Through Aug. 31. The annual August Blues fishing tournament, a fundraiser for Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy, invites all anglers to pursue bluefish. Prizes in boat, beach and junior categories. For more information, to register and to donate, visit augustbluesnantucket.com
Nantucket Race Week
Through Aug.17, Nantucket Harbor and various locations around town. Nantucket Race Week, the annual benefit for Nantucket Community Sailing, features 10 days of sailboat racing, regattas and social events culminating Aug. 17 with the Opera House Cup, the premier wooden sailboat race on the East Coast. For more information, visit www.nantucketraceweek.org
Yoga on the Bandstand
7:30 a.m. Monday through Saturday, Children’s Beach Bandstand, Harborview Way. The Nantucket Office of Culture and Tourism hosts an hour of yoga on the bandstand.
Island Calendar
Dance Party in the Garden
9:45 a.m. Atheneum Garden, 1 India St. Cory Morgan leads an energetic, joyfilled dance time for babies and children with songs, silly dance moves and fun challenges like Freeze Dance and the Cha-Cha Slide. Bring a blanket. Canceled in the event of inclement weather.
Behind the Seams
10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, Nantucket Whaling Museum, 13 Broad St. Organized by the Nantucket Historical Association, “Behind the Seams: Clothing and Textiles on Nantucket” presents more than 150 objects from the NHA’s costume and textile collections to tell stories of making, meaning and island identity from across Nantucket history. Free with museum admission.
Green
Crab Fertilizer Workshop
10 a.m. Maria Mitchell Aquarium, 32 Washington St. Learn how to control the population of invasive European green crabs by turning them into fertilizer for your garden.
THURSDAY, PAGE 20
Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra featuring The World’s #1 Tribute to BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN and the E Street Band, Bruce in the U.S.A. nantuckethospital.org/pops
Courtesy of Gregory Chotkowski
The third annual August Blues fishing tournament runs through the end of the month, with prizes in a number of different categories.
Folk-rockers Night Hawk find beauty in the in-between
By Kendall Graham kgraham@inkym.com
A near-empty diner glows like a fishbowl on a city street corner. The figures in Edward Hopper’s iconic “Nighthawks” painting don’t speak. They sit under harsh light, in isolated company, locked in a moment that is neither beginning, middle nor end.
That atmosphere of quiet tension, suspended moments between decisions, is where Night Hawk thrives.
The band’s debut album, “Before We Begin,” released today, doesn’t just tip its hat to Hopper, it builds a world out of the same unsettling quiet.
Born out of isolation and creative restlessness, Night Hawk, helmed by songwriters Peyton Semjen and Colter Adams, originally formed in Brunswick, Maine, where the two were students at
Bowdoin College.
What started as a creative-writing experiment shifted when the pandemic hit in 2020. Semjen found herself drawn deeply into Hopper’s work, seeing a reflection of her own disposition. She was attracted to what she described as the surreal and eerie feelings she got from his paintings.
“I’m an art history minor and a general admirer of art, and I found Hopper’s work during this time to be super-influential to my general demeanor,” she said.
“A lot of isolation and this idea of voyeurism truly struck me during a time where we weren’t really meeting with a ton of people or having a lot of social interaction.”
Courtesy of Night Hawk
Indie alt-rockers Night Hawk will play Cisco Brewers Sunday.
Courtesy of Night Hawk
Night Hawk released its debut album “Before We Begin” this week.
MusACK
Visit tallshiplynx.org for our weekly schedule during August.
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC FOR SUNSET SAILS & DAY SAILS ALSO AVAILABLE FOR PRIVATE CHARTERS: Weddings Receptions Special Events & More!
Terroir from the ground up: Sonoma and Napa
By Peter McEachern I&M Columnist
The crunch of loose gravel beneath my boots has become my meditation. Each careful step through Sonoma and Napa’s vineyard trails demands my full attention. One misplaced foot could mean a twisted ankle miles from anywhere.
But then I pause, breathe and lift my eyes to horizons that steal whatever breath I have left. Those sweeping vistas are dangerous in their own way, whispering seductive promises of “just one more ridge” until I’ve wandered so far that my planned hour hike stretches into an entire afternoon.
The return journey always feels twice as long, but somehow I never learn. Those California wine country views are an addiction I’m not interested in curing.
The rolling hills of California’s North Bay conceal a dramatic geological story written in stone, soil and vine.
While Napa Valley and Sonoma County sit mere miles apart, their wines tell vastly different tales: stories that begin not in the vineyard, but deep beneath the Earth’s surface, where ancient forces have sculpted two of the world’s most celebrated wine regions.
The foundation of flavor
Understanding why a Napa Cabernet Sauvignon tastes distinctly different from a Sonoma Cabernet requires a journey through geological time. The soils
Courtesy of Peter McEachern
The rolling hills of California’s North Bay – the Napa Valley and Sonoma County – conceal a dramatic geological story written in stone, soil and vine.
Photo by Gerald Corsi
Pepperwood Preserve after a major fire in Santa Rosa, Calif. with the Mayacamas Mountains in the background.
Wine Cellar
that cradle these vines are the product of millions of years of tectonic activity, volcanic eruptions, and erosion, each process leaving its signature in the glass.
Napa Valley: Born from fire and pressure
Napa Valley’s dramatic landscape bears the scars of its tumultuous geological birth. The valley sits within the larger context of the San Andreas Fault system, where the Pacific and North American plates have been grinding against each other for millennia.
This tectonic dance has created a complex mosaic of soil types that would make any geologist’s heart race.
The valley’s eastern mountains, the Vaca Range, are composed primarily of sedimentary rocks from ancient ocean floors that were uplifted and folded during the region’s formation.
These rocks have weathered into the valley’s famous red volcanic soils, rich in iron oxide and well-draining, and are perfect conditions for Cabernet Sauvignon’s deep root systems.
But it’s the volcanic activity that truly defines Napa’s geological character. The Mayacamas Mountains to the west are dotted with ancient volcanic cones, and volcanic ash deposits blanket much of the
valley floor.
This volcanic heritage has created Napa’s signature soil types: the welldrained, mineral-rich substrates that stress vines just enough to produce concentrated, age-worthy wines.
The famous Rutherford Dust – a fine, powdery soil found in Napa Valley’s heart – is decomposed volcanic material mixed with alluvial deposits. This soil type is so
distinctive that it’s often credited with ,giving Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon its characteristic “dusty” tannins and earthy complexity.
Sonoma: A tapestry of terroirs
Sonoma County’s geology tells a more diverse story. From the Pacific Coast to the inland valleys, Sonoma encompasses a bewildering array of soil types and
microclimates, each contributing to the county’s reputation for producing exceptional wines from virtually every grape variety.
The western reaches of Sonoma, including the Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast, are dominated by marine sedimentary rocks, primarily sandstone and shale formations once part of the ocean floor. These soils are typically more acidic and retain moisture better than Napa’s volcanic soils, creating ideal conditions for cool-climate varieties like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
The Goldridge soil series throughout the Russian River Valley exemplifies Sonoma’s geological diversity. This sandy loam, formed from weathered sandstone, provides excellent drainage while retaining enough moisture to support the delicate Pinot Noir vines that have made the region famous.
Moving inland, the Alexander Valley and Dry Creek Valley showcase different geological influences. Alluvial soils deposited by ancient rivers create deeper, more fertile conditions. The gravelly benchlands of Alexander Valley, in particular, are reminiscent of Bordeaux’s Left Bank, producing structured Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with remarkable aging potential.
CELLAR, PAGE 22
Photo by Jerrad Scoggins
The cliffs at Bodega Head in Bodega Bay, Sonoma County, Calif.
“When We Flew Away” a fictional look at Anne Frank before the diary
By Claire Henneman Contributing Writer
This past April I had the opportunity to tour the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam.
To no surprise it was one of the most moving experiences I have ever encountered in my life. I have not read Anne Frank’s diary in full since I was in the eighth grade.
Reading Anne’s diary is a duty I feel we all must follow through on. It teaches us that we must never let what happened to Anne and all others murdered in the Holocaust happen again.
Good Reads
Alice Hoffman wrote “When We Flew Away” this year. It is a fictionalized version of Anne Frank’s life before we know her from the diary we all know so well.
“When We Flew Away” is a novel told from the perspective of Anne from the ages of 10 to 13. It focuses heavily on contrasting the two Frank sisters, Anne, the naughty little sister, and Margot, the book-smart older sister.
Anne is consistently trying to convince Margot to break the rules for a change and is on occasion successful in her attempts.
Hoffman also highlights the incredible relationship Anne had with her father Otto. Otto and Anne shared a love of stories and Otto is no doubt the reason Anne began writing stories for herself in her diary.
Hoffman also showcases the sometimes strained relationship Anne shared with her mother Edith.
As the novel progresses and Anne grows older, the harsh realities of hatred are continually revealed. Anne, a free-spirited young girl, is forced into fear and silence, unable to experience adolescence in the way all children are meant to.
Anne’s favorite things like ice cream
dates and playing in the park were stripped from her, all because she was Jewish and some thought lesser of her for that.
Although the reader knows of Anne’s ultimate fate, the novel showcases the unwavering faith Anne had in good winning over evil.
Anne dreamed of moving to California and experiencing an entirely different life where she was free to be a girl and live a life without so much hatred.
Instead, Anne is memorialized as a girl who never got to grow up. All because for a
READS, PAGE 24
Alice Hoffman
Òran Mór: Fine dining with a conscious mindset
By Francesca Giangiulio fgiangiulio@inkym.com
Òran Mór chef and owner Edwin Claflin wants to show Nantucket that fine dining doesn’t have to mean opulence, excess, or exclusivity.
Now in his tenth season running the South Beach Street restaurant, he’s focused on creating high-quality dishes with unique ingredients, without the island’s all-too-common sticker shock.
“We try to keep our menu prices as affordable as possible while either looking toward different categories for luxury or changing up the ingredients to something we think is just as delicious but offers a better value,” Claflin said.
He knows how hard it’s become for both islanders and visitors to afford a fine-dining experience on the island.
But he sees Òran Mór as a chance to remind people of the tradition of high-end cuisine on Nantucket, just without the ego or inflated prices.
“It’s important to maintain Nantucket as a place people want to come visit, but it has to be affordable in certain ways,” he
Let’s Eat!
said. “We want people to leave surprised by how good things were or how our service standard was.”
Òran Mór has been a mainstay on Nantucket since the mid-1990s, known for its intimate dining rooms and elevated menu. When Claflin took over in 2016, he made a point to honor the restaurant’s history, even studying old menus to maintain its essence.
“There are definitely dishes that are considered Òran Mór classics,” he said. “Even though it’s my restaurant, I want to make the guests as happy as possible and continue to give them what they want.”
Still, Claflin has made the space his own. He expanded the balcony to add outdoor seating and turned part of the first floor into a private dining room for larger groups. The result is a mix of cozy elegance upstairs and a livelier option downstairs.
“We’re a collection of really intimate,
Photo by Francesca Giangiulio
Òran Mór’s Long Island Duck Duo is served thinly sliced alongside pommes fondant with cranberry mostarda and choucroute garnie.
Photo by Francesca Giangiulio
The Roasted Berkshire Pork Chop is slightly sweet with a crunchy, herby rub, served with sweet-and-sour cabbage, roasted root vegetables and herbed spätzle.
Photo by Francesca Giangiulio
Chef Edwin Claflin’s Black Truffle Honeyed Local Beets combine golden and red beets over whipped ricotta, with pistachio-arugula pesto, beet chips, chopped pistachios and a black truffle Champagne vinaigrette.
small dining rooms,” he said. “We try to maintain that romantic feel upstairs, and if people want a more boisterous time, they can be in a private dining room.”
His only real non-negotiable? Pasta.
“We’re known for our pastas now. They’re not Italian in style, not French in style,” he says. “They are flavorful, forward pastas with unique presentations and flavor combinations.”
He tells me about a spring special: pasta made from spring onions, tossed with crab meat, crème fraîche, Champagne-braised mushrooms and topped with caviar.
“Yes, it’s a luxury offering, but we’re trying to make something delicious and atypical, which is fun,” Claflin said.
Unfortunately for me (and for all of us, really), this pasta is no longer on the menu, and I want to try it so badly.
“The style of food that we’ve done here is delicious, cravable, but then often surprisingly healthy,” he said. “We have other things that are just for gluttonous self-enjoyment, but we try to balance it out so people can have a good dining experience with really fresh local vegetables as well.”
Claflin’s cooking is light, playful and vegetable-forward. His Black Truffle Honeyed Local Beets appetizer is a perfect example: golden and red beets over whipped ricotta, with pistachio-arugula
54 MAIN STREET 508-228-1080
pesto, beet chips, chopped pistachios and a black truffle Champagne vinaigrette.
The beets were earthy and sweet, the ricotta creamy and salty, and the textures – crunchy, soft, crisp – kept each bite interesting.
“It’s a very simple presentation, but it has some luxury ingredients,” Claflin said. “People are blown away by how something so simple can be executed at a high level.”
The black truffle honey? Made inhouse from leftover truffle shavings from the bucatini dish.
It’s part of a broader philosophy: source locally, make in-house, waste nothing. Bread service, spirits, dressings, sorbets and pastries are all made on site.
A section of the menu even shouts out all the local farms and purveyors that Òran Mór supports.
“We focus on North Atlantic seafoods, keeping things as local as possible, and trying to be a little bit more environmentally conscious as well,” Claflin said.
That’s also why beef is off the menu. Instead, Òran Mór serves venison, bison and other red meats with a lighter environmental footprint.
Claflin’s dedication to sourcing and scratch cooking goes back to his childhood on Nantucket. He grew up in a
EAT, PAGE 25
Mark "Pathfinder" Epstein
Fri day August 8
10:30am -12pm Mitchell's Book Corner
25 BROAD STREET
508-228-4000
Brooke Lea Foster
Sunday August 10 10:30am -12pm Mitchell's Book Corner
Tuesday August 12 10:30am - 12pm Peter Hoey author of The Magi-Scope Mitchell's Book Corner
Photo by Francesca Giangiulio
The chocolate mousse doughnut is coated in ganache, with flat white frozen custard, cajeta caramel and dulce de leche.
Ram Pasture alive with biodiversity at height of summer
By Neil Foley I&M Columnist
There is no way around it, the wilds of Nantucket are crispy.
The state still labels us as being in a mild drought for now, but the wetlands are low and the plants are feeling the excessive heat without a break for rain.
When (or if) the rain does come I hope it falls in a more gentle and sustained manner over the course of a few days. A deluge of rainfall after such prolonged drought can and will lead to further problems with erosion and topsoil degradation.
On the way down Madaket Road, at a well-placed water fountain, take the unassuming dirt road without a sign.
These unlabeled dirt roads are always a ticket to prime island adventures, so do not fear the bumps and puddles. About a mile down the road is a sharp left turn that leads to the west gate of Ram Pasture, an entry to the popular trail network that stretches from the parking lot at Sanford Farm all the way to the Atlantic Ocean.
When the English arrived in 1659, they established relationships with the sachems of the Wampanoag and set their original homesteads along the western side of Capaum Pond.
As the families continued to grow and expand so did the spread of homes, spreading southward along Hummock Pond to an area known as The Long Woods and Nanahuma’s Neck.
In 1664 they paid 25 pounds to a few sachems and representatives of the Wampanoag for the rights to use this land.
It was here in 1667 that the first regulations against the “felling of green timber’”were put in place to protect these patches of scraggly pitch pines, black cherries and assorted oaks from overexploitation for firewood, posts or boards.
We can see on our modern GPS that there are two ponds here, Hummock Pond
Photo by Neil Foley
Atop the hill at the Ram Pasture barn, before descending into the sandplain grasslands.
Photo by Neil Foley
A tiger beetle actively hunting on Ram Pasture’s sandy trails.
Walk With Neil
Shane Couch, A Close Start, 1930 America’s Cup Race 14th America’s Cup challenge between defender Enterprise and Shamrock V 2023, oil on canvas, 30 x 40 in.
Photo by Bob Lyons
PROFUSION OF COLOR: Using golf carts to pick fresh flowers at Moors End Farm off Polpis Road last week.
Eclectic variety hallmark of Cavalier Gallery’s art
By Anna Popnikolova Contributing Writer
I can’t remember a time in my childhood when Bjorn Skaarup’s merry “Hippo Dancer” was not gracing Cavalier Gallery’s sculpture garden. Even when I was little, she always had her red and white striped hula hoop in hand, little bronze tutu, dancing away.
Next to Skaarup’s ballerina, for just as long, is Jim Rennert’s “Hustler.”
Larger than life, stooped and mouthless, briefcase in hand, the Hustler was always going somewhere. The two of them were always there together, dancing and hustling in rain or shine.
In this way, I knew Cavalier before I knew Cavalier. The interior of the gallery has just as perfect a balance between work and play, fantastical and serious, whimsical and classical.
“We bring in a nice variety of work –
it’s not one style or one period, it allows us to have a broad appeal,” said Lindsey Ebanks, the gallery’s executive director. “We like to keep a big mix on view here on the island.”
Cavalier Galleries started in Connecticut in 1986, and opened its Nantucket space in 2000, moving a couple of different times before settling in its current location, on the corner of Federal and India streets. Ebanks oversees operations not just on the island, but in Connecticut, New York, and Florida.
“One of the things that is integral to our space here on Federal Street is our sculpture. Being able to show large-scale sculpture is really important to us. We love to bring old favorites and exciting new pieces to showcase in our sculpture garden,” she said.
In addition to Skaarups’ ballerina, the garden has recently welcomed
ART, PAGE 26
Courtesy of Cavalier Galleries
Bjorn Skaarup’s “Hippo Dancer.”
Courtesy of Cavalier Galleries
Harry Benson’s “Berlin Kiss.”
Courtesy of Cavalier Galleries
Stephen Pitliuk’s satirical work pokes fun at Nantucket norms.
Sylvia Antiques at the intersection of history and art
By Anna Popnikolova Contributing Writer
The wind lashes the fogged windows of Sylvia Antiques. It is early August, but the Nantucket weather seems to think it’s October already. This is, of course, the perfect weather for antiquing.
The brass latch on the front door of Sylvia Antiques at the bottom of Main Street rattles as I sneak in, thrilled to escape the morning rain, which is more of a thick mist than anything.
John Sylvia, the current owner of his grandfather’s antiques shop, sits down across from me for our interview, lamenting the cold. He is wearing shorts, and jokes he might have to go across the street to buy a pair of pants.
Sylvia Antiques has been overlooking cobbled Main Street since Frank Sylvia opened the shop in 1927. As the island has changed and keeps changing, some things have stood the test of time, and stayed the same.
As John Sylvia and I chat, an antique figurehead stares down at us from her regal mount on the wall behind his head.
Draped in plum purple and teal, hair pulled back from her calm eyes, her smooth round face looks determined, ready for anything. He looks up at her.
“This is a great piece of art, right? It’s folk art. It’s a figurehead. It’s nautical, but it’s folk art. Then you look over here, and you see this . . .”
To Sylvia’s right, shiny Italian plates sport painted messages about meeting “THY GOD.”
Large pink and white sailor’s valen-
tines are perched on the shelf above, stunningly ornate, down to the perfect angle of every shell.
“And it’s a weird thing to have them together. I hate using the word eclectic, I don’t want to be eclectic,” Sylvia said. “My base is folk art. There were so many talented people here and there still are. My vibe is just folky, funky stuff. It’s not a Ralph Lauren vibe, it’s my vibe.”
The great thing about owning a nearly century-old business, Sylvia tells me, is that items recycle over the years. A large portion of his inventory is made up of items from the island, some of which come and go from the shop over the years.
“If you’re 82 years old and you’re selling your house you might have bought something 50 years ago from my grandfather. So, I’m buying it back.”
The shop is packed with lightship baskets, with and without ivory adornments, paintings, carvings, jewelry and furniture. The jewelry case at the front door displays a neat row of ivory bangles with bamboo weaving, lightship style.
The baskets, of course, are the star of the show. They are large and small, round and ovular, light and dark, with lids and without.
I think: here’s a basket for everyone. The baskets sit patiently, waiting to be picked up and taken home. Some of the shop’s baskets are antique, and others are contemporary, made by local and regional weavers.
The shop carries a delightful balance of classically beautiful pieces with some more exciting contemporary takes on Nantucket life. In the back room, I watch faded wooden whales swim to the west,
Courtesy of Sylvia Antiques
An antique Nantucket-style Windsor chair.
Courtesy of Sylvia Antiques
An antique American eagle piece.
Courtesy of Sylvia Antiques
A Nantucket lightship basket with ornate carving.
The history of Jetties Beach and island swimming
Jetties Beach, Aug. 20, 1920.
By Barbara Ann White Contributing Writer
After the Civil War, sports in the United States proliferated and many became organized. There were more people with disposable income and the time to take vacations. One of these sports was swimming.
Even though they lived on an island, most early Nantucketers did not know how to swim, and fishermen often drowned.
As Nantucket began to cater to tourism in the mid-1870s, the island’s beaches were promoted for the new sport of swimming.
In 1875, Captain Matthew Webb of England became a celebrity as the first person to swim the English Channel and his fame helped to spread the sport’s pop-
From the Museum
ularity. In 1882, Webb visited Nantucket and gave a well-attended swimming exhibition at Surfside Beach.
Swimming was accessible to women which helped to popularize it. The Inquirer and Mirror advised island girls in 1870, “It is quite time you began to swim,” promoting swimming as a “powerful and hygienic agent” and “exhilarating exercise.”
At a special town meeting in 1904, the town voted unanimously to lease what is now called Jetties Beach to Clifford Folger. Although Folger was from Framingham, he reminded voters of his Nantucket roots. He told the meeting that he did not like the idea of the beach falling into
the control of “parties who were not Nantucketers or interested in Nantucket.” He pitched that, if the beach were to end up in the hands of unscrupulous off-islanders, it could be “made into a class of resort which the people of Nantucket did not want on the island.” He was given a fifteen-year lease for $350 per year. It was called “Cliff Bathing Beach.”
Folger built a multipurpose pavilion the first year where food was served and bathrooms provided. People could change into their swimming costumes in several rows of bathhouses.
The beach began to be called “Jetties” in 1937 because of its location by the jetties that form the entrance to Nantucket Harbor. (The jetties were built between 1889 and 1911 and recently refurbished.)
Today, Jetties is a public beach super-
vised by lifeguards and a bus is available to transport beachgoers from town. It is a popular beach especially for families with young children because the shallow beach on Nantucket Sound is protected from the heavy surf of the island’s southern beaches.
The original pavilion is still in use, housing a restaurant, changing rooms and a store. In addition to beach activities such as beach volleyball, sailboat and kayak rentals, there are public tennis courts and a playground.
To learn more about the history of the island, visit the Nantucket Whaling Museum, 13 Broad St., open daily, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Visit www.nha.org to book your visit.
Courtesy of Nantucket Historical Association
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Curious about the I&M? Enjoy a brown bag lunch with Executive Editor Joshua Balling
12pm - 1pm at The Inquirer and Mirror
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Island Calendar
Theatre Workshop of Nantucket’s “Million Dollar Quartet” runs through Aug. 23 at Bennett Hall. See Aug. 7 listing, page 21, for details.
(Thursday, continued from page 3)
Historic Downtown Walking Tour
10:45 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday, Nantucket Whaling Museum, 13 Broad St. Walk through historic downtown Nantucket with a museum guide and discover the unique history of the island. The tour transports visitors on a journey through Nantucket’s past and tells the story of the rise and fall of the whaling industry, the rise of tourism and the impacts the island’s economy had on social and racial development on Nantucket.
Community Quilt Display
11 a.m.-4 p.m. Greater Light, 8 Howard St. The culmination of the Nantucket Historical Association’s Behind the Seams exhibition, a community quilt made from more than 100 decorated panels, will be on display. Through Aug. 9. Free.
Live Music: Phantom Planet
1 p.m. Cisco Brewers, 5 Bartlett Farm Road. Los Angeles-based rock band Phantom Planet, perhaps best known for its song “California,” theme song of the TV series “The O.C.,” will perform. $25 cover.
Sconset Walking Tour
3 p.m. 1 New St., Sconset. Join Nantucket Preservation Trust executive director Mary Bergman as she shares her knowledge of this unique fishing settlement at the eastern edge of the island. The 75-minute tour focuses on the early “whale houses” as well as the village’s boom as a seaside resort and actors colony. Tickets at nantucketpreservation.org
Live Music: Crushville
4 p.m. Cisco Brewers, 5 Bartlett Farm Road. Classic rock, pop and soul band Crushville will perform. Second show Friday.
Art Opening: Hostetler Gallery
5 p.m. Hostetler Gallery, 42 Centre St. The Hostetler Gallery will host an opening reception for “Feeling the Freedom,” its exhibition of work by Adi Oren.
Art Talk and Exhibition
5 p.m. Artists Association of Nantucket Big Gallery, upstairs at 12 Straight Wharf. Frank Verpoorten, executive director and chief curator of the Naples Art Institute, will discuss his role as juror for the AAN’s 2025 Hale Juried Exhibition. Free.
Photo by Bill Hoenk
“Beetlejuice Jr.”
5:30 p.m. Dreamland Theater, 17 South Water St. The Dreamland Stage Company presents “Beetlejuice Jr.,” the musical adaptation of the popular film geared toward young audiences. Visit www.nantucketdreamland.org for tickets and additional dates.
Live Music: Jacob Butler
6 p.m. The Rose & Crown, 23 South Water St. Nantucket singer-songwriter Jacob Butler will perform.
Preservation Trust August Fete
6-9 p.m. Eleanor Ham Pony Field, 10 Mill St. Nantucket Preservation Trust hosts its 20th annual August Fete, an elevated block party including house tours, cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, raw bar, live music and Sense of Place auction. Tickets at www.nantucketpreservation.org
“Million Dollar Quartet”
7 p.m. Bennett Hall, 62 Centre St. Theatre Workshop of Nantucket presents “Million Dollar Quartet,” a fictional adaptation of the night in 1956 when music legends Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins
Island Calendar
and Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley came together for a once-in-a-lifetime jam session at Sun Records. Through Aug. 23. Visit www.theatrenantucket.org for tickets, additional times.
Ice Out ALZ
7:30 p.m. Cisco Brewers, 5 Bartlett Farm Road. Olympic gold and silver medal-winning women’s hockey player AJ Mleczko Griswold hosts this benefit for Alzheimer’s disease research, treatment and awareness. Tickets and sponsorships at iceoutalz.com
“Theatre People, or the Angel Next Door”
7:30 p.m. Nantucket Performing Arts Centre, 5 North Water St. ACK presents the comedy “Theatre People, or the Angel Next Door.” Through Aug. 14. Tickets and additional times at www.nantucketperformingarts.org
Live Music: Brother Other
8 p.m. Brotherhood of Thieves, 23 Broad St. New England acoustic Americana duo Brother Other will perform. Additional shows Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
CellarBuyer &
Live Music: Hanson
8 p.m. The Muse, 44 Surfside Road. Hanson, best known for its global pop hit “MMMBop,” will perform. Tickets at Eventbrite.com
Owl Prowl
8 p.m. Maria Mitchell Association, 4 Vestal St. Join MMA field ornithologist and I&M columnist Ginger Andrews to listen for the calls of nocturnal animals and birds and watch for owls as they begin their nightly activity. Tickets on calendar page of www.mariamitchell.org
Full Moon Nature Walk
9 p.m. Location provided upon registration. Maria Mitchell Association executive director Joanna Roche leads a peaceful one-hour walk up to two miles on uneven terrain under the light of the full moon. Enjoy the tranquility of the quiet night sky and learn about our moon’s current themes and its symbolism. Register on calendar page of www.mariamitchell.org
Live Music: The Beat Drops
10 p.m. The Chicken Box, 6 Dave St. Boston-based party band The Beat Drops will perform. 21 and over. Tickets at the door. Additional shows Friday and Saturday.
Live Music: Local Notes
10 p.m. The Rose & Crown, 23 South Water St. Nantucket’s own rock and roll band Local Notes will perform.
Live Music: Old Mervs
10 p.m. Gaslight Nantucket, 3 North Union St. Australian indie rock band Old Mervs will perform. 21 and over.
Friday, Aug. 8
Polpis Harbor Kayak
10 a.m. Location upon registration. Nantucket Conservation Foundation coastal ecology research technician Jisun Reiner and environmental educator Isaac Hersh lead this paddle on Polpis Harbor and discuss harbor health and saltmarsh ecology. Free with registration on events page of www.nantucketconservation.org
Book-Signing: Mark Epstein
10:30 a.m. Mitchell’s Book Corner, 54 Main St. Mark “Pathfinder” Epstein will sign copies of his new book, “Cape Dreams: A Season with the Brewster Whitecaps.”
FRIDAY, PAGE 23
Simpson
The wildly imaginative play about one man’s job in Barbra Streisand’s basement mall.
Robbie
Cellar: Terroir from the ground up shapes the wines of Napa, Sonoma
(Continued from page 7)
The taste of terroir
These geological differences translate directly into the glass. Napa’s volcanic soils produce wines with greater mineral intensity and structure.
The well-drained nature of these soils stresses the vines, concentrating flavors and creating wines with firm tannins and excellent aging potential.
A Napa Cabernet Sauvignon often displays the hallmarks of its volcanic terroir: dark fruit flavors, structured tannins and a distinctive mineral backbone.
Sonoma’s more diverse geology creates equally diverse wine styles. The marine-influenced soils of the Russian River Valley produce Pinot Noirs with bright acidity and elegant structure.
At the same time, the region’s Chardonnays display a distinctive mineral tension that reflects their maritime terroir. The cooler climate and moisture-retentive soils allow longer hang times, developing complex aromatics and maintaining crucial acidity.
Climate and geology: A perfect partnership
The geological foundations of these regions work in concert with their climatic conditions to create truly distinctive terroirs.
Napa’s volcanic soils, combined with its Mediterranean climate, create ideal conditions for Bordeaux varieties. The valley’s protection from marine influence allows for consistent ripening and the development of the concentrated flavors that have made Napa Cabernet Sauvignon legendary.
Sonoma’s proximity to the Pacific Ocean and its diverse geological foundation create a patchwork of microclimates.
The marine sedimentary soils of the western regions, cooled by Pacific fog, provide the perfect environment for cool-climate varieties. In contrast, the warmer inland valleys with their alluvial soils excel with heat-loving varieties.
The future written in stone
Understanding these geological foundations becomes increasingly important as climate change reshapes California’s wine regions.
Napa’s well-drained volcanic soils may prove advantageous in a warming world, while Sonoma’s diverse terroirs offer flexibility for adapting to changing conditions.
Both regions are also exploring higher-elevation sites, where cooler temperatures and unique soil compositions promise new expressions of terroir.
In Napa, mountain vineyards planted on volcanic ridges produce wines of exceptional concentration and complexity. In Sonoma, coastal ridge plantings are revealing new dimensions of cool-climate winemaking.
Napa Valley: Masters of volcanic terroir
• Inglenook (Rutherford): Founded in 1879, Inglenook sits squarely on the famous Rutherford Bench, where the legendary Rutherford Dust soil reaches its finest expression.
Their estate Cabernet Sauvignon exemplifies how volcanic soils create wines with remarkable structure and aging potential. The estate’s gravelly, welldrained volcanic soils produce Cabernets with the characteristic “Rutherford Dust” tannins: firm yet silky and unmistakable earthiness that speaks directly to the volcanic terroir. Their wines consistently demonstrate the mineral intensity and structured backbone that volcanic soils are known for.
• Schramsberg (Calistoga): Perched high on Diamond Mountain, Schramsberg’s vineyards are planted directly on volcanic rock and ash deposits. With its excellent drainage and mineral-rich composition, this challenging terroir creates ideal conditions for their renowned sparkling wines.
The volcanic soils stress the vines enough to concentrate flavors while maintaining the bright acidity essential for premium sparkling wine production. Their Blanc de Blancs showcases how volcanic terroir can produce wines with intense minerality and remarkable aging potential.
• Mayacamas Vineyards (Mount Veed-
Meanwhile, their Lytton Springs vineyard, planted on alluvial soils and decomposed volcanic material, creates Zinfandel with intense concentration and complex earthy notes. Ridge’s approach to site-specific winemaking perfectly illustrates how Sonoma’s geological diversity translates into wine character.
• Hirsch Vineyards (Sonoma Coast):
Located just three miles from the Pacific Ocean, Hirsch Vineyards epitomizes the extreme marine influence on Sonoma’s coastal terroir. Their vineyards are planted on Franciscan sandstone and shale formations – ancient ocean floor deposits that create acidic, well-drained soils perfect for cool-climate varieties.
er): At 2,000 feet elevation on the volcanic slopes of Mount Veeder, Mayacamas demonstrates the extreme expression of Napa’s volcanic terroir. The estate’s red volcanic soils, formed from ancient lava flows and ash deposits, are so welldrained and mineral-rich that vines struggle to survive, producing incredibly concentrated, age-worthy wines.
Their Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot show the hallmarks of volcanic terroir: intense concentration, firm tannins and a distinctive mineral backbone that allows the wines to age gracefully for decades.
Sonoma County: Celebrating geological diversity
• Williams Selyem (Russian River Valley): This cult Pinot Noir producer showcases the marine sedimentary soils of the Russian River Valley to perfection. Their vineyards are planted primarily on the famous Goldridge sandy loam, formed from weathered marine sandstone.
This soil type provides excellent drainage while retaining enough moisture to support Pinot Noir’s delicate root system.
Williams Selyem’s wines demonstrate the elegant structure and bright acidity that marine-influenced soils produce, with their Pinot Noirs displaying the characteristic tension between power and finesse that defines great Russian River Valley wines.
• Ridge Vineyards (Sonoma County): With vineyard sites spread across Sonoma’s diverse geological landscape, Ridge masterfully demonstrates how different soil types create distinct wine characters. Their Monte Bello vineyard sits on ancient marine sedimentary rock, producing Cabernet Sauvignon with remarkable minerality and structure.
Combined with these marine sedimentary soils, the maritime influence produces Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays with exceptional minerality, bright acidity and the kind of tension that only comes from vines growing in challenging coastal conditions.
Conclusion: Reading the landscape
The next time you taste a wine from Napa or Sonoma, remember that you’re experiencing the culmination of geological processes that began millions of years ago.
Each sip carries the signature of ancient volcanoes, uplifted sea floors and the slow dance of tectonic plates. In these two neighboring regions, geology has created beautiful landscapes and the foundation for some of the world’s most distinctive and celebrated wines.
And so, as I finally descend from those fog-kissed ridges, my pockets heavy with soil samples and my mind spinning with stories of ancient volcanoes and uplifted ocean floors, I realize that every stumble on those treacherous trails has been worth it.
Each glass of wine I’ll pour tonight will taste different now, not just of fruit and oak, but of time itself.
The Rutherford Dust will speak to me of fire and pressure, the Russian River Pinot will whisper tales of ancient seas. These wines are love letters written in stone, and I’ve finally learned to read between the lines. The real journey isn’t measured in miles hiked, but in the depth of understanding that comes from knowing the ground beneath your feet – and the stories it tells in every single sip.
Peter McEachern is the general manager of the Nantucket Yacht Club. He has been buying wine, creating wine lists and running wine tastings since 1983. He can be reached at peter@nantucketyachtclub.org
Photo by Victoria Maxon
The winds of Napa and Sonoma stem from geological phenomena that began millions of years ago.
(Friday, continued from page 21)
Friday Funday
10:30 a.m. Children’s Beach Bandstand, Harborview Way. The Nantucket Office of Culture and Tourism hosts Friday Fundays through Sept. 12.
Art Reception: Artists Association
5-7 p.m. Artists Association of Nantucket Cecelia Joyce & Seward Johnson Gallery, 8 Federal St. The AAN will host a reception for its ongoing 10x10 Exhibition.
Green Crab Survey
5 p.m. The Creeks and Harbor Flats, 99 Washington St. Join the Maria Mitchell Aquarium staff for a citizen science survey of invasive green crabs using a hand net. Register on calendar page of www. mariamitchell.org
Live Music: Jacob Butler
6 p.m. The Rose & Crown, 23 South Water St. Nantucket singer-songwriter Jacob Butler will perform.
Island Calendar
“Buyer & Cellar”
7 p.m. Bennett Hall, 62 Centre St. Theatre Workshop of Nantucket presents the comedy “Buyer & Cellar,” starring Robbie Simpson of last season’s “Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks.” Through Aug. 14. Visit www.theatrenantucket.org for tickets and additional times.
“Finding Human Intelligence in an Age of AI”
7 p.m. Maria Mitchell Association Research Center, 2 Vestal St. Rich Blundell will discuss “Finding Human Intelligence in an Age of AI,” using Maria Mitchell’s 1847 comet discovery as the perfect example of a human intelligence no artificial intelligence can replicate. Free, but registration required on calendar page of www.mariamitchell.org
Israel and the Holocaust Discussion
7:30 p.m. First Congregational Church, 62 Centre St. Following Congregation Shirat HaYam’s weekly shabbat services, Avi Patt, director of New York University’s Center for the Study of Antisemitism, will lead a discussion about Israel and the Holocaust. Free.
FRIDAY, PAGE 27
Photo by Beowulf Sheehan
Best-selling island author Elin Hilderbrand will sign copies of her books Wednesday at Mitchell’s Book Corner on Main Street.
Reads:
A fictional look at Anne Frank before the diary
(Continued from page 8)
while, evil was allowed to triumph over good. Anne also reminds us of the trials and tribulations of being a teenager even in the darkest of times.
It is important to note that “When We Flew Away” is a novel and we have no way
of knowing Anne’s exact day-to-day experiences, emotions and feelings in the years leading up to her time in the secret attic.
I believe Hoffman wrote this story at an incredibly important time in our history. There is so much evil in the world it can feel overwhelming.
Hoffman shows that this evil has a way of spreading and it does not take long to do so.
Although “When We Flew Away” is intended for younger readers I encourage everyone to pick it up.
It is a story of a young girl growing up in the most difficult of circumstances and
somehow still having hope.
The book also holds an extremely important message: Evil can spread quickly and we must do everything in our power to ensure that good prevails.
Claire Henneman is a library associate at the Nantucket Atheneum.
MusACK: Night Hawk brings introspective alt-rock to Cisco Sunday
(Continued from page 4)
Adams echoed that sentiment, recalling foggy nights walking past empty storefronts aglow with unattended light.
“It sort of creates this atmosphere of melancholic loneliness,” he said. “We thought it would be really cool to take some of Hopper’s characters and try to piece together a story.”
The duo felt their collaboration grow into something more intentional after the release of their 2024 EP, “Everything Good Ends.” Until then, Adams said, the project was “more like entertainment for ourselves.”
That sense of transformation pulses through “Before We Begin,” a 14-track journey that blends sparse indie folk with stadium-sized alt-rock.
Night Hawk will make its Nantucket debut at Cisco Brewers Sunday, Aug. 10, performing songs from the album.
Written over three years, the album traces the band’s move from Maine to Washington D.C., chronicling the liminal experience of aging out of one life without quite landing in the next. It’s full of ghosts, open windows and metaphysical on-ramps.
Semjen draws parallels between the overarching themes throughout “Before We Begin” and the mythology of Janus, the Roman god of transitions, doorways, beginnings and endings.
Just as Janus presides over the threshold between past and future, Semjen suggests that the narrative journey within “Before We Begin” navigates similar pivotal shifts, and offers a dual perspective, acknowledging what has been while simultaneously gazing toward what is yet to come, inviting reflection on the cyclical nature of change and transformation.
“I frame (the album) as standing in a doorway, where you’re kind of looking back and still looking forward at the same time,” Semjen said.
In contrast to “Everything Good Ends,” which explored the end of Semjen’s col-
lege years, the central questions surrounding “Before We Begin” revolve around what comes next.
“I thought that adulthood was supposed to start immediately, and I would just have it all figured out,” she said. “But I feel like I’m still setting myself up for that next period while still kind of looking back longingly, or even resentfully, at some of my adolescent experiences.”
Semjen grew up in Hingham and spent summers working on Nantasket Beach in Hull before heading to rural Maine for college. She and her family have spent numerous summers on Nantucket, and she’s previously worked at Bartlett’s Farm.
She relates to the experience of living in a tourist destination, where “you’re experiencing those months of Northeast winters and feeling like that’s never going to end, and suddenly it’s like a light switch turns on and the beaches are crowded and there are flocks of people, and it feels like some idealist tourist destination and people don’t really recognize
all that happens throughout the rest of the year.”
Those feelings are intricately illustrated in Night Hawk’s songs “Beach Town” and “Winter in New England.”
“This is an album about getting unstuck,” Adams said of “Before We Begin.”
“Not just from places, but from indecisiveness and acquiescence to bad circumstances.”
Adams describes Night Hawk’s genre as “folk music with an asterisk,” incorporating indie rock, alternative rock and even elements of classical music.
Although Semjen and Adams are the chief creative forces behind Night Hawk, bandmates Shea Sewall (bass), Alex Kozic (lead guitar), Emma Chun (violin) and Courtney Burnett (drums) round out the band’s sound, each bringing a uniqueness to their live performances.
“The thing to recognize is that everyone brings something different to the table,” Semjen said.
When asked how they balance the mul-
tiple perspectives of the musicians they work with, Semjen said flexibility is important. “I feel like there’s a lot of letting go (of ego) that has to happen,” she said.
Adams agreed, saying they value their bandmates’ technical skills just as much as their creative input.
“When we decide to bring other people into the project, it’s not because we’re just looking for someone to play a drum part or a guitar part,” he said.
“We want people’s creativity to be celebrated in our band. So it’s really cool to take other people’s musical inspirations and turn them into a sort of collage or tapestry.”
Adams describes the album’s production as transformative, in that the band members shifted themselves into new territory musically.
“I think in a lot of ways, these songs are harbingers for what’s to come,” he said.
“We have a lot of songs that really build and flow out with interweaving complex arrangements, but start relatively simple. There’s this sort of ebb and flow with ‘Before We Begin’ and sonically, the intention is to make you feel like you’re between two worlds, two different kinds of songs, two different musical emotions.”
Semjen still feels like she’s inside that liminal space between Night Hawk as the songwriting experiment she and Adams began at Bowdoin, and something more like a full-fledged band.
“As the main lyricist, I feel like a lot of what I’m doing is just constantly finding new ways to express myself and my experiences through writing,” she said.
“But what I’ve loved is the freedom that this band allows us to constantly experiment and change how we present ourselves and express our emotions. So that’s been an ongoing journey for me.”
Night Hawk performs at Cisco Brewers, 5 Bartlett Farm Road, Sunday, Aug. 10 from noon to 3 p.m.
Courtesy of Night Hawk
Night Hawk, formed by Bowdoin College students (from left) Emma Chun, Courtney Burnett, Shea Sewall, Colter Adams, Alex Kozic and Peyton Semjen.
Sylvia: Main Street Antiques shop at intersection of history and art
(Continued from page 17)
and next to them, shiny ceramic horseshoe crabs swim north.
“You want anything Nantucket, especially handmade, old or new, you come here. We do a lot with baskets, old and new, art, old and new,” Sylvia said.
Frank Swift Chase, Robert Frazier, Sharon Woods Hussey and David Lazarus share a wall. Landscape after landscape, boat after boat, frame after frame holding all different paintings of the same oceans.
I asked Sylvia, toward the end of the interview, if there are any particularly special pieces in the shop right now. Without missing a beat, he hopped up from his seat, and said, “come with me.” He leads me into the other room, floorboards creaking as we walk.
“It was made by the common man. It wasn’t made for sale. It was made out of necessity. Love is behind it. Those baskets? It wasn’t because they sold them to some tourist, it was a function.”
– John Sylvia Owner, Sylvia Antiques
With both arms, he scooped up a nearly life-size carved mermaid from her chair. That must be his favorite, I think, the mermaid. I am mistaken. He carries her away, and leaves her somewhere across the room.
“See this chair? That’s a Windsor chair,” he said.
He walked back and gestured proudly. The chair, average-size in warm brown wood, with splayed legs and a rectangular fanned back, seemed like a regular
chair to me, but I should have known better.
“They’re called Windsor chairs. Each region had their chair, and that is a Nantucket-style Windsor chair. And, of all the chairs that were made in this country during the 18th century, this is the best-looking and the most comfortable,” he said.
Like the chair and the baskets, his one true love, Sylvia told me, is folk art. I ask why.
“It was made by the common man. It wasn’t made for sale. It was made out of necessity. Love is behind it. Those baskets? It wasn’t because they sold them to some tourist, it was a function. They were made because people needed baskets. That’s folk art. That’s the essence of folk art,” he said.
As I leave, one of the shopkeepers is explaining lightship baskets to a customer. I unlatch the door and close it behind me.
I’ve spent my whole life on Nantucket passing by the sign on Sylvia’s door. During the daytime, it says OPEN and in the evening, it says SHUT. I always wondered why SHUT instead of CLOSED, and realize I forgot to ask.
Sylvia Antiques, 15 Main St., (508) 2280960, www.sylviaantiques.com
Eat: Fine dining with a conscious mindset at Òran Mór
(Continued from page 11)
house where food mattered: watching Julia Child, growing vegetables, hunting down the best ingredients from Boston’s North End to local farm stands and even back doors at bakeries and restaurants.
“It was all about finding what was the best at each place,” he said. “That’s definitely something ingrained in me subconsciously.”
His earliest restaurant memories involve sneaking into the kitchen of The Brotherhood of Thieves to wash dishes and peel potatoes. He didn’t see it as a career until college, when a restaurant job made him fall in love with the kitchen.
“I was working almost every day for 10 to 12 hours a day. I just wouldn’t leave. I really enjoyed it,” he said. So he pivoted from law school plans and enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America, earning degrees in both culinary and pastry arts.
“Once I was there, I wanted to get as much knowledge as possible – to steal knowledge from the best chefs I could find – so I could one day have a successful business on Nantucket,” he said.
That’s why he studied pastry and spirits, too.
“I didn’t want to ever get into a situation where someone said something I wanted wasn’t possible,” he said. “I wanted to be as well-rounded as I could be.”
You can see that intention in everything at Òran Mór from the cocktails to the desserts. Bread service and dessert are the most critical parts of a meal, Claflin said.
“If those things fall flat, you can have an unelevated dining experience fairly quickly,” he said.
The featured breads when we dined at Òran Mór were an asiago focaccia and a
classic French baguette.
The focaccia was airy with a slight crisp and crunch on the edges. The cheese topping had a strong flavor and just the right amount of softness. We paired the baguette with the whipped butter. It was so creamy with a little bit of thickness to it and just the right amount of punch from the salt.
For drinks, we started with the Cherry Lime Rickey (house-carbonated, made with house-infused cherry vodka) and the Spanish Harlem, a bourbon drink with vermouth and amaro. The Rickey was bright and balanced. The Spanish Harlem smelled so good I wished I could wear it as perfume.
We also tried the special raclette appetizer: duck fat fingerling potatoes and charred broccolini topped with bubbling cheese and Iberico ham chili crisp.
It was indulgent and memorable, the kind of dish I plan to (attempt to) recreate on a rainy day.
Then came the Fennel Orecchiette, a greenish-brown pasta (like almost-autumn leaves) tossed with walnut and sun-dried tomato pesto, broccoli rabe, candied fennel seeds, pine nuts and sweet drop peppers. The textures were perfectly varied: soft pasta, crunchy pine nuts and bursts of heat from the peppers.
For mains, we had the Long Island Duck Duo and the Roasted Berkshire Pork Chop. The duck was served thinly sliced alongside pommes fondant and cranberry mostarda. The richness of the meat was cut beautifully by the tartness of the choucroute garnie.
The pork was slightly sweet with a crunchy, herby rub, served with sweetand-sour cabbage, roasted root vegetables and herbed spätzle. Each bite was layered and well-composed, but the fla-
vors really sang when eaten together.
We somehow made room for dessert: the “coffee meets doughnut,” a chocolate mousse doughnut coated in ganache, with flat white frozen custard, cajeta caramel and dulce de leche. The mousse was thick and rich, the custard subtle and creamy, the caramels lifting the whole plate.
The dining space feels like you’ve stumbled into an old aristocrat’s parlor: moody lighting, deep green and red tones and art of all kinds on the walls. The artwork comes from the antique store next door and is available for purchase, adding to the charm.
“Òran Mór has always been a hidden gem,” Claflin said. “You don’t know if there’s five people or 100 people up in the dining room. We’re tucked away, we’re hidden.”
One reason the restaurant has lasted 30 years is its loyal clientele, many of whom have been dining here since the beginning. Since he took over, Claflin has nearly doubled the number of guests the restaurant can serve in a night.
Two years ago, he joined the board of Sustainable Nantucket to help support local farms and keep island food systems strong.
“The more we can source here, the more independent Nantucket can be,” he said.
He also launched Mór Wine this year on Federal Street, in collaboration with vintage clothing store Commonwealth. What began as an attempt to fill the void left by Current Vintage’s closure evolved into a large retail space with a full wine and spirits shop with cocktail ingredients, specialty bottles and plans for Òran Mór-made mixers.
“We thought it would be a shopping experience that would be missed on the island,” Claflin said. “This year, we ex-
panded our wine list at the restaurant by about 120 bottles and got to expand into a bunch of new fun regions and styles of wine that we can also sell in the retail store.”
The same goes for cocktail ingredients. Òran Mór’s cocktail program falls in line with classic American cocktails and mixology, using a variety of different amaros, digestifs and apertifs.
Many of these ingredients will be available at Mór Wine with the end goal being that it can sell Òran-Mór-made mixes and other drink components.
If you fall in love with the Sancerre you ordered with your halibut or are dying to recreate your post-dinner whiskey cocktail, chances are you can find the necessary components at Mór Wine.
“We’re trying to educate people,” Claflin said. “We want people to bring the items that they love home with them and experience Òran Mór not just a few times a season but throughout the year.”
Claflin’s goal – at Òran Mór and beyond – remains simple: good food, thoughtful sourcing and affordability.
“Most of what our expansion has been is how we can help all the really talented people that work with us and help them continue to evolve and grow and not be stagnant,” he said. “I really just want to keep pushing forward and making delicious food that’s affordable. That’s my goal.”
Òran Mór, 2 South Beach St., (508) 2288655, www.oranmorbistro.com, open daily in season.
Art: Eclectic variety hallmark of Cavalier Gallery
(Continued from page 15)
another one of his pieces: a cartoonish whale named “Victory Lap.” The whale beams over a splintered boat, a reference poking fun at the island’s well-known history.
“Bjorn gives power and characteristics to these animals that make them seem human,” Ebanks said. “The whale has reclaimed his power, and the little rowboat is crushed beneath his tail.”
Inside, Skaarup’s much smaller sculptures are also displayed, including a miniature of the Hippo Dancer, and the whimsical little Raccoon Boxer and Porky Drummer, which are just what their names suggest.
Rennert’s smaller works inside the gallery include two bronze sheets with human figures balancing precariously on top of them, and small figures of thinking men in suits, who all seem to be thinking about different things.
Above Rennert’s thinking men are Stephen Pitliuk’s satirical paintings, which “poke fun” at the Nantucket way of life, with comments about Sconset speed limits, Bartlett’s Farm tomatoes, and driving on the island.
For a Nantucket gallery, keeping a good portion of the work focused on the island is important.
Ebanks showed me the middle section of the gallery, which displays small paintings in gold and silver frames, all oils on canvas or panel. The simple paintings are snapshots of the island: lighthouses, boats, beaches. Ebanks said they sell quickly.
“We always come back to that regional celebration of the island. It seems to appeal to both those shopping for a home on the island and those bringing something back as a memory,” she said.
The gallery is also home to some larger Nantucket-focused works, like Marla
Korr’s peaceful, somewhat desolate shorescapes.
I looked at her work, the sun glowing over calm oceans, and felt a loneliness reminiscent of the empty island in the off-season.
The back room of the gallery features some work by Mark Kornbluth, his focused photos of shingled buildings around the island, which looked to me almost like human portraits, each full of personality.
In the photography section is some
work by Steve McCurry, perhaps one of the most prolific contemporary photographers, well known for his photo of the “Afghan Girl.”
I was enraptured by “Clover Gatherers,” which pictured a group of people with woven hats on their heads in a surreal green field. His portrait photography is gorgeously vivid. I could hardly tear my eyes away.
By the table where Ebanks and I did our interview was a lively painting done by Ernie Barnes. Barnes, a former profes-
sional football player, has been gaining traction in his painting career.
The painting, “Singing Sisters” pictures three Black women in red dresses around a microphone. His work masters form and color: the longer I looked, the more I discovered in the women.
“That’s probably the most unique piece we have in here this summer,” Ebanks noted when she caught me staring.
I asked about her favorite piece, a question I found everyone likes to hear.
“That’s a really hard choice,” she said with a smile. “You find when you’re immersed in the gallery, you find a new thing to appreciate every day.”
Ebanks settled on the picture in the window, one which had been catching my eye for some time: Paul Oxborough’s “Bar Cart.” A textured, hazy painting of a bartender behind the bar, light reflecting off every glass behind him, his crisp white and black attire stark against the greens and browns of the liquor bottles.
“He has this amazing way he handles light and reflection in his work, no matter the subject,” Ebanks said, spinning the painting around so we could admire it. “My bartender is here and ready to make me a Manhattan.”
On my way out, I noticed Harry Benson’s “Berlin Kiss” mounted high on the wall. A man and woman passionately kissing at what appears to be a bar.
Ebanks explained to me that Benson was a celebrity photographer who was doing a piece on the lives of people after the Berlin Wall came down, and ended up taking “Berlin Kiss” on a whim one night. This was the only photograph he took with unknown subjects.
“Nobody has ever come forward to say they’re the people in the photo,” she said.
Cavalier Gallery, 10 Federal St., (508) 325-4405, www.cavaliergalleries.com
Walk: Ram Pasture alive with biodiversity at height of summer
(Continued from page 12)
and Clark’s Cove, but the separation that broke one pond into two only happened during the Blizzard of 1978.
When the ponds were connected, this was a peninsula of land that was perfect for penning sheep with only one fence. They kept the rams here during the fall and mid-winter (hence Ram Pasture) so that lambs would not be born in the freezing cold.
Now you can walk solidly across this former pasture and view beautiful sandplain grasslands, a diverse and globally rare habitat.
From the west gate parking lot, head due south through the sandy paths down to the south shore.
A few species of iridescent tiger beetles hunt actively along the exposed earth of old tire ruts in search of caterpillars, ants and other soft-bodied arthropods.
These ambitious little predators are small but mighty, sporting a pair of mandibles to catch and hold their prey as they speedily run or fly with it back to their underground burrow.
It may be slim pickings in the heat of the summer, but these shiny beetles still search, hoping that their feeding flights will allow them to raise their subterra-
nean larvae.
I hope that the abundant displays of late summer and early fall asters and goldenrod are not inhibited by the lack of rainfall.
Asteraceae is the most diverse and abundant family of plants with over 32,000 recognized species, so there is bound to be some hardy and drought-resistant species in the mix.
Early season blooms of toothed whitetopped aster and sickle-leaved golden aster are now joined by perennial pearly everlasting along the trail edges as the shrubland opens up.
You can see these clustered flowers
that look like tiny pearls, or in my mind more closely resemble pearl onions.
Continue walking south to capture views across the open fields and sandplain grasslands of the south shore.
Do yourself a favor and avoid the heat in the middle of the day, instead venture out for an after-dinner walk at golden hour while we still have a prolonged evening.
You can reward your efforts on another sweltering August day with a moment in the sand and an intertidal wade into the cooling ocean waves.
Neil Foley is the interpretive education coordinator and ecologist at the Nantuck-
Courtesy of Cavalier Galleries
Paul Oxborough’s “Bar Cart.”
(Friday, continued from page 23)
Live Music: Sean Lee
8-10 p.m. Rose & Crown, 23 South Water St. Nantucket singer-songwriter Sean Lee will perform. Second show Saturday.
Saturday, Aug. 9
Nantucket Clean Team
8 a.m. Handlebar Café, 15 Washington St., and end of Low Beach Road at entrance to the sewer beds. The Nantucket Clean Team meets weekly from spring through fall to clean up trash around the island. Bags and pickers provided.
Farmers & Artisans Market
8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Cambridge Street, between Federal and South Water. Sustainable Nantucket hosts a market of fresh local produce, island cottage-industry artisans and food. Weather permitting.
Growing Gracefully
8:30 a.m. Nantucket Shipwreck & Lifesaving Museum, 158 Polpis Road. Elizabeth Grow leads a meditative morning for children 3-12, incorporating storytelling, breathwork, movement, meditation and
Island Calendar
sound. Bring your own towel or yoga mat. $5 per child and accompanying adult. Register at www.eganmaritime.org
Capoeira with Werdum
9 a.m. Children’s Beach, Harborview Way. Werdum Nantucket presents instruction in capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian martial art that blends elements of dance, acrobatics, music and spirituality.
Historic Bike Tour
10:30 a.m. Nantucket Whaling Museum, 13 Broad St. Strap on your helmet to explore historic locations on the periphery of town you may have missed, all while escaping the hustle and bustle of downtown Nantucket. Led by a Nantucket Historical Association guide. Approximately two hours. Tickets on calendar page of www.nha.org
NanPuppets
11 a.m. Children’s Beach, Harborview Way. Join Lizza Obremski and her puppet friends for a morning of educational entertainment for all ages. Free, but donations welcome.
SATURDAY, PAGE 28
Camels on Nantucket? Eighteen lighthouses? Two Nantucket Golf Clubs? Want the answers in a new book about Nantucket?
Courtesy of Maria Mitchell Association
The Maria Mitchell Association hosts Green Crab Week this week to draw attention to the invasive species threatening the island’s marine ecosystem.
Island Calendar
(Saturday, continued from page 27)
Green Crab Derby
Noon-4 p.m. Join the Maria Mitchell Association and Nantucket Land Council in fighting the invasive green crab invasion by collecting green crabs and dropping them off at the MMA Aquarium. Register on calendar page of www.mariamitchell.org
Live Music: Misty Blues
Noon-3 p.m. Cisco Brewers, 5 Bartlett Farm Road. Misty Blues brings its innovative blend of traditional blues, jazz, funk and soul to the brewery.
Live Music: Tales of Joy
4 p.m. Cisco Brewers, 5 Bartlett Farm Road. Southwestern Connecticut-based reggae band Tales of Joy will perform. Second show 3 p.m. Sunday.
Pops on Nantucket
4:30 p.m. Jetties Beach, end of Bathing Beach Road. The Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra returns to the beach for the 28th annual fundraiser for Nantucket Cottage Hospital, featuring special musical guest Bruce in the USA, a
Bruce Springsteen tribute band. General admission tickets available at nantuckethospital.org/pops
Sunday, Aug. 10
Bird Walk
7:45-10 a.m. Maria Mitchell Association, 33 Washington St. Explore Nantucket’s avian landscapes and hidden nooks with local bird guide and Inquirer and Mirror columnist Ginger Andrews. Register on calendar page of www.mariamitchell.org
Therapeutic Yoga
9 a.m. Location upon registration. The Nantucket Conservation Foundation hosts this hour of mindfully-taught yoga to stabilize, strengthen and stretch your body. Visit events page of www.nantucketconservation.org to register.
Book-signing: Brooke Lea Foster
10:30 a.m.-noon, Mitchell’s Book Corner, 54 Main St. Brooke Lea Foster will sign copies of her new novel, “Our Last Vineyard Summer.”
File photo
The Boston Pops returns to Jetties Beach Saturday.
Live Music: Night Hawk
Noon, Cisco Brewers, 5 Bartlett Farm Road. Maine-based indie rock band Night Hawk will perform.
Williams College Summer Reception
4:30 p.m. Location provided upon registration. Williams College alumni, parents, families and friends are invited to a reception with president Maud S. Mandel. For more information or to register, e-mail college-relations@williams.edu
Live Music: Julia Newman
6 p.m. The Rose & Crown, 23 South Water St. Nantucket singer-songwriter Julia Newman will perform.
10 p.m. Gaslight Nantucket, 3 North Union St. Misty Blues brings its innovative blend of traditional blues, jazz, funk and soul to Gaslight. 21 and over.
Island Calendar
Monday, Aug. 11
Hands on History
10:15 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday through Aug. 28. Nantucket Whaling Museum, 13 Broad St. A short presentation with visual and tactile elements connecting to Nantucket history, followed by craft-making connected to that day’s talk. Free with museum admission.
Live Music: Martin Rivas
4-7 p.m. Cisco Brewers, 5 Bartlett Farm Road. New York City-based singer-songwriter Martin Rivas will perform. Second show Tuesday.
Art Talk
5:30 p.m. Artists Association of Nantucket Visual Arts Center, 24 Amelia Drive. AAN artist-in-residence Nancy Colella will discuss her work and creative process.
Meet the Artists: Black Oak Ensemble
5:30 p.m. Atheneum Great Hall, 1 India St. A free and informal meet and greet with The Black Oak Ensemble string trio before their Nantucket Musical Arts Society concert Tuesday. Free.
“Nantucket’s Historic Coloured Cemetery”
5:30 p.m. Nantucket Whaling Museum, 13 Broad St. The Nantucket Historic Association hosts a screening of Frances Karttunen and Barbara Ann White’s documentary film “Nantucket’s Historic Coloured Cemetery: Stories Told by Islanders.” Free, but registration required on calendar page of www.nha.org.
“No Vacancy” Talk
5:30 p.m. Nantucket Shipwreck & Lifesaving Museum, 158 Polpis Road. Nantucket hospitality veteran Mary Malavase will discuss the future of the island’s lodging industry with representatives of White Elephant Resorts, Greydon House and the Nantucket Hotel. Tickets on the events page of eganmaritime.org
Sconset History Night
6 p.m. Sconset Casino, 10 New St. Sconset resident Rob Benchley presents a slideshow and commentary on “Connections: 100 Years with the Siasconset Water Department.
Special Screening: “Room for Us”
7 p.m. Dreamland Theater, 17 South Water St. Housing Nantucket presents the premiere of “Roof for Us,” a documentary that explores the island’s housing crisis by Jasper Craven and Patrick Kennedy created through the Semester Cinema program. Q&A with the filmmakers to follow. Tickets at www.nantucketdreamland.org
Stargazing at the Observatory
9:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Loines Observatory, 59 Milk St. Join professional astronomers from the Maria Mitchell Association for a guided tour of the night sky, including the moon, planets, star clusters, nebulae and more. Register on calendar page of www. mariamitchell.org
Live Music: DJ Lay-Z-Boy
10 p.m. The Chicken Box, 6 Dave St. Boston-based DJ Lay-Z-Boy mans he turntables, continuing his summer long Monday residency at The Box. 21 and over.
MONDAY, PAGE 30
(Monday, continued from page 29)
Live Music: The High Divers
10 p.m. Gaslight Nantucket, 3 North Union St. Charleston, S.C.-based southern rock band The High Divers will perform. 21 and over.
Tuesday, Aug. 12
Finding New Fronds
9 a.m. Location upon reservation. Nantucket Conservation Foundation plant research ecologist and botanist Kelly Oman leads this excursion for budding botanists to examine and identify the island’s fern species. Register on events page of www.nantucketconservation.org
Book-signing: Peter Hoey
10:30 a.m.-noon, Mitchell’s Book Corner, 54 Main St. Peter Hoey will sign copies of his book, “The Magi-Scope.”
NHA on the Road
1 p.m. Saltmarsh Senior Center, 81 Washington St. The Nantucket Historical Association brings its 2025 exhibition, Behind the Seams, to the Saltmarsh Center.
Island Calendar
A Walk Down Main Street
3 p.m. 11 Centre St. An overview of Nantucket in its heyday focusing on the portion of Main Street between the Pacific National Bank and the Civil War monument. Learn about the street’s development and the area’s early residents and architectural styles, as well as how the houses have come to symbolize the island’s whaling era. Tickets at nantucketpreservation.org.
Classical Music
7 p.m. St. Paul’s Church, 20 Fair St. The Nantucket Musical Arts Society presents the Black Oak Ensemble string trio in the sixth installment of its summer concert series. Tickets $30 at the door.
Live Music: Boys Like Girls
8 p.m. The Muse, 44 Surfside Road. Mid-200s rock band Boys Like Girls will perform. Tickets at Eventbrite.com
Live Music: Michael Marcagi
8 p.m. Dreamland Theater, 17 South Water St. Cincinnati singer-songwriter Michael Marcagi will perform. Tickets at www.nantucketdreamland.org
Live Music: Rattlesnake Milk
10 p.m. The Chicken Box, 6 Dave St. Texas-based jam band Rattlesnake Milk will perform. Second show Wednesday. 21 and over. Tickets at www.thechickenbox. com
Wednesday, Aug. 13
Migratory Shorebird Walk
9 a.m. Eel Point, end of Eel Point Road. Nantucket Conservation Foundation wildlife technician Gracie Bell and environmental educator Isaac Hersh lead this beach walk in search of migratory shorebirds. Register on events page of www. nantucketconservation.org
Book-signing: Elin Hilderbrand
11 a.m. Mitchell’s Book Corner, 54 Main St. Best-selling island author Elin Hilderbrand will sign copies of “The Blue Book”. The first 115 people will get a ticket for the signing when they arrive in line. Line begins forming at 10 a.m. Only books purchased at Mitchell’s will be signed.
Drop-in Craft Gam
11 a.m.-2 p.m. 4 Mill St. The Nantucket Historical Association hosts a free drop-in craft gam. Have an unfinished chair, basket, beading or stitching project? Work on it in the company of other creative people. For more information, e-mail decarts@nha.org
Behind the Scenes at the NHA Collections Center
4 p.m. Gosnold Center, 89 Bartlett Road. The Nantucket Historical Association’s curatorial team leads this behind-the-scenes tour of the NHA’s collection of paintings, furniture and Nantucket artifacts. Free.
Live Music: Buckle & Shake
4-7 p.m. Cisco Brewers, 5 Bartlett Farm Road. Nantucket’s own alt-country band, Buckle & Shake, will perform.
The Art of Home Organizing
5:30 p.m. Atheneum Learning Lab, 1 India St. Stephanie Radman, founder of the professional home-organizing business Mayflower Home Organizing, will discuss how to transform living spaces through effective organizing and decluttering. Register on calendar page of www. nantucketatheneum.org
Cultural Arts Lecture
7 p.m. Nantucket Island School of Design and the Arts, 23 Wauwinet Road. NISDA hosts photographer David Halliday, discussing his process and inspiration, and displaying his work.
Film for Thought
7 p.m. Dreamland Theater, 17 South Water St. The Inquirer and Mirror and Dreamland present “Made You Look: A True Story About Fake Art,” followed by a Q&A and book-signing with filmmaker Barry Avrich. Free for Dreamland members. Tickets at www.nantucketdreamland.org
Live Music: Jamie McLean Band
10 p.m. Gaslight Nantucket, 3 North Union St. The Jamie McLean Band, known for its mix of New Orleans soul, Americana roots, Delta blues and New York City swagger, will perform. 21 and over. Second show Thursday.
Thursday, Aug. 14
Yoga on the Bandstand
7:30 a.m. Children’s Beach Bandstand, Harborview Way. The Nantucket Office
Island Calendar
of Culture and Tourism hosts an hour of yoga on the bandstand.
Milestone Center Site Tour
9 a.m. Milestone Cranberry Bog, Milestone Road. Nantucket Conservation Foundation staff, including president and CEO Cormac Collier, lead this tour of the future home of its Milestone Center research and education facility. Register on events page of www.nantucketconservation.org
Dance Party in the Garden
9:45 a.m. Atheneum Garden, 1 India St. Cory Morgan leads an energetic, joyfilled dance time for babies and children with songs, silly dance moves and fun challenges like Freeze Dance and the Cha-Cha Slide. Bring a blanket. Canceled in the event of inclement weather.
Live Music: Trousdale
1 p.m. Cisco Brewers, 5 Bartlett Farm Road. Los Angeles-based pop trio Trousdale will perform. $25 cover.
rector Mary Bergman as she shares her knowledge of this unique fishing settlement at the eastern edge of the island. The 75-minute tour focuses on the early “whale houses” as well as the village’s boom as a seaside resort and actors colony at the end of the 1800s. Tickets at nantucketpreservation.org
The Nantucket Project
3:30 p.m. Dreamland Theater, 17 South Water St. The Nantucket Project presents a special day of storytelling, short films and candid conversations. For tickets or more information, e-mail admin@ nantucketproject.com
Owl Prowl
8 p.m. Maria Mitchell Association, 4 Vestal St. Join MMA field ornithologist and I&M columnist Ginger Andrews to listen for the calls of nocturnal animals and birds and watch for owls as they begin their nightly activity. Tickets on calendar page of www.mariamitchell.org
Full Moon Nature Walk
9 p.m. Location provided upon registration. Maria Mitchell Association executive director Joanna Roche leads a
peaceful one-hour walk up to two miles on uneven terrain under the light of the full Moon. Discover the legends and narratives of the past and present. Enjoy the tranquility of the quiet night sky and learn about our moon’s current themes and its symbolism. Register on calendar page of www.mariamitchell.org
Kevin Quill
9 p.m. The Club Car, 1 Main St. Pianist Kevin Quill will perform.
Live Music: Switchfoot
9 p.m. The Muse, 44 Surfside Road. Grammy-winning alternative rock band Switchfoot will perform. Tickets at www. eventbrite.com
Live Music: All Time Favorite
10 p.m. The Chicken Box, 6 Dave St. Boston-based party band All Time Favorite will perform. 21 and over. Additional shows Friday and Saturday.
Live Music: Local Notes
10 p.m. The Rose & Crown, 23 South Water St. Nantucket’s own Local Notes, led by Natalie Mack, will perform. 21 and over.
