The Sept. 15 sun went down in one blazing ball and after the last bit of color was gone, the crowds gathered on Lambert’s Cove Beach brushed the sand from their bottoms and turned around to go home. And then a brilliant harvest moon rose to rival the sunset.
It may not be the most controversial thing on the ballot, but the race for the Dukes County Commission is probably the most complicated.
There are three seats to fill; terms for John Alley of West Tisbury, Leonard Jason Jr. of Chilmark, and Roger Wey of Oak Bluffs are all ending. Mr. Wey is not seeking reelection.
Voters will see three names on the ballot when they vote Tuesday: John Alley, Leonard Jason and Linda Sibley, a former county commissioner from West Tisbury.
Retail sales may be slumping around the country and on the Island, but the thrift stores and consignment shops of the Vineyard are thriving hubs of business these days.
“We have been incredibly busy,” said Sandy Pratt, comanager of the Vineyard Haven Thrift Shop.
“I could literally stay open 24 hours a day sometimes,” echoed Deborah Alpert-Sylvia, manager of the Edgartown Second Hand Store.
Growth is on the horizon for Martha’s Vineyard Community Services, the largest human service provider on the Island. A new strategic plan released this week announced plans for increased funding, larger facilities and expanded programs.
“The strategic plan is something we’ve put a lot of time and thought into,” community services executive director Julia Burgess said yesterday. “I think we’re going to be strong in the future. We will be able to meet the needs of the Island community on firm footing.”
It’s a bad time for business. Shoppers are spending less and economists are predicting the worst. But veteran Island businessman Elio Silva said the timing could not be better for opening Tisbury Farm Market, his new fresh produce stand on State Road. “More people are looking to cook from scratch and are looking to get a good price,” Mr. Silva said last Friday.
It is a campaign slogan which has caught fire ever since Presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama uttered the words after the New Hampshire primary. Celebrities from Scarlett Johansson and Kareem Abdul Jabbar to Herbie Hancock are saying it in English and in Spanish.
Community Supported Agriculture, the popular organic Island vegetable cooperative at Whippoorwill Farm, is on the rocks again, this time because of a business plan that has failed.
Getting a passport is no easy task. It takes two photo graphs, proof of United States citizenship, a valid form of photo identification, a $100 processing fee and then said passport will not arrive for up to four weeks.
The first day of kindergarten comes but once in a lifetime and yesterday, Joanie Creato’s son was ready for it. “He just kept saying, I’m going to kindergarten! I’m going to kindergarten,” the mother of two said yesterday morning. “He was very excited. I bawled my eyes out.”
Many parents tear up — or heave a sigh of relief — when their students step into the kindergarten classroom for the first time. But for Mrs. Creato, the moment was a triumph.
In their workaday world they help other people create memories, but along the way they have created enough memories of their own to fill a book. And the children! V. Jaime Hamlin has four boys, three of them triplets; Patrie Grace has three girls and two boys. Jaime is a caterer whose reputation as a cook is beyond the pale. Patrie is the stalwart wedding planner and events coordinator. Their businesses are separate but intertwined. Exactly like their lives.
