Opinion
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the entire community of Martha’s Vineyard for their continued support of the high school athletic program. We had another very successful year. Of the 18 varsity sports programs at the high school, it is a pleasure to announce that 15 of the 18 programs saw post-season play during the 2011-12 school year. None of this success would be possible without the outstanding and dedicated athletes and coaches, along with the supportive parents, that are part of the athletic program at the school.
I was pleased to learn on Tuesday morning that the former Thimble Farm, the land that the CSA and others have been working for eight years to protect as an Island resource, has finally made it into the hands of an Island nonprofit. Island Grown Initiative (IGI) will be the new owners, thanks to Eric Grubman, who purchased the farm in 2007, and a very generous family from Chilmark.
Last Saturday there was a memorial service at the Martha’s Vineyard Unitarian Universalist Society on upper Main street in Vineyard Haven. The gathering of family and friends was for John Eggs, a unique individual. Several spoke up about their experiences with John. A few brought down the house with laughter. They all loved him and I think they all feel lucky. I’m one of them. Near the end of the hour, Peter Boak led the whole congregation in the singing of Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus. I never thought of this piece to be sung at a memorial service, but it was effective. If the church doors were open, they heard us at Five Corners.
As a 46-year-old woman and full-time resident, I felt compelled to write this in response to the job hunting experience I have had this spring. Early on I submitted my resume with 25 years of retail management and sales experience including a college degree in marketing to virtually every retail store in the three down-Island towns.
I went to the Tuesday selectmen’s meeting this week to talk about the new angled parking, but opted not to speak in the public comment time because very few listen with empathy. Politicians are funny birds; they know all and are best left to themselves.
It begins with a hiss, rises momentarily toward a cathedral organ blast, then fades to an echoing cry — ancient, urgent, soulful and powerful.
Before the end of the month, if all goes well, Vineyarders and visitors alike will hear this wail calling across Vineyard Haven harbor and, at other moments, along the Oak Bluffs shoreline for the first time since the late summer of 1973.