This is the quiet time of year, when we put our gardens to bed, take out the flannel sheets, and dust off the Crock-Pots. We stack up jars of preserves and firewood and prepare for a long winter’s nap in the comfort of our homes. All of these routines and rituals make us feel safe and sound, ready to ride out any winter storms that might come our way. But if you’re less of a homebody and more of a social butterfly, there’s plenty to do, from the Vineyard Artisans Thanksgiving Festival at the Agricultural Hall on November 28 and 29 to Christmas in Edgartown from December 11 to 14. When you’re ready, we hope that your house will be a source of warmth and comfort to come home to.
What to Do
In the spring of 1994, a group of handy Islanders traveled to New Hampshire to take apart an old dairy barn, originally built in 1905, and bring it back to the Island. The following November, the barn was reassembled by hundreds of locals and the result was the Agricultural Hall in West Tisbury. Celebrate their efforts at the 31st annual Barn Raisers Ball on November 8 from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Ag Hall, of course. And, if you’re curious about timber framing, read our story about the technique on page 26 before you go.
What to Eat
There was a hole in the Island’s dining scene roughly the size and shape of a samosa and we’re all thankful that restaurateur Babu Kognati has stepped in to fill it. His new Indian restaurant is called Indigo and it opened this fall on Upper Main Street in Edgartown, where Sharky’s used to be. Kognati is co-owner, along with his partners at Rebel Foods Inc., which owns many restaurants off-Island. If you need us this winter, we’ll be trying out their chicken vindaloo, lamb seekh kebabs, and samosas with tamarind and mint chutneys.
What We Have Our Eyes On
The Vineyard Way has brought together the Conservation Society, BiodiversityWorks, and other groups to create a beautiful and useful resource that has us already dreaming of spring. Plant Local Martha’s Vineyard – A Nature-Based Landscaping Guide explains how to care for native plants, what plants to avoid, why you might want to reduce the size of your grass lawn in favor of other plants, and more. Find it at thevineyardway.org/plant-local-mv.
What’s Up and What’s Down
Forget about the New York Stock Exchange. We’ll tell you what’s up and what’s down on the Island, what’s rising and what’s falling. Remember: buy low, sell high.
What's Up:
Deer are everywhere on the Island and Vineyarders are facing the consequences, including the rise of tick-borne illnesses such as alpha-gal syndrome. In an effort to reduce the deer population, the state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife has approved an additional month of primitive firearms (muzzleloaders or archery equipment) deer hunting on Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket this season. The extra month runs through January 31, 2026.
What's Down:
Beginning this fall, the curtain is coming down at The Yard for a year-long pause. The Chilmark-based art and dance studio has been up and running since 1973, but is taking a break this year to rework its programming and financial model. Executive director Stephanie Pacheco told the Vineyard Gazette that the funding cuts that have been made under the current presidential administration played a role in the decision.
Numerology
12 – In an effort to protect striped bass numbers, the Atlantic State Marine Fisheries Commission has proposed a 12 percent cut in the commercial quota throughout the East Coast.
50 – The fish’s female spawning biomass is about 50 million pounds below the goal weight.
2029 – The commission hoped to replenish the stock by 2029, but that target may be slipping through their hands.
Well Said
“I’ve been asked if Wampanoags use iPhones and live in houses.”
– Joseph Lee, author of Nothing More of This Land (Atria/One Signal Publishers, July 2025), wrote about the questions he received while working at his family’s gift shop in Aquinnah in a guest essay for The New York Times this summer.
What to Read
The Story of CO₂ Is the Story of Everything by Peter Brannen (Ecco, August 2025)
We humans still seem to think the world revolves around what we make and do. What is the world, some might wonder, if not the cities, towns, highways, and parks we’ve built and the events that happen in them? Peter Brannen, an award-winning science journalist (and former reporter for the Vineyard Gazette) writes in his new book that, sure, the world is all those things but it’s the carbon dioxide in them that really tells the story of life. Brannen digs deep into the past to examine the impact of carbon stores, which have been buried in stone for millennia. And he imagines how carbon will continue to shape the future. In Brannen’s hands, a topic that could seem basic comes alive, thanks to his colorful writing, passionate assertions, and real-world examples. Brannen points to the influence of carbon dioxide in the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Dutch East India Company, and the Industrial Revolution, as well as the big picture of evolution – both human and otherwise.
