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Women line the shoreline casting at sunset during Tammy King's annual women's fishing seminar on Nantucket.
Nantucket Events, Nantucket Voices

A Vision Realized

Jesse Cole is a visionary. Wait, you don’t know who Jesse Cole is? I bet you do. Or, at least, I bet you’ve seen him. Jesse is the tall guy in the bright yellow tuxedo and top hat who formed the Savannah Bananas baseball team and subsequently created Banana Ball. Yes, that’s the game that is selling out major league baseball (and football) stadiums across the country. It started because Jesse Cole had a vision that baseball could be so much more than it is. It was a vision that became his passion.

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Nine longtime friends pose together on Nantucket during their annual girls' weekend tradition.
An Island Point of View

37 Summers of a Nantucket Sisterhood

This September, as they have done on the same September weekend for 37 years, a group of women will board the ferry to Nantucket carrying decades of shared history and friendships that have lasted nearly four decades. What began in 1989 as a casual girls’ weekend has developed into an annual pilgrimage for this group of friends who have become sisters.

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Sandy hiking trail winding through the Shawkemo Highlands on Nantucket.
Island Science

A Hike through the Shawkemo Highlands

As we come into September, those of us lucky enough to stay on Nantucket begin reclaiming some of our favorite spots. I walk every morning with my high energy dogs, and I pick and choose places to walk based partially on the fact that I want to go where there are few people and other dogs. I also get bored easily, so I try to mix up these walks, try new places or visit trails at different times of the year. One of our favorite trails is the Shawkemo Highlands. I’ve always called them Shawkemo Hills, but recently the Nantucket Land Bank put new signage at the trailhead with the “Highlands” label, and that moniker fits.

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Rain falling outside a window overlooking a Nantucket garden.
An Island Point of View

Taking Time to Notice the Rain

I woke this morning borderline astonished that the coffee maker had done exactly what it was supposed to do.

This is not particularly impressive technology. A timer, some water, ground coffee, a heating element. Humanity has accomplished greater things. But there it was at five in the morning, a pot of coffee already made, and with it something I hadn’t quite expected… twenty minutes I would ordinarily have spent making it myself. I took the coffee and sat down.

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Aerial view of Nantucket homes and harbor
Insider Tips

Rooted Renters

The Town of Nantucket has announced the launch of a new three-year housing preservation program designed to help keep existing year-round rental homes affordable for Nantucket’s workforce and community. Funded by the Affordable Housing Trust and administered by Placemate, Rooted Renters provides financial incentives to property owners who commit to […]

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A young girl reads a picture book with her dog beside her, reflecting the love of reading Nantucket Children's Book Day hopes to inspire.
Nantucket Events

Igniting a Love of Books

(Location Update: due to rain, this event is being held in the Nantucket Boys & Girls Club) This Saturday, August 22, youngsters and their families are encouraged to walk to Children’s Beach for the Nantucket Book Foundation’s annual Children’s Book Day. In partnership with the Nantucket Cultural District, NBF has […]

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Liliana Small holds her 28.75 inch bluefish, the top junior catch in the August Blues Nantucket Fishing Tournament.
An Island Point of View

Carrying on Tradition

“Leave me alone, I’m just carrying on an old family tradition…” these sardonic lyrics from the Hank Williams Jr. classic 1979 song Family Tradition still punch hard after all these years. Hank Jr. didn’t have an easy road. He had to climb past the enormous shadow of his dad, a man who had died when Jr. was only three years old. But climb he did. Hank Jr. developed his own style and sound. He lived his own life. And yes, he’s always been proud of his father and what the original Hank Williams had left for him. Both men have become true American country music icons.

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A CoCoRaHS rain gauge collects precipitation data used to track Nantucket's ongoing drought conditions.
Island Science

Why So Dry?

Last year at this time, the plants in our wild spaces looked a little different. Rather than lush and green, we were faced with dry, desiccated plants looking more like they were trying to survive a desert than a coastal island. Many deciduous trees were going dormant much earlier than usual, with leaves changing color and shedding off trees and shrubs. It looked more like late October than August on-island. In August of 2025 we were in a designated level 2 drought. Not only were there water restrictions, but the community as a whole was noticing the effects of drought on the open space around us. The crispy leaves and dry grasses were much more obvious that we were in a drought.

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