Share
Got a minute?
Here’s what’s happening on Martha’s Vineyard today.
A friendly reminder that our offices will be closed on Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday. We hope you enjoy the holiday and maybe get out and provide some volunteer work. If your friend sent you this, sign up for yourself here.
NOTE: This newsletter might be cut short by your email program. View it in full here.

Today's Minute is sponsored by: Island Housing Trust

Now is the perfect time to donate to the Island Housing Trust! Because of a generous $250,000 Matching Challenge Grant, your donation will go further than ever! To help build the year-round affordable housing we desperately need, please click here to DONATE now and make a lasting impact!
40 seconds in a whale's mouth
Do you remember Michael Packard, the Cape Cod lobsterman who was scooped into a humpback whale's mouth in 2021? On Sunday, the Martha's Vineyard Film Center is showing "In the Whale," a documentary on Packard's encounter, his experience of becoming international news, and his life before the whale. The Times caught up with filmmaker David Abel to discuss the making of his movie. Read more here.
Banner year
The Martha’s Vineyard Airport reported that almost 80,000 passengers flew to the Island on commercial planes in 2023, what is likely the highest on record. Airport officials are saying it’s not because of bigger or more planes flying into the airport, it’s that they’ve gotten more passengers onto the planes. Read that story here.

Let it burn
Southern pine beetles are a danger to trees on the Island, and the Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation is working with Tisbury officials to handle an outbreak at Phillips Preserve. The conservation group is working to receive permission from MassDEP to use an air curtain incendiary device to dispose of some of the infested wood that can’t be transported off-Island. Read more here.
MEETINGS

The Edgartown Select Board meets at 3:45 pm on Tuesday. Here is the agenda.

The Chilmark Select Board meets at 6 pm on Tuesday. Here is the
agenda.

The MVTimes: Our reporting makes a difference
Journalism that matters, where you need it, when you need it. Want more?
Quote of the Day
"I am in the process of retaining the Boston Pops with John Williams in residency, to perform there…I may also be able to get Richard Dreyfuss…to the island for a few days for this event."
— Mike Cochrane, grand-grandson of Universal founder Robert Cochrane on a 50th anniversary "Jaws" bash pitched for Aquinnah


Hot Topic Comment
"We zone areas as residential to prevent these types of conflicts. This does not seem to be nearly as complicated as the building inspector and select board would like us to believe."
— Bert Davis on Edgartown’s proposed "party" bylaw


Hot Topic Letter
From the MV Times archives in 2010: "Congratulations to Jim Gordon of Cape Wind. With all the red herrings tossed at him in the last nine years, a lesser man would have made fish chowder and called it quits."
— Ken Rusczyk wrote to us about a different wind project

Today: Enjoy a night of Jazz Music and Songs by the Jeremy Berlin Trio, Peter Halperin, Rose Guerin, Gordon Healey, Allison Roberts, and many more. PathwaysArts in Chilmark, 7 pm. Also on Sunday at 7 pm.

Transport yourself to contemporary Finland with the movie "Fallen Leaves," a romantic tragicomedy by an awardwinning filmmaker. Film Center, 7:30 pm.
This weekend: On Saturday, kids of all ages are welcome to join Claire Page at West Tisbury library for Moving Stories, where everyone can dance between the lines, 9:30 am. To pick up free books to take home, go to the Holiday Book Sale at the Chilmark library, 10:30 am to 5 pm. In the afternoon, you can bring your muse to the Little House Café for a Winter Forest Paint Party by Jazen's Art Studio, 1:30 pm. At Edgartown Cinema, catch a musical comedy written by Tina Fey, "Mean Girls," 3:45 pm and 6:30 pm, or a biography directed by George Clooney, "The Boys in the Boat," 6:30 pm.

On Sunday, pattern for the future and dream big with Rev. Janet Newton at Unitarian Universalist Society, in person or online, 10 am. To delve into a story on a grand scale, immerse in Donizetti's "Anna Bolena" Opera at the Edgartown library, 1 to 4 pm. For live music, enjoy a Chamber Music Society concert by baritone David Behnke and pianist David Rhoderick at the First Congregational Church of West Tisbury, 3 pm. Wrap up the day at the Film Center with "Monster," a dramatic thriller by an awardwinning writer and director, 7:30 pm. Enjoy the weekend!

Movies! Check out what's playing this weekend at Island theaters here.

Canine catnap
"Two F.Y.D.O. Bagel Dog Beds. 30" diameter, plush, deep purple, upholstery corduroy, removable covers. Made USA. Originally $130. Great condition. Just laundered. $75 each. 508-696-7799."

Click here for more finds in our Classifieds section.
Dining out?
The Barn Open Monday through Saturday 11:30 am to 11 pm for lunch, dinner & bowling. Text Barnmv to 508/696/9800 to receive deals & specials.

Click here for more details and specials

Restaurant owners: Are you open? Let our readers know, and support local journalism while doing so!

Contact jenna@mvtimes.com to discuss promoting your dining specials with the MV Times.



Staying in?
Enjoy creative comfort food with Winter Squash Recipes by Edible Vineyard co-editor Tina Miller, including a Butternut Squash and Brussels Sprouts Salad, Squash Soup with Manchego Croutons, and Acorn Squash Stuffed with Rosemary Goat Cheese Dip.

Click here to browse more recipes from the Island community.

Do you know this Islander? We'll throw all winning answers into a pot at the end of the month and someone will win their choice of a $100 gift certificate to an Island business or charity.
Email your answer to
newsletters@mvtimes.com, and let us know which day you are guessing about. For previous Do You Knows? see our archive.

Thursday's contest answer:
Mike Joyce
The Savannah sparrow
Distinguishing a Savannah sparrow from, well, any other kind of sparrow could be a difficult task. But for the birders out there, Wild Side columnist Matt Pelikan takes on this species, whose name originates from the Georgia city. The "conspicuous" bird likes shrubby areas or weedy woodland edges, and you can find them on the Island at this time of the year. Read more here.

We sent you The Minute because you gave us your email address at an Islanders Write or Islanders Read the Classics event (or at the Ag Fair), or you responded to an ad for The Minute and signed up on our website. The Minute will arrive Monday through Friday by the end of the workday, and features the day's news, important meetings and events, and even what to make for supper, along with some newsletter-only coupons and insider tips. We may produce special weekend editions and occasionally send you special offers from select advertisers. Got this forwarded from a friend? Sign up for yourself here. See past newsletters here.
Facebook
 
Twitter
 
Instagram

Email Marketing by ActiveCampaign