Mahon About Town Nantucket Blog

The Nantucket Style Council is a group of four Nantucket business owners dedicated to the nurture and celebration of original style. For this group, style is a reflection of personality and spirit, not about labels or expense.

Azra Wilmot-Smith of Legends, Kimberly Pizzitola of Blu, Cheryl Fudge of Nantucket Stock Exchange, and Elisabeth English of currentVintage have joined together to promote creativity in personal style, in the hope of making fashion more fun and accessible. To that end, the NSC will produce a series of events, workshops, and trunk shows this season, such as “Shop in Your Own Closet” and “It’s Easy Being Green”.

In addition, the NSC will recognize the Island’s most stylish in weekly social photos through Mahon About Town, as well as contribute a monthly column to N Magazine. The NSC plans to partner with Sustainable Nantucket this season in a benefit fashion show, recognizing that sustaining Nantucket is always in style.

“Style Council Faves @ “4″, in order of appearance: Gordon McGregor and Susan McGinnis, Carl Keller (with Chris Fuller), Gabrielle Gould and Suzi Kraft, Hadley St. John (with Mai Linh Norton), Dane Decarlo and Christy Cure.

11th Annual Boston Pops with Natalie Cole, to benefit Nantucket Cottage Hospital, gets going at 7 p.m. Saturday night at Jetties, with conductor Keith Lockhart and host Tim Russert, sponsored by Nantucket Island Resorts Jill and Steve Karp. Ticket information and availability at 508-825-8181. Always a spectacle, the annual town beach party.

Best Bets for Music (Check calendar for all listings)

• Nantucket School of Music student Junyi Fitzgibbon is quite simply a child prodigy on piano. Here’s a fairly rare chance to see her perform Monday from 12:15 pm - 12:45 pm at the Methodist Church, performing solo works of Liszt and Scarlatti. Junyi also appears later in the week with “Young Pianists on Nantucket”, Junyi Wang Fitzgibbon, Samantha Reis, and Martina Ivanova, Thursday, 12:00 pm - 12:30 pm at the Unitarian Church.
• Spookie Daly Pride at the Box tonight, Saturday. Not touring anymore, this wacky eclectic group comes together only to play at the Box. Each time could be their last.
• Livingston Taylor plays the Methodist Church Thursday night at 8:00 pm to benefit the Two Centre Street Preservation Project.
• I’ve written about Jamaican singer Nicole Miller before, and her synergy with singer/songwriter Jeff Ross. They’ll be playing together on Thurday and Sunday nights for the next few weeks at the Starlight from 9:30 to 1.

The first Nantucket Farmers and Artisans Market, sponsored by Sustainable Nantucket, opens today, Saturday, from 9 to noon at the Nantucket New School, 15 Nobadeer Farm Road, and will run for 9 Saturdays. The market, completely run by local vendors, will feature locally grown vegetables, berries, herbs, plants and cut flowers, eggs, baked goods and locally, hand-crafted pottery, jewelry, crafts and more. The market’s mission is to provide fresh, native produce directly from local growers to residents, to promote local cottage industry and to educate the community about the personal benefits of healthy eating and the economic benefits of supporting local entrepreneurs.

The Nantucket Arts Council Shakespeare by the Sea Festival kicks off on Saturday night with Seaside Shakespeare Company’s Twelfth Night, featuring a cast of on and off-island actors including Susan Burns, Ciaran Byrne, Tom Butler, Laurel Devaney, Christy Kickham, Chas Libretto, Len Germinara, Susan Lucier, Susan McGinnis, Adam Skogen, Amy Stiller, and AT Wilce, with original music by Kim D. Sherman, played by Robert Behrman and Armen Ghazarian. Saturday (11th) at the Unitarian Church at 5 p.m.; Saturday at 5 p.m. at Children’s Beach; Sunday and Monday at Children’s Beach at 6 p.m.

Films shown this week as a part of the Festival are: Richard III, 8:00 pm Monday, Nantucket Whaling Museum, and “Henry V” with Kenneth Branagh, released in 1989: Tuesday 8:00 pm Whaling Museum.

Marjorie Garber, the author of “Shakespeare After All”, speaks at the Coffin School on Wednesday night at 7:30 pm. Book signing to follow. Mick Hales, author of “Shakespeare in the Garden”, appears Thursday night at 6:00 pm at the Coffin School, with a book signing to follow.

Fashion shows are more frequent with higher energy this season. Sunday night I expect the best yet. It’s at the Box, with live southern rock by the Christopher Robin Band, and it’s called Live Music Couture, presented by Cisco Brewers, Triple Eight Vodka, and Nantucket Vineyard. Models will wear clothes from the Lauren Di Nardo Collection, Cheryl Fudge and Current Vintage. Admission is $20 at the door, $15 at Cisco Brewery, the proceeds to benefit Sustainable Nantucket. It all gets going at 9.

Authors and Speakers

Suzy Welch will moderate a Q&A session with Jack Welch on the topics of Winning and Leadership today at the High School Auditorium, Wednesday night at 8:00 pm.

You don’t often see Corey Sandler, but he does live here. Corey writes books. Lots of books. Look him up on Amazon. 164 entries there, some duplicates I’m sure, but it’s got to be 100 books under various categories: Business & Investing (29), Entertainment (19), History (6), Computers & Internet (70), Home & Garden (8), Professional & Technical (47), Science Fiction & Fantasy (7), Sports (13), Travel (49). I joined WNAN radio’s host of “The Point”, Mindy Todd, (9;30 am weekdays on 91.1) when she interviewed Corey about his new book ‘Henry Hudson; Dreams and Obsession. The Tragic Legacy of the New World’s Least Understood Explorer’ back in the middle of May. Here’s a podcast of that interview.

Corey calls Henry Hudson the “least known of the great explorers who went to the ends of the known world, though he profited nothing.” He describes Hudson’s trip to the North Pole when he tried to find a way from Europe to Asia, thinking it would not be frozen in summer, with no navigational cues (compasses are not accuarte that close to the magnetic pole, and there are no stars in 24 hour daylight. And in a later quest to reach the Bering Straight by sailing up the (now named) Hudson River, sailed just south of Nantucket on August 6, 1609.

Corey is speaking Monday night at 8 pm at the Atheneum, cosponsored by Nantucket Bookworks and the Atheneum. Pictured are Corey, Corey showing Mindy photos from the trip, and the interview.

A few late additions to this year’s Nantucket Wine Festival program, just listed, with tickets still available:

An elite group of vintners from Santa Barbara will present a seminar entitled “Santa Barbara - Obsessed with Terroir“. These are the creme de la creme of winemakers from that region, and this seminar offers an unparalled opportunity to examine what makes Santa Barbara such a spectacular wine-growing region. The Hearth at the Harbor House, Friday, May 18, 5:30 - 7 pm. See SEM-51 on the NWF website.

One event flew under the radar last year, but won’t be this year. It was the Cheryl Fudge Fashion Show and cocktail party. Cheryl showcased her one-of-a-kind vintage scarves and hand painted textile clothing line. The cocktails will be from a menu created by mixologist Stefanie Marco of Stirrings, featuring Ciroc vodka and Don Julio tequila. This sold out last year, with very few Nantucketers there. Go to the website and buy now and make it our party. The Hearth at the Harbor House Saturday, May 19, 5 - 7 pm. SEM-33 on the NWF website.

The White Elephant and the Nantucket Wine Festival have teamed up to offer a waterfront brunch on Sunday morning, featuring Moet & Chandon White Star Champagne, and cocktails from Stirrings. See Sunday Brunch on the NWF website.

Cat Silirie, wine director at No. 9 Park, will lead an seminar on the complexities of biodynamic wine. After her presentation, an all-star panel will pepper her with questions. Denis says the fur is sure to fly. The Madaket Room at the Harbor House. Thursday, May 17, 4 to 5 pm. See SEM-13 on the NWF website.