, and lead actor of the film The Birth of a Nation — said raising funds was the hardest part of a difficult project.
Tennis Pro Am at Farm Neck
On Saturday, August 20, from 8 to 11 a.m. the Martha’s Vineyard Community Tennis Pro Am will be held/p>
Unlock the Cage by Pennebaker and Hegedus
The filmmaking couple will be on the Vineyard Wednesday, August 24 with their latest film Unlocking the Cage screening at The Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival in Chilmark.
Life Animated: the Film and the Family
Life, Animated is a documentary film based on Ron Suskind’s New York Times bestseller.
David Crohan Concert
On Sunday, August 21, David Crohan will regale his Island fans with an evening of classical music at the Chilmark Community Center.
Union Chapel Preacher
The Reverend Dr. Calvin O. Butts 3rd returns to the Union Chapel pulpit this Sunday, August 21. He will speak on Soul Power.
Audra McDonald Brings a Bit of Broadway to the Vineyard
On Monday Audra McDonald will be on the Vineyard sharing stories and songs from the stage at the PAC.
Celebrity Autobiography
The documentary about 12 American POWs killed in Hiroshima screens at the Film Center on Tuesday.
Celebrity Autobiography
Celebrity Autobiography will take place Tuesday, August 23 at 7 p.m., at the Old Whaling Church.
In Vineyard Skies: Planetary Gathering
All five of the the visible planets are holding an assembly tonight and through the coming week.
Selectmen Look Askance at Location Work for Chappaquiddick Movie
A California film company producing a movie about Sen. Ted Kennedy’s 1969 accident on Chappaquiddick saw a cool reception Monday over a request to close streets and beaches for scene shots.
Ladies of Letters, Both Funny and Profound
Next week Lee Wolf and Julie Gilbert will bring Ladies of Letters: Dorothy West, Edna Ferber, and Lillian Hellman to the Hebrew Center.
Sailboat Sinks After Running Aground in Menemsha
A small sailing vessel dragged its anchor and came to rest on the jetty Wednesday morning; the vessel later sank.
At the Bridge Table: August 19
Thanks to a loan from Ann Brown, I’ve been reading Mike Lawrence’s Tips on Card Play (Master Point Press).
A Bottle of Wineberries
Should you whine if you have wineberries, an invasive species and delicious delicacy?
Cliff Swallows and Snow Geese
All too often, publicity about endangered species is about how the protection will adversely affect land use decisions.
Hot Times in the Garden
I have lived on the Vineyard for 46 years and do not remember a day as hot and miserable as last Sunday.
Listen to the Cartoon Chicken: Come to the Ag Fair
The fair posters around the Island mean it is time for cotton candy, blue ribbons and racing pigs. The 155th Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Society Livestock Show and Fair opens Thursday and runs through Sunday, August 21.
Please Adopt Us
In the cat room waiting for someone to fall in love with them are four-year-old Lefty and three-year-old tabby Cody.
Smoke But No Fire for Boat in Vineyard Sound
The U.S. Coast Guard responded to a distress call reporting a boat on fire in Vineyard Sound Tuesday afternoon, but the problem turned out to be an oil leak that was generating dark smoke.
Paper Lanterns Light the Way to Oak Bluffs Tonight
Tonight gingerbread houses will be aglow once again for Grand Illumination Night, a cherished Camp Ground tradition for almost 150 years. The action gets underway at 7:30 p.m., and the first lantern is lit at dusk.
For Patrick Kennedy the Personal is Political
Patrick J. Kennedy spoke at the Old Whaling Church Friday from a place of personal experience about his battles with addiction.
Small Plane Strays Into Protected Air Space Over Obama Summer House
A private aircraft that strayed into the no-fly zone over President Obama’s summer house in Chilmark received a prompt military escort to Nantucket.
Alex’s Place and Aquinnah Library Make Beautiful Music Together
The final performance on the deck of the library is tonight at 5 p.m. The series is sponsored by the library, Alex’s Place and WMVY.
On Cottagers Sunday, Emilie Townes Turns Up the Heat in the Pulpit
The Rev. Dr. Emilie Townes preached to a capacity crowd at Union Chapel during the Cottagers of Martha’s Vineyard’s 60th anniversary Sunday service. Her sermon instructed her audience to trust their own definition of wholesomeness.
Cooper Arrives
Cristina and Justin LaRue of Vineyard Haven announce the birth of a son, Cooper James LaRue, born August 12 at the Martha’s Vineayrd Hospital.
President Obama Takes Brief Vacation Break to Stump for Hillary Clinton
President Obama stepped out of vacation mode briefly Monday to stump for Hillary Clinton at a private fundraiser in Chilmark. The event was hosted by Hank and Carol Brown Goldberg at their home off Middle Road.
Ode to the Road Race
Free the lobsters. A poem inspired by the Chilmark Road Race.
Charge of Drunken Boating Follows Incident Off Eastville
A Needham teen was arrested following an overnight incident in which he and a friend were thrown from their boat.
Real Estate Transactions: August 8 to August 14
Jerald M. Sanborn and Elizabeth Almeida-Sanborn purchased 144 Weaver Lane in Edgartown from Retained Realty Inc. for $1,550,000 on August 12.
What’s Happening on Martha’s Vineyard This Week
In many ways the third week of August is the peak of the summer season on Martha's Vineyard. Several of the Island's signature events will draw crowds this week, while elsewhere on the Island films, forums, and art shows offer something for everyone. Some say this is the start of the end of the summer…
Fiddlehead Farm in West Tisbury Will Close
This summer will be the last for Fiddlehead Farm, a staple North Tisbury stop for many. Owner Robert Skydell recently learned his lease will not be renewed.
DRI Checklist Revised and Approved
The Martha’s Vineyard Commission has revised and shortened its list of standards and criteria for reviewing developments of regional impact (DRIs).
A Journey Into Centuries of Congolese History
The BaKongo statue was recently on the Island, where prehistorian Duncan Caldwell of Aquinnah pored over its many features.
Tisbury Board of Health Drafts New Pond Protection Plan
The board has dropped plans for a nitrogen tax on new development in the Lake Tashmoo and Lagoon Pond watersheds.
Built on Stilts Turns 20
What began as a one-night creative dance festival opened its 20th season this weekend. Built on Stilts continues from August 20 to 23. Admission is free.
Cottagers Celebrate Long Legacy With Talk on Aging With Dignity and Purpose
On Thursday AARP CEO Jo Ann Jenkins was the keynote speaker at the 60th anniversary celebration of The Cottagers of Martha’s Vineyard.
Runners Beat the Heat at Chilmark Road Race
Corey Kunz ran away with first place in the 39th annual Chilmark Road Race on a morning full of sunshine, sweat and, of course, lobsters.
Like an Old Friend, Diane Rehm Leads from the Heart
Radio host Diane Rehm was welcomed Thursday by a sold-out crowd in Chilmark. She discussed her new book, her radio show and stepping away from the microphone at the end of the year.
Hello, Owen
Aimee and Paul Cotton of Oak Bluffs announce the birth of a son, Owen Quincy Cotton, born August 10 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital.
Standing Room Only for Meg Ryan’s Directorial Debut
Every seat was filled at the film center Wednesday for a screening of Meg Ryan’s directorial debut, Ithaca.
Weekend Guide: What’s Happening on Martha’s Vineyard
Summer is in full swing on the Vineyard, with road races, plays, art shows and concerts galore to choose from, up-Island and down. Here’s what’s going on this weekend.
Welcome, Nathan
Fernanda Souza and Adilson De Souza of Vineyard Haven announce the birth of a son, Nathan Marçal Souza, born August 9 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital.
