Time Machine Terms
September 10, 1996
State and Private Foundation Reveal Joint Plan to Preserve Historic Farm
During an afternoon trip to North Tisbury last week, Lieut. Gov. Paul Cellucci and the David H. Smith Foundation revealed an ambitious joint plan for preserving Barnard’s Inn Farm, a historic 60-acre farmstead and home to a distinguished arboretum.
The property, located on State Road near the Island’s new fairground, is considered important for several reasons, including its geological significance and its role in defining the rural character of North Tisbury.
September 6, 1996
Public Charter School Is Days Away from Island Launch
In Max Butler's first weeks at school, he will help set up a computer system.
Max, 12, will also join other students of various ages in a writers' workshop. He will take classes called understanding math and algebra, studies in science and problem-solving.
And that's only the first month.
An advisor with the new Martha's Vineyard Public Charter School helped Max design this schedule recently. In coming weeks, they will decide what comes next.
"It's pretty exciting," said Max, of Gay Head. "For the first time ever, I can't really wait to go back to school."
September 3, 1996
Hurricane Edouard Bashes Vineyard; High Winds and Torrential Rains Cause Property Damage and Power Outages
Hurricane Edouard slowly brushed past Martha’s Vineyard yesterday, battering the coastline with fierce, gusting winds and torrential rains, causing property damage, power outages and rudely interrupting the plans of thousands of Labor Day travelers.
The Vineyard was spared the brunt of Edouard - the eye of the hurricane rumbled east of Nantucket early yesterday afternoon - but its blustery, fitful grip upon the Island was long, gloomy and occasionally intense.
September 3, 1996
Edouard Brushed Island in Slow Motion
Hurricane Edouard was an old storm. By the time the violent winds reached our waters, they had crossed the Atlantic and moved in a straight line up the coast to the Cape and Islands.
“We first noticed this storm on August 21. It started as a Cape Verde storm, about 400 miles west-southwest of the Cape Verde islands. It formed as a depression with 30-knot winds,” said John Hastings, a meteorologist with Weather Services Corp. in Lexington.
August 13, 1996
Chilmark Road Race Was Record Run in the Sun
The sun made a rare appearance, an Oak Bluffs man blazed to a course record and a jumbo lobster stuffed the consequences Saturday at the 19th annual running of the Chilmark Road Race.
Art Smith, 28, of East Chop and Cambridge ignored soaring summer temperatures en route to winning the five-kilometer (3.1-mile) race down Middle Road by a wide margin in a record 14 minutes, 38 seconds.
It was Mr. Smith’s second straight victory at Chilmark and - as is the custom - received to cash prize, but instead a large, Island-caught lobster.
July 23, 1996
World Record Blue Shark Caught
A huge 454-pound blue shark was caught during the tenth annual Oak Bluffs Monster Shark Tournament held over the weekend. The shark could be the largest blue ever caught, a world record.
The shark was caught by Pete Bergin of Shrewsbury in his boat Quality Time. Mr. Bergin's boat was one of 65 participating in the Boston Big Game Fishing Club's annual event. Competing boats filled the Oak Bluffs waterfront for most of the weekend. On Friday and Saturday a large number of fish were caught, and even more were released.
July 12, 1996
Vineyard's New Charter School Begins to Bring Innovative Elements Together
For Meredith Collins, public education was not very interesting.
Growing up in rural Maine, she was bored with school. To amuse herself, she made up lab reports. The only class she enjoyed was Latin, because her teacher was enthusiastic.
Most of the time, she found that education was like a prepackaged product.
"You're handed something, and if it's not what you want or what you need, you're out of luck," Miss Collins said.
July 9, 1996
Oak Bluffs Celebrates Juneteenth
David Corbitt of Indianapolis discovered Oak Bluffs this weekend. A second-year law student, Mr. Corbitt traveled here at the urging of a college friend.
Serena Henry came from Atlanta, and Phyllis Buford came from St. Louis, with her family. She joined friends from Kansas City, Mo.
Bobby Hall traveled here from Florida, and he had a great time.
“It doesn’t get much better than this,” said Mr. Hall, who joined about 800 people Friday night for live music, dancing and sunset at Inkwell Beach.
July 9, 1996
Organizers of Weekend Are Pleased
Several hundred people attended special events this weekend in Oak Bluffs, reducing gridlock downtown and adding to the festive atmosphere.
And it all happened because of a chance meeting on Memorial Day at the Dragonfly art gallery in Oak Bluffs.
July 5, 1996
Founders Vision: To Root a New Newspaper Deep in Island Life
The great storm had wheeled off into the Canadian Maritimes about 45 hours before, leaving a jungle of limbs and power lines almost two stories high on the corner of South Summer street and Davis Lane, just outside the Vineyard Gazette office in Edgartown.
