Community Shorts
Butterfly sanctuary
Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary seeks assistance with their final grounds preparation and planting for their newly refurbished butterfly garden. The volunteer work is through spring, every Wednesday from 9 am to 12 noon, and every Thursday from 1 to 4 pm. For more information, call 508-627-4850.
Photo courtesy of Ann Wallace
Community leaders
On Thursday, May 21, the Martha's Vineyard Regional High School's Leadership Class with history teacher Olson Houghton revamped the gardens outside of Aidylberg Village, part of Island Elderly Housing, in Oak Bluffs.
House hunting?
Habitat for Humanity of Martha's Vineyard has extended their application deadline to June 1 for their next house. The organization seeks a family for a three bedroom affordable house, located on Eliakim's Way in West Tisbury. The house, to be built using energy efficient building techniques such as solar panels, is for a year-round resident without adequate housing, who has a stable income. For more information, call 508-696-4646. Find applications at habitatmv.org, banks, libraries, post offices, town halls, and at the Habitat office in Vineyard Haven.
Planting lessons
A wonderful combination: youngsters, gardening, and school lessons. The West Tisbury School, together with Island Grown School Initiative, is demonstrating this synergy as students from kindergarten through eighth grade create, maintain, and harvest vegetable gardens at the school as part of their classroom curriculum. A lesson in Native Americans or colonial settlers, for example, may be extended to include the planting of an appropriate vegetable. In kindergarten, under the guidance of teacher Terri Mello, who spearheads staff involvement, kindergarten classes learn about community cooperation when seventh graders help them with their garden of lettuce and radishes.
Teacher Terri Mello helps harvest with Henry Armstrong (left), Gabby Carr, and Anya Dwane. Photos by Ralph Stewart
A good crop brings a smile to Anya Dwane, a kindergartener at West Tisbury School.
MVRHS Girl's Hockey Booster Club
This Friday a fundraiser called Margaritaville 2009 will benefit the Martha's Vineyard Regional High School's girl's ice hockey team. Food, margarita tasting, music and dancing are on tap, and there will be a silent auction and a raffle for a laptop computer. Admission is $25 at the Sandbar and Grille restaurant in Oak Bluffs on Friday, May 29, from 7:30 to 10 pm. For more information call 508-627-5923.
A night of the arts
Last Wednesday, May 20, the Martha's Vineyard Regional High School presented its annual Evening of the Arts. The evening framed, displayed, and showcased paintings, sculptures, and photographs created by students all throughout the halls of the high school. Performances in the PAC included singing, dancing, and monologues. Seabreezes, the high school's writing and photography magazine, and the last student creation to be exhibited this school year, was also released that night.
Hannah Marlin sang "Flitter and Be Gay" from the operetta "Candide" in the PAC at the Evening of the Arts.
Dressed in her performance outfit, Anna Yukevich stands among the work of art students displayed in the hallways.
Tiara Lee (left) and Shawna Brown break out some moves to the song "Stanky Leg" by hip-hop group GS Boyz.
Grants available
The Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower Foundation seeks inquiries for its 2009 Developmental Disabilities Grant category. Eligible are Island organizations that serve children and adolescents with developmental disabilities. The due date for letters of inquiries is July 22. Visit thetowerfoundation.org for more information.
A play about 1950s Apartheid era South Africa comes to Vineyard Haven. Photo courtesy of Brent LaFerer
Harold and the boys
Athol Fugard's "Master Harold...and the boys" will be presented by the Chimaera Physical Theater in Vineyard Haven at the Unitarian Universalist Society. Performances on May 29 and 30 will start at 7:30 pm, with a suggested $10 donation. The play takes place in South Africa during the 1950s Apartheid era. The director of the production, Mollye Maxner, whose family lives in West Tisbury, has shown her work on the Vineyard for over a decade. This performance is made possible by a Career Development Grant from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, and from the generous support of the Semans Art Fund.
Musician needed
For their July production, Island Theatre Workshop (ITW) seeks a musical director/pianist. The longest running year-round theatre company on Martha's Vineyard, ITW also offers programs for youth and adults. Call 508-693-5290 for more information.
Time to sign and shine
Registration for performing artists who would like to participate in the Built on Stilts 2009 festival is open now through July 1. The Island community dance and performance festival will be held August 12 through August 17 at Union Chapel in Oak Bluffs.
Built on Stilts welcomes all kinds of performance art: short plays, live music, circus arts, or any other kind of performance work. The programs should be new work making its debut performance, appropriate for family entertainment, requiring minimum technology, and taking no longer than seven minutes to perform.
Beginning choreographers (at least 16 years old) and well-established artists are invited to present work.
Built on Stilts childrens programs, Stiltshop and Advancedshop, are also now enrolling on a first-come, first served basis. Visit builtonstilts.org for more information and all application forms. 508-717-2887.
Winning Essays
The 2009 winners of the Martha's Vineyard Savings Bank Essay Contest are: first prize, Alistair Rizza, a sixth grader from Vineyard Haven who attends the Charter School; second prize, Nathaniel Horwitz, a seventh grader from Vineyard Haven (Tisbury School); and third prize, Eli Hanschka, a sixth grader from Tisbury (Charter School). Prizes of Savings Bonds were presented Wednesday, May 27, at the MV Savings Bank in West Tisbury. Click here to read the winning essays.
Ballroom benefit for the Y
On Sunday, the Martha's Vineyard Ballroom Dancers held a benefit night of dancing for the Martha's Vineyard YMCA. It began with the Dancers' weekly evening lesson, this week a swing lesson with Tom Carberry. At 8:30 pm, Johnny Hoy and the Bluefish played for an upbeat and happy crowd. For more information about the M.V. Ballroom Dancers, call 508-696-8428.
The dance floor was crowded Sunday evening at a benefit dance for the YMCA hosted by the Martha's Vineyard Ballroom Dancers.
Happy to be sitting this one out are Christine Todd and Peg Regan.
Janet Holladay and Richard Wescott take the floor along with Kevin and Patty Begley.
Christine and Tim McLean step lively.
