“We’re putting the band back together.” Those immortal words were put forth by Joliet Jake (John Belushi) and Elwood Blues (Dan Aykroyd) in the classic 1980 movie The Blues Brothers. Who doesn’t love a classic buddy movie filled with laughs and great music? Yeah, I’m all in! I recently found myself in the middle of a Nantucket version of this plot. And it was so great!
Nantucket History & People
Half-Century of Fun & Creativity
Every summer for more than half a century, one day on Nantucket belongs entirely to imagination, creativity, community, and sand. This year, the Nantucket Island School of Design and the Arts (NISDA) will host its beloved Sandcastle and Sandsculpture Contest in July rather than August. Held at Jetties Beach, this […]
Remembering the Bicentennial on this 250th
The summer of 1976—what a time to be a kid on Nantucket! The entire island was gearing up to throw a 200th birthday party for the greatest nation in the history of mankind. This was a big deal, I tell ya! Main Street, Federal Street, and much of the downtown area was completely blocked off for the festivities. Planners were planning, costumes were being sewn, and floats were being constructed. Oh yeah, the Bicentennial celebration had Nantucket a-buzzing!
An Inside Scoop on Elin’s Nantucket
If you’ve everfelt the pull of Nantucket while reading an Elin Hilderbrand novel—the salt air, the fragrance of rose-covered cottages, the excitement of the brewery and The Box—there’s a way to actually experience it. The Elin Hilderbrand Nantucket Blue Book Tour, designed by Heather Thorpe and operated by Nantucket Island Tours offers fans an opportunity to enjoy Nantucket in real life: a ride across our island with someone who knows Elin not just as an author, but as a sister.
Island Juneteenth Festivities This Week
Nantucket Island’s Juneteenth celebration has become an annual tradition on our island. The festivities transform York Street into a block party with music, food, local vendors, arts and crafts, family-friendly activities — drawing attendees of all races, ages, and backgrounds. The celebration will be held this Saturday, June 20, with […]
At the Center of an Economic Revolution
Did you know that there once was a tree that spiked an economic bubble in the US? And there are Nantucket ties with a legacy that we can still see (and visit) on the island today?
Drawn into the World He Tried to Escape
By all outward measures, Richard Russo has had the kind of literary career many writers only dream about — a Pulitzer Prize, an Oprah’s Book Club selection, beloved novels adapted for film and television, and a body of work spanning four decades that has made him one of the defining voices of working- class American fiction. But spend time with the author and you understand that none of it came easily, and none of it was guaranteed.