Good Old Boys

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

Jeremiah Pease must be rolling over in his grave. How could this historic home on the lane named after him be cut down in a matter of minutes? Why were the Martha’s Vineyard Camp Meeting Association construction rules not followed by all that were involved?

STORM APOLOGY

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

Tracing the Problem

The algal bloom in Edgartown Great Pond has prompted much well-justified discussion and concern.The following is intended to provide a little additional detail on prospective solutions to improve the health of the pond.

Moonshine

On Monday there will be a full harvest moon. Hopefully the sky will be clear so the moon can be seen in all its glory.

Ordinarily, the moon rises fifty minutes later each day, but around the time of the autumnal equinox, which this year occurs September twenty second, the moon comes up only thirty, not fifty minutes later than the day before.

State Primary

The Massachusetts state primary is Tuesday. Polls will be open in every Island town from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Polling places by town are as follows: Aquinnah, town hall; Chilmark, community center; Edgartown, Baylies Room at the Old Whaling Church; Oak Bluffs, public library; Tisbury, American Legion Hall; West Tisbury, public safety building. All registered voters are eligible to vote in the primary on their party ticket; unenrolled voters may choose to vote as either Republicans or Democrats.

The Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Society has a new barn. It took only two days for dozen Amish craftsmen, working alone, to raise it. The traditionally built barn makes a perfect sister to the agricultural society’s other barns, though in this case all the wood is new.

Wee Farmers

The Farm Institute will offer three Saturday sessions this fall for tots (ages 2 to 4) on Sept. 13, Sept. 20 and Oct. 11 from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Sign up for one or all three.

Each Wee Farmer session will offer a different garden and/or animal focus. Developed to engage young eaters in fresh food and how it gets to their table, little ones with their caregiver will join farmer/teacher Mary Baker on the farm to harvest, cook, eat and visit the animals with leftover treats.

Members of the Martha’s Vineyard Bonsai Society asked visitors to their display at the Agricultural Fair to choose their favorite bonsai. The clear first place winner was a Japanese maple grown by Don Sibley.

The number of votes for the following honors was very close; in second place was a cedar forest grown by Jeff Donaroma, and in third place, a Chinese elm grown by Betty Trider.

Three plants were awarded honorable mention: Vincent Dellatorra’s grape vine; Ernie Carlomagno’s small leaf jade and his Shimpaku juniper.

Welcome, Owen

Erin M.R. Tilton and Matthew McLean of Vineyard Haven announce the birth of a son, Owen Louis McLean, born on Sept. 2, 2008, at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Owen weighed 7 pounds, 10 ounces at birth.

One is a successful young musician, the other a struggling middle-aged fisherman who is also the West Tisbury shellfish constable. One is almost painfully reticent; the other could talk the leg off an iron kettle. But Willy Mason and Tom Osmers share a powerful sense of place and a commitment to preserving unique parts of Vineyard culture. From 4 to 6 p.m. each Friday, they co-host a live show on community radio WVVY (93.7 FM), with an eclectic blend of music and news about fishing, farming and the environment. Tune in some Friday with the two of them.