Nantucket Headlines 7.9.10

Headlines from local publications, and links to the full story. Sources: Inquirer and Mirror, Nantucket Independent, PlumTV, Yesterday’s Island, Cape Cod Times, and other pertinent sources.

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ISLAND LIFE

Police criticized for beach closings, but 2009 repeat avoided by department’s moves on Fourth of July (Inquirer and Mirror)

Nantucket’s Nobadeer Beach spared drunken crowds (Nantucket Independent)

Great Point again closed to vehicles (Inquirer and Mirror)

Tick-borne disease conference summary (Cape Cod Online)

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PEOPLE

Frederick Gregory: Breaking barriers on Earth and beyond (Inquirer and Mirror)

Town clerk Catherine Stover becomes a Giraffe (Nantucket Independent)

Elaine Mooney Working Nantucket: Holidays at the SSA all about the energy (Inquirer and Mirror)

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ARTS

Audience joins in on “Spelling Bee” (Nantucket Independent)

One-man show channels abolitionist Frederick Douglass (Inquirer and Mirror)

Musical Arts Society brings Joel Fan to perform (Nantucket Independent)

Nonprofits collaborate to bring Frederick Douglass performance (Nantucket Independent)

Artists Association begins new Wednesday programs (Nantucket Independent)

AAN artist demonstrations and one-day Portable Studio exhibitions (Yesterday’s Island)

1800 House hosts crewel instructor Edith Bouriez (Nantucket Independent)

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BUSINESS & ECONOMY
After slow June, island business booms (Inquirer and Mirror)

Sherburne Commons officials look at adding Island Home and ACDC (Nantucket Independent)

Couple opens Create, a new art supply store (Nantucket Independent)

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CUISINE

56 Union
(Yesterday’s Island)

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ENVIRONMENT

High heat drives up water usage to near-record levels (Inquirer and Mirror)

Coast Guard retracts shark alert for Cape and Islands (Inquirer and Mirror)

Great Point again closed to vehicles (Inquirer and Mirror)

Tick committee proposes expanded deer hunt (Nantucket Independent)

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HISTORY
NHA opens “Sometimes Think of Me” (Nantucket Independent)

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RopeWalk

The Dumpster Chronicles 13: 4th of July

The Dumpster Chronicles: A Whimsical and Irreverent Guide to Nantucket, Being Part 13

’4TH OF JULY’ OR AS IT IS KNOWN IN THE U.K., ‘THANKSGIVING’
By Kerry Hallam

In 1775, which from all reports was not entirely to the liking of the settlers in the New World, there was trouble afoot and also a yard, which was before decimalization.

The British Government back in England, never behind the door when it came to squeezing the lifeblood out of the colonies, had been charging America for the use of it’s currency, taxing almost everything that was not tied down, and generally being a real pain in the pantaloons.

Not surprisingly, this did not sit well with the folks on the East Coast who wanted to do their own thing free of the crippling constraints of the Big Boys in London.

Things came to a head when the Brits decided to not only charge America for the currency they were using, but also for the tea which they were drinking. Now this was the last straw and Starbucks very quickly came to the rescue with their own brand of tea which was, in fact, coffee, but it did look like tea.

It is well documented that one evening, a group of rowdy sailors started throwing bags of tea into the Boston Harbor as a protest. Like many of history’s best stories, this one is not entirely accurate. It was not the sailors but the wives who threw the bags as a protest against their husbands general lack of interest in family life. The bags contained not tea, but marijuana (buds only).

Regardless, the bong of independence was well and truly lighted and at a secret meeting, Congress decided to take the Jefferson bypass, thus allowing a lateral sideways sweep to goal. Independence was declared and merrymaking began.

John Adams, in a letter to his wife Abigail “not tonight I have a headache” Adams described the scene: “Pomp and parade; game shows; American Idol; guns, bells and illuminations. I will be late back tonight so don’t wait up”.

It took fifteen years for the fourth of July to become officially Independence Day. Fifteen years to enact legislation may seem ridiculous to us now, but Congress moved a lot faster in those days.

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Kerry Hallam was born and raised in the North of England. He was elected to the Royal Society of Artists and later established his first studio in the South of France. Kerry has lived and painted on the island for the past thirty years. He is represented internationally by Chalk and Vermilion of Greenwich, and has held extensive one man shows in the States, Japan, France and the U.K. His autobiography ‘Getting to Nantucket’ was recently published, and in the past few years, he has issued seven C.D.’s of own written and performed music. All illustrations are by Kerry Hallam. This column will appear regularly.

Nantucket Shakespeare in the Garden

The Nantucket Arts Council Shakespeare in the Garden took place on Thursday, June 24, 2010 at the home of Beverly Hall in Madaket. Many who attended dresses as their favorite Shakespeare character. Meredith Martin put together a performance of scenes from “The Tempest”. There was also a silent auction, tavern fare and drink, a fire juggler, music and sonnets by the Bard. Photos by Gene Mahon. Click on any photo to see more photos from this event or an archive of past events.

Pumpkin Pond Farm

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Shakespeare 2

Zero Main

Shakespeare 3

Johnstons Cashmere

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Shakespeare 4