Joins Tennis Center

Damon Burke has joined the Vineyard Tennis Center, Workout and Spa as its new assistant director. A former Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School student, Mr. Burke has had a lifelong commitment to sports and fitness. He played soccer for Long Island University (Southampton and CW Post) and for the Kyoto Institute of Technology.

Vineyarders can now train here for certification that enables them to help prepare fresh local food in school cafeterias, an important piece of supporting Island food service staff and the extra work it takes to use fresh, rather than canned or frozen, food in school meals and snacks.

The ServSafe certification training will take place June 1 on the Vineyard, at the Portuguese-American Club in Oak Bluffs.

The women of Martha’s Vineyard were ablaze with enthusiasm as they gathered at the Old Whaling Church on the night of Tuesday, May 19, to hear a talk entitled: Seven Secrets of a Woman on Fire.

The Martha’s Vineyard Women’s Network year-end event welcomed life and executive coach Debbie Phillips to promote her national organization, Women on Fire, and to offer personal and career guidance to professional women of the Island.

Gas

Gas prices are on the move, and a recent article in the Boston Globe attributes the rise to the approach of Memorial Day and optimism about the economy. Wouldn’t we be more optimistic if gas prices stayed low? The local AAA chapter reports a 22-cent increase in a month’s time as the state average. On the Vineyard we’ve seen an average increase of 18 cents from April to May. This may be the first time the growth in our average cost of anything was lower than the rest of the state.

Gas

Menemsha Texaco still beats everyone’s price but Edgartown and Vineyard Haven have some bargains now.

Prices for regular unleaded gas as of May 6:

Edgartown

Airport Mobil $2.759 Depot Corner $2.699

Edgartown Mobil $2.759

Oak Bluffs

deBettencourt’s $2.789

Jim’s $2.729

Vineyard Haven

Citgo $2.699

Tisbury Shell $2.699

West Tisbury

Up-Island Automotive $2.759

Menemsha

Menemsha Texaco $2.599

A small business workshop called How to Grow Your Business in a Recession is set for tomorrow, Saturday, May 2, at the Harbor View Hotel in Edgartown. Professional business coach Ron Melbourne promises an interactive program showing how small businesses can implement market­ing plans and cash flow strategies to capitalize on their uniqueness. The idea is to use the current, challenging marketplace to grow business by setting yours apart from the competition.