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
July 26, 2019
Season of Meteor Showers
Stargazing nights are at their best this time of year.
Steamship Authority Picks High Bidder for Management Systems
SSA governors came to Martha’s Vineyard Wednesday for a day at the Tisbury EMS building. The monthly meeting of the boat line governors was followed by an afternoon workshop on how to rewrite the SSA’s mission statement.
VTA Drivers Announce Tentative Agreement to End Strike
The union that represents the VTA drivers announced late Thursday that a tentative agreement had been reached with their employer, Transit Connection Inc.
Land Bank Expands Its Holdings on Chappy
The Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank added to its holdings on Chappaquiddick this week with the purchase of 18.2 acres abutting the Three Ponds Reservation.
Summer Succor
On Monday evening, two surviving students from the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. and their families took part in a discussion at the Chilmark Community Center.
Vineyard Museum Awards Annual Medals
The Martha’s Vineyard Museum honors five community leaders with its Martha’s Vineyard Medal award at the museum’s 97th annual meeting this year.
Dueling Banjos Meets Harmony of Banjos
Abigail Washburn refers to herself as an old-time musician, having mastered the traditional clawhammer banjo technique and a just-rough-enough voice.
Possible Dreams Auction Helps Soften Hard Realities
Martha’s Vineyard Community Services touches a wide swath of Islanders. The annual Possible Dreams auction, the principal yearly fundraiser for Community Services, will take place this Sunday at the Tilton Farm in Chilmark.
A Man for Many Mediums, Skip Gates Leaves No Stone Unturned
Henry Louis Gates Jr. has been vacationing on the Vineyard since 1981.
Please Adopt Us
We still have two black kittens ready for adoption. They are nine-week-old males, both sweet and playful.
Real Estate Transactions: Week Ending July 19
Real estate transactions by town for the week ending July 19.
Land Bank Revenues: Week Ending July 19
The Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank reported revenues of $140,522 for the business week ending on Friday, July 19, 2019.
Edgartown House Tour
The Federated Church in Edgartown will host its 12th annual Edgartown House Tour and Tea fundraiser on Tuesday, August 13.
Mink Meadows Champs
Mink Meadows Golf Club hosted its two-day club championship tournament on July 13 and 14.
Aquinnah Town Column
Grateful for a few cool breezes in Aquinnah over the weekend with temperatures in the high 80s, which is unusual for around here.
Chilmark Town Column
Thursday August 1 from 3 to 7 p.m. marks the fifth annual Meet the Fleet on Menemsha Harbor.
Vineyard Haven Town Column
We saw the babies! When my turkeys came for supper last weekend they brought two of their babies. How adorable.
West Tisbury Town Column
It is time to say goodbye to all the July visitors and wish all of them a fond farewell. Come back and visit us next year.
Summer Afflictions, Then and Now
Among the pests of summer we nominate for public malediction, in due form: The motorist who blocks the street while he leans from the driver’s seat to exchange gossip with a friend on the far curb.
Stars + Stripes
The YMCA hosts its annual Stars + Stripes benefit on Wednesday, July 31 at a private home.
On Chappy
PETER WELLS 508-627-1577 (peterchappyferry@gmail.com) I have always liked fractions. Mathematical fractions that is. I appreciate the way that they can help to develop comparisons or to fine tune a view point. Here’s a good example: on July 15, we were one quarter of the way through summer. On July 21, we were one third of…
Edgartown Town Column
HOT! And that is all I can say about this week’s weather.
Union Chapel Speaker
Union Chapel welcomes the return of the Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley from Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, Virginia, this Sunday, July 28.
Oak Bluffs Town Column
The new Vineyard Museum is rapidly gearing up with an eclectic range of exhibits.
Sorry, Kids
It looks like the Gazette’s cherry red 1955 Ford pickup may not be in the Fourth of July parade next year.
Augusts With Bob
I woke up Monday morning to a voicemail message from a friend that Robert Morgenthau, the famed New York city district attorney, had died the previous evening at the age of 99.
Teacher of the Sea
What seemed like a few hundred gathered in the pizza-oven heat of Sunday, July 21, at Abel’s Hill Cemetery in Chilmark for the graveside ceremony that laid to rest the ashes of Conrad Neumann.
Union Busting
On Wednesday evening three members of the Vineyard Transportation Authority advisory board voted to end the drivers’ strike by directing management to enter into binding arbitration with Amalgamated Transit Union.
Unacceptable
Last Sunday at 2:40 p.m. I was riding my bike along the State Road across from Polly Hill Arboretum in West Tisbury.
Housing Needs
A recent joint meeting of the West Tisbury selectmen and members of the affordable housing committee approved the formation of a committee to develop a plan for moving ahead with the 2019 town meeting’s mandate to create a vehicle for creation of housing affordable for Island residents.
Presentable in Public
I worked in the restaurant business for probably 30 years, starting in high school.
Praying for Pipers
One of my favorite birds is the whimbrel, one of our largest sandpipers with a big down-curved beak.
Global Swarming
It doesn’t take much to stir up an ant’s nest.
Adam Gopnik Talk
New Yorker writer Adam Gopnik headlines the Summer Institute Speaker Series on Thursday, August 1 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center.
Shark Talk
Shark talk comes to the Vineyard on Thursday, August 1 with a discussion by Dr. Greg Skomal called Living with White Sharks.
Sculpture Garden Party
Jay Lagemann is hosting a sculpture garden party on Saturday, July 27 from 5 to 7 p.m.
Colors of Summer
The Louisa Gould Gallery hosts two artist receptions this weekend.
Dance Duo at Vineyard Arts Project
Vineyard Arts Project continues its summer season on Friday, July 26 with Emily Kikta & Peter Walker, a dance duo that incorporates multimedia video content into live performance.
Come on Up and Meet the Fleet
The fifth annual Meet the Fleet festival will be held at the Menemsha Docks on Thursday, August 1 from 3 to 7 p.m. The event is hosted by the Fisherman’s Preservation Trust, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting the Island’s fishing fleets.
The Artistry of a Creative Friendship
In 1979, Carly Simon opened the Hot Tin Roof nightclub with two partners. To decorate the venue, she hired Margot Datz, a 26-year-old sculptor who had recently moved to the Vineyard.
Kid Critic Gives the Short Film Scoop
Each week the folks at Cinema Circus show a series of short films on Wednesday evening at the Chilmark Community Center.
Migrant Film Festival Uses Art as Springboard for Change
This weekend The Exodus Institute in partnership with the Martha’s Vineyard Film Society will host Pursuing the Dream: Refugees and Migrant Film Festival.
Parkland Survivors Will Not Be Silenced
Screams, sobs, gunshots and a terrified whisper — for a few moments Monday night an Island audience heard the sounds of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School under fire.
Public Piano Builds Community Composition
The notes of an Alexander Scriabin prelude rang out from the sunny, small backyard behind the Rosewater Market on Monday afternoon.
Chilmark Names New Fire Chief
Chilmark selectmen voted unanimously on Tuesday to name Jeremy Bradshaw as the new town fire chief. Mr. Bradshaw will begin work August 1.
SSA Holds Two Meetings on Island Today
Steamship Authority governors will host a full day of meetings on the Vineyard today, beginning with a business meeting this morning and ending with a two-hour public comment session this afternoon. Both will be held in the Tisbury emergency services building.
Selectmen Hear Litany of Summer Complaints
With summer in full swing, complaints and concerns about Chappy ferry lines, parade floats, boat ramps and more kept the Edgartown selectmen busy at their meeting Monday.
Amid Tornado Warnings, Summer Storm Brushes Martha’s Vineyard
A burst of extreme weather passed over Martha’s Vineyard mid-day Tuesday, tossing seas and prompting rare tornado warnings.
Sharks Break Slump; Six Named NECBL All-Stars
It was the Alan Burnsed and Matt Chamberlain show Sunday night at the Shark Tank as the Sharks topped the New Bedford Bay Sox 13-4.
Police Respond to Minor Mishaps, Heat-Related Calls
Minor motor vehicle accidents, including a moped accident and VTA mishap in Edgartown and rollover in West Tisbury, occupied Island police over the weekend.
Farm and Field: Growth of the Soil
A farmer’s entire success depends on many factors, but always starts with one thing: our dirt.
Police Investigate Chappy Confrontation
A confrontation that took place on Chappaquiddick on Saturday is under investigation by Edgartown police as a possible crime.
Selectmen Allow Sale of Beer and Wine at Music Festival
The three-day music festival planned for August in Vineyard Haven has received clearance from the Tisbury selectmen to serve alcohol.
South Mountain Co. Eyes Expansion
South Mountain Company, one of the largest architecture and design-build firms on the Vineyard, is looking to expand its mixed-use campus in West Tisbury. A public hearing was held last week.
Gas Explosion in Oak Bluffs Sends One to Hospital
An early morning propane explosion in Oak Bluffs sent one person to the hospital and damaged a home in the Camp Ground Monday morning. The explosion happened at about 6:30 a.m. in a newly renovated Camp Ground home on Central avenue, according to Oak Bluffs fire chief John Rose.
Going Big on the Gallery Scene
Large format is the size of the summer on the walls of three Martha’s Vineyard art galleries, with expansive landscapes, abstracts and abstract landscapes by several distinctly different painters.
Honoring Tradition of Community and Charity at Holy Ghost Festival
The Portuguese American Club hosted its annual Holy Ghost Festival this weekend, including a Saturday night feast and a Sunday morning parade.
Weekend Heat Wave Blankets Martha’s Vineyard
The heat wave that blanketed much of the country with soaring temperatures and sticky humidity all weekend did not spare the Vineyard, where hundreds flocked to cooling shoreside places.
Vineyard House Benefit Embraces Power of Community for Healing
The water flowed, along with stories of hope and second chances, on Thursday evening at the 22nd annual Water Tasting by the Sea, a fundraiser for Vineyard House, the Island’s only sober living community.
Three Women Travels to the Heart and Complexity of Desire
Lisa Taddeo spent eight years doing research and interviews for Three Women.
