It will be a landmark event for the Island and for the
Martha's Vineyard Preservation Trust when the Old Sculpin Gallery
opens its doors on Thursday afternoon to unveil a 40-piece retrospective
of paintings by the old master of a modern era, Ray Ellis. The oil and
watercolor landscapes selected for the three-day show - gathered
from private collections across the country - were all painted en
plein air on the Island. The show will close just two days later at 9
p.m.

The Possible Dreams Auction last night drew $649,000 in bids for the
50 dreams that ranged from rides on the Flying Horses Carousel to an
archaeological adventure in prehistoric European caves, putting the
annual fundraiser on track for another record-breaking year.

Library Curators Puzzle Over Many Rare Maps Still Missing

By JAMES KINSELLA

Officials from libraries whose rare maps were targeted for theft by
Chilmark resident E. Forbes Smiley 3rd plan met yesterday in New Haven,
Conn., to discuss concerns with federal officials that he may know
something about a number of maps that remain missing.

Library representatives participated in closed-door meetings
yesterday with officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and
the U.S. Attorney's office.

From their earliest days, they did good works, and had fun doing them.

The first money they raised, from an informal series of summer square dances, went to Martha’s Vineyard Hospital.

Over the decades, the people and organizations who have been helped by their efforts include Vineyard high school graduates, Hospice of Martha’s Vineyard, the Oak Bluffs Public Library, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Food Pantry, Windemere Nursing Home and Martha’s Vineyard Community Services.

On the surface, the four candidates running for the open seat on the
Oak Bluffs board of selectmen in next week's special election
share the same ideas on most of the major issues in recent town
politics.

Herbert A. (Bert) Combra Jr., Kenneth DeBettencourt, Ronald DiOrio
and David E. Morris Jr. are all vying for the single seat vacated when
former selectman Michael Dutton stepped down to take over as town
administrator.

Water Company Defends Pacts

Commission Chairman Speaks About Contracts and Practices in an
Interview with Gazette Before Closed-Door Session

By MAX HART

Tisbury selectmen and water commissioners met behind closed doors on
Tuesday night to try to resolve a dispute over personnel contracts and
operating practices that has created a deep rift between the two town
departments.

Island Melts Beneath Heat Wave as Temperatures Push Near 100

By MARK ALAN LOVEWELL

Temperatures on the Vineyard climbed into the mid-nineties this
week, as the Island joined the rest of the Northeast in staggering under
an oppressive three-day heat wave that was forecast to break last night.
A high temperature of 96 degrees Fahrenheit was recorded Wednesday at
the National Weather Service Cooperative Station in Edgartown.

Polly Hill Arboretum Hosts Botany Expert Peter Raven

By IAN FEIN

If development continues at its current pace, our planet will stand
to lose roughly two-thirds of its species by the end of the century,
according to renowned botanist Peter H. Raven.

The dreams are coming to town. Exotic, international dreams.
Adventurous, open-ocean dreams. Exhilarating celebrity-filled dreams.
Delicious gourmet dreams.

They all arrive on Monday afternoon in the gardens of the Harborside
Inn - more than 50 experiences and items that pretty pennies could
not buy unless they are bid on Monday night at the 28th annual Possible
Dreams Auction to benefit Martha's Vineyard Community Services.

Tribal Member Has Deep Sense of Place

By IAN FEIN

Durwood (Woody) Vanderhoop knows all too well the encroaching
pressures imposed on the average Vineyard resident - like a lack
of affordable housing, eroding environmental resources and a loss of
cultural traditions.

They are the same things his ancestors in the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay
Head (Aquinnah) have been struggling with for the last 350 years.