News and Events for Nantucket Island
Nantucket Island—the community here, the pristine beaches, the drama of the sea—it has a way of capturing hearts and filling souls. For many who live here, it can be difficult to leave, even when life events, family, and work makes a departure seem practical. Islanders label this “getting sand in your shoes,” and Niles Parker responded to the call when he returned in 2022 to retake the helm at the Nantucket Historical Association as Gosnell Executive Director.
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, October 6-8, Artists Association of Nantucket (AAN) is hosting its annual Wet Paint Weekend, with many opportunities for the island community to meet AAN artists, see them at their easels, and participate in an auction of their works. “Wet Paint Weekend is truly a highlight of […]
It’s been almost a month since the awesome August Blues tournament ended, and my butt is still sore from getting beat out on the Gator Blue prize for the biggest bluefish. A fine young fisher named Gray Malitsky knocked me to the canvas and stood over me like a young Cassius Clay (aka Muhammad Ali) did to Sonny Liston, beating me with his 36.5 inch monster blue. In the weeks since my humiliating, soulcrushing, “…to the death! No, to the pain” style defeat, I have learned some things about Gray, this mysterious young champion. And what I’ve learned is far too great to not share with you all, so here goes.
Now that it is officially fall on Nantucket, we can start celebrating the “spooky season.” As I am writing this, fall has just begun. But autumn moves quickly on Nantucket. Throughout September we feel the “Second Summer” vibes. Early October can even have mild days. But then suddenly, the winds pick up, the rain falls, and decorative gourd season descends.
For more than three decades we’ve invited all who live on and visit the island to enter our annual Nantucket Photo Contest. Our readers enthusiastically participate: every year we receive hundreds of their favorite views of Nantucket. This year we had nearly as many photos of sunrises as of sunsets: […]
Photo by Allyson Bold
Summer often ends in a storm. One of the great whirling tempests of the Caribbean forms somewhere off the Azores and begins the slow dance across the warm Atlantic and around the Bermuda high. Those Who Know watch the glass and the Weather Channel to see how close and how far away the storm will pass. Then, when prudence and procrastination crash together at the boat ramp, summer gets towed away, shrink wrapped, and plopped onto a rack.
Tournament fishing is lots of fun here on Nantucket. We have a variety of contests for the local beach anglers, and I enjoy them all. Things get started with the Spring Sea Run Opener, an event that begins when someone catches the first searun striped bass of the year from the beach. That tournament runs until the end of May. The inaugural August Blues tournament is currently underway. It’s been an absolute blast, except that I’m sitting here at my keyboard, lamenting the fact that Gray Malitsky just knocked me out of first place for the biggest bluefish. Ouch. And before we can catch our collective breath from fishing that fun event, the big daddy of them all, the Nantucket Inshore Classic, will soon be kicking off. It will run for the five weeks between Labor Day and Columbus Day. That tournament is the Super Bowl of Nantucket fishing and I just can’t wait for it to get underway!
September is Climate Change Awareness Month, a proclamation adopted by the Nantucket Select Board in 2020. But what does that mean for the island and our community? As an island, most of us are “aware” of climate change already. Discussions of storm surge, sea level rise, and erosion will get you a response at any island gathering place. Where the most vulnerable areas are is no longer a conversation just for the experts. Everyone has been affected by flooded roads, loss of beach access due to erosion, or boat cancellations due to frequent winter storms.
Nantucket’s history is filled with stories of heroic lifesaving efforts made by ordinary citizens and those who went above and beyond the call of duty. Honoring that tradition, Egan Maritime Institute and Nantucket Cottage Hospital recognize the following modern-day lifesavers at an annual Lifesavers Recognition Day on Monday, September 11 […]
