News and Events for Nantucket Island
Never look a gift horse in the mouth. A curious saying, right? Evidently it was semi-common back in once-upon-a-time land for one person to grace a friend or relative with a large, four-legged draft animal. The receiver of such a fine gift would be considered rude if they then examined the teeth of their newly acquired horse to determine the resale value of said beast. It’s good to have some context, right?
As fall arrives on our island, we welcome fewer people, crisp fall air, and the start of our hunting seasons. Hunting is a time-honored tradition, part of Nantucket’s cultural heritage just as fishing is. But it is also an important management tool for our conservation organizations and property owners.
“I don’t belong to anyone. I am the daughter of Thomas Gardner of Nantucket.”— Nancy Gardner Prince In 1850, Nancy Gardener Prince, a Black Nantucket descendant who traveled the world in the 1800s, self-published her life story, which proved so popular that it went through three editions. The autobiography explores […]
Staff of Yesterday’s Island/Today’s Nantucket and of The Insiders Guide to Nantucket: Nantucket.net are delighted to dedicate this issue to the winners of our annual Nantucket Photo Contest and to the many entries we received that deserve honorable mention. This year’s contest drew an impressive field of more than 975 […]
by Sarah Wright Ten years ago playwright A. R. Gurney told an interviewer his favorite line from his play Sylvia was “Read the Odyssey some time.” Part of Sylvia’s monologue in the second act, when the dog-woman fears being sent to the suburbs, it is a memorable line. The Greek mythology reference […]
Summer on Nantucket is coming to an end. Usually at this time of year I try to hold on to summer. Phenologically, September is still part of the growing season, and it’s peak time for many of our wildflowers. That’s what I usually say. This year, however, is a bit different. We’re starting to see fall colors in August (!), plants going dormant earlier than usual, and some things withering before our eyes—more typical late fall activity.
Steve “Tuna” Tornovish It’s hard to be successful from a standing start (no, this is not a poke at our beloved Bill Belichick after his North Carolina Tar Heels took a horrendous loss to TCU on national television) but the August Blues fishing tournament certainly has done it. In only […]
As summer draws to a close and autumn begins to paint our island landscape, one September tradition marks the changing of the seasons: the Nantucket Island Fair. This community gathering brings together residents and visitors for a weekend of old-fashioned entertainment, local flavor, and island camaraderie. The fair is being […]
