Nicholas Bradley

'Tis the Season to Embrace Differences

The Christmas holiday season can be a challenging time for American Jews and yet according to Rabbi Joshua Eli Plaut, PhD, former rabbi of the Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center, this has not always been the case.

 

 

 

Steam rose from many, many mugs of coffee on Saturday morning as the Martha’s Vineyard Book Festival began at the Harbor View Hotel in Edgartown. More than 30 authors attended the two-day festival, participating in readings and panel discussions at the Harbor View on Saturday and on the grounds of the Chilmark Community Center on Sunday.

The book festival has been held on the Vineyard every other summer since 2005, conceived and organized by Suellen Lazarus, a seasonal resident of Chilmark.

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A heavy Latin beat echoes through the woods in Vineyard Haven. On the top floor of a garage a young man hunches over his flashing DJ controller. Colorful waveforms trawl across a computer screen and two powerful speakers fill the room with bone-shaking bass drum and silky smooth melodies. The musical tension builds and in a flurry of knob-twisting and button-smashing, 23-year-old Vaughn Russillo once again becomes DJ Euphony. Mr. Russillo grew up on the Vineyard and got his start making hip hop beats with a pair of turntables and an extensive collection of vinyl records.
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The Tisbury Amphitheatre sits nestled in the woods just off State Road, by the Lake Tashmoo overlook. It’s well hidden, unless you know where to look. Follow a narrow path into the woods and soon you will encounter a clearing. At the foot of the hill, 11 actors in simple costumes stand ready to begin their production of William Shakespeare’s Henry IV. The dirt stage is bare, save for a picnic table and a few wooden crates. There are not nearly enough actors to play all the roles in the show. It is a simple production, and that’s just how director Scott Barrow wants it.

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When Labor Day weekend ends and the vast sea of tourists and summer residents begin to trickle home, Island businesses and restaurants feel the pinch. With so much of the Island’s consumer population disappearing, it isn’t always easy to keep turning a profit. For some, the Martha’s Vineyard Food and Wine Festival might be the solution. Established six years ago, the Food and Wine Festival gives restaurants and businesses the chance to continue their commercial success into the shoulder season.
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On a summer day in Oak Bluffs, Circuit avenue can sometimes feel like a circus. If you’re looking for some relief from the hot pavement and bustling crowds, follow the road down to the end of the main shopping area and turn right. You’ll stumble into Wesleyan Grove, a shady oasis filled with colorful cottages pulled straight from the pages of a storybook. This is the Camp Ground of the Martha’s Vineyard Camp Meeting Association.
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