Julia Rappaport
My childhood was of the dirt-beneath -the-fingernails variety. I spent fall afternoons uncovering salamanders from under old logs and trapping slugs to see if they did indeed wriggle up when sprinkled with salt. (They do.) Summer days found my cousins and me on Chilmark ponds filling buckets with blue crabs and moon jellies, and out on Sengekontacket digging for quahogs with our feet. My fingers and toes were immersed in dirt.
As the Chilmark shellfish department wraps up its first summer, efforts at spearheading restoration projects have been successful. Selectman Warren Doty, chairman of the board and liaison to the department, reported a low mortality rate among planted scallops and a very high production rate.
“It has been a very successful season,” he said.
To date, 100,000 scallop seed have been set to grow in an upweller, purchased by the town this spring and located in Menemsha, as well as in spat bags and pearl nets.
When anesthesiologist Stephen London first arrived at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital in the early 1990s as a summer fill-in, he was stunned by the technology. The machine, used by Dr. Malcolm Dunkley, the first anesthesiologist on the Vineyard, was all manual. There was nothing automatic on it. The outdated version would not be found in most hospitals nationwide, he said. But, Dr. London rolled up his sleeves and went to work. He is a man who makes the most of the materials in front of him.
On Sunday afternoon, a plaque will be unveiled in West Tisbury in celebration of a small group of town women who, nearly 50 years ago, took a little risk to play a part in a glorious, heroic and sweeping change in our national history.
What use is tradition if it cannot be passed on to younger generations? Since 2000, the FARM Institute in Katama has been teaching the rich Island tradition of farming to younger generations. Through hands-on experiences, the farm staff ever since has churned out hundreds of young farmers and informed little eaters. The institute recently kicked off its fall program, rich with diverse opportunities, and is inviting students of all ages to stop by.
Move over Cannes. Sundance, save your films for a rainy day. The second annual Martha’s Vineyard International Film Festival was in town this weekend and the roster combined the best of festival award winners, local documentaries and Academy Award nominees.
“It was excellent,” co-director Navette Previd said. “The attendance was fantastic, the audiences were excited about the film selections and the parties were a smash success.”