THE TENTH ANNUAL CLASSIC YACHT EXHIBITION, sponsored by PURE insurance, will be held in the Nantucket Boat Basin on Saturday, August 16th from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. The yachts in the Classic Yacht Exhibition participate by invitation only, featuring historic classics of the Opera House Cup. This is a special opportunity for guests to go aboard and see these beautiful yachts up close — which doesn’t happen anywhere else!
Check-in to the Classic Yacht Exhibition is on the Straight Wharf dock. Participants will receive a booklet describing each of the yachts on display, and a map showing their location. We ask our guests to follow any rules that owners have for boarding their yachts, i.e., no shoes, no food or drink, and a limited number of visitors at a time. Hors d’oeuvres and refreshments will be provided by Fusion of Flavor. Tickets are $40 per person and may be purchased in advance on the NRW website, at either Merchandise location, or at the event.
The Classic Yacht Exhibition is presented by
OHC Parade of Wooden Boats & Rainbow Parade Sunday, August 17th | Brant Point
Thank you to our Corporate Sponsors
Pure Insurance, Yeti, Barton & Gray, Citizens Private Bank, The Inquirer and Mirror, Grand Banks, GHYC Foundation, Great Point Properties, Gill, Gray Heron
Headway Web Solutions, Madaket Marine, Olivela, Cache_Seven, Dreamland, Empower, Southside, Nantucket Event Co., Erica Wilson Nantucket, J. McLaughlin, Atlantic East / Nantucket Real Estate, Respoke, PPX Events, Nikki Rene, WRI, Nantucket Boat Basin, CYOA, Sandbar/Jetties Beach, Dooney & Bourke, Nantucket Lightship, J Pepper Frazier Real Estate, Goslings
Photo: Diana Brown
Photo: Karen Ryan
Thursday, July 31
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.
Dance Party in the Garden
9:45 a.m. Thursdays, Atheneum Garden, 1 India St. Cory Morgan leads an energetic, joy-filled 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 bad 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.
Island Calendar
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.
Find Waldo Party
11 a.m. Mitchell’s Book Corner, 54 Main St. Nantucket Book Partners hosts its annual Find Waldo party. Books available for purchase. Light refreshments. 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.
THURSDAY, PAGE 18
Courtesy of Scott Billington Johnette Downing and Scott Billington bring their “Swamp Romp” to the Nantucket Atheneum garden Tuesday morning.
The meaty, messy search for Nantucket’s best burger
By Francesca Giangiulio fgiangiulio@inkym.com
Nothing screams summer like a back yard barbecue. Friends and family playing lawn games, fresh tomatoes and corn on the cob from Bartlett’s Farm, and of course, a grill sizzling with the smell of fresh-cooked burgers.
Whether you’re fresh off the ferry, sunburned from the beach or your skin tastes like salt from a Gray Lady bike ride, nothing hits quite like a juicy, messy, no-napkin-is-safe kind of burger.
It’s hard to find a menu on this island that doesn’t have some form of a burger. But with so many spots claiming the title of the island’s best – pubs, patios, beach shacks and fine-dining institutions – I set out to taste-test my way through the top contenders.
From house-ground blends to unexpected toppings, here’s what I found in pursuit of the perfect bite.
• LoLa 41, town: At first glance, you might not think that a global-fusion sushi bar and restaurant would have a good burger, but you could not be more mistaken.
The LoLa Burger at LoLa 41 is so iconic it actually had its own off-shoot restaurant from 2008 until 2022. From 2013 until 2022, LoLa Burger occupied the Milestone Rotary space that’s now home to the newest Millie’s location.
Founder Marco Coelho opened LoLa
Let’s Eat!
41 on South Beach Street in 2006. He has since expanded the LoLa empire to locations in Boston, Naples, and Palm Beach.
The LoLa burger is a huge hunk of a burger topped with Cabot Cheddar cheese and red onion compote, served on a crisp grilled English muffin with a side of juicy, fatty foie gras sauce.
The cheese is sharp and still has a good pull to it. The compote adds a layer of sweetness, which contrasts well with the salty, umami flavor of the foie gras sauce. The burger was juicy and absorbed all the flavors on the plate beautifully.
Of course, I had to order the truffle fries. I’ve never had a truffle fry quite like the ones at LoLa 41. They’re perfectly crisp and have just the right amount of truffle flavor. And, LoLa, you should give Herman (my bartender for the evening) a raise.
He told me LoLa 41 cooks the fires in the same fryer as the crab rangoon and shrimp, which adds to the flavor. He also brought me a side of the spicy sauce (the best dipping sauce for the fries) without me even having to ask. Top-shelf service.
No matter how many times I eat it, I’ll always love the LoLa burger because it feels unique. It’s an elevated burger, for sure, and the price reflects that (nearly
EAT, PAGE 16
Photo by Francesca Giangiulio
The Brotherhood of Thieves’ Cisco Burger, topped with blue cheese, caramelized onions, bacon, lettuce and balsamic glaze on a seeded bun.
Photo by Francesca Giangiulio
The Surf truck and shack at Surfside Beach serves up a classic cheeseburger with American cheese, lettuce, tomato and onion on a brioche bun.
Photo by Francesca Giangiulio
The Taproom’s Big M-Ack is a double-patty smash burger topped with Romaine lettuce, American cheese, pickles and a special sauce reminiscent of that ubiquitous fast-food chain.
Folk duo brings harmonies from the hills to Nantucket
By Kendall Graham kgraham@inkym.com
It all started on the sidelines of a youth soccer practice in northwest Connecticut eight years ago.
Paul Mauro spotted Matthew Saccoman standing a little off to the side, just enough to pique his interest, so he introduced himself. Both of their young children were on the same team.
“He just kind of looked like a musician, you know, he had a big, giant beard,” Mauro said. “And then we found we had a lot of similar interests in music, and he’d been in many bands in the past, and I was also in the same situation.”
That encounter kicked off a slow burn of collaboration.
At the time, both men were involved in other musical projects. It wasn’t until Saccoman came to see Mauro’s band perform that he got a better sense of the potential they shared.
“He had come to see us, and he heard
me singing, and I have a higher voice while he’s got a real deep voice,” Mauro said.
“So, he said, ‘Oh, it would be cool to do some harmony stuff with that guy.’ And we got together one day, and then we thought, ‘OK, this works’.”
From their first show at a local farm’s music series, the connection clicked.
“Our harmonies were tight,” Mauro said. “We basically just haven’t looked back since.”
Now based in Litchfield County, Conn., a rural stretch of rolling hills and slow rhythms, Mauro and Saccoman perform as Brother Other, a nod to their close creative kinship.
Both are educators by day. Mauro teaches elementary band, and Saccoman is a special education counselor. Their music, a blend of folk and alt-country with an acoustic backbone, seems pulled
Courtesy of Brother Other
Matthew Saccoman and Paul Mauro of Brother Other now hail from the rolling hills of rural Litchfield County, Conn.
Courtesy of Brother Other Brother Other’s music is a blend of folk and alt-country with an acoustic backbone.
MusACK
from the landscape around them.
“It’s definitely a more mellow vibe up here,” Mauro said.
Original songs like “Merry Go Round,” “Illusion” and “Humble and Grateful” were recorded live outdoors and “have an ‘out in nature’ kind of vibe,” according to the duo, illustrating the connection between setting and song.
Over the past few years, they have traded the quiet countryside for Nantucket’s bustling summers.
This season marks Brother Other’s third time gigging on-island, where they’ll perform at Cisco Brewers Monday, Aug. 4 and Tuesday, Aug. 5; and from Aug. 5-10, they’ll play nightly sets from 8 to 10 p.m. at the Brotherhood of Thieves.
Saccoman and Mauro each came up playing in cover bands, and lots of them, so they can handle a wide mix of outside tunes, but their original work is what gives them momentum. The thrill of writing and performing their own songs has taken over.
“We still do covers, but once we started playing more regularly, we would throw in an original here and there,” Mauro said.
“We quickly realized that this was way more rewarding than just playing other people’s stuff. And so we started putting our own stuff out.”
Their songs, several of which have been
The Inquirer and Mirror, Nantucket, Mass.
“We quickly realized that this was way more rewarding than just playing other people’s stuff. And so we started putting our own stuff out.”
– Paul Mauro, Brother Other
On playing fewer covers
featured on Radio Woodstock, are drawn from a patchwork of ideas each brings to the table. They write like two puzzle-makers, each bringing pieces they’ve stored away until they find what fits.
“Some of the songs have come together where we’re just completely right at the same time,” Mauro said. “And then some of them were like, ‘Hey, I have this idea,’ and we’ll pair it with one of his ideas. They all wind up being different when they come together.”
As for influences, Mauro and Saccoman aren’t traditional folk musicians. Their roots stretch more into the alt-rock of the late 1980s and early 1990s. One band, in particular, helped shape their sonic identity.
“We had the (influence) from that alternative movement, and we were both really drawn to vocal harmonies,” Mauro said. “So that’s kind of where we came from, but then one of our influences was the 1990s band Cracker.”
Mauro remembers seeing the band live
years ago and being struck by its blend of instruments: pedal steel, fiddle and a gritty, genre-crossing energy.
“They had pedal steel (guitar) and fiddle and everything, and that sound kind of sparked an interest,” he said. “Like, this is kind of similar to what we’re doing.”
Brother Other’s second studio album is currently in production.
“Family and Friends” reflects its collaborative spirit, showcasing contributions from the band members’ loved ones, such as Mauro’s father on piano, Saccoman’s son on drums, and several musician friends from the Litchfield County area.
“With (the new album), we used three different studios and played all the instruments,” Mauro said, contrasting the production of their first album, in which the duo worked out of a single studio with a producer playing the instruments.
“One of the studios we used (for “Family and Friends”) was set up in a 1960s, 1970s style that only used analog tape machines,” Mauro said. “That was a real challenge, but it gives a different kind of vibe and a different sound. It was just a cool collaboration with a bunch of people.”
Catch Brother Other at Cisco Brewers Monday, Aug. 4 and Tuesday, Aug. 5; and at The Brotherhood of Thieves nightly from Aug. 5-10 from 8-10 p.m.
Often forgotten and overlooked in-town oasis
By Neil Foley I&M Columnist
I have heard the phrase “let nature take its course” many times over my years as an ecologist and naturalist.
The more benign instances often refer to a plot of land or patch of woods left to go fallow and regrow, often in wild and chaotic ways.
The phrase can sometimes be used as justification to distance ourselves from the land, to take a hands-off approach and not bother with the trappings of active stewardship or restoration.
I find the wording peculiar, as though humans and our influence on the world around us are not part of nature but instead are separated and somehow more important in the hierarchy of life.
I take offense when the phrase is used in cases of extreme overuse of resources or degradation of the environment, but even the act of leaving a place untended can ignore the influence we have and lead to an explosion of human-introduced invasive species, homogenization of the habitat and the loss of native biodiversity.
However resilient native ecosystems are, humans have a knack for adding
problems through neglect as well as overexploitation. With this in mind, journey with me to another oft-forgotten corner of the island, stuck in between the comings and goings of one of our most expensive neighborhoods.
From the crowded parking lot at Jetties Beach, hop on the bike path that leads south away from the beach and travel toward the looming houses above the cliff.
Cattail wetlands and wet meadows line the roads here as fresh water seeps from the ground, just a short walk away from the saltwater beach.
In fact, the entire Brant Point neighborhood was built on these fresh and salt water wetlands between shallow dune swales.
Now overgrown by shrubs and invasive vines, the center of these wetland thickets has rich muck, patches of standing water and plenty of native water-willow and cattail beneath the watchful eye of the bug-lights near Hulbert Avenue.
The bike path comes to a T intersection
Photo by Neil Foley
Cattail wetlands near the “bug lights” at Jetties Beach.
Photo by Neil Foley
Walk with Neil
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!
Quiet winemaking: the rock collector’s journey
By Peter McEachern I&M Columnist
Growing up in the gorgeous green, wooded hills of Canton, Ohio, Helen Keplinger was steeped from a very young age in her family’s culture of nature, gardening, cooking, travel, the arts and enjoying family and friends over a delicious meal and a glass of wine.
Her curiosity and love of nature and the outdoors was fed by her mother’s knowledge and love of gardening and the natural sciences.
Her interest in collecting interesting (empty) wine bottles was supplied by her father’s eclectic yet very practical wine cellar. Who knew these childhood interests would foreshadow a career as a winemaker?
Calling of the stones
“If you like rocks the way I do, these places are insanely compelling,” Keplinger would later say about the steep, rocky vineyards of California’s Sierra Foothills, places where most people saw only affordable Zinfandel country, but where she discovered hidden treasure.
That childhood obsession with geology wasn’t merely whimsical, it was prophetic. In the world of winemaking, Keplinger has built her reputation on understanding what others overlook: the profound relationship between stone, soil and vine.
She started her own brand in 2006, seeking out lesser-known places with granitic outcroppings, volcanic extrusions and tumbled uplift formations where the very bones of the Earth speak in whispers that only she seemed to hear.
That deep interest in finding exceptional vineyard sites to make the purest terroir-driven expressive wines possible continued as she added Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon to her brilliant portfolio of wines.
The gentle revolutionary Keplinger’s winemaking philosophy reads like poetry written in the language of restraint.
“Working hard but with finesse, we believe in gentle winemaking to create wines of balance and complexity that are true to their varietal and speak of their terroir and provenance.”
These aren’t just marketing words, they’re the distilled essence of over two decades spent learning that the greatest wines come not from force, but from listening.
In an industry that often celebrates
Courtesy of Peter McEachern
Winemaker Helen Keplinger.
Wine Cellar
bold intervention, Keplinger practices what might be called “quiet winemaking.”
She doesn’t impose her will upon the grapes. Instead, she becomes their translator, their voice.
When she works with Grenache she allows the grape to reveal itself slowly, “evolving during fermentation and then in the barrel to reveal nuances and layers.”
This patience, this willingness to let the wine teach her rather than the reverse, marks her as fundamentally different from the winemakers who see their role as sculptor rather than midwife.
She applies this philosophy to all the wines she crafts.
Rhône Valley dreamer
Most California winemakers fall in love with Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Noir. Keplinger first fell in love with the outcasts, the Rhône varietals that struggled for recognition in American vineyards: Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, grapes that demand patience and understanding rather than brute force.
When she founded Keplinger Wines in 2006 with just 250 cases of Grenache and Syrah, she wasn’t just starting a business, she was crafting a love letter to varieties that most Americans had never heard of.
Her time in Spain’s Priorat region, working among those ancient, terraced
vineyards carved into schist and slate, taught her that greatness often comes from the margins.
The Spanish winemakers showed her that Grenache wasn’t just a blending grape, it could be the star, the protagonist of wines that spoke with voices both powerful and delicate.
When she returned to California, she brought that revelation with her, seeking out the steep, rocky sites in Amador and El Dorado counties where Grenache could find its American voice.
The authentic voice
“I find wines are more unique, nuanced and captivating when they have a clear connection to a vineyard, sense of place and hallmark of a vintage,” Keplinger said.
This isn’t marketing speak, it’s the philosophical foundation upon which she’s built everything. In an era of homogenized, consultant-driven wines, she insists on authenticity above all else.
To launch and establish Keplinger, she has operated like a curator, seeking out exceptional sites that others might overlook. The Shake Ridge Ranch in Amador County, with its ancient soils and steep slopes. Silver Eagle Vineyard on the Sonoma Coast, where morning fog and afternoon sun create the perfect tension
CellarBuyer &
for Syrah.
Each vineyard becomes a chapter in her ongoing story about place and character. Finally, in 2021, Keplinger purchased a gorgeous parcel of limestone-rocked and oak-wooded slopes on the cool and windy west side of Paso Robles, planting 20 acres in 2022: a new chapter to anticipate in the coming years once these vines begin producing fruit.
The mentorship legacy
Keplinger’s journey reads like a master class in learning from the best. Heidi Barrett taught her about balance, freshness and intuition. David Abreu showed her the nuances and results of meticulous farming. Michel Rolland demonstrated the art of blending. Kathy Joseph practiced precision with small-lot fermentations, Claude Gros revealed the secrets and importance of achieving optimal texture.
Keplinger learned lessons and techniques from each, yet synthesized these lessons into something uniquely her own.
Now, as one of the most sought-after winemakers in California, she has become the mentor herself.
Her reputation has led to an impressive portfolio of winemaking positions that showcase her versatility and expertise.
She serves as winemaker for Grace Family Vineyards, one of Napa’s most
prestigious boutique producers and has held that position for over a decade.
Her work extends to Kerr Cellars, where she collaborates with LPGA professional Cristie Kerr, where she crafts beautifully-balanced and expressive single-vineyard wines from Cabernet Sauvignon and all of the red Bordeaux varietals, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
Kerr operates as a negociant, sourcing grapes from carefully-selected growers and making the wines at a Napa winery where Keplinger’s team has complete control over every winemaking decision and activity rather than owning her own vineyard or winery.
This approach allows her the freedom to seek out the exceptional sites that others might overlook, working with multiple terroirs simultaneously.
She is also the consulting winemaker at the iconic Kenzo Estate, a magnificent wine estate of exceptional quality, located on 4,000 acres encompassing Mount George, just east of the city of Napa.
She was the first winemaker at this estate, working with Heidi Peterson Barrett from 2005 through 2010 before leaving to become the winemaker of Bryant Family Vineyard.
Through her own brands – the flagship Keplinger Wines and the more accessible CELLAR, PAGE 17
SYLVIA ANTIQUES
The wildly imaginative play about one man’s job in Barbra Streisand’s basement mall.
Robbie Simpson
Sailor’s woolwork of the “Maggie Milne” in full sail with flags, laurel leaves, and crown, in its original figured maple frame English, circa 1860–1880 , 27” x 35”
AUGUST 4 + 5
Drawing the Clothed Figure
AUGUST 5, 12, 19, 26
Clay Tile Making
AUGUST 5, 12, 19, 26
Chancery Calligraphy
AUGUST 7, 14, 21
Photography: Discover Nantucket
Ethereal beauty at heart of Hostetler Gallery
By Anna Popnikolova Contributing Writer
It is my first time browsing the Hostetler Gallery. I become enamored with a small painting of a lemon-powdered donut.
The donut is bitten in half, translucent yellow curd and powdered sugar smeared across the canvas. It is so lifelike, I’m ready to reach out and sink my teeth into the image.
“Aren’t those fun? I thought the gallery needed something a little more fun,” gallery owner Susan Hostetler says, coming up behind me.
The mouthwatering dessert display, done by Luke Boyd, is unlike anything else in the gallery – but everything in the gallery is unlike anything else. Hostetler Gallery, nestled at 42 Centre St., is an enchanted forest of art.
The slender, graceful sculptures of David Hostetler, Susan Hostetler’s late husband, are the gallery’s touchstone. The long-limbed wood and brass human forms greet visitors by the door, like quiet hosts at a great dinner party.
The sculptor moved to the island in the late 1970s and started the gallery in the early 1980s as a way to display his artwork. Susan Hostetler began running the gallery for him in the late 1980s, and has done so ever since.
David Hostetler’s work is still the gallery’s focus, this season more than ever, Susan said, but she also makes an effort to diversify the space.
“I want it to feel like there are lots of choices and materials and colors,” she said.
Choices there are. The walls last week were lined with the work of Alyssa Fortin, who held the gallery’s most recent opening July 24. Fortin’s photography of professional ballerinas under water is otherworldly.
The photographer is fascinated with the fragility of the human body and the environment, but her ballerinas are not fragile, they are sirens.
“When I first saw them,” Hostetler said, clutching her chest, “I thought, ‘oh, this is so stunning and evocative.’ I mean, each one has its own emotional story. I just didn’t want to stop looking at them.”
Next to Fortin’s work are Adi Oren’s brilliantly absurd free divers. They are set against beautiful, apocalyptic skies, pop-art backgrounds of hot pink, neon green, aqua blue and butter yellow. Oren’s little divers are spread-eagle on the canvas, grayscale bodies in swim caps and one-piece bathing suits. They are so different from their backdrops they look like magazine clippings. In most of her work, there is no water in sight.
“It was this little square on my phone,” Hostetler said, pinching her index finger and thumb an inch apart, indicating the size of Oren’s work when she first came across it. “And I thought this is going to be fabulous.”
Oren works in ink and acrylic on canvas, and her opening will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 7 at the gallery.
“They are even juicier in person. There’s a richness to her palette and a richness to her figures. Are they going to land? But you don’t think about that. You think about how you’d feel in the air like that,” Hostetler said.
I think she is fascinated with inversions. Her gallery is full of them. What happens when you submerge a dancer? Do they stay a dancer? Do they stay dancing?
What happens when you put a diver in the sky? What does it mean, putting a huge frosted cake on the wall, so lifelike you can practically taste the sugar, but knowing you can never eat it?
Is there a pool, a lake, an ocean, just out of our sight, where the diver will land?
I get the impression that Hostetler does not show art in her gallery that she is not in love with. Every artist makes her eyes glaze over with excitement, with adoration. This passion for art makes her exceedingly pleasant to talk to.
“I have an artistic bent. I love design, always noticed architecture, furniture, paintings, I always had that interest,” she said. “I met Bianca Bosker and she said she just couldn’t understand art, buying art, and I said, I’m the total opposite. I can see it.”
She uses her hands while speaking, painting pictures in the empty air with her hands. I am fixated on the wide-headed bone ring on her right hand, and the effortless fashion of her silk top.
“Do you know scientists have studied what makes a cool person?” she asked me at one point in the conversation, rather suddenly. “They went all over the world, and even in different countries, the factors that make cool people are the same,” she said. “I think, coolness is a human condition.”
I never get around to asking her what the factors actually are. She locks up the gallery as the sun thinks about the horizon. I think I know. We walk up Orange Street as she heads to a concert. I ask her how she can tell if she likes a piece of art.
“It really speaks to my heart. Art has to just make me go . . . ” she sighs deeply, with her whole chest, “That’s what I want to feel. Sometimes I don’t even know why it’s beautiful.”
Hostetler Gallery, 42 Centre St. (740) 591-8180, www.hostetlergallery.com
Adi Oren’s “Blue, Teal and Yellow Diver.”
David Hostetler’s “Dancing Lady”
How did the NHA Research Library come to be?
By Betsy Tyler
Contributing Writer
The Nantucket Historical Association had recently been organized, in May 1894, and members were actively searching for a “suitable place in which to store and exhibit the donations and loans of antique and historical articles, which already began to come in.”
Their June 25 meeting was held in the Friends Meeting House on Fair Street and new president Dr. J. Sidney Mitchell, recommended buying the building in which the meeting was held “as an old and valuable landmark which would serve temporarily as the headquarters of the society. . .”
And so the Friends Meeting House, formerly John Boadle’s schoolhouse, became the first building owned by the Nantucket Historical Association, a place for meetings and storing the donated materi-
al that was rapidly accumulating.
Just three years after its inception, the NHA recognized the need for safe storage of the treasures in its care.
Recording secretary Mary E. Starbuck wrote in her 1897 report, “More than anything, we need a fireproof building. We have land enough at the rear of the Meetinghouse for a brick extension of sufficient size for our purposes, and when we have such an addition many valuable relics will come back to the island. They have already been promised and for many reasons it seems expedient to claim them as soon as possible.”
In 1897, the NHA made a pivotal decision. Rather than buying and “fitting up” a whaleship, an idea that was briefly considered but deemed too expensive, it was voted that the fund accumulating for
that purpose be converted to a fund for “the most pressing need of the NHA – the erection of a fire-proof building.”
Instead of brick, concrete was chosen as the building material by architect George W. Watson of Boston.
Concrete was not a new material, in fact it was used in ancient Rome for constructing aqueducts, the Colosseum and the Pantheon, but after the fall of the Roman Empire the art of making concrete was lost until rediscovered in the 18th century.
It was used widely in Europe, particularly in France in the 19th century. Harvard Stadium was made of concrete in 1903, and the first concrete skyscraper was being built in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1904.
News of that achievement came to Nantucket, and persuaded Henry S. Wyer, vice-president of the NHA, to use the aggregate material for the proposed
fireproof building.
In 1904, one of the country’s early concrete buildings took shape behind the Friends Meeting House. Frank Lloyd Wright would follow suit in 1905 with his famous Unity Temple in Oak Park, Ill.
The collection of artifacts and documents that had been growing for 10 years was moved from the Friends Meeting House to the new fireproof building, a task that “engrossed the whole time and efforts of our working officials during the past year, and a most strenuous year’s work for Curator and assistants. . . . “ wrote curator Susan E. Brock in 1905. She was happy to report that the most satisfactory part of the whole project was the restoration of the old meeting house to its former condition, as it appeared when the association purchased it in 1894, adding, “We hope to be able to preserve it forever, in its Quaker simplicity, as a type of the places of worship of our
Courtesy of Nantucket Historical Association
The Fair Street Museum, built in 1904 of concrete and attached to the Quaker Meeting House, is now the Nantucket Historical Association Research Library.
From the Museum
The NHA has done just that, and the Friends Meeting House looks today very much the way it did in 1864.
The attached fireproof building was for years known as the Fair Street Museum, the primary exhibition space of the NHA, with collections arranged in a “cabinet of curiosities” style on both floors of the building.
The Fair Street Museum was the heart of the NHA, overflowing with everything from arrowheads to whaling logbooks, along with larger items like furniture and fire-hose carts.
As the NHA expanded its properties in the 20th century, however, creating additional exhibition and storage spaces, the aging fireproof building sat ripe for a new use that honored the aspirations of the founders of the NHA: “. . . that a society should be formed at once for the purpose of collecting books, manuscripts and articles of any sort, to illustrate the history of our Island.
What better place for a library and research center than a fireproof building – retrofitted, restored and enlarged in 2001.
The primary-source documents that record the history of Nantucket are housed in the NHA Research Library at 7 Fair St.
An archival vault beneath the Friends Meeting House provides climate-controlled storage for irreplaceable original documents – logbooks, account books, family papers, journals, business records, photographs – that are made easily ac cessible to researchers when they visit, or through online records.
The intimate Whitney Gallery, locat ed at the entrance to the library, offers changing exhibitions of Nantucket art and history, and is currently showcasing Favorites from the Collection.
The light-filled reading rooms are a ha ven for historians, students, journalists, filmmakers, homeowners searching for information about their Nantucket hous es and genealogists filling in the branch es of their family trees.
A major restoration project of the build ing was completed in the spring of 2024 to ensure this vital building can safely store and make the unique archival documents of the NHA’s collection available for the public for years to come.
The Research Library is open Monday through Friday, 10 tions, e-mail library@nha.org or learn more at NHA.org.
– Excerpt from the Nantucket Histori cal Association Properties Guide, Quaker Meeting House/Research Library by Bet sy Tyler, 2015.
Sign up for our
Eat: The meaty, messy quest for Nantucket’s best burger
(Continued from page 4)
$30). But in my opinion, it’s worth it for the experience (and the foie gras sauce).
• The Brotherhood of Thieves, town: When I was a child, my siblings and I called the Brotherhood “the pirate bar,” and I think the description holds true to this day. It’s dark and moody with low ceilings and that rumbling, lively energy you can only get at a local pub.
The Brotherhood originally opened in 1972. The name comes from an anti-slavery pamphlet written by Reverend Stephen S. Foster in 1842 and serves as a reminder of Nantucket’s “unique spirit . . . and sense of character,” according to the Brotherhood website.
In 2021, it was bought by a group of investors (including Cisco Brewers CEO Jay Harman) and transformed into four completely different concepts: The pub downstairs, the Notch Whiskey Bar, Cisco Kitchen and Bar upstairs and patio outdoors.
In my opinion, you don’t get the real “BroHo” experience if you’re sitting anywhere but the pub area. Upstairs is a more polished vibe, and outside feels like a tiki bar/beer garden.
On a rainy day, my dream meal is a cup of clam chowder and a burger with curly fries in a dark booth in front of the old fireplace. On my most recent visit, I ordered the Cisco burger, which comes with blue cheese, caramelized onions, bacon, lettuce and balsamic glaze served on a seeded bun.
The tang and saltiness of the blue cheese is mellowed out nicely by the sweet onions and the fattiness of the bacon. I surprisingly really enjoyed this burger.
There was a good variety of texture from the crunch of bacon and lettuce and the creaminess of the cheese. The burger patty was also sturdier than some of the others I had on-island. I didn’t feel like it was falling apart as I ate.
I do have a bias toward curly fries. I don’t know what it is, something about them is just better than regular fries. The fries at Brotherhood have a nice crispiness to them, but I feel like they’re just not the same as they were pre-2021.
The Brotherhood serves four different burgers: the classic Brotherhood”with LTO; the Cisco; the Reverend Foster with American cheese, caramelized onions and special sauce; and the Korean BBQ with kimchi mayo, pickled daikon and red cabbage.
• Le Languedoc Bistro, town: The Languedoc is another Nantucket icon. Established in 1976, it embodies classic French cuisine and technique, and it’s the longest-running restaurant still under original ownership on island.
The bistro is housed in a building that
dates back to the 1800s. The downstairs café and outdoor patio are the image of a classic French bistro down to the blue and white checked tablecloths and blue woven chairs. Upstairs has a more sophisticated, elegant energy. It’s great for special occasions and romantic nights out.
I love the energy downstairs. Everything feels small in a quirky, old-fashioned way. The low ceilings, vintage maps, stained glass decor and random nooks and crannies feel cozy and fun. It’s like everyone here is in on the same secret.
The menu has everything you would expect from a French restaurant: escargot, steak frites, soufflé. But I only came here for one thing, the Languedoc Cheeseburger.
The bartender John told me the Languedoc burger was the first burger on Nantucket, and they were definitely the first to serve it on an English muffin. He said that when he first came to Nantucket in the 1990s he remembers customers freaking out that Languedoc was charging $11 for a burger when everywhere else was $5 or $6. Languedoc’s burger will set you back $28 today.
Even if you are only ordering the burg-
es. It’s also one of the only beaches where you don’t have to worry about packing a cooler for the day because there’s food already there. In the parking lot of Surfside Beach sits The Surf food truck and shack.
The Surf serves up breakfast, lunch and dinner with plenty of options for anyone looking to spend dawn until dusk at the beach. In bold letters at the top of the menu, The Surf makes sure you know it was nominated for Best Burger on the island.
The food truck at Surfside has been around since the early 2000s, but The Surf took over the lease around 2020. It has tons of options for breakfast and lunch at the beach with a wide variety of salads, sandwiches and bowls.
The freshly-squeezed drinks are definitely a must-try. Nothing beats tanning on the beach with a blueberry key limeade. It’s just the right combination of sweet and tart.
The Surf burger is a classic cheeseburger with American cheese, LTO and pickles on a brioche bun. The bun was the perfect combination of buttery and light crunch.
I must admit, this was probably the messiest burger in my search. The burger itself was really juicy and combined with the tomato and the cheese that was almost liquidy, I made a mess.
I did love how the pickles were long slices and not chips or a spear on the side. It made it easy to get that great pickle crunch and flavor more consistently throughout the burger.
er, you’re started off with bread service. Both the cranberry bread and garlic onion bread were soft and fresh and the butter was perfectly smooth and salty.
The burger nearly overflows off the English muffin and comes with a heaping tin bucket of fries. It’s also served with a huge pickle spear and sides of ketchup and horseradish mustard.
I loved how the cheese was bubbling when my plate came out. It was really sharp and added a great contrast to the subtle tomato and butter lettuce.
My burger was a great medium-rare-pink, and didn’t feel too heavy or stiff. The English muffin was soft and didn’t have an overpowering flavor. The cheese and the beef are what really shine in this burger.
The fries are perfectly crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. I love when you can see the potato in a French fry. Bartender John also wanted me to know that Le Languedoc was the first restaurant to do seasoned fries. If I had to guess, I would say the seasoning blend is garlic powder, onion powder and salt. They are addictive.
• The Surf, Surfside Beach: Surfside is one of Nantucket’s most popular beach-
It’s important to note that the burger ($16.95) doesn’t come with any sides, so if you want fries you’ll have to order them separately ($6.50 for classic and $8.95 for truffle).
• Straight Wharf Fish, town : Straight Wharf Fish is one of the newest additions to the Nantucket dining scene. The combination clam shack, fish store, seafood market and sit-down restaurant opened in 2024 under the direction of two long-time Nantucket restaurateurs Gabriel Frasca and Kevin Burleson.
It was recently named Best Nantucket Seafood Shack by Boston magazine. If the fish case full of fresh catches and menu proclaiming local classics like scallops, clams and swordfish isn’t enough to draw you in, then the burger should do the trick.
The “I’d Definitely Smash Burger” at Straight Wharf Fish was the most unique and interesting burger I had during my experiment. I got takeout and sat on one of the nearby benches in Harbor Square. The number of people who asked where I got my burger was crazy.
It doesn’t just look good (I will admit, it’s a pretty Instagrammable burger),
Photo by Francesca Giangiulio
The Languedoc’s cheeseburger is as iconic as the restaurant itself.
Eat: Who serves the best burger on Nantucket? The quest continues
(Continued from page 16)
it tastes amazing. They call it a smash burger, but these patties are thick.
The meat itself has a strong umami and smoky flavor, and there’s a bit of a crunch on the outside, which I love in a smash burger.
The toppings are reminiscent of Asian flavors. The pickles are crunchy and have a bit of a garlic-ginger taste.
The small slices of sweet-and-sour peppers add surprising moments of heat and pair really well with the special sauce, which to me tastes something like a Kewpie mayo tartar sauce.
The American cheese is putting in the work to try to hold this together, but you will probably make a mess. It’s so worth it, though.
It’s served on a buttery brioche bun
with a side of coleslaw and house-made chips. I loved that the coleslaw wasn’t too wet. It had a crisp peppery-ginger flavor.
I’m a sucker for a house-made chip, and these did not disappoint. Great thickness and crunch, really well seasoned with a distinct Old Bay flavor.
• The Tap Room, town: For a while, ordering the burger at The Tap Room was something like a Nantucket “best kept secret.” When it first opened, the now-legendary Big M-Ack burger wasn’t even on the menu.
From 2014-2020, The Tap Room had a brief stint as a steak-focused joint called Nantucket Prime. It changed tits name back, put a burger on the bar menu, word spread and the rest is history.
Today, the Big M-Ack is one of the most popular items at The Tap Room (along with the popovers).
The Tap Room is located in the base-
ment and on the side patio of the historic Jared Coffin House. Sit inside for a more sophisticated, reserved dining experience and outside for the people-watching.
The Big M-Ack is another double-patty smash burger. The sesame seeded bun is soft, with just a little bit of crisp on the edges. The burger is a little greasy, but has that great smash burger crunch.
It’s very much a classic smash burger with the chopped romaine lettuce, melty American cheese and crisp, salty pickles. The special sauce has a little bit of sweetness to it.
And the fries? You can immediately tell when a fry is a good fry. It’s got that crisp, crunchy exterior and soft, fluffy interior. These ones had a great amount of salt, definitely not bland. They were addicting.
The perfect one-to-two-bite size that makes it nearly impossible to stop snacking on them.
What’s that saying? There’s only so many ways to milk a cow? Well, there are plenty of ways to cook one on Nantucket.
The above restaurants are just a sampling of the great burgers you can get on the island. Others that come to mind that I did not have the time, space or stomach space to sample include Faregrounds, the Rose & Crown and SeaGrille.
Whenever you’re craving a burger (which I will not be for the next several weeks), the island’s restaurants and hot spots have a whole spectrum for you to enjoy from American classic to BBQ-blasted to Asian influenced.
Just choose your vibe: Elevated French chic? Minimalist fish shack? Old-timey whaling pub? The burger will come to you.
Cellar: Helen Keplinger’s quiet wine-making journey
(Continued from page 11)
Vermillion label – she continues to champion her beloved Rhône varietals as well as Cabernet Sauvignon from a few of the best vineyards in Napa Valley. Every wine she touches, whether for her own labels or her clients, carries the same signature: respect for the fruit, reverence for the site and each winery’s identity and an almost mystical ability to let the vineyard speak through the bottle.
Philosophy in Practice
When Keplinger makes her flagship red blend Lithic the name itself tells the story. Lithic: relating to stone and the coarse texture of the rocky volcanic soils.
The wine combines Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre from sites where rocky volcanic soils create wines of mineral complexity and layered fruit.
She doesn’t chase high alcohol or extractive tannins. Instead, she seeks balance, elegance and that ineffable quality that makes you pause and wonder how such complexity could emerge from something as simple as fermented grape juice. Her winemaking process reflects this philosophy at every step. Small lots allow her to respond to the uniqueness of each vineyard block. Gentle extraction preserves the delicate aromatics. New French oak is used judiciously only in the Petite Sirah, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon as a technique to resolve tannins and provide freshness, never as a flavor. Extended ag-
ing allows the wines to integrate and develop their voices fully.
The collector’s vision
That little girl with an early love of nature, geology and artistic wine bottles grew up to become someone who still collects: not rocks and bottles now, but moments of perfection.
Each vintage becomes part of her collection, each wine a small masterpiece that captures not just a place and time but a philosophy about what wine can be when it’s allowed to be itself.
Keplinger’s wines don’t shout, they whisper. They don’t demand attention, they earn it.
In a world where bigger is often mis-
taken for better, where technology sometimes substitutes for intuition, her approach represents something increasingly rare: the belief that the best wines come from understanding rather than overpowering, from listening rather than talking, from collecting moments of authentic beauty one bottle at a time. And perhaps that’s the most important lesson from the rock collector turned winemaker: the most profound discoveries often come not from what we impose upon the world, but from what we allow the world to reveal to us.
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
Walk: Oft-forgotten and overlooked oasis just outside of town
(Continued from page 8)
with North Beach Street. You could turn right to travel along the bluff and past Cobblestone Hill to Galley Beach on Nantucket’s north shore.
Instead, take a left on North Beach where just a few steps away is a memorial rock and the entrance to a pocket park at the foot of the cliff.
The bird sanctuary here is an easily overlooked and overgrown plot of wetlands with a small trail and a couple peaceful benches.
It holds the distinction of being the very first property donated to the Nantucket Conservation Foundation in 1963 by Frances C. Cook.
Near the entrance is a newly installed
Little Free Library and the most recent addition to this charming neighborhood literacy program.
Katie Hartman, a nearby resident, was given the library as a birthday gift from her family. She chose to share the gift with her neighborhood and spread the good work of the Little Free Library program at this little patch of Nantucket Conservation Foundation property.
Through years of “letting nature take its course” and minimal management, you can barely see that this is a wetland past the high wall of invasive species and woody vines.
The path into the property is tangled with escapees from ornamental plantings gone wild and unchecked, a who’s-who of problem species like Japanese knotweed,
honeysuckle and multiflora rose.
Norway maples stand tall despite the clinging wild grape vines and the right eyes can see valuable sources of native biodiversity still holding their ground and saturated soil.
Fragrant columns of sweet pepperbush flowers, a brilliant native flowering shrub, shine from the choked edges.
As you make your way to the benches in the inner sanctum, patches of water willow, cattails, ferns and cotton wool grass hold down the fort for native species.
In the center, a solitary patch of rose mallow on the crowded wetland edge is just about to unfurl dozens of large pink hibiscus flowers, the most spectacular native blooms of the summer.
These plants are evidence that we have
not lost the native diversity completely, just left it to be crowded by plants introduced for their aesthetic function in landscaping.
The argument could also be made that some tended ornamentals and flowering non-natives can have a place in a healthy balanced neighborhood.
Impacted and ecologically abandoned habitats are present in every place on Earth that human-centric infrastructure has become established.
We can always choose, however, to tend natural function and diversity, taking action one forgotten corner at a time.
Neil Foley is the interpretive education coordinator and ecologist at the Nantucket Conservation Foundation.
(Thursday, continued from page 3)
Online Author Talk: Pria Anand
2 p.m. Online at www.nantucketatheneum.org. Neurologist and author Pria Anand will discuss her new book, “The Electric Mind: A Neurologist on the Strangeness and Wonder of our Brains. Register on the library’s calendar page.
Polpis Harbor Kayak
2 p.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, saltmarsh ecology and nature-based resilience solutions. Free with registration on events page of www.nantucketconservation.org
Sconset Walking Tour
3 p.m. Thursdays, 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 at the end of the 1800s. Tickets at nantucketpreservation.org
Villanova Meet-up
3:30 p.m. Millie’s, 326 Madaket Road. All Villanova alumni, parents, students, family and friends are invited to a summer social with university president, Rev. Peter M. Donahue. RSVP at vuevents.villanova.edu/nantucket2025
Blue Bistro Bash
4 p.m. Nantucket Hotel, 77 Easton St. Join best-selling Nantucket Author Elin Hilderbrand in bringing her novel “The Blue Bistro” to life in this benefit for the Nantucket Book Foundation. Fashion show, live auction, book-signing, cocktails and light bites, music and dancing. Tickets at www.nantucketbookfestival.com
Art Dinner
5 p.m. Artists Association of Nantucket Big Gallery, upstairs at 12 Straight Wharf. The AAN celebrates its 80th anniversary and the works of its permanent collection. Artist member Greg Hill will be presented the AAN’s lifetime achievement award. Tickets at www.nantucketarts.org
NISDA Thursday Night Fete
6 p.m. Nantucket Island School of Design and the Arts, 23 Wauwinet Road. Join NISDA for an evening of live music open mic “en plein air” with Island
Island Calendar
Tunes and food trucks. Visitors are invited to participate in the “No More Empty Bowls” project for the benefit of the Nantucket Food, Fuel, and Rental Assistance Food Pantry fundraiser. No clay experience necessary. $10 suggested donation.
Film for Thought:
“Beauty is Embarrassing”
6:30 p.m. Dreamland Theater, 17 South Water St. The Inquirer and Mirror and Dreamland present “Beauty is Embarrassing,” a documentary about cartoonist Wayne White, one of the creators of “Peewee’s Playhouse,” followed by a discussion with White. Free for members. Tickets at www.nantucketdreamland.org
Live Music: Everclear
7 p.m. The Muse, 44 Surfside Road. Altrock band Everclear, famous for 1990s hits like Santa Monica, will perform. Tickets at Eventbrite.com
“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 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.
Special Screening: “Jaws”
7 p.m. Dreamland Theater, 17 South Water St. The Dreamland hosts a special 50th anniversary screening of “Jaws” in partnership with the Nantucket Film Festival. Tickets at www.nantucketdreamland.org
Owl Prowl
8 p.m. Thursdays, 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
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: Stop Light Observations
10 p.m. Gaslight Nantucket, 3 North Union St. Transformational rock band Stop Light Observations, which blends blues, pop, indie rock and electronic beats, will perform. 21 and over.
Friday, Aug. 1
August Blues Fishing Tournament
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
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.
Maria Mitchell Birthday Celebration
3-5 p.m. Maria Mitchell Association, 2 Vestal St. Join the MMA for live period-inspired music by Susan Berman and Ray Saunders, punch and cookies, live animal displays, research demonstrations, astronomy and family activities for all ages to honor Maria Mitchell on her birthday. Free.
Live Music: Alpaca Gnomes
4 p.m. Cisco Brewers, 5 Bartlett Farm Road. The seven-piece rock/folk collective Alpaca Gnomes will perform. Additional shows 4 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday.
Art Opening: Artists Association
5 p.m. Artists Association of Nantucket Johnson Gallery, 8 Federal St. The AAN will host an opening reception for its Baker’s Dozen exhibition of work by 13 AAN member-artists.
The Great Catsby Fundraiser
6 p.m. Bartlett’s Ocean View Farm, 33 Bartlett Farm Road. Swanky martinis, live music, adoptable puppies and dapper dogs highlight Nantucket Island Safe Harbor for Animals’ annual fundraiser. Dress is cocktail casual, but flapper style is encouraged. Tickets at nishaanimals.org
“Nantucket’s Historic Coloured Cemetery”
6:30 p.m. Atheneum Great Hall, 1 India St. The Atheneum will screen “Nantucket’s Historic Coloured Cemetery: Stories Told by Islanders,” produced by Fran Karttunen and Barbara White. Tickets at www.nantucketdreamland.org
Vestal Street Observatory
Opening Reception
6:30 p.m. Vestal Street Observatory, 3 Vestal St. Join the Maria Mitchell Association for an evening of stargazing and history to celebrate the reopening of the Vestal Street Observatory, featuring a visit from Brother Guy Consolmagno, director of the Vatican Observatory. Limited tickets available on calendar page of www.mariamitchell.org
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.
“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: Sean Lee
8-10 p.m. Rose & Crown, 23 South Water St. Nantucket singer-songwriter Sean Lee will perform. Second show Saturday.
Live Music: Wheatus
9 p.m. The Muse, 44 Surfside Road. Long Island, N.Y. alt-rock band Wheatus, known for its early-2000s breakout single “Teenage Dirtbag,” will perform. Tickets at www.eventbrite.com
Saturday, Aug. 2
Nantucket Clean Team
8 a.m. Handlebar Café, 15 Washington St., and end of Hoicks Hollow Road. 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 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.
Rafael Osona Online Auction
9:30 a.m. Americana, fine art and décor auction, including over 100 antique walking sticks and canes, furnishings, fine art and antiques. Online at www.rafaelosonaauction.com. Live previews July 30-Aug. 1 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Legion Hall, 21 Washington St.
Book Signing: Nancy Thayer
10:30 a.m. Mitchell’s Book Corner, 54 Main St. Best-selling island author Nancy Thayer will sign copies of her latest novel, “Summer Light on Nantucket.”
Historic Bike Tour
10:30 a.m. Nantucket Whaling Museum, 13 Broad St. Led by a Nantucket Historical Association guide. Approximately two hours. Tickets on calendar page of www.nha.org
SATURDAY, PAGE 20
(Saturday, continued from page 19)
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.
“Nantucket’s Historic Coloured Cemetery”
2 p.m. Dreamland Theater, 17 South Water St. The Dreamland will screen “Nantucket’s Historic Coloured Cemetery: Stories Told by Islanders,” produced by Fran Karttunen and Barbara White. Tickets at www.nantucketdreamland.org
Live Music: Local Notes
4 p.m. Cisco Brewers, 5 Bartlett Farm Road. Nantucket’s own rock-and-roll band, led by Natalie Mack, will perform.
Outdoor Restorative Yoga
5 p.m. Location upon registration. Sixty minutes of calming and centering restorative yoga on one of the Nantucket Conservation Foundation’s open spaces. Registration required on events page of www.nantucketconservation.org
Island Calendar
A Nantucket Night
5:30 p.m. Bartlett’s Ocean View Farm, 33 Bartlett Farm Road. A Nantucket Night celebrates the Nantucket Historical Association’s 2025 exhibition Behind the Seams. Visit www.nha.org for tickets.
Comedy Night: Brian Glowacki
6 and 8:30 p.m. Dreamland Theater, 17 South Water St. Nantucket’s own nationally-touring stand-up comedian Brian Glowacki will perform. Tickets at www. nantucketdreamland.org
Sunday, Aug. 3
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
Rafael Osona Online Auction
9:30 a.m. A marine antiques and artifacts auction of 19th century scrimshaw,
ships’ lights, harpoons, tools, models, half-hulls and more. Online at www.rafaelosonaauction.com. Live previews July 30-Aug. 1 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Legion Hall, 21 Washington St.
Book-Signing: Nathaniel Philbrick
10:30 a.m. Mitchell’s Book Corner, 54 Main St. National Book Award-winning island author Nathaniel Philbrick will sign copies of his books, including “In the Heart of the Sea.”
Breathwork and Meditation
11 a.m. Location upon registration. Instructor Andrew Viselli leads this 60-minute session of guided meditation, reiki and subtle movement to relax, calm and empower. Free with registration on events page of www.nantucketconservation.org
Live Music: Smallpools
1 p.m. Cisco Brewers, 5 Bartlett Farm Road. Smallpools, an indie pop band from Los Angeles by way of Nashville, will perform.
A CANDID LOOK AT NANTUCKET’S HOUSING DILEMMA
Barbecue, Bocce and Bluegrass
3 p.m. Almanack Arts Colony, 25 Almanack Pond Road. Bocce tournament, authentic barbecue and live bluegrass music to benefit the Almanack Arts Colony. Tickets at www.eventbrite.com
Middle East Briefing
5 p.m. Dreamland Theater, 17 South Water St. Robert Malley, author and former U.S. special envoy for the Iran nuclear talks and U.S. mediator for Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, will discuss the Middle East with Michael Schulder, creator and host of Wavemaker Conversations. Tickets at www.nantucketdreamland.org
Harborview Concert Series
6 p.m. Dreamland Theater, 17 South Water St. Nantucket’s own rock-and-roll band Local Notes, led by Natalie Mack, will perform. Tickets at www.nantucketdreamland.org
Sunday Night Concert: NCMC Jazz Band
6 p.m. Children’s Beach Bandstand, Harborview Way. The Nantucket Community Music Center’s Community Jazz Band will perform. Free.
TICKETS AT THE DOOR OR
Monday, Aug. 4
Guided Bike Tour
8 a.m. Location upon registration. Nantucket Conservation Foundation trustee Jim Meehan leads this tour of the trails of the direst roads of the Middle Moors and Ram Pasture. Space is limited. Helmet and mountain bike required. Register on events page of www.nantucketconservation.org
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.
Book-signing: Susan Dominus
10:30 a.m. Mitchell’s Book Corner, 54 Main St. Author Susan Dominus will sign copies of her book, “The Family Dynamic: A Journey Into the Mystery of Sibling Success.”
Island Calendar
Green Crab Identification Workshop
3:45 p.m. Maria Mitchell Association Aquarium, 32 Washington St. The MMA Aquarium staff kicks off Green Crab Week with a workshop on how to identify the invasive European green crab. Free, but registration recommended on calendar page of www.mariamitchell.org
Live Music: Brother Other
4-7 p.m. Cisco Brewers, 5 Bartlett Farm Road. New England acoustic Americana duo Brother Other will perform. Second show Tuesday.
Coast Guard Anniversary Celebration
4 p.m. Nantucket Shipwreck & Lifesaving Museum, 158 Polpis Road. Celebrate the 235th anniversary of the U.S. Coast Guard with the Egan Maritime Institute. Free museum admission, light refreshments and a community gathering.
Meet the Artists: Anna Shelest
5:30 p.m. Atheneum Great Hall, 1 India St. A free and informal meet and greet with pianist Anna Shelest before her Nantucket Musical Arts Society concert Tuesday. Free.
Harborview Concert: Foggy Roots
6 p.m. Dreamland Theater, 17 South Water St. Nantucket’s own roots reggae band, Foggy Roots, will perform. 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 continues his Monday residency at the Box behind the turntables. 21 and over.
Live Music: Zane Christopher
10 p.m. Gaslight Nantucket, 3 North Union St. Boston-based singer-songwriter Zane Christopher will perform. 21 and over.
Tuesday, Aug. 5
Forest Management Walk
9 a.m. Location upon registration. Nantucket Conservation Foundation research ecologist Danielle O’Dell leads this walk through one of Nantucket’s pitch pine forests and discusses efforts to keep them healthy. Free with registration on events page of www.nantucketconservation.org
Swamp Romp
9:45 a.m. Atheneum garden, 1 India St.
A two-stepping good time with the “Pied Pipers of Louisiana Musical Traditions,” Johnette Downing and Scott Billington, who will serve up a gumbo of roots music and fun.
Nanpuppets
11:30 a.m. Cisco Brewers, 5 Bartlett Farm Road. Join Lizza Obremski and her puppet friends for a morning of educational entertainment for all ages.
NHA on the Road
2 p.m. Our Island Home, East Creek Road. The Nantucket Historical Association brings its 2025 exhibition, Behind the Seams, to Our Island Home.
TUESDAY, PAGE 22
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.
Green Crab Survey
3:15 p.m. Hither Creek, near 22 Massachusetts Ave. Join Maria Mitchell Aquarium staff to survey for invasive European green crabs using seine nets. Part of Green Crab Week. Free, but registration recommended on calendar page of www. mariamitchell.org
The Revolutionary George Washington
4 p.m. Atheneum Great Hall, 1 India St. National Book Award winning island author Nat Philbrick and Doug Bradburn, president and CEO of Mount Vernon, will discuss George Washington and his beloved home, Mount Vernon. Free.
Island Calendar
Land & Water Council Annual Meeting
5 p.m. Nantucket Hotel, 77 Easton St.
The Nantucket Land & Water Council will host its annual meeting, with guest speaker Edwina von Gal, founder and president of Perfect Earth Project, which promotes ecological design and toxin-free land care. Free.
University of Virginia Summer Reception
5:30 p.m. Great Harbor Yacht Club, 96 Washington St. The University of Virginia invites alumni, parents, families and friends to join UVA president Jim Ryan for an evening reception. RSVP to specialevents@virginia.edu
Classical Music
7 p.m. St. Paul’s Church, 20 Fair St.
The Nantucket Musical Arts Society presents pianist Anna Shelest in the fifth installment of its summer concert series. Tickets $30 at the door.
Comedy Night: T.J. Miller
8 p.m. Dreamland Theater, 17 South Water St. Comedian, actor and producer T.J. Miller will perform. Tickets at www. nantucketdreamland.org
Live Music: The Elovaters
10 p.m. The Chicken Box, 6 Dave St. Boston-based reggae rock band The Elovaters will perform. 21 and over. Second show Wednesday. Tickets at www. thechickenbox.com
Wednesday, Aug. 6
Windswept Bog Walk
8:30 a.m. Windswept Cranberry Bog, 301 Polpis Road. Members of the Nantucket Conservation Foundation staff discuss ongoing efforts to restore this former cranberry bog to its former natural state. Registration required on events page of www.nantucketconservation.org
NHA Community Day
9 a.m.-noon, Children’s Beach, Harborview Way. The Nantucket Historical Association celebrates its 2025 exhibition Behind the Seams with textile-inspired crafts, activities, demonstrations and the first public showcase of its Community Quilt Project, featuring panels created by nonprofits, artist and Nantucket businesses. Community fashion show at 11 a.m. on the bandstand. Free.
Intro to Ukulele
9:45 a.m. Atheneum Learning Lab, 1 India St. Musician Johnette Downing will teach the parts of the ukulele, how to strum, how to make chords and how to play two songs. Register on calendar page of www.nantucketatheneum.org
Book-signings: Elin Hilderbrand and Meg Mitchell Moore
11 a.m. Mitchell’s Book Corner, 54 Main St. Best-selling island author Elin Hilderbrand will sign copies of “The Blue Book” and author Meg Mitchell Moore will sign copies of her novel “Mansion Beach.” 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.
Garden
Club House and Garden Tour
11 a.m.-4 p.m. 12 Baxter Road. The Nantucket Garden Club hosts its annual house and garden tour, this year focusing on homes in Sconset. Bus transportation available from town. Tickets available at www.nantucketgardenclub.org
(Tuesday, continued from page 21)
Harmonica Workshop
11 a.m. Atheneum Learning Lab, 1 India St. Grammy-winning blues musician and producer Scott Billington teaches the basics of blues and folk harmonica, including a signature blues riff. Register on calendar page of www.nantucketatheneum.org
Live Music: Buckle & Shake
4-7 p.m. Cisco Brewers, 5 Bartlett Farm Road. Buckle & Shake, Nantucket’s own alt-country band, will perform.
Summer Decks DJ Series
6 p.m. Dreamland Theater, 17 South Water St. Nantucket DJ Peter Ahern will man the turntables. Tickets at www.nantucketdreamland.org
Cultural Arts Lecture
7 p.m. Nantucket Island School of Design and the Arts, 23 Wauwinet Road. NISDA hosts island painter Joan Albaugh presenting works from her “Chasing Light: Paintings as Self-Portrait.”
Supreme Court Lecture
6 p.m. Sconset Casino, 10 New St. Historian Clare Cushman, author of “An Illustrated Guide to the Supreme Court,”
Island Calendar
will demystify how the court works and how its customs have evolved over time. Free, but tickets required from www.nantucketatheneum.org
Film for Thought
7 p.m. Dreamland Theater, 17 South Water St. The Inquirer and Mirror and Dreamland present the critically-acclaimed “Drowning Dry.” Free for members. Tickets at www.nantucketdreamland.org
Live Music: Old Mervs
10 p.m. Gaslight Nantucket, 3 North Union St. Australian indie rock band Old Mervs will perform. 21 and over. Second show Thursday.
Thursday, Aug. 7
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. Free, but registration recommended on calendar page of www. mariamitchell.org
Polpis Harbor Kayak
2 p.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, saltmarsh ecology and nature-based resilience solutions. Free with registration on events page of www.nantucketconservation.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.
“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.
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
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
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
DINING OVERLOOKING NANTUCKET SOUND.
Enjoy fine dining in our intimate dining room or a relaxed experience on our deck. In summer months, cruise to lunch or dinner aboard the Wauwinet Lady. Nantucket’s only AAA 5-Diamond restaurant.
