The Lighthouse Keeper
EXTREMES
BY DANIEL W. DRAKE ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
While Labor Day may be the end of the summer, Columbus Day weekend has long been considered the end of the season on Nantucket. It is the time when, traditionally, summer homeowners have returned to savor one last weekend and to put their houses to "bed" for the winter. For them, the journey back combines a bit of work with the special chance to enjoy Nantucket in the fall and a kind of contentment that is only possible as the hustle and bustle of the summer fade away.

More recently, Columbus Day weekend has been the crescendo of the wedding season with hundreds, if not thousands, of people descending on the island to share in the blessings of newly married couples in venues that range from the sublime to the ridiculous. One report had 22 weddings taking place this weekend. That is a lot of joy and a fair amount of champagne.

The wedding guests are here to enjoy themselves and to be entertained. This weekend provided our visitors with wonderful opportunities to do almost anything outside which included not only strolling up Main Street, poking into shops, beach hiking, walking the moors, fishing and whatever else the imagination might conjure - one or two may even have gone swimming - but the fog that rolled in Saturday afternoon and embraced the outdoor wedding receptions, also gave them a true taste of island ambiance.

Two out-of-town destinations, which many of the visitors found, also gave them a flavor of Nantucket which the summer visitor will never see. In fact, one of them, the moving of Sankaty Head Lighthouse, is a once-in-a-lifetime happening; an event without parallel in the island's history. As some said, on a minute-by-minute, or even hour-by-hour basis, being there was like watching the grass grow; progress was not discernible. But at the end of the day, progress was obvious and it was an event. You had to see it.

You marveled both at the complexity of the process and at its ease. The challenge of lowering the lighthouse in stages as it moved along its track was beyond the engineering comprehension of most. But the simplicity of lubricating the tracks with Ivory Soap (and a touch of whale oil provided by the NHA) made you smile and wonder whether, in fact, you really might have been able to pull the move off yourself.

The fact that one of Nantucket's icons has - we hope - been saved from the ocean's grasp for at least another 150 years is a matter of great joy. To have been a sidewalk superintendent of the process had to be a kick for anyone. The island owes much gratitude for this to the 'Sconset Trust for orchestrating the lighthouse move and to those who made it possible through their donations.

The other destination was also related to one of Nantucket's icons, the cranberry. The Conservation Foundation's Cranberry Festival at the Milestone Cranberry Bog combined the elements of a country fair with an education into the growing and harvesting of cranberries, and even the economics of the process. Watching the workers corral the berries with long booms and drag them across the flooded bog to be sucked up into a machine which cleans them and then dumps them into a huge truck provides a lesson in agriculture which few of us get in this era of fruits and vegetables that usually come from distant parts. The notion that cranberries sold for $25 in the 1860s and $38.50 a barrel in 2006 also provides food for thought. Being at the Festival was a great experience

The other news of the week which brought joy to many was that of the saving of another icon, the Dreamland Theater, by several generous donors. Their stated intent is to restore the movie theater and, perhaps, to incorporate a performing arts center in the building. Restaurants and condominiums appear to be off the plate, as it were. How wonderful! This is the second time in almost as many weeks that someone has stepped forward to "rescue" something of great importance to Nantucket. How fortunate we are to be able to count such people among the island's friends.

At one time or another over the weekend, as noted, most visitors and many islanders hit Main Street. The mood was generally relaxed and cheerful. However, one man was asked on Sunday morning if he was here for a wedding. He turned back to his questioner and, shaking his head sadly, replied, "No, I came to attend a funeral."

Many of the people who were enjoying themselves here over the weekend were unaware of the tragedy which befell another of Nantucket's young people. For the second time in a week and the third time in eight months, our teenagers were torn apart by the sudden, inexplicable passing of one of their contemporaries.

Death is not easy to deal with for anyone in any generation, but when it falls without forewarning on young ones, those with so much promise, those with the world at their feet, the grief takes on an extra dimension. Having it compounded over a brief period results in exponential outpourings of remorse. Hope takes a backseat to torment and self-incrimination. For a time, the fog bank of sorrow obliterates any perspective or any anticipation of the future.

Nantucket and many Nantucketers spent this Columbus Day weekend dealing with their grief in private and in public. Counselors made themselves available throughout the weekend for those needing help with their private anguish. People joined in quiet memorials and in more active remembrances. The funeral service yesterday may have been the largest ever on the island. Afterwards, people lingered at the beach, not wanting to let go. But, they were cried-out and talked-out and, as they gradually dispersed, they knew it was time to move on; to live their own lives, with all its joys and pain, as best they can and, perhaps, to support their friends with new energy and awareness.

And so it went this Columbus Day Weekend on Nantucket. Young couples were joyfully launched on their married lives, surrounded by celebrating family and friends, and young people mourned one of their own as only young people can, surrounded by sorrowful family and friends. The full spectrum of mood and emotion was present, perhaps linked only by an innocent question to a stranger and his heartfelt response.

In a week or so, sitting on its new foundation, Sankaty Head lighthouse will be relit. The beacon will again provide both warning of danger and hope. Life goes on.

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The "Lighthouse Keeper" reflects the views of the author and does not necessarily represent the editorial position of The Nantucket Independent. Please send any ideas or comments to drake@nantucketindependent. com.