Noteworthy
Published: July 30, 2009
Anchors away
Join the Martha's Vineyard Model Yacht Club Sundays and sail a radio-controlled model racing yacht in Vineyard Haven harbor. If you don't have a boat (they are not toys) they will be supplied. If you don't know how to sail one, or how to race one, you will receive instruction. (Not intended for children under 10.) The group meets on the beach between the ferry dock and the Owen Park pier from 10 am until 12 noon, every Sunday (weather permitting). The boats are an international class, and observe the same laws as Americas Cup contenders.
Lucinda Wierenga will appear again this year at the South Beach sandcastle contest, coming up on Wednesday, August 5. File photo by Mary BakerSandy construction
A mixture of shovels, sand-pails, and salt water will help builders at the Edgartown Board of Trade's fifth annual Sand Sculpture Contest on Wednesday, August 5, at South Beach in Edgartown. There are two categories: adult and junior. A $5 per person donation is requested.
Continuing with tradition, the contest features Lucinda "Sandy Feet" Wierenga, who will lead a professional sandcastle demonstration on Tuesday, August 4, from 11 am to 4 pm, on Main Street in Edgartown at the mini-park.
A widely recognized sand sculptor, Ms. Wierenga has won several international sandcastle competitions including first place in the Travel Channel's "Sandblasters." She has taught thousands how to construct a good sandcastle, and has published three books, her most recent book being "Sandcastles Made Simple."
Registration is at 9:30 am, and construction is from 10 am to 2 pm. The judging starts at 2 pm, and awards are given out by 3 pm. Decorations are allowed, but non-biodegradable items must be removed at the end of the contest. Groups are allowed, but no larger than eight people, and juniors may not have any adult help. The event is sponsored by the Edgartown Board of Trade. For more information, call 508-627-8134.
Ciao, bambino
Mary Lou Piland offers everything Italian for children ages 8 to 14 at her Italian Cooking Class at Island Co-Housing. Her two weekly sessions (August 10-14 and 17-21) offer lessons in table manners, how to properly set a table, tips on speaking Italian, and simple Italian recipes. Classes meet from 9:30 am to 12 noon and are limited to 12 kids. Cost is $125/week, which covers all the supplies. For more information, call 508-693-0809.
Power of voices
WCAI, the NPR Station based in Woods Hole that serves Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Martha's Vineyard will hold three separate hour-long mini-fundraisers targeted at each community. Called Power Hours, they will use recorded local voices and specially made CDs of audio vignettes. Some of the local Islanders lending their voices are writer Jack Shea, Chris Morris of Granary Gallery, and Dawn Braasch of Bunch of Grapes Bookstore. The Cape and
Islands' NPR stations are community-based news and information public radio stations that depend on listener contributions for support. On Thursday, July 30, from 8 to 9 am, the station will direct its appeal to Martha's Vineyard. WCAI is broadcast on 90.1 FM, 91.1 FM, and 94.3 FM.
Women's awareness
Join Honorary Committee Co-chairs Rose Styron, Geraldine Brooks, and Charlayne Hunter-Gault on Wednesday at "Tea and Advocacy," an afternoon benefit for the National Breast Cancer Coalition Fund and Martha's Vineyard Hospital. The intergenerational women-only event will take place at Tower Hill, overlooking Edgartown Harbor. Elegant and colorful garden party attire is recommended.
>Women who make a difference: from left, Rose Styron, Charlayne Hunter-Gault, and Geraldine Brooks, honorary committee co-chairs of Wednesday's Tea and Advocacy, a benefit for the National Breast Cancer Coalition Fund and Martha's Vineyard Hospital.The theme of the gathering will be sights and sounds of India, specialty hors d'oeuvres (catered by V. Jaime Hamlin), summer cocktails (compliments of Hangar One Vodka), and music. Henna hand painting, tealeaf reading, and an art salon will also be offered. Complimentary parking and shuttle service from the Edgartown School will be available.
The three co-chairs are well-known figures, on the Island and internationally. Rose Styron - a poet, journalist, and human rights activist - is former chairman of Amnesty International's National Advisory Council. Geraldine Brooks is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author for her novel "March." Her 2008 novel "People of the Book," a New York Times bestseller, has been translated into 20 languages. Charlayne Hunter-Gault integrated the University of Georgia with one other student in 1961. The first African-American reporter for The New Yorker in 1963, she has since worked for the New York Times, PBS, and CNN at home and abroad, winning many awards for journalistic excellence.
"Tea and Advocacy," 3:30 to 6:30 pm, Wednesday, August 5. Regular tickets start at $175, $100 for "emerging advocates," women between 12 to 20. For more information, call 508-320-0644.
Signing on
Julie Austin, a children's performer whose workshops feature popular songs and audience participation, will entertain at the Oak Bluffs Public Library, Thursday, July 30, 3:30 to 4:30 pm. Ms. Austin also presents concerts, involving sign mime, a combination of sign language and gestures, dancing, and other movement. For more information, call 508-693-9433.
Remembrance of things past
The Martha's Vineyard Peace Council invites the Island community to gather at sunrise on Thursday, August 6, for a time of remembrance. This will be their 32nd consecutive remembrance of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. The gathering will meet at the Gay Head Lighthouse in Aquinnah. Each person will be given an opportunity to offer a word, share a song, to pray, and join a moment of silence. Car rides are available at Cronig's Market in Vineyard Haven at 5:15 am, and also at Alley's General Store in West Tisbury at 5:30 am. The M.V. Peace Council hopes that by recalling the horror of nuclear war and violence, people may become more committed to peace, justice, and good will.
Lama Yeshe on wisdom
The Bodhi Path Buddhist Center welcomed back Lama Yeshe, returning this summer from her home in Germany to begin a new series of teaching, "The Mirror of Wisdom." Lama Yeshe dedicated her life to Buddhist practice in study. Since her establishment of the Bodhi Path Center on Martha's Vineyard she has expanded her activities to New York City. Meditation practice by Lama Yeshe will be on Tuesday and Thursday at 6 pm up until September 27. The meditation practices have a suggested donation of $15/$20. For more information, call 508-696-5929.
Sofi Thanhauser. Photo by Ralph StewartMusical fund
Local singer/songwriter Sofi Thanhauser will perform at a benefit organized by the Scottish Society of Martha's Vineyard. The event is on Saturday, August 1 from 7 to 10 pm. The benefit will raise money for the Martha's Vineyard Regional High School scholarship fund. Others are invited to bring a song, instrument, story, or poem to share during the event. The benefit will be held at the Portuguese-American Club in Oak Bluffs. There is a suggested donation of $15. For more information, call 508-955-9024.
Film festival kick-off
The Martha's Vineyard Film Festival presents a first-time filmmaker's movie in a premiere at the Mansion House in Vineyard Haven. "Flying Solo," a family movie filmed in Beaumont, Texas, will be one of the first films to kick off the seventh annual RunandShoot Filmworks Martha's Vineyard African-American Film Festival. Admission to the premiere is $15, and will be shown on Wednesday, August 5 from 2 to 3:30 pm. For more information, call 409-499-2786 or visit mvaaff.com.
Book festivities
The Chilmark Community Center will be the ground for books, speakers, and people of all ages. The Martha's Vineyard Book Festival will be on Sunday, August 2 from 11 am to 6 pm. Featured at the festival will be guest speaker, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., a Harvard professor and one of the nation's pre-eminent African-American scholars. At 2:45 pm, John Hough, Jr. will disucss his new novel "Seen the Glory." The event will then close with Ward Just talking about his novel "Exiles in the Garden." Other featured authors will include David Ignatius, James Reston, Jr., Geraldine Brooks, Tony Horwitz, and many more. Authors will also be available to sign their books. The event is free and open to all ages.
Billy Collins returns to Featherstone
If you want a seat, you better get there early. Once again, Featherstone Center for the Arts presents Billy Collins, the award-winning and former United States Poet Laureate (2001 to 2003), at their Festival of Poetry. His appearance at Featherstone last year filled the tent to overflowing with as many as 400 people. This year, the summer series takes place at Featherstone in Oak Bluffs on Sunday, August 2, at 7 pm.
Former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins makes his second appearance at the Festival of Poetry at Featherstone. Photo by Barbi ReedHis work has been featured in the Pushcart Prize anthology, the New Yorker, the Paris Review, the American Scholar, and has also been included several times in the Best American Poetry series. Mr. Collins has been awarded fellowships from the New York Foundation for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Guggenheim Foundation. He has conducted summer poetry workshops in Ireland at the University College Galway, and has taught at Columbia University, Sarah Lawrence, and Lehman College.
The Festival of Poetry 2009 is a collaboration between Featherstone, West Tisbury Poet Laureate Fan Ogilvie, and the Martha's Vineyard Writers Residency. The series features Island and visiting poets to read the third Thursday of each month, beginning in June and ending in August.
Workshop to success
Troubled Shores, Inc. invites you to join Tara DeFrancisco and her improv workshop for kids. The workshop is on Tuesday, August 4 at the Edgartown School. Tara has performed over 1,700 improv and sketch shows across the nation, has taught hundreds of students, and was recently awarded "Funniest Person in Chicago" by the Free Press. On top of those, she was added in 2008 as "One to Watch" in Time Out Chicago, and this month won "Top 25 Funniest Women" in Curve Magazine. The workshop is from 7 to 9 pm, and is $35. For more information, or to sign up, visit taradefrancisco.com.
Raising the roof
Island Affordable Housing Fund (IAHF) held two fundraising events this past weekend. A telethon was broadcast live from the Martha's Vineyard Regional High School on Plum TV, Friday through Sunday. And Rock the Rock was held at The Boathouse Field Club in Edgartown on Saturday, July 25. Featured at Rock the Rock was music performed by Kim Carnes, Grammy-winning Nashville singer/songwriter, who was also accompanied by five other bands. The dinner was catered by Truly Scrumptious and included cocktails and a raw bar. The event was well attended by Islanders and visitors. All the proceeds from the weekend's events go straight to IAHF projects.
The telethon had more than 400 donors and nearly 100 volunteers. The largest single donation received was $48,000.
Visitors milled around the expansive grounds of the new Boathouse Field Club in Edgartown during Saturday's Rock the Rock 2009 benefit for the Island Affordable Housing Fund. Photos by Whitney Lasker
Fred Roven (center left) chats with an attendee while Marty Nadler (center right) makes a point to WEEI radio personality Glenn Ordway.
Kim Carnes topped a musical line-up that entertained the crowd throughout the night.History and culture in the park
The Cottagers, Inc. of Martha's Vineyard presents the fifth annual African American Cultural Festival, a two-day event focused on cultural heritage with noted speakers and entertainment. It will include Cottager history and Vineyard family stories, an African American marketplace, activities for children, and food by Chef Deon.
At the 2004 African American Cultural Festival, tee-shirts and other merchandise were displayed on tables. This year's festival is on for today and Friday, 10 am to 4:30 pm. Photo courtesy Joanne Edey-RhodesEvening talks and book signings at Cottagers' Corner will be from 6 to 8 pm. Dr. Psyche Williams-Forson ("Building Houses Out of Chicken Legs: Black Women, Food, and Power") will be speaking on Thursday. On Friday author Jill Nelson ("Let's Get It On!" "Finding Martha's Vineyard") will appear to discuss her work, answer questions and sign her books.
The Cottagers, Inc. is a philanthropic organization of African American women residents of Martha's Vineyard. It was founded in the mid 1950s, and has since been dedicated to giving monetary assistance to various Island causes as well as awarding scholarships to Martha's Vineyard Regional High School graduating seniors.
The festival, which is free, will be held in Hartford Park in Oak Bluffs on Thursday and Friday, July 30 and 31, from 10 am to 4:30 pm. For more information, call 917-656-0444.
Antiques come to life
This year's annual Martha's Vineyard Antiques Show offers furniture, paintings, prints, lighting, jewelry, and more, ranging from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. Dealers will host discussion, answer questions, and explain the history of their items during the three day event that opens tonight, July 30. Antiques from 17 dealers from all over the United States and Europe are featured.
The benefit event, sponsored by The Rotary Club of Martha's Vineyard, The Boys & Girls Club, Island Affordable Housing Fund, and the Martha's Vineyard Museum, begins with tonight's preview party that includes hors d'oeuvres and a silent auction. Tickets are $50.
On Saturday, August 1, at 11:30 am, Michael James of the Silver Fund will speak on the value and popularity of 20th century silver; David Weston of David Weston Antiques in Cranbrook, England, will talk about sailor's woolworks and nautical antiques at 12:30 pm.
On Sunday, August 2, at 11:30 am, Blake Kemper of Solomon Suchard Antiques & Fine Art, will talk about the contributions of Brittany and Henriot Quimper to the evolution of modern art. At 12:30 pm, Derek Rayment of Derek & Tina Rayment Antiques, of Malpas, Chesire, United Kingdom, will discuss antique barometers in a modern home.
The show and sale will be at the Edgartown School. The regular show and sale hours are Friday and Saturday, July 31 and August 1, from 10 am to 5 pm, and Sunday, August 2, from 10 am to 4 pm. Admission to the show on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday is $10. For more information, call 508-627-6652.
For Della
The fifth annual Della Hardman Day was celebrated last Saturday at the Oak Bluffs Library, with an art reception featuring the 2010 Savor the Moment calendar and its artists. Named after Ms. Hardman's favorite expression, the calendar celebrates the Island throughout the seasons. An educator and social activist whose influence on the Island was far-reaching, Ms. Hardman died in 2005. She was especially involved in the arts.
Many gathered to see the winning photographs, judged by Island photographers. The winner of the front-cover spot was 15-year-old Courtney Mussell of Vineyard Haven, with her photo of children's shadows.
On Friday, the M.V. NAACP Spirituals Choir performed a sunset concert at the East Chop Lighthouse, also in celebration of Ms. Hardman.
Andrea Taylor, Della Hardman's daughter, and Jim Thomas of the M.V. NAACP Choir. Photos by Ralph Stewart
The Spirituals Choir performed at East Chop Lighthouse last Friday evening in honor of Della Hardman Day.
The crowd looks over the artwork at the fifth annual Savor the Moment reception and exhibition at the Oak Bluffs Library on Saturday. Photo by Lynn Christoffers
The view from the top of the East Chop Lighthouse.Homestead history
The memories and past of Polly Hill Arboretum (PHA) will come back to life in a tour of the arboretum this Friday, July 31, from 10 to 11:30 am.
Louisa Hill Spottswood, the daughter of Polly Hill, on a tractor at Barnard's Inn Farm, now known as Polly Hill Arboretum. Ms. Spottswood will give a tour and talk about the arboretum's history this Friday.The tour of the property will be led by Polly Hill's daughter, Louisa Hill Spottswood, who will also share memories of her Vineyard summers, and how the old farmstead became a family home.
The property has been many things to different families and visitors in its long history. It was once home to the Butcher and Hill families, and was called Barnard's Inn Farm. The farm can be traced back to 1669.
In 1926, Polly Hill's family bought the homestead. Eventually, after she inherited the farm and the land, she created an arboretum for the community.
Ms. Spottswood spent many summers on the Vineyard, and during her tour she will share childhood memories of the house, land, and her family.
The tour costs $5; free for PHA members. For more information, call 508-693-9426.
Land preserve talk
Listen in on a discussion at the Chilmark Library with preservationist and Boston University professor Claire W. Dempsey on a talk titled "Established Error or Novel Fact: Changing Interpretations of Early New England Buildings." The talk will be on Wednesday, August 5 at 5:30 pm with free admission.
Ms. Dempsey has been teaching architectural history and research methods courses in the Preservation Studies Program since 1991. She will describe how research methods have changed over time, and as the preservation profession has matured. She is also author and co-author of several books including "The Historic and Archaeological Resources of Cape Cod and the Islands." At Boston University she serves as director of the Preservation Studies Program. For more information, call 508-645-3360.
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