This Week on Nantucket, August 21-28

This Week on Nantucket

August 21 - August 28

Published by The Inquirer and Mirror

– In This Issue –

• Island Calendar

• Let’s Eat! Cisco Food Trucks

• MusACK: Local Notes

• Walk with Neil: Sheep Commons

Thursday, Aug. 21

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

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.

Nature Walk

8:30 a.m. Location upon registration. The Nantucket Conservation Foundation leads this walk through a scenic, hilly section of the Middle Moors, highlighted by freshwater ponds, interesting plant species and stunning views of the moors and Nantucket Harbor. Register on events page of www.nantucketconservation.org

Island Calendar

Instrument Petting Zoo

9 a.m.-noon, Nantucket Community Music Center, 56 Centre St. A fun, handson opportunity to try out instruments and preview the NCMC’s free after-school music program. Try woodwinds, brass and strings. Open to students in grades three to 12. Visit www.nantucketmusic.org to register.

Dance Party in the Garden

9:45 a.m. Atheneum Garden, 1 India St. Cory Morgan leads an energetic, joyfilled 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 inclement 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.

THURSDAY, PAGE 16

Island-born Local Notes finds its rhythm

By Kendall Graham kgraham@inkym.com

Like many bands, Local Notes got its start playing covers in a garage.

But unlike many bands, that garage was on Nantucket, and the members were middle-schoolers rehearsing Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” in full.

In 2017, Natalie Mack, Aidan Sullivan and Hunter Gross came together to perform at The Dreamland’s annual talent show. At the time, they weren’t a band in the formal sense, just friends who shared a love of music and a curiosity about what they could pull off on stage.

But the experience lit a fire.

“When we were in eighth grade, for the talent show, we did ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ with the operatic section, the whole studio version of that,” said Sullivan, who plays lead guitar and sings.

“Because we were really young, that was a big leap. And shortly after COVID, we started doing more stuff around the island. Before that point, it was just having fun, rehearsing in the garage and getting ready for the talent shows each year.”

MusACK

That moment of risk-taking and response proved foundational.

Since then, Local Notes has blossomed into a beloved local fixture, known for its energetic live shows at venues across the island.

For the past three summers, they’ve performed regularly at Cisco Brewers, the Rose & Crown, Gaslight and played some special concerts at The Dreamland.

The band is a true family affair.

Mack and Sullivan’s fathers, Jerry Mack and Jason Sullivan, play drums and bass, respectively. Hunter Gross handles keys and Diogo Dias rounds out the group on saxophone.

Mack, the band’s lead vocalist, also handles booking and communications through community connections and word of mouth.

“A lot of it is through networking,” she said. “Then I just stay in touch with (the venues), especially during the winter

MUSACK, PAGE 20

The Inquirer and Mirror

is proud to support our community with media sponsorships and contributions to many island institutions and events. Over the last year we have provided more than $100,000 of media sponsorships to include:

A Taste of Nantucket at Cisco Brewers

By Francesca Giangiulio fgiangiulio@inkym.com

Since the 1990s, Cisco Brewers (named for nearby Cisco Beach) has provided local beer, wine and liquor to those lucky enough find themselves on its sandy, cobblestoned doorstep.

The brewery’s motto is “Nice beer, if you can get to it” for a reason. We all know this island isn’t the easiest place to travel to – sometimes it’s even harder to leave – but Cisco has long given islanders and weary travelers a place to relax and feel like they’re at home.

For a long time, it felt like “the brewery” was an island secret. I remember my parents buying cases of Whales Tale Pale Ale to bring home at the end of the summer because you couldn’t buy Cisco beer anywhere else.

The vibe at Cisco is laid-back, beachy and slightly adventurous like the nearby

surfers chasing Atlantic Ocean waves.

In short, Cisco Brewers was started when Dean and Melissa Long of Nantucket Vineyards met Randy and Wendy Hudson, two beer enthusiasts who needed a place to live.

The two couples experimented with different beer and wine varietals, eventually expanding into distilled liquor with Triple 8 Distillery. Thirty years later, the rest is history.

The bulk of Cisco Brewers was sold to the Craft Brew Alliance in 2018 (which was acquired by Anheuser-Busch in 2020), but it’s still run by longtime CEO and partner Jay Harman and you can still feel that happy-go-lucky energy that Cisco was founded on when you’re sitting at a slightly sticky and definitely wobbly picnic table with at least 20 strangers

is topped with tajin, scallions and cucumber.

Quick and Convenient Medical Care on Nantucket

surrounding you.

Stepping onto the brewery property still feels like you’ve stumbled upon something unique and special, but in the ensuing 30-odd years, it’s definitely expanded beyond Nantucket. Still very nice beer, but much easier to get.

After its acquisition by the Craft Brew Alliance, Cisco beer expanded rapidly outside of Nantucket. You can find Cisco products throughout New England and the Northeast.

This year, Triple Eight’s Notch 12 yearold single malt whiskey earned 98 points and the prestigious Spirit Gold Outstanding Award at the International Wine and Spirit Competition North America, making it the highest scoring American single malt.

It’s also got three other current locations (the Seaport and Fenway in Boston and New Bedford) but none can quite exactly capture the spirit of the original.

Chowhound, a food news website, named Cisco Brewers on Nantucket one of the 15 best beer gardens in the country for 2025.

I’m not surprised because I feel like I could genuinely stay there all day. Its many Google reviewers agree citing the good beer, good food, good music, good people. All around, you just feel good when you’re there.

Food? Cisco has food?

Obviously, the drinks are great, but the food is the sleeper hit at Cisco Brewers. The Lobster Trap and Millie’s food trucks have daily slots at the brewery.

Lemon Press and Big Hug Dumplings are there on the weekends. 167 Raw has a spot Saturday to Monday, YOHO Raw Bar takes Wednesday to Friday and Hang Ten Raw Bar takes the Tuesday raw shellfish slot.

Finally, Eat Fire Pizza is available Monday to Thursday. The schedule is posted on the Cisco website, www.ciscobrewers.com.

I have never been a picky eater (as a food writer, that’s part of the job description), but I’m also one of the lucky few who has no allergies or dietary restrictions (a rare breed these days, I know).

But Nantucket, I have a confession . . . I had never eaten an oyster until last week. A crime, I know! I’m sorry! I wasn’t avoiding oysters on purpose, they just never really came across my plate.

When I have the choice, I’ve always been a mussels or scallops girl. At the rickety tables of the brewery on a slightly foggy Wednesday evening, however, I took the dive and tried my first Nantucket oyster.

Urgent Access at Nantucket Cottage Hospital provides walk-in medical care for non-lifethreatening conditions.

Urgent Access is located in the Anderson Building on the hospital campus at 57 Prospect Street, and is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Visit nantuckethospital.org/urgentaccess for more information.

Sheep Commons: Where familiar meets unfamiliar

By Neil Foley I&M Columnist

When I drive the thoroughfares and crowded roads of mid-island, I ponder the shape and content of certain paths which lead away and into the pitch pine curtain.

I cannot know every trail, I tell myself. Who has that kind of time? Especially in the height of summer. It is, however, supremely important to act upon the feeling when a track you have not tread tickles your curiosity.

Carve out some time to be curious in the natural world, even for a short session. We cannot know every trail but darn it, we can try.

I stop at Sheep Commons, at a Nantucket Land Bank parking lot caught in between the converging roads of Polpis and Milestone.

It is a place I’ve been to before, but only as a pass-through and not with keen eyes looking for the novel and substantive in this ebbing summer season.

From the parking lot, I take a quick

stroll through the Land Bank’s Fairy Trail, filled with tiny abodes for mythical sprites.

It serves as a fun reminder of the magic in the natural world and the imagination you can bring to it.

Stable housing is quite magical to come by in this day and age, so maybe I can contribute an offering or additional residence to this mystical calm and quiet subdivision.

Branches of young black cherry trees hang over the trail edge with ripened fruits. These small and bitter cherries are unlike the sweet Bing cherries you can find on sale at Stop & Shop, but they still have a pit on the inside.

Cedar waxwings sing and whistle sweetly from the canopy overhead, happy to consume this abundant fruit, even if it is not very palatable to the average

WALK, PAGE 20

Italian wine royalty: Birth of the legends

By Peter McEachern I&M Columnist

Picture this: It’s July 1980, I had just graduated from high school and Italian wine bureaucrats are huddled in Rome, arguing passionately (naturally) about which wines deserve the brand-new DOCG status: the “guaranteed” stamp that would crown Italy’s finest.

After decades of watching French wines steal the international spotlight, Italy was finally ready to put its best foot forward.

The result? Three wines emerged as the undisputed royalty of Italian viticulture, each with a story as rich and complex as the wine in your glass.

Barolo: The king of wines and wine of kings

The grape: Nebbiolo, “the foggy one.” Meet Nebbiolo, the diva of Italian grapes.

Named after the thick autumn fog (nebbia) that rolls through Piedmont’s valleys, this grape is notoriously picky about where it lives.

Like a temperamental opera singer, it demands the perfect conditions, and when it gets them, the performance is legendary.

Nestled in the foothills of the Alps, the Langhe region looks like something out of a Renaissance painting. Rolling hills carpeted with vineyards stretch as far as the eye can see, with medieval villages perched on hilltops like ancient crowns.

The morning fog that gives Nebbiolo its name creates a mystical atmosphere that would make even the most cynical wine critic wax poetic.

Beneath those picture-perfect hills lies the secret to Barolo’s greatness: calcare-

ous-clay soils mixed with sandstone and limestone.

This geological cocktail was formed millions of years ago when this area was under water (yes, Barolo comes from ancient seabed).

The blue-gray marne soils of villages like Barolo and La Morra create wines with ethereal elegance, while the yellow-orange sands of Serralunga d’Alba produce more powerful, structured wines.

Barolo wasn’t always the “king of wines.” Until the mid-1800s, it was actually a sweet wine. The transformation began when Marquise Giulia Falletti di Barolo (yes, the wine is named after her family) hired French winemaker Louis Oudart to create a dry wine that could compete with the great reds of Bordeaux.

The result was so spectacular that it caught the attention of King Carlo Alberto and later his son, King Vittorio Emanuele II (the first king of unified Italy).

When royalty starts hoarding your wine, you know you’ve made it.

Barolo demands food with equal gravitas:

• Brasato al Barolo (beef braised in Barolo): because cooking with your wine is the ultimate flex.

• White truffles from Alba: the “diamonds” of Piedmont cuisine.

• Aged Gorgonzola: a pungent match made in heaven.

• Wild boar ragu: rustic enough to han-

dle Barolo’s tannins.

• Dark chocolate: for those contemplative moments

Brunello di Montalcino: The miracle wine

The grape: Sangiovese, the “blood of Jove.” If Nebbiolo is the dramatic soprano, Sangiovese is the versatile character actor of Italian grapes.

But in Montalcino, this shape-shifting grape becomes something extraordinary. Here, it’s called Brunello (little brown one) for the darker, more intense wines it produces on these magical hillsides.

Montalcino sits like a medieval fortress town atop a hill in southern Tuscany, about 20 miles south of Siena.

This isn’t just any hill, it’s an 1,800-foot-high island of perfection, protected by Monte Amiata to the southeast and blessed with a unique microclimate that makes Chianti look like a completely different planet.

The soils of Montalcino are a geologist’s dream and a grape’s paradise. You’ve got everything from galestro (crumbly marl) and alberese (limestone-clay) to volcanic deposits from ancient Monte Amiata eruptions.

The result? Sangiovese grapes that develop thickness, structure and longevity that would make their Chianti cousins

weep with envy.

The altitude variations (from 450 to 1,500 feet) create multiple microclimates within this small area, allowing each vineyard to develop its own personality.

The miracle of Brunello began in the 1860s when Clemente Santi, a local pharmacist, started experimenting with selecting only the best Sangiovese grapes for his wine.

His grandson, Ferruccio Biondi-Santi, perfected the technique and created what many consider the first true Brunello di Montalcino in 1888.

But here’s the kicker: until the 1960s, most locals thought the Biondi-Santi family was crazy for making 100 percent

She is an Orthopedic Rehab Specialist, Author, Speaker, Educator, Fitness Trainer and MFLCI in practice more than 50 years. (House calls available.)

Sangiovese wine when everyone else was blending.

Today, bottles of vintage Biondi-Santi Brunello sell for thousands of dollars.

Brunello calls for Tuscan comfort food with serious attitude:

• Bistecca alla Fiorentina: a massive T-bone steak that matches Brunello’s boldness.

• Pici all’aglione: hand-rolled pasta with spicy tomato sauce.

• Pecorino di Pienza: aged sheep’s cheese from nearby Pienza.

• Wild cinghiale (boar): the ultimate Tuscan protein.

CELLAR, PAGE 22

Health & Longevity Lecture

• Free 15' consult on balancing blood sugar, reducing pain, improving neuromuscular issues

• Intelligent Massage® to be scheduled later

• Sara’s book The 10 Best Ways to Supercharge Your Health! only $10

• Call 646-408-6419 for reservations

Sunday, Aug. 24, 1pm “Sara the SomaHealer”  returns to ACK 8/23-8/30

https://www.TheNeuroMuscularCenter.com. Go to https://www.youtube.com/@somahealer100 for free exercise videos!

William F. Buckley Jr. bio well worth the wait

By Jim Borzilleri

Contributing Writer

Originally scheduled for publication in 2004, Sam Tanenhaus’ biography of William F. Buckley Jr. has not only arrived but was worth the wait.

“Buckley: The Life and the Revolution that Changed America” is clear-eyed and fair, massive but fast-paced, illuminating a life improbable in origin and accomplishment.

And, as our news intake shrinks to the “crisis of the hour” it explains how one man and the movement he forged decades ago affects our world today.

By the late 1960s Buckley was not only the most prominent conservative, he was one of best-known men in America.

Television host, newspaper columnist, magazine editor, popular talk show guest and public speaker: if those roles seem quaint, had Buckley been born a half century later, he would dominate social media.

But he is fading from current memory. Fortunately, Tanenhaus’ narrative will illuminate readers who do not remember Buckley and surprise those who do.

Bill Buckley Jr. was born Nov. 24, 1925, in New York City, far from where his father intended.

A second-generation Texan of Irish descent, Bill Buckley Sr. was a successful oil speculator who planned to raise his family in Mexico within its multilingual and Roman Catholic elite.

His plan was derailed by the Mexican Revolution, abetted in the elder Buckley’s view, by President Woodrow Wilson’s misguided attempt at nation-building.

Bankrupt, Bill Sr. went to Venezuela and quickly amassed a new fortune. His family and servants relocated to New York and later to an estate in Sharon, Conn.

Bill Jr., raised primarily by his nursemaid, first learned Spanish. When he was 4, the family moved to Europe where he learned French, and after a few years they returned to America.

He would later quip that English was his third language. Bill Sr. purchased a second estate in South Carolina, and Bill Jr. spent his winter vacations in the Jim Crow South. Regardless of location, the family’s politics were, even for the time, proudly reactionary.

Bill Jr. was marked by contradictions: Brilliant but lazy unless personally motivated; a vicious debater, but privately generous.

Surrounded by family and servants,

he maintained a deep loneliness. Buckley never claimed to be a scholar (he frequently cited books and articles he had not read), but he was a dazzling speaker and prolific writer, blending the divergent ideas of others into a unified argument.

Stereotyped as reflexively anti-Communist and “pro-Catholic,” his critique was grounded in suspicion of modern liberalism and its willingness to use government power to effect social change.

However well-intentioned, Buckley believed those policies and laws inevitably resulted in tyranny or social disaster (e.g., Prohibition).

Once in power, conservatives would therefore repeal laws and drastically shrink government (here are the roots of “Project 2025”).

Buckley’s magazine, The National Review, was his greatest achievement. Debuting in late 1955, it gave conservatives a respectable voice when print media was dominated by New Deal and “Republican centrist” orthodoxies.

Buckley had an eye for talent, hiring established conservative writers such as Whittaker Chambers and John Dos Passos. Many National Review staffers were ex-Communists, and several, like Buckley, saw all their opponents, not just their former comrades, as an existential threat.

Buckley also hired talented young conservatives, such as Gary Wills, Arlene Croce and a “fifth generation California Republican” named Joan Didion. He even included talented liberals, notably John

Leonard, future editor of The New York Time Book Review.

Buckley’s forbearance enabled him to tolerate some truly awful viewpoints and personalities within his coalition, encouraging them to hash it out in the NR, and saying “at least they are on our side.”

This came at a cost, as their presence caused others, including Chambers, to leave, though most remained friends with Buckley.

Some of Buckley’s own writings and speeches have aged poorly, and Tanenhaus discusses them in depth, including his fiery television debates with his liberal doppelgänger, Gore Vidal.

The last three decades of Buckley’s life are covered in just 100 pages. By then generations of young conservatives had

been nurtured, the Reagan presidency fulfilled many of Buckley’s goals and with the fall of the Soviet Union, his political life wound down into a victory lap, but not before he began another career as a bestselling spy novelist.

The book ends with his death and laudatory funeral in 2008.

Today the worlds Buckley moved in have been swept away or utterly transformed, but his legacy resonates.

Tanenhaus leaves Buckley’s contradictions unreconciled. If a reader draws a final judgment, it is based on his biographer’s insights into a complex, and all too human, individual.

Jim Borzilleri is a reference associate at the Nantucket Atheneum.

The Rotch family, whaling and the Boston Tea Party

By Sarah Crabtree and Michael R. Harrison

Contributing Writers

Members of the Rotch family dominated Nantucket business and politics across three generations.

The rise of the family was linked to the rise of the island as a whaling center, and their successes and troubles mirrored those of the island.

The family’s decision to relocate from Nantucket to the mainland was one factor in making New Bedford a world whaling capital in the 19th century.

Much about the early life of Joseph Rotch (1704–1784) remains elusive. He claimed to be from Salisbury, England, but family historians believe he was most likely born in Salem, Mass.

Even his birth year of 1704 is only a best guess. We do know that he was initially a cordwainer (shoemaker) and that

he emigrated to Nantucket from Salem around 1725.

We also know that he soon met and married Love Coffin Macy, the daughter of two English proprietor families and joined her father’s successful trading firm.

He claimed to have converted to Quakerism – likely because of his wife’s dedication to the Society and her good standing in meeting – but, even if he became a Friend, he was never noticeably devout during his life.

Joseph left his father-in-law’s business sometime in the 1730s. His sons Francis and William eventually joined him in the firm of Joseph Rotch & Sons.

He and Love’s oldest son, Joseph Jr., went to sea instead. Much of the family’s initial business success was due to timing and luck.

Deep-sea whaling from Nantucket, which began about 1715, went through a period of expansion between the 1730s and 1750s. Joseph Rotch & Sons took advantage of this expansion, which propelled them, and other island merchants, toward prosperity.

Many competitors complained repeatedly and publicly about the Rotch family’s unethical business practices.

By the 1760s, Joseph Rotch & Sons was the largest seller of spermaceti in New England and Joseph’s youngest son William let it be known that he intended to open his own candleworks, essentially monopolizing not only the supply chain but the entire process of production itself.

Aggressive tactics like these may have inspired an anonymous rival to report the Rotches to British customs officials, accusing them of smuggling sperm-whale headmatter, a charge the family vehemently denied and for which no hard evi-

dence ever surfaced.

Nantucket competitors and Rhode Island buyers accused the Rotches multiple times of conspiring to keep the price of oil high in violation of the 1763 United Company of Spermaceti Manufacturers Plan of Union, but, again, the family rebuffed the allegations and no official sanctions resulted.

In the end, no one could ever prove that they had committed any legal or moral infractions, but an air of suspicion remained wherever the family was concerned, perhaps because the Rotches made no apologies for their parsimonious business philosophy: “all the Friendship that can be expected in trade is to let your friend have a thing at the same price that others would give for it.”

William Rotch struck out on his own in 1764 and was eventually joined by a third generation of Rotch merchants: his sons Benjamin, William Jr. and Thomas and

his son-in-law Samuel Rodman.

The decade before the American Revolution was a time of significant economic growth for Nantucket. The War for Independence, however, ravaged the island’s economy and the continued international political instability made the postwar years uncertain ones for whalers.

The Rotches adapted to the new economic terrain, sending members of the family firm to France and then Wales.

Eventually, all three generations of Rotches relocated to New Bedford, the first steps in a march of capital from Nantucket to New Bedford that eventually led to the mainland port eclipsing the island as the most important center of American whaling.

After a series of transatlantic moves and business failures, Benjamin permanently settled in England and Thomas in the Ohio territory, but the Rotch whaling empire run by William Jr. and Samuel Rodman ensured their family and their town would remain among the wealthiest and most powerful in the 19th-century United States.

In 1773, two Rotch ships, Dartmouth and Beaver, sailed for London to sell cargoes of whale oil and returned with consignments of British East India Company tea.

The timing could not have been worse. The Sons of Liberty in Boston had been

stirring opposition to the “Tea Act” and protesters refused to allow the ships to offload their controversial cargo.

Determined to crush the resistance, Governor Thomas Hutchinson refused to allow the ships to leave port without paying the tax due to the Crown. Francis Rotch spent nearly three weeks pleading with both sides for compromise, but on the evening of Dec. 16, scores of disguised men boarded three ships and “turned Boston Harbor into a Teapot!”

Desperate to prop up the flailing British East India Company, the British Parliament decreed that any American vessel selling goods in London had to purchase tea as part of its return freight to the colonies.

Thus, the captains of the Rotch-owned Dartmouth and Beaver dutifully loaded consignments of tea for their journeys back to Boston.

The former arrived on Nov. 28, 1773. The latter was quarantined by a smallpox outbreak on board and arrived at Griffin’s Wharf Dec. 15.

British law required that the tea clear customs and that the tax be paid in full within 20 days of docking. The Sons of Liberty called the first large-scale meeting Nov. 29 to discuss how to proceed.

Samuel Adams estimated there were MUSEUM, PAGE 22

Island Calendar

Rani Arabella Pop-up

10 a.m.- 6 p.m. 61 Shawkemo Road. Georgette Boucai hosts a “Lake Como on Nantucket” pop-up shopping event of cashmere clothing and accessories. RSVPs requested to raniarabella@raniarabella.com or (561) 450-5444.

Book-signing: Josh Dawsey

10:30 a.m. Mitchell’s Book Corner, 54 Main St. Author and political reporter Josh Dawsey will sign copies of his collaborative book, “2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America.”

Family Tours at the Whaling Museum

10:30 a.m. Nantucket Whaling Museum, 13 Broad St. These interactive, family-friendly tours led by Nantucket Historical Association guides will spark conversation, invite curiosity and engage children of all ages to explore a world of history, artifacts and art. Free with museum admission.

Historic Downtown Walking Tour

10:45 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday, Nantucket Whaling Museum, 13 Broad St. Walk through historic down-

town 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.

Sconset Walking Tour

3 p.m. 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

Live Music: Struggle Monkey

4 p.m. Cisco Brewers, 5 Bartlett Farm Road. Connecticut-based party band Struggle Monkey will perform. Second show Friday.

Live Music: Jacob Butler

6 p.m. The Rose & Crown, 23 South Water St. Nantucket singer-songwriter Jacob Butler will perform.

Live Music: Corky Laing’s Rock Review

7 p.m. Dreamland Theater, 17 South Water St. Legendary 1970s rock drummer Corky Laing returns to the Dreamland with island guests Floyd Kellogg, Julian Stanley, Jake and Janette Vohs, John Shea and special musical guests to celebrate the music of Mountain, Peter Frampton and more. Tickets at www.nantucketdreamland.org

Owl Prowl

8 p.m. 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 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 the moon’s themes and symbolism. Register on calendar page of www.mariamitchell.org

Live Music: The One Nights Stands

10 p.m. The Chicken Box, 6 Dave St. High-energy New England party band The One Night Stands will perform. 21 and over. Tickets at the door. Additional shows Friday and Saturday.

Live Music: The Nude Party

10 p.m. Gaslight Nantucket, 3 North Union St. North Carolina-based rock band The Nude Party will perform. 21 and over.

Friday, Aug. 22

Native Plant Landscaping Tour

9 a.m. Nantucket Conservation Foundation, 118 Cliff Road. Nantucket Conservation Foundation plant research ecologist and botanist Kelly Omand will discuss how native shrubs, trees and wildflowers can find a home in your own back yard. Free with registration on www.nantucketconservation.org

Nanpuppets

10 a.m. Nantucket Shipwreck & Lifesaving Museum, 158 Polpis Road. Join Lizza Obremski and her puppet friends for a half-hour puppet show for all ages.

Nature Ramble

10 a.m. Linda Loring Nature Foundation, 110 Eel Point Road. Sarah Bois, director of research and conservation leads this tour of the sandplain grasslands on the LLNF property. Free, but registration required on calendar page of www.llnf.org

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.

Brown

Bag Lunch:

I&M Executive Editor Joshua Balling Noon, The Inquirer and Mirror, 1 Old South Road. I&M executive editor Joshua Balling talks Nantucket news, local journalism and the future of community news organizations. Bring a lunch. Beverages provided. RSVP to newsroom@inkym.com

Nantucket Poetry Festival

4:30 p.m. opening reading at Nantucket Community School, 56 Centre St. Through Aug. 24, various locations around town. Three days of poetry readings, slams, workshops and more. Visit www.nantucketpoetry.com for complete schedule.

Island Calendar

Live Music: Jacob Butler

6 p.m. The Rose & Crown, 23 South Water St. Nantucket singer-songwriter Jacob Butler will perform.

“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.

The Ladies of Laughter

7:30 p.m. Dreamland Theater, 17 South Water St. Nantucket seasonal resident and stand-up comedian Jane Condon brings fellow comedians Ellen Feeney and Poppy Champlin to the Dreamland stage. Tickets at www.nantucketdreamland.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: Inner Circle

9 p.m. The Muse, 44 Surfside Road. Jamaican reggae legends Inner Circle will perform. Tickets at Eventbrite.com

Live Music: DJ Pete Ahern

10 p.m. Gaslight Nantucket, 3 North Union St. Nantucket DJ Pete Ahern will man the turntables. 21 and over.

Saturday, Aug. 23

Nantucket Clean Team

8 a.m. Handlebar Café, 15 Washington St., and Milestone Rotary, meet in The Inquirer and Mirror parking lot. 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.

All Levels Yoga

9 a.m. Location upon registration. Sixty minutes of moderately paced mindful controlled yoga movements focused on postures, breathing, transitions and focus. Free with registration at www.nantucketconservation.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 Auction

9:30 a.m. Online at www.rafaelosonaauction.com. Rafael Osona presents his annual late summer auction featuring antiques, art, furniture and collectibles.

Children’s Book Day

10:15 a.m. Children’s Beach, Harborview Way. The Nantucket Book Foundation hosts the island’s second annual Children’s Book Day, feature author readings, a magic show, Barnaby Bear, NanPuppets, lawn games, crafts and a scavenger hunt. Free.

SATURDAY, PAGE 21

Eat: A taste – and a sip – of Nantucket at Cisco Brewers

(Continued from page 7)

We ordered a half dozen and the tuna poke special from Raw Bar YOHO, located next to the Triple 8 Distillery barn. The custom wooden dory filled with ice, oyster shells and shrimp is pretty hard to miss.

I squeezed a little lemon, drizzled some cocktail sauce, clinked shells with my dining companions and (bravely) took down the oyster.

The only thing I was worried about was texture, and honestly, it’s not as weird as I thought it would be.

It’s just a colder version of any other shellfish. The oysters tasted like taking a bite out of the beach: salty, briny and a taste reminiscent of the ocean. I loved it.

The lemon and cocktail sauce added a depth of flavor with notes of citrus, tang and a kick of horseradish.

I’m a sucker for tuna, and Nantucket tuna never disappoints. The YOHO poke was topped with tajin, scallions, cucumber and soy-based poke sauce.

But the tuna was really the star of the show. It was light and smooth, with a very mild fish flavor. I really like the added texture of the cucumber and light saltiness that came from the seaweed chips and crisp tortillas.

Next, we had to hit up The Lobster Trap truck. The Lobster Trap has been serving up classic New England seafood at its downtown restaurant since 1974, and the Cisco food truck has all the classics: Lobster roll, clam chowder, scallop roll, tuna burger, fried shrimp, fish and chips, even chicken fingers . . . pick your poison, ‘cause they’ve got it all.

We got lucky with big chucks of lobster tail and claws in our roll. The toasted bun was warm, buttery and held up really well with the cold lobster salad. The salad had just enough mayo to hold everything together.

The celery and red onion added some crisp bites of sharpness to the sweet, tender lobster.

Don’t skip out on the sweet potato fries. The sweet saltiness is a great combo for the lobster roll.

Millie’s, another Nantucket classic, is serving up coastal Tex-Mex favorites like tacos, quesadillas, burritos and nachos. When you’re a few beers deep, noth-

ing hits the spot better than a chicken quesadilla with the Millie’s lime crema. It’s warm, cheesy and the perfect energy boost to keep the party going all night.

Millie’s queso is a personal favorite: rich, peppery, with a slight kick of spice. It’s the perfect dip for their salty yellow-corn tortilla chips.

You can also grab a bag of Nantucket Crisps’ Millie’s Spicy Marg or Whale’s Tail Beer Cheese flavored chips.

For some Mediterranean flair, hit up Lemon Press. They’re serving a variety of sandwiches, bowls and small bites inspired by Middle-Eastern flavors.

We ordered the falafel gyro and whipped feta with toasted pita chips. The gyro had six green herb falafels and was definitely big enough to share.

It’s served on a bed of lettuce, diced cucumber, tomato and Persian pickle slices. It’s topped with crisp pickled onions and cucumber yogurt.

The gyro pita is thick and doughy with a little bit of sweetness. It’s definitely putting in the work to hold everything together, but it does the job. No soggy bits here.

The falafel was warm and comforting with a nice balance of herbs and spices.

The outside was super-crisp and gave a nice crunch. This balanced well with the tanginess of the red onion and was cooled by the cucumber and tomato.

I loved the little bites of pickle, which added a surprise saltiness. The cucumber yogurt provided a nice creamy element to the dish.

The Za’atar spiced pita chips were super crispy and toasty. They had a slightly puffy, fried appearance. The whipped feta was smooth, creamy and had the perfect amount of tang and sharpness that I love from feta.

The cheese was bright orange in color, like orange sherbet, from some kind of pepper or spices which added a nice depth of flavor to the simple snack.

Finally, if you order anything at Cisco, please get dumplings from the Big Hug Dumpling cart. It’s an unassuming push cart tucked between Lobster Trap and the Nantucket Vineyard barn, but it is so good.

They serve pork or chicken dumplings and veggie samosas. My favorite is the pork. It’s served with a chili ginger soy sauce that has a warm, spicy-citrus flavor and does a great job of elevating the umami of the pork.

The dumpling wrapper is thin, which really allows the pork to shine, and the sesame seeds and chives on top add a great herby nuttiness.

For such a simple dish, it really has great depth and layers of flavor. Every time I order them, at least four people ask me where I got them because they look and smell that good.

No matter what kind of food you’re craving, Cisco’s got you covered. Stay all day and you can survey some of the island’s hottest bites without trekking from Main Street to Madaket.

You also get locally made bevs and live music every day in season, so what’s not to love? And you can bring the whole family. Adults 21 and over get wristbands to drink, but kids and pets are always welcome at Cisco Brewers.

They even host family-friendly programs like face painting and NanPuppets shows. Cisco is open year-round except for a brief “winter break” in January. Cisco Brewers, 5 Bartlett Farm Road. Open daily 11 a.m.-7 p.m. www.ciscobrewers.com

Walk: Sheep Commons, where the familiar meets unfamiliar

(Continued from page 8)

human palate.

I continue on the path through the open field tucked behind the pine curtain and watch my footing as frequent mountain bike traffic has carved deep trenches in the path.

Sure enough, a couple bikers emerge from the trail ahead and I step off to let them safely pass.

“Beautiful evening for a ride!” I remark as they pedal past with a smile and a nod.

The mature pitch pine forest arises before me and covers the path in gentle shade. I come across a post that marks this as a section of the Coast-to-Coast Trail.

I always forget about this second section in the moors since it comes after the high bars of Altar Rock and Jim’s Hill on the 24.7-mile journey westward.

Now that I stop to appreciate it solo, however, I can see its value.

I follow the C2C trail in reverse until I arrive at Pout Ponds Road, a straight

and sandy road which bisects the western Middle Moors until it terminates below Altar Rock.

I could follow this wide road along familiar territory, but I instead take a sharp left on the narrow proprietor’s road which leads west toward the water tower.

A surprising stand of big tooth aspen catches my eye among the scraggly pitch pine and drying sassafras. There are not many patches like this that I’ve found on my island travels, so it sticks out to my ever-wandering naturalist gaze.

I can also hear the leaves rattling in the wind thanks to the flattened petiole (leaf stalk), a trait they share with their close relative quaking aspen.

The fluttering leaves are a welcome reminder of the forests I knew growing up and the many days spent wandering and learning my trees in college.

I see a movement out of the corner of my eye and turn to see a buck staring blankly at me through the ragged branches.

His antlers are still soft with velvet while they grow taller and wider, prepar-

ing for the competition of the rut. I continue standing still as the deer gauges me as not a threat, turning its head and plodding further along the game trail.

I emerge again into the open and gaze up at the water tower, pondering the water-pumping issues this summer and the millions of gallons now held high above the ground.

This water, pumped by deep wells from 150 feet below, is from a glacial deposit of fresh water from thousands of years ago.

Beneath this glacial gift, looking up to see it cast against cotton-candy clouds and bright blue evening skies I smile for knowing and feeling more than I did a few hours ago.

I succeeded in my ever-present goal of acquiring a more substantial sense of place on this spit of sand and rocks 30 miles out to sea.

Neil Foley is the interpretive education coordinator and ecologist at the Nantucket Conservation Foundation.

MusACK: Island-born band Local Notes finds its rhythm

(Continued from page 4)

because things book up super quickly. And then if someone else knows the owner of a venue and recommends us, we get in touch with them, so sometimes it’s not me reaching out formally to them.”

It’s an approach that reflects their place in the community: familiar, trusted and ever-evolving.

Their earliest performances were often fundraisers and benefits, further strengthening their relationship with the island.

“Why would we not want to do this in public?” Sullivan said. “And be able to benefit from it, as well as give other people the benefit of listening to live music because we enjoy it so much.”

That community connection is something they don’t take lightly.

Mack emphasized that their original intent wasn’t necessarily to become a working band: it was to play music they loved with people they cared about. Over time, the shows just kept coming.

“It was just that we loved what we were doing,” she said.

“We’re all very close to each other, and then we started to get good, and people started to notice and give us opportunities, and it just sort of blossomed from there.”

“We really enjoy playing for our community,” she continued. “A lot of locals come to our shows, and we’re grateful to be able to give them a good time with people that they know and like being

around.”

When asked how she would define their sound, Mack said they really wouldn’t classify themselves under a specific genre.

“Each one of us has different tastes, so we all kind of meet in a middle ground area,” she said.

“Sometimes we’ll work in songs that are suggested to us. It’s kind of like (we play) whatever in the moment feels fun or challenging, and we hope that people will enjoy it.”

The group caters to its audience without pandering. If the crowd skews younger, they’ll play more modern songs that, say, a Gen Z audience might know better, but will also make sure to throw in classics and crowd-pleasers that older generations know and love.

“I think we have a good mix that covers pretty much everybody,” Mack said. “And we just kind of keep those same set lists the whole summer, adding a couple new ones here and there. But we have to gauge the audience, so sometimes we don’t always follow the list.”

Sullivan added, “We also like throwing some things in to open people’s eyes to new music. We’ll throw in some deep cuts from bands. And we have a new addition to our set list of an original song that we wrote, which we’ll play early in the set.”

Adding in more original music is one of the band’s goals moving forward, although it’s difficult to get everyone in the same room at the same time.

Mack, Sullivan and Gross are all col-

lege students heading back soon for their fall semesters where, respectively, they’re studying musical theater, music business and finance.

“The main thing is trying to figure out what our identity is as a band for our own sound and music,” Sullivan said. “That was a tough thing early on, and I always say never try to force your music, just whatever falls into place.”

Mack and her father Jerry, a retired police officer, often discuss the difficulty of being musicians with day jobs, particularly during the island’s summer season when there’s a rush to make the most money you can before the off-season hits and things start to slow down.

“All of us (in the band) are working. Unfortunately, this isn’t our full-time job,” she said.

“Locals understand that you take the summer and just run with it. We all have multiple other jobs, otherwise we would sit down and take the time to write as much as we could. It’s just the time we have together is so limited.”

Rather than being influenced by any musician or band in particular, their influences are varied by sound: rock, jazz, funk, pop, musical theater.

Mack credits her music teachers at Nantucket High School for igniting her love of singing and providing an avenue for her to explore her voice, while Sullivan credits his father, Jason, with providing a constant backdrop of guitar and rock music while he was growing up.

“(Music) was always around at home

for me,” Sullivan said. “I’m influenced by a lot of 80s rock: Toto, Van Halen, and also listen to a lot of jazz and funk. I really like trying to listen to anything.”

Mack described herself as “a bit of a diva” in childhood, always singing and dancing around the house.

“I was never really drawn to a specific band or artist,” she said. “It was really my teachers at school who inspired me by encouraging me to use what I had and be more confident in what I was doing. They showed me what it is to be a singer and (let me explore) what I can do with that.”

Still, despite the busy lives and seasonal chaos, their bond remains tight. Mack and Sullivan have known each other for nearly their entire lives. She described their friendship – and the group dynamic overall – as easy, collaborative and driven by mutual inspiration.

“We all sort of just came together, and then I think we’ve just inspired each other to keep going and bring our own flair to the band,” she said.

As the summer winds down and the students return to college, Local Notes hopes to fit in a few more gigs when the full group is home again.

Whether it’s a holiday pop-up show or an off-season fundraiser, their goal is simple: keep playing.

Local Notes’ regular summer gigs have wrapped up for the season, but check out the calendar page of www.ack.net for upcoming off-season shows.

(Saturday, continued from page 17)

Book-signing: Julia Spiro

10:30 a.m.-noon, Mitchell’s Book Corner, 54 Main St. Author Julia Spiro will sign copies of her book, “Such a Good Mom.”

Historic Bike Tour

10:30 a.m. Nantucket Whaling Museum, 13 Broad St. Strap on your helmet to explore historic locations on the periphery of town you may have missed, all while escaping the hustle and bustle of downtown Nantucket. Tickets on calendar page of www.nha.org

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.

Rossini Club Showcase Concert

6:30 p.m. Atheneum Great Hall, 1 India St. The Rossini Club presents an evening of solo classical music performances featuring the music of Strauss, Britten, Tadolini, Vivian Fung and Dvorak. Followed by an informal conversation with the musicians. Free.

Island Calendar

Special Screening: “Jaws”

7 p.m. Dreamland Theater, 17 South Water St. The Dreamland and Nantucket Film Festival host a special 50th anniversary screening of the iconic “Jaws,” the first of the summer blockbusters. Tickets at www.nantucketdreamland.org

Live Music: Freeballin’

10 p.m. Gaslight Nantucket, 3 North Union St. High-energy Cape Cod party band Freeballin’ will perform. 21 and over.

Sunday, Aug. 24

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

Health and Longevity Lecture

1 p.m. Location upon registration. Sara K. Vogeler, founder and director of The Neuromuscular Center, will discuss balancing blood sugar, reducing pain and neuromuscular issues. Call (646) 408-6419 to RSVP.

Family Night at the Museum

3-6 p.m. Nantucket Shipwreck & Life Saving Museum, 158 Polpis Road. A family-friendly pirate adventure with games, crafts, live music and barbecue. Adults $40, children $15. Tickets at eganmaritime.org

Ekphrastic and Sip

5 p.m. Hostetler Gallery, 42 Centre St. Instructor Sandra Beasley will discuss the ekphrastic form of poetry: poems about other forms of art.

Live Music: Julia Newman

6 p.m. The Rose & Crown, 23 South Water St. Nantucket singer-songwriter Julia Newman will perform.

Sunday Night Concert: Island Tunes

6 p.m. Children’s Beach Bandstand, Harborview Way. Live music on the green. Free.

Live Music: Chris Ruediger

10 p.m. Gaslight Nantucket, 3 North Union St. Boston singer-songwriter Chris Ruediger will perform. 21 and over.

Monday, Aug. 25

Live Music: Futurebirds

1-2:30 p.m. Cisco Brewers, 5 Bartlett Farm Road. Athens, Ga.,-based indie rock band Futurebirds will perform. $25 cover.

Live Music: Alex Rohan

4 p.m. Cisco Brewers, 5 Bartlett Farm Road. Springfield-based Americana and alternative singer-songwriter Alex Rohan will perform. Second show Tuesday.

Live Music: 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

Rossini Club Meet and Greet

6:30 p.m. Atheneum Great Hall, 1 India St. Meet the musicians of the Rossini Club, whose series of performances this year explore the lasting connections between the music of the Baroque era and modern chamber music. Free.

MONDAY, PAGE 23

Cellar: Italian wine royalty and the birth of legends

(Continued from page 11)

• Ribollita: hearty Tuscan bread soup.

Chianti Classico, the Renaissance rebel

The Grape: Sangiovese, the shape-shifter. In Chianti Classico, Sangiovese shows yet another face. Here, it must comprise at least 80 percent of the blend, up from the historical 70 percent, creating wines with the perfect balance of fruit, earth and that signature Tuscan elegance that has been seducing wine-lovers since the Renaissance.

The Chianti Classico zone sits in the heart of Tuscany, stretching between Florence and Siena like a wine lover’s dream landscape.

This is the stuff of postcards: cypress-lined roads, medieval villages, Renaissance villas and vineyards as far as the eye can see. It’s so beautiful it almost seems fake, until you taste the wine.

The geology here reads like a textbook on Italian wine terroir. You’ve got galestro (the crumbly stuff that gives finesse), alberese (limestone-clay that adds structure) and various combinations that change from vineyard to vineyard.

Some areas have marine fossils from when Tuscany was under water, while others show volcanic influence.

The magic happens in the altitude diversity (600-1,200 feet) and the perfect exposure that allows Sangiovese to ripen slowly and evenly, developing those classic cherry, violet and earthy flavors that make Chianti Classico so distinctive.

Here’s where it gets really interesting: Chianti Classico has the oldest defined wine region in the world.

In 1716, Grand Duke Cosimo III de’ Medici issued an edict defining exactly which areas could produce Chianti, making it the world’s first appellation system, predating France’s AOC by over 200 years.

Museum:

The famous Gallo Nero (black rooster) symbol comes from a medieval legend about a border dispute between Florence and Siena. They decided to settle it with a horse race starting at cock-crow. Florence chose a black rooster, which they kept hungry so it would crow early.

The Florentine rider got a head start and claimed more territory for Florence. Clever? Absolutely. The black rooster became the symbol of Chianti Classico.

Chianti Classico’s versatility makes it perfect for Tuscan cuisine:

• Osso buco alla Fiorentina: braised veal shanks with herbs.

• Pappa al pomodor: thick tomato and bread soup.

• Lampredotto: Florentine tripe sandwich (trust me on this one).

• Crostini di fegatini: chicken liver crostini.

• Cantucci with Vin Santo: the classic Tuscan dessert combo.

Why 1980 changed everything

When these three wines received Italy’s first DOCG designations in 1980 (joined by Vino Nobile di Montepulciano), it wasn’t just about quality control, it was about national pride.

Italy was finally saying, “We’re not just making pizza wine. We’re making some of the greatest wines on Earth.”

The DOCG system requires:

• Strict geographic boundaries (no cheating with grapes from inferior areas).

• Rigorous production standards (yields, grape varieties, aging requirements).

• Government tasting panels (every single wine must pass muster).

• Numbered seals (like wine passports to prevent fraud).

Today, these three wines represent different facets of Italian wine greatness:

• Barolo: The aristocrat. Powerful, age-worthy and intimidating.

• Brunello: The perfectionist. Pure, in-

tense and uncompromising.

• Chianti Classico: The diplomat. Elegant, food-friendly and approachable. Each tells the story of Italy’s incredible diversity, from the Alpine foothills of Piedmont to the Renaissance hills of Tuscany. They prove that great wine isn’t just about the grape, it’s about the marriage of variety, terrain, climate and centuries of human passion.

So the next time you’re holding a bottle of Barolo, Brunello or Chianti Classico, remember: you’re not just drinking wine. You’re tasting history, geology and the dreams of countless generations who believed that their little corner of Italy could produce something truly magical. And you know what? They were absolutely right.

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

The Rotch family, whaling and the Boston Tea Party

(Continued from page 15)

over 5,000 people in attendance, the vast and vocal majority of whom agreed the tea should be sent back to London with the tax unpaid.

But Governor Hutchinson refused to allow any of the ships to leave Boston Harbor without a pass and would not grant one until the tea was offloaded and the tax was paid.

The tea consignees desperately searched for a compromise that would allow them to recoup their outlay and, more importantly, save their ships.

Francis Rotch, representing the family firm in person, scrambled back and forth between American protesters and British officials. Another public meeting on Dec. 14 adjourned without a definitive plan of action.

Finally, on the morning of Dec. 16, the day before the tax was due, all parties agreed that Rotch would first demand a pass from the custom house, which was not authorized to grant one.

Then, he would make a personal plea to Governor Hutchinson, which everyone knew would be denied.

Thousands gathered – more than one third of Boston’s population – waiting until evening for Rotch to return from his negotiations.

When word reached the crowd of Hutchinson’s firm and final no, the Sons of Liberty moved ahead with their secret plan to dump the tea in the harbor.

The tea destroyed that night was worth 10,000 pounds, though it is noteworthy that the participants did not damage any of the ships.

The protesters targeted only the tea and supposedly even swept the decks af-

ter the action, a courtesy that supported reports at the time suggesting that many colonists were sympathetic to the plight of the merchants unwittingly caught in the middle of an imperial struggle.

Francis Rotch immediately sailed to Britain where he declared his unwavering loyalty to the Crown and tarried before Parliament for years attempting to recoup his family’s losses.

Learn more about the Rotch family at the Nantucket Historical Association’s whaling museum, 13 Broad St., or at www.nha.org

(Monday, continued from page 21)

Live Music: DJ Lay-Z-Boy

10 p.m. The Chicken Box, 6 Dave St. Boston-based DJ Lay-Z-Boy mans he turntables. 21 and over.

Live Music: Morrissey Blvd

10 p.m. Gaslight Nantucket, 3 North Union St. South Coast indie rock band Morrissey Blvd will perform. 21 and over. Tuesday, Aug. 26

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,. Tickets at nantucketpreservation.org.

Dreamland Conversations

6 p.m. Dreamland Theater, 17 South Water St. Charles Schwab chief investment strategist Liz Ann Sonders in a wide-ranging conversation with N Magazine publisher Bruce Percelay. Tickets at www.nantucketdreamland.org

Island Calendar

Live Music: The Dip

10 p.m. The Chicken Box, 6 Dave St. Seattle-based funk, rhythm and blues band The Dip will perform. Second show Wednesday.

Wednesday, Aug. 27

Book-signing: Elin Hilderbrand

11 a.m. Mitchell’s Book Corner, 54 Main St. Best-selling island author Elin Hilderbrand will sign copies of “The Blue Book.” 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.

Live Music: Buckle & Shake

4-7 p.m. Cisco Brewers, 5 Bartlett Farm Road. Nantucket’s own alt-country band, Buckle & Shake, will perform.

Art Opening: NISDA

7 p.m. Nantucket Island School of Design and the Arts Silo Gallery, 23 Wauwinet Road. Drone photographer Adam Mallin will show his work and discuss his artistic process and inspiration.

Film for Thought

7 p.m. Dreamland Theater, 17 South Water St. The Inquirer and Mirror and Dreamland present “Hello Beautiful,” an emotionally charged film that delves into the harrowing yet transformative journey of a successful model whose life is shattered by breast-cancer diagnosis. Q&A with director Ziad H. Hamzeh to follow. Free for Dreamland members. Tickets at www.nantucketdreamland.org

Thursday, Aug. 28

Asters and Goldenrod Walk

9 a.m. Location upon registration. Nantucket Conservation Foundation plant research ecologist and botanist Kelly Omand will discuss Asteraceae, the largest flowering plant family, including asters and goldenrod. Free with registration at www.nantucketconservation.org

Live Music: Moon Taxi

1-2:30 p.m. Cisco Brewers, 5 Bartlett Farm Road. Nashville-based indie rock band Moon Taxi will perform. $25 cover.

Live Music: Mesha Steele’s Riddim All Stars

4 p.m. Cisco Brewers, 5 Bartlett Farm Road. New York City’s reggae-pop band Mesha Steele’s Riddim All Stars will perform. Second show Friday.

Island Voices: Maritime Music and Poetry

5:30 p.m. Children’s Beach, Harborview Way. Celebrate Nantucket’s maritime traditions with an evening of sea-inspired music and poetry by island artists including shanty singers, Celtic Flow, Ripe for the Pickin’, Susan and Ray, Harvey Young and Nathaniel Philbrick, Pete Sendelbach, MaryAnn Bartlett, Heather Bennet, Chuck Gifford and more. Free.

Live Music: All Time Low

8 p.m. The Muse 44 Surfside Road. Poppunk band All Time Low will perform. Tickets at Eventbrite.com

Live Music: Rigometrics

10 p.m. Gaslight Nantucket, 3 North Union St. Portland, Maine-based rock and roll band Rigometrics will perform. 21 and over.