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Letters to the Editor
September 1, 2005
Pleasant surprise
To the Editor:
While vacationing on a cruise last week, the ship I was on stopped at Martha's Vineyard for the day on August 23. I did the bus tour around the Island and made a few purchases in Oak Bluffs. While in Oak Bluffs, I lost my wallet. Thinking I'd never see it again I made the necessary calls to cancel my credit cards and such. When I got back to Tennessee and my mail was delivered to me on Monday, I found to my pleasant surprise my wallet in the mail with everything still in it (including all of my cash). I would like to thank the people at the Corner Store for its return. You have a great community and I hope to visit again at some time for a longer stay. Thank you to whoever turned in my wallet to the corner store.
R. Joanna Wilson
Ooltewah, Tennessee
The view from
Portland
To the Editor:
Just wanted to let you know I am enjoying the sight of Vineyard Haven Harbor via your webcam at the MV Times web site. I have been living in Portland for three years, but read your paper every week to stay connected with Vineyard friends. Thanks.
Ellie Tuck
Portland, Oregon
Delighted
To the Editor:
Thank you for the wonderful article about the Children's Theatre finale in this week's Times Calendar section. The article was beautifully written and really captured the essence of the performances and the program. We were surprised and delighted at such coverage during the busiest week of the summer.
Mark Hahn
Vineyard Haven
Foolish, possibly tragic, prank
To the Editor:
To the person/persons who took my son's fanny pack/stash bag from the Oak Bluffs Game Room on Wed evening, August 24: you have no idea of the havoc you caused.
That bag contained all the insulin, etc, he needs on a daily basis. He is 15 years old and takes insulin injections a minimum four times daily. Because it was taken, he had to go the emergency room to get his next dosage and enough insulin and syringes for the remainder of his vacation. Because I was not with him, it caused extensive delays with the hospital having to contact me for authorization and medical history, and distress for him, his aunt, brother, and myself.
His bag contained all his insulin, glucose monitor, test strips, syringes, lancers, and daily test log, amounting to literally hundreds of dollars.
I cannot get more insulin or test strips (the health insurance carrier won't approve because his prescription was filled less than 30 days ago). It takes days and pre-approval to get a new monitor and countless time spent replenishing all the supplies.
Again, you have no idea of the seriousness of your act. You could have been responsible for his death.
I pray you will think hard about your reckless impulse and do the right thing. I am assuming you thought it contained a wallet and when you discovered the contents, discarded it. I can not stress enough how dangerous and life-threatening it would be if a child found it.
Please do the right thing and turn it in to a parent, teacher, anyone you trust, or the police department (you can tell them you found it or even call them anonymously and tell them where it is). Don't make your mistake turn into a horrible tragedy.
I urge all parents to tell their children about this. They may know about the situation and can convince the person to do what's right. And stress to them (especially young children) that should they find things like this, how dangerous it is and to immediately tell an adult.
I have faith that your conscience will convince you that your mistake in judgment needs to be redeemed and that you will have learned a crucial lesson.
I am sure you didn't intend on putting anybody's life in danger - just a foolish prank - but please, next time think twice about taking anything that doesn't belong to you. You just don't know the impact of your actions.
Linda Edge
Pocasset
Where to fight?
To the Editor:
I have to respond, very briefly, to the letter Dan Ogden wrote last week in this paper.
Dan chooses to take a pass on views expressed by Lt. Zachary Iscol concerning the situation on the ground in Iraq. Apparently, they don't specifically jive with the reasoned clarity and historical perspective that living on Martha's Vineyard provides. Lt. Iscol has recently returned from active duty in the area and claims that news reports are not reflecting the true nature of the situation there. Interestingly, the sergeant in the United States Army with whom I corresponded for several months, shares the lieutenant's opinion and wrote me that the overwhelming mood among the ranks is one of commitment and resolve. The opposition flank at home is a disappointment.
Dan also brings up the "all about oil and nation-building" bumper sticker argument which is simplistic, sophomoric, and just plain boring.
But Dan does eventually hit the mark. He laments that National Guard troops are fighting a war half way around the world when they should come back home and "defend the nation" here. Pull them out, Dan, and that's exactly what they'll be doing.
Tom Benedict
Edgartown
Misusing her
dead son
To the Editor:
Cindy Sheehan is anti-war and anti-Bush, and at times she sounds like she is maybe anti-America. She is protesting the war in Iraq by staging a anti-war protest outside of President Bush's Crawford, Texas ranch, demanding another meeting with President Bush. The Sheehans lost their son Casey, an Army specialist, when he was killed in Sadr City, Iraq, in April of 2004.
According to David Henson, a staff writer for Reporter.Com, the Sheehan family traveled to Seattle for a 10-minute conversation with the President, who met with 16 other families who had lost loved ones in Iraq. The 10 minutes of time with the president could have given the family a chance to vent their frustrations or ask Bush some of the difficult questions they've been asking themselves, such as whether Casey's sacrifice would make the world a safer place. But the family decided against such talk, deferring to how they believed Casey would have wanted them to act.
After that meeting Pat Sheehan stated, "We have a lot of respect for the office of the president, and I have a new respect for him because he was sincere, and he didn't have to take the time to meet with us."
Cindy Sheehan had hoped to find sincerity at the meeting. Shortly after Casey died, Bush sent the family a form letter expressing his condolences, and Cindy said she felt it was an impersonal gesture. After the meeting Cindy stated, "I now know he's sincere about wanting freedom for the Iraqis, I know he's sorry and feels some pain for our loss. And I know he's a man of faith."
The meeting didn't last long, but in their time with Bush, Cindy spoke about Casey and asked the president to make her son's sacrifice count for something. They also spoke of their faith. It's hard to lose a son, but we (all) lost a son in the Iraqi war. The trip had one benefit that none of the Sheehans expected. For a moment, life returned to the way it was before Casey died. They laughed, joked and bickered playfully as they briefly toured Seattle. For the first time in 11 weeks, they felt whole again. That was the gift the president gave us, the gift of happiness, of being together, Cindy said.
Melanie Morgan from KSFO Radio in San Francisco obtained a statement from several family members of Cindy Sheehan.
"The Sheehan Family lost our beloved Casey in the Iraq War and we have been silently, respectfully grieving. We do not agree with the political motivations and publicity tactics of Cindy Sheehan. She now appears to be promoting her own personal agenda and notoriety at the expense of her son's good name and reputation. The rest of the Sheehan Family supports the troops, our country, and our president, silently, with prayer and respect."
Sincerely, Casey Sheehan's Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and numerous Cousins.
Cindy gets new friends, MoveOn.org., Michael Moore, Code Pink, and now sings a different tune. Sheehan was interviewed by an ABC-TV news reporter. Cindy said "9/11 was Pearl Harbor for the neo-conservative agenda" and declared the U.S. government a "morally repugnant system."
She says we have no Constitution, and we're the only country with no checks and balances, it's OK for Israel to have nuclear weapons but we are waging nuclear war in Iraq.
She said "America has been killing people on this continent since it was started, this country is not worth dying for."
Cindy claims her son was tricked by military recruiters. Not so. Casey reenlisted in the Army voluntarily when he was 24 years old, after serving his first hitch. Casey was a hero who received a Bronze Star, and Purple Heart. He was attached as a mechanic to the artillery division of the 1st U.S. Cavalry in Iraq. When a convoy of soldiers from Casey's unit was attacked in Sadr City by insurgents, Casey volunteered to join a rapid rescue force to get them out. His commanding sergeant told him he did not have to go into combat, because he was a mechanic and not an infantryman. Casey was quoted telling his officer, "I go where my chief goes." He was killed during the rescue attempt.
Cindy claimed he was promised a job as a chaplain's assistant, although once in the service he was placed in a combat role. When asked why Casey was promised a job as a chaplain's assistant only to be thrust into harm's way, a recruiter explained that on reenlistment, the Army's B.E.A.R. program (Bonus Extension and Retaining) guarantees everything in writing. If Casey was a mechanic during his first hitch, that was the only thing he would have been guaranteed per his reenlistment contract. Further research showed that a chaplain's assistant is a combat infantry position, whereas Casey was deployed in a non-combat job as a mechanic.
Casey Sheehan sought combat duty for his country and should be honored for it, and not used as a symbol of how evil Cindy thinks America is. Casey died doing what he wanted to do, serving his country. Cindy may be in pain, but it seems like she is using her son as a weapon against those she has come to hate. She blames the president for her son's death, instead of blaming her son for making an adult decision in time of war, or maybe blaming herself for raising a son who heard the call and served with distinction and honor. Maybe Cindy should put her own personal agenda aside, and ask herself, is this how Casey would want her to act now? I don't believe so.
It's a shame the news media doesn't print or televise all the good that is being achieved in Iraq, but then again the liberal left would never believe the truth. Some still think it was for the oil.
Robert Reed
Oak Bluffs
Acerbic review
To the Editor:
I cannot remember ever reading in the pages of The Martha's Vineyard Times a more thoroughly negative, spiteful and hostile review than that which was written by Anna Marie D'Addarie about the show "My Way" at the Vineyard Playhouse. Clearly a critic is not obligated to sugarcoat a performance if she honestly believes that it is substandard, but Ms. D'Addarie's spew is so acerbic and virulent, and more importantly, so far off the mark, that I simply cannot let her appalling mean-spiritedness stand uncontested.
Before I begin, let me clarify that I am a member of the band in "My Way," and though this might clearly explain some of my defensiveness over the recent review, I am also in a unique position to address some of Ms D'Addarie's more glaring misconceptions.
Ms. D'Addarie sets the tone for her review early by sneering that "ÅeMy Way' calls itself ÅeA Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra' [but] it is neither musical nor tribute." Ooh, what a clever turn of phrase. That sure put us in our place. But how does a theater production that features almost 60 songs not qualify as a musical? And how does a show that reaches a level of poignancy so profound that its finale routinely brings audience members to tears not count as a tribute?
"My Way" is indeed a musical tribute. It is a celebration of the legend of Frank Sinatra by paying homage to the music he loved and sang so well in the most respectful way possible - by performing it. What "My Way" is not is an attempt to dramatize Frank Sinatra's life or to duplicate his stage show. The singers are not attempting to mimic Sinatra's delivery or style, for to do so would be to degenerate into parody, and to risk looking like we are satirizing or mocking Frank, a la Phil Hartman's portrayal on Saturday Night Live. Ms. D'Addarie purports to understand this concept at the beginning of the article when she claims that she was not expecting Sinatra imitations, but then she proceeds to totally disparage every aspect of the performance that did not, in her view, match Frank's "style."
. . . The main reason I am writing this [letter], which I am hoping will be published in The Times, is to stand up for the singers whom Ms. D'Addarie so viciously maligns, who actually turn out to be some of the most talented and delightful people I have ever worked with in my nearly ten years in professional theater, and who in my opinion do an excellent job of honoring (not copying) the spirit, the voice, the music and, yes, the style of Frank Sinatra.
Towards the end of the review, Ms. D'Addarie condescendingly suggests that "opening night jitters might explain some of the problems" she finds in the show and hopes that "with a few more shows under their belt, ÅeMy Way' might hit its stride." I guess allowing for that possibility is supposed to cover her for those inevitable moments when people who have read her review but who ignore her suggestion to "Pass this affair and pass it wide" come back to her and ask her what the hell she was talking about. Because on opening night of "My Way" - the performance that caused poor Ms. D'Addarie so much distress that she had to go home and load up her CD player with real Sinatra albums just to soothe her damaged ears - the rest of the packed house gave us a standing ovation.
I hope that anyone who loves live musical theater, anyone who trusts and respects the quality of the shows that the Vineyard Playhouse consistently produces, and anyone who loves and honors Frank Sinatra's music will come and see "My Way." And I suggest that in the future, if Ms. D'Addarie wants to hear 59 Frank Sinatra songs played and sung exactly the way they are played and sung on the record collection she so desperately wants us to know she owns, perhaps she should just stay at home and listen to them, and spare those of us who appreciate live musical theater her ignorant, negative prattle. The rest of us will be enjoying the show.
Brian Weiland
Oak Bluffs
Blackhawks won't solve the problem
To the Editor:
Perverse: showing a deliberate desire to behave unacceptably.
Perverse: Blackhawk helicopters hovering low over our homes with blitzkrieging storm troopers below forcefully editing our neighbors' gardens.
Perverse: obstinate in opposition to what is right.
Perverse: The heavy hand of government in service of a prohibition addressing a symptom of a larger problem it chooses to ignore out of a lack of imagination creates all by itself a market that by definition only criminals may access and consequently only criminals may profit: criminals whose sense of propriety is thus and necessarily corrupted into alliance with the worst mankind can devise. Such is the sole and bitter fruit of prohibition.
Perverse: deviating from what is considered good.
Perverse: The problems that drugs pose for us as a people are problems that can only be addressed effectively on the demand side. In every case it is a personal problem that needs be confronted - or accepted as no problem at all - on an individual level, addressed by peers or a society that allows for hope. To criminalize the fallen, incarcerate the vulnerable, to persecute the naive entrepreneur is to ignore the problem. The problem, what there is of it, is to be found on the demand side. The laws of economics take over from there.
Perverse: diverting attention from the relevant goal to a distraction
Perverse: It does not take a cynic to be suspicious of the motivation of the drug-crusading government bureaucracies when one considers who are the true beneficiaries of our war on drugs and the vested interests they create within those organizations, not to mention the temptation to corruption.
Perverse: effecting results contrary to what was intended.
Perverse: Suspend judgment for a moment, and assume that if demand is a given - and I accept the weaknesses of the assumption, but bear with me - is it truly the preference of our society that we drive such local, homegrown demand into the arms of an international criminal enterprise, far more sophisticated in eluding detection than grandma's pot patch? Blackhawks, indeed.
The intentions may be good, but the implementation is perverse. The war on drugs is a failure. We need radical change at the national level: regulation and decriminalizing will solve the problem. Prohibition is an exercise in futility. Perverse.
(Some relevant punditry in the recent media: John Tierney in New York Times, 8/27; Mary Anastasia O'Grady in Wall St. Journal, 8/26)
James A. Glavin
Aquinnah
Shark tourney is a 'macabre circus
To the Editor:
Our Island should be ashamed of itself. This beautiful piece of the earth's surface is blessed with beaches, breezes, ocean and ponds, bays and lagoons. It is a place to play, to swim, to sail, to shop and, whether you live here year-round or not, a place to work as well as play. But perhaps above all it is a place to fish; to fish from the beach or from the rocky breakwaters or to troll from a skiff or even a schooner, or if you wish to fish offshore for swordfish and stripers. There are usually fish aplenty (if you know where to find them) and sometimes in our enthusiasm we have over-fished; a few years ago our stripers were becoming an endangered species. Eventually the limits that were placed on fishing for striped bass apparently worked for stripers are plentiful again. Bass fishing is a good sport; killing sharks is not!
The excitement if not frenzy about the recently held shark tournament, or derby or whatever you may wish to call It, is very hard to understand for many of us.
The Romans had their Coliseum, in which they paraded Christians to be eaten by lions while the crowd cheered. In 1791, the French had their guillotine, and the crowds cheered as the blade fell on the necks of not only royalty but on hundreds of innocent Frenchmen. Madame Defarge sat nearby knitting and counting as the blade fell, "Ninety-one, ninety-two, ninety-three, ninety-four, ninety-five..." In England at the same time, public hangings of criminals (who perhaps had stolen a cup full of sugar from a grocer or a swatch of cloth from a tailor or maybe something worse) were events of great public excitement. Men cheered and women fainted as the scaffolding collapsed and the body jerked and twisted in its final agony. In our country too, unfortunately all too recently, lynching, while not officially approved of, was all too common. Need I say more?
Now let's talk about whaling, a New England industry that came within a hair's breadth of causing the extinction of entire class of species. Whaling at least had a purpose, the rendering of the animal's carcass for oil for the lamps and machinery of the new industrial age. There was a reason for the killing. There is no reason for killing sharks. Oh, some of the meat is saved and sold and eaten but the whole purpose of the event is to see who can slaughter the biggest shark and bring it in in triumph, to cut off its head and hang the body by its tail. Is this what the people of Martha's Vineyard really enjoy? I hope not.
I invite people to read the lead article in the Smithsonian Magazine of August of this year about sharks and their dangerously decreasing numbers worldwide, largely because of serious commercial over-fishing which has decimated the population. It goes on to say, "Nearly two dozen shark species have been driven nearly to the brink of extinction and that they are in such distress, that even if all fishing and killing stopped right now we are still talking about a recovery that would take decades." Responsible marine scientists say that this "terrifying predator" is itself in grave danger and research is being done and is continuing in waters around the world, with nowhere near the blood and gore that has recently been spilled on the water and waterfront of Oak Bluffs. "Terrifying predator," yes, but for every American killed by a shark 37 are killed by snakes and 45 by pet dogs. Perhaps we should hang up our dogs by their tails and cut off their heads.
The American bison was almost extinct due to indiscriminate shooting, as were many other creatures and the heath hen, here on the Vineyard is now totally extinct. Is the shark to be next? If so, why? What have sharks done to create such a killing frenzy among some of us. Was it the movie "Jaws" filmed here 30 years ago, which has sent some people to sea in huge, diesel powered boats armed with the latest gadgetry for capturing and killing sharks? If so, Mr. Benchley and all those who made the movie including many of us who are here and alive today have much to answer for.
This shark tournament or killing spree should be banned forever from Martha's Vineyard. Surely the continued existence of this class of finned creatures is worth more than the dollars that the macabre circus brings to our Island.
Thomas Hale
Tisbury
Don't close it, sell it to Oak Bluffs
To the Editor:
The heading on a letter to the editor should reflect its contents. The Times does not always follow this rule, sometimes misleading its readers. Case in point:
A letter on August 25 was headed "Close the Oak Bluffs wharf." This foolish demand was the editor's. The writer was making the more reasonable suggestion that the Steamship Authority spend its $10 million on improving land access to its year-round Tisbury facility, which is in a much more sheltered location. If Katrina had hit New England instead of New Orleans, the vulnerability of a wharf on the open Nantucket Sound coast would have been clearly demonstrated.
But the Oak Bluffs wharf has too many possibilities to be just "closed." If sold to the town, it is in a perfect location to receive the fast passenger ferries now jamming the crowded inner harbor, which limits their possible size and numbers. It would also be ideal for the launches of cruise ships anchored nearby. Finally, it offers arriving visitors a more attractive first view of the town Å| Ocean Park instead of shop fronts.
As a passengers-only landing the Oak Bluffs wharf would present a much smaller target for storms, perhaps only a central core surrounded by floats, which could be moved into the harbor for winter storage. Of course there would be no more eighteen-wheelers coming ashore to disrupt traffic, but the added flow of fast-ferry visitors would be ample replacement.
The editor may call for closing the wharf if he wishes. Turning it over to the town for conversion to passengers-only would be a smarter move.
W. R. Deeble
West Tisbury
A list of complaints
To the Editor:
We have been coming to the Vineyard for over 20 years, and generally the changes that have been taking place are acceptable, and even some things are incredibly nice like what the folks in Oak Bluffs have done with Ocean Park. I could go on, but more to the point; what is going on in Vineyard Haven!
Driving into town near the Co-op Bank, I went past a house that was once screened with evergreen trees that now sports a pressure-treated fence that looks like *#**. Somehow I doubt the building inspector in Edgartown would have approved this structure. Not that every place should look like Edgartown, but please.
Then driving down Main Street a cyclist ends up hanging off my side view mirror trying to squeeze past the Mansion House. What is with the street here? I heard that the sidewalk had to be enlarged to make room for the expansion and that the curbs were raised a couple feet. and then the road was lifted to meet the curb. Is this really true?
Beach Road is still the same as it was 15 years ago except for a wildly successful seafood store, but what is with all the sand in the road and the weeds and the vacant lots? Doesn't anyone care?
And the police station. What? Vineyard Haven is proposing building a new one after only ten years? There seems to be some consistency in the planning and that is scary. At least locating it farther from the ferries will make it less obvious when the town refuses to control traffic as it comes and goes from the ferries. That must be great for the business community too. People are complaining in the papers quite a bit about business, and some want a beer and wine license. That would be fine I guess, or not, whatever, anything would help, but please, the town really needs to get a grip on some important issues first.
We love the Vineyard and probably would still stay in Vineyard Haven (we do love it), but perhaps the town should be a little bit more aware of its environs for everyone - locals and us tourists alike.
Jane and Mel Gagne
Madison, Wisc.
Asks zoning officials
to act
To the Editor:
This letter was sent to the Oak Bluffs zoning board of appeals:
Why has not the zoning board of appeals required Nancy's Restaurant to dedicate its four parking spaces for use by its customers with one of the spaces reserved for the disabled and handicap as provided in zoning bylaw section 7Å|1d?
As I have advised the board in three previous letters, the restaurant, the 50-seat addition, and the adjacent parking lot are located on Map 8, Parcel 284 which fronts Lake Avenue, is zoned BÅ|1, and is identified as #29 Lake Avenue. On March 22, 2000 the Zoning Board granted a special permit under Section 6 for an addition which use was limited to storage. In 2002 the Board Åelifted' the storage-only requirement. The owners, Douglas Abdelnour and/or Joseph Moujabber (the fact that these owners have transferred title back and forth is irrelevant since requirements and conditions run with the land) then changed the use by adding 50 restaurant seats. This change in use brought the parcel under the off-street parking requirements of Section 7Å|1d. Since, because of the location of the buildings on the property, the owners can provide only four of the required twelve parking spaces, the Board of Appeals should amend the special permit by granting a variance from the terms of 7Å|1d(5) and require that the four spaces be dedicated for use by restaurant customers and that one of these spaces be reserved for handicap.
When is the board going to act? The summer season will soon be over.
Joseph S. Vera
Oak Bluffs and Cambridge
Thanks, until next year
To the Editor:
We would like to thank all the women of the Martha's Vineyard Women's Slow-Pitch Softball League who have made this summer a huge success. Thanks to the other captains (Jackie Meehan, Nicole Gazaille, Jordan Clements and Jen Bernier, Jenna Gosson, and Sarah Ahern) who volunteered their time to organize the teams.
Thank you to all of our sponsors: Mocha Mott's, Long and Meehan, Summer Shades, Hideaway Pub, Dukes County Savings Bank, and Island Entertainment for supporting all of the players. Cheers to our committed Fans and Umpires!!!
A huge thank you to Ray Tattersall, Commissioner of the Men's Slow-Pitch Softball League, for his continued support and advice throughout the season. We couldn't have done it without you!
And most of all, the biggest thank you to Sarah Ahern, our league coordinator! If you didn't get this league off the ground we wouldn't be playing this summer.
Finally, we will be having our final All-Star Game and picnic on Tuesday, Sept 6. For those of you who have not seen your Island women play softball, come on out and support us next Tuesday.
Thanks again to everyone involved in our softball league, and we will see you all on the field next year.
Veronika Van de Geer
Captain
Mocha Mott's Creamers
Thanks from the
flea's friends
To the Editor:
The friends of the Oak Bluffs Council on Aging happily thank the following individuals and businesses for their support and contributions to our very successful Giant Flea and Artisans' Market held on August 13 at Waban Park: Chilmark Water, Coca-Cola, Dottie's Potties, Mike Achille, the Oak Bluffs Highway Department, the Oak Bluffs Parks Department, Vineyard Bottled Waters, and the donors who contributed items for our sale table. For their kind patience, we most especially want to thank those residents whose homes surround the park.
We would like to make this an annual event in our town. It was a tremendous financial success for us; with 55 vendors we earned over $1,400 to enhance our opportunity to provide financial support of events and programs at our senior center. Thank you to all.
Karen Achille, president
Friends of the Oak Bluffs Council on Aging
Volunteers make
a difference
To the Editor:
The Edgartown Free Public Library houses a busy community that relies heavily on its volunteers. These volunteers range in age from seven to forty-plus. What follows is a list of the activities that could not have occurred without them.
In the beginning of August, the Edgartown Free Public Library surveyed its users. The purpose of the survey was to take a snapshot of the typical summer patron and to integrate that picture into our expansion plans. The survey was administered by over 30 different volunteers to a sometimes overwhelming flood of patrons. We are now in the process of compiling these data and will be sharing it with the public when completed.
On Saturday, August 13, we held our first book sale at the Library Annex (the Captain Warren House). Again, we relied completely on the volunteers who successfully managed this event. Thanks to our volunteers' hard work, and the generous book donations of our community, we raised over $700. This money will be used to buy new or replacement books for our collection.
As for the volunteers who come weekly or sometimes daily, the gift of their time is invaluable. Without the shelving done by these volunteers, most of our collection would remain unusable.
The purpose of this letter is to convey to the citizens of Edgartown, the unique and abundant generosity of this volunteer community. The magnanimous spirit that I have seen since becoming director on July 11 stuns me. I hope that this letter is successful in conveying to each and every volunteer at our library that his or her time is appreciated.
Felicia Cheney, Director
Edgartown Free Public Library
Many to thank
To the Editor:
Thursday evening, August18, culminated months of hard work as Habitat for Humanity of Martha's Vineyard presented "Lorraine Graves and Friends," featuring principal dancers from the legendary Dance Theatre of Harlem and guests from the Todd Rosenlieb Dance Company, at the Martha's Vineyard Regional High School Performing Arts Center. The event was graciously sponsored by Morgan Stanley and an anonymous donor and we are most grateful for not only their financial support, but confidence in our organization and the work we do here on the Vineyard. And while the performance could not have taken place without their sponsorship, there were so many others that enabled the evening's success, and whom we take this opportunity to thank publicly:
Joe Pitt at the Gazette; Carrie Blair, et al at the M.V. Times.
All of our "ticket outlets": Aboveground Records, Alley's General Store, Bunch of Grapes, Craftworks and Our Market; Chilmark Chocolates.
Mark Seward and Nick Catt at Takemmy Linen Rental, Beth Vages at the Martha's Vineyard School of Ballet; the Edgartown School; volunteers who helped the evening of the event: Jamie Burgoyone, Nolan Burke, Maddie Haddon, Victoria and Wesley Haeselbarth, Emma Lee Iverson, Lief Iverson, Jeremy Meacham, Cara McClellan, Monica Miller, Fern Minor, Alexis Moreis, Mitchell Moreis, Al Shackman and Margo Urbany-Joyce; Holly Fierce of Hot Pot Catering; Kevin Cain, Chris Decker and Don Groover at the Tisbury Printer; Business Supporters: Bank of Martha's Vineyard, W.H. Bennet, Inc., Carroll and Vincent Real Estate, Dragonfly Gallery, Electronic Security Systems, Estrella Concrete, Farm Neck Foundation, F.E. Leslie Druggist, Harborside Realty, Hart Company, H.N. Hinckley and Sons, Hot Tin Roof, Hy-Line Cruises, International Business Machines, Island Affordable Housing Fund, Island Housing Trust, Island Insurance, Lambert Insurance Agency, McDonough and Co., Midnight Farm, M.V. Construction Co., M. V. Co-Operative Bank, M.V. Shipyard, Nancy's Nutrition, Permanent Endowment Fund, Rotary Club, Sandpiper Realty, Sparkle Window Cleaning, Neal Sullivan Design Build, West Chop Club; Greg Orcutt at WMVY; Habitat's Board Members particularly Al DeVito, Ron DiOrio, Lorna Giles and the Arbor Inn, Sonya Justus, Ben Moore, Mark Rasmussen and Michele Roberts; Jim Novack and Ernie Iannacone of the MVRHS Performing Arts Center.
Our lodging hosts: Lance Drummond, Rosemary Meacham, Michael Morrison and Holly andÅ]Andre Todd for their gracious hospitality.
Family and friends who helped out: Evangeline Costa, Karen and Skip Finely, Julie and Tom Willett, Eric Williams, III, Eric Williams, IV, Kyra Williams, Ricki Williams, Linda Thompson, Stephanie Thompson.
The Patrons who helped us to delightfully "sell-out" this venue; Lorraine Graves for the vision to create the union of dancers from Dance Theatre of Harlem and Todd Rosenlieb Dance Company and certainly last but not least, Morgan Stanley and our Anonymous Donor who opened the doors of possibilities with their financial support.
We are most grateful to one and all who helped to make our first summer event such a success and who have helped toward the completion of yet another Habitat home on this beautiful Island of Martha's Vineyard! As the Director of Development, one of my favorite quotes is from Winston Churchill and states: "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give!" Once again, thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who gave from their hearts!
Naina L. Williams of Oak Bluffs
Director of Development
Habitat for Humanity of Martha's Vineyard
Great success
To the Editor:
The preview opening reception for the Martha's Vineyard Fish Farm for Haiti benefit sale of Haitian art and treasures was a huge success, thanks to the generosity of many caring and sharing Vineyarders. Kim Nye donated the use of her building which formerly was home to the OB Flea Market; music performed by Judd Fuller and Dana Radford provided the perfect atmosphere; delicious gourmet hors d'oeuvres were donated by Tea Lane Caterers, the Net Result, V. Jaime Hamlin Catering and Party Design, and Jan Buhrman's Kitchen Porch. Service was provided by volunteers Virginia Sullivan, Martha Peterson, and Maxime Julia who were outfitted in bistro attire by Michael Brisson and Joan Parzanese, owners of l'Etoile restaurant. Wine and beverages were donated by Jim's Package Store, Tony's Market, Al's Package Store, and Town Provisions Company.
Much of the beautiful Haitian artwork was acquired during the two relief mission trips this past winter. These trips are organized to assess the progress of the Fish Farm Project and also to introduce individuals to Haiti's abject poverty with the hope that this firsthand experience will motivate everyone into action. The Fish Farm Project began in 1998 and has become our Island's response to another island in desperate need. Through local fundraising events on the Vineyard and private donations, five basins have been constructed in Lilavois, Haiti, in which Tilapia, a hardy fresh water fish, are being raised. Funds have been used to construct living quarters as well as the first level of a school which provided classrooms for 100 primary school children and 40 adolescent girls this past year.
This year's funds are earmarked to implement an irrigation system for the vegetable gardens, and continue construction on the school to include a kitchen and cafeteria where the children will one day benefit from a nutritious lunch. Lack of protein in their diet and unsafe drinking water are the main causes of the high mortality rate in Haiti.
We are grateful to the friends, sponsors, benefactors, angels, and guardian angels who made this event possible: the Martha's Vineyard Times, Adelphia, the Vineyard Gazette, WMVY, Jon and Marie Fischer, Faith Rafkind, Almost Heaven, Morning Glory Farm, SBS, Natural Food Barn, Bramhall & Dunn, My Courier, Ginny Coutinho, Cronig's Real Estate, The Cobbler Shop, Leslie's Drug Store, the Dairy Queen, Bowl & Board, 90 Main Street Market & Deli, SBS, the Clarion Hotel, Edgartown Residence Club, Mud Å| New York Street Coffee, Karen, Michael & Barbara Flynn, Jackie Flynn-Morgan of The Bite, Gary Fudem, Priscilla and Fred Thifault, Jack Greene, About Signs & Design, Cronig's Markets and Healthy Additions, and all those who attended the opening and purchased the artwork.
The show, which continued over two weekends, was a great success overall. Thank you and God bless you for your generosity to the poor.
Nancy Davies
Marianne Greene
Esther Gwynn
Margaret Penicaud
Meg Spokus
Jeanne Staples
Barbara Whitmore
Board Members of the Fish Farm for Haiti Project
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