Time Machine Terms
June 28, 1996
Tisbury Loses Stately, Historic Linden Tree
Tisbury has lost one of its oldest residents - the Linden Tree is dead. While some sprouts still appear from its trunk, its vast summer canopy is lost. Now stark branches cast long shadows over Main street shops.
“It really looks like it reached the point of no return,” said Connie Leonard, a Tisbury resident. “It was just a part of Main street. It was the accepted spot to meet someone. I wish I had a nickel for every bake sale under that tree.”
June 28, 1996
Noman’s Land is Free at Last
The bombing of Noman’s Land has ended. Plans are underway to transfer the small island from the U.S. Defense Department to the Department of Interior. By Sept. 1, the Navy will turn the property over to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which will manage it as a wildlife sanctuary.
June 28, 1996
Activist Group in Oak Bluffs Works for Holiday Harmony
The Fourth of July weekend in Oak Bluffs was a big mess last year, everyone said.
There was too much traffic. An ambulance couldn’t get through a street crowded with people. There were clashes between cultures and, when people talked about the weekend later, blatant racism.
Bob Holland of Oak Bluffs stayed home, but he heard all about it. And he sees no reason why all these people shouldn’t enjoy Oak Bluffs on its biggest holiday weekend.
So this year, he will be there to help with other members of the new Martha’s Vineyard Million Man Association.
May 31, 1996
Public Charter School Enrollment Diverts $350,000 from Other School Budgets
When 72 Island students move to the new Martha's Vineyard Public Charter School this fall, they will take with them $370,000 from the budgets of other Island schools.
This figure is higher than expected, mainly because a key factor -- the average cost of education at existing schools -- has turned out to be greater than anticipated. State estimates of the average education costs at each Island school were released last week.
May 10, 1996
Call It Quaint If You Must, But Menemsha Remains a Fishing Village
Menemsha fishermen rise with the sun. On a cool, clear morning this week, the lobstermen came down one by one to take their boats to sea.
Pat Jenkinson came down to his lobster boat Solitude. Herbert Hancock’s boat Billie H. began with a roar of its diesel engine.
May 3, 1996
Plan to Establish First Vietnam Memorial Gathers Quiet Support from Across Island
It’s been more than a generation since this country sent its soldiers to battle in the jungles of a small country called Vietnam, and there are many Islanders who believe their community has yet to pay proper tribute to those who served.
March 29, 1996
Chilmarkers Ponder the Question: How Big Should the New School Be?
The Menemsha School still has a great old-fashioned school bell, sounded daily by a rope that dangles down from the roof.
Children of different grades still sit in class side by side and play together in a playground bordered by a foresty area they call "twiggyland." Many townspeople were educated here, in the same place as their parents and grandparents.
Today, the challenge to Chilmark is maintaining the special qualities of this rural school while making room for growth.
March 22, 1996
New Cronig’s Up-Island Store Serves Vineyard’s Expanded Customer Base
As our community grows, so grows the grocery store business up-Island. The new Up-Island Cronig’s Market opened for business last Friday with no fanfare. The new 7,500 square foot steel and wood structure, not far from the site of the original building, welcomed its first customers.
March 15, 1996
Hebrew Center Dedicated In Solemn Island Service
In a three-hour ceremony marked by community celebration, joyous music and traditional Jewish rituals, the new Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center was consecrated Saturday morning in Vineyard Haven.
The consecration of the new center, built in the past year, attracted an audience of more than 200 Vineyarders, mostly congregation members, but also people of other faiths who came to honor both the building and the growing Island Jewish community.
March 1, 1996
Charter School Applications Show Strong Island Interest
The Island's new charter school has received 91 admission applications for its first semester this fall, officials said this week.
Applications came from every Island town, plus Chappaquiddick, and represent all eligible age groups.
"I think it's exciting," said school board member Charlotte Costa. "We gave out 140-some applications. To get these back is pretty good, given that it's a new school and it's something different. I was happy with that."
