On a small patch of tar in front of the Oak Bluffs Steamship
Authority terminal, where Oak Bluffs avenue, Seaview avenue, Seaview
avenue extension and the ferry pier all converge, Officer Matthew Stein
is holding court.

New Nantucket Member Joins Steamship Board; New Ferry Plans Advance

By JULIA WELLS
Gazette Senior Writer

NANTUCKET - A new board member for Nantucket and a new ferry
for the Vineyard - these were the benchmarks of the monthly
Steamship Authority meeting yesterday morning when SSA governors tackled
an array of business for the boat line which is the lifeline to the two
Islands.

It's Always an Illuminating Experience: A Grand Night of
Glowing Lanterns

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By C.K. WOLFSON

It's not exactly Bastille Day over in the Camp Ground, but make no mistake, there's a revolution brewing in this historically religious, gingerbread enclave in the center of Oak Bluffs - and it's all about democracy.

Nearly 100 Camp Ground residents banded together this summer and are clamoring for something they say is sorely lacking: the chance to choose at least some of their leaders.

There was record turnout at the start of the 143rd annual Martha's Vineyard Agricultural Society Livestock Show and Fair, which began yesterday. Overcast skies kept people away from the beach, so they came to the fair instead, said Eleanor Neubert, fair manager.

Yesterday's opening day was full of fun and a few glitches. The ever popular Ferris wheel, which gives riders a skyline view of the fairgrounds, broke down in the first hours of the fair. The apparatus had to be hand cranked so riders could get off. "They've ordered a part," said Ms. Neubert.

Interim Director of SSA Says Boat Line Will Work First to Fix
Reservations System

By JULIA WELLS

The improvements started yesterday.

This was the word from Steamship Authority acting general manager
Wayne Lamson, who said an array of changes are now under way aimed at
improving the telephone reservations system at the boat line. The
improvements include a change in operating hours at the central
reservations bureau in Mashpee, and a number of changes in the automated
telephone answering system.

SSA Leaders Pick up the Telephone, Prepare to Vote on New Ferry
Design

By ALEXIS TONTI

Thursday night, as the ferry Islander sounded her arrival outside
Vineyard Haven harbor, inside the Steamship Authority terminal a
presentation was under way about her replacement, a double-ended vessel
estimated to cost between $22 million and $25 million.

Even things that first dazzle the imagination with their shine and sparkle need substance to endure - like 135 years of tradition, fellowship and community.

Illumination Night on the Camp Ground in Oak Bluffs, heralded in sing-a-long lyrics and ornamented with close to a thousand glowing paper lanterns that rim the Tabernacle and swing from the roofs and porch fronts, is a demonstration of the contagious spirit of the Camp Ground community.

Early Crash Reports Suggest Pilot Error

By ALEXIS TONTI

Pennsylvania residents Michael Untermeyer and Phillip McFillin were
released from the Martha's Vineyard Hospital Friday after being
treated for minor injures sustained when their single-engine airplane
crashed at the edge of the Manuel F. Correllus State Forest the previous
evening.

Tomorrow, Jennifer Gardner will be hurling heavy old skillets around her backyard. David Scott will unbolt the middle seat from his van to make room for Ruby and Maggie May, and Cathy Weiss will be elbow-deep in pastry flour with her game face on.