The beloved musician, Bob Seger, has a memory of his Main Street – “standing on the corner at midnight, trying to get my courage up.” We all have a memory of Main Street somewhere don’t we? Maybe it’s our hometown, where grandma lives, or just some quaint little community we passed through on our way to somewhere else. Virtually every town has a Main Street where the action happens and memories are made.
I was born and raised in a small town in Iowa (population less than 1400!), so I have a lifetime of Main Street memories. As a kid, we walked to Main Street for milkshakes at the local soda fountain, penny candy at the Dime Store and skating at the local roller rink. One week every summer they would completely close down Main Street when the carnival came to town. The street was jam packed with exhilarating rides, booths boasting games and prizes and the smell of cotton candy and funnel cakes wafted across the entire town. As a teen, you weren’t cool until you turned 16, got the keys to dad’s Pontiac and “cruised Main” with 8 friends piled into the car. We would burn through an entire tank of gas in one night and never leave a 6 square block area. Main Street memories.
In Nantucket, Main Street is the center of the universe. The charming cobblestone streets begin at the harbor and wind all the way to “Upper Main.” Most of the major island events take place in the 2 block Main Street area – 4th of July water fight, Christmas Eve drawing, Halloween parade and many more. From my window on the 2nd floor of our Main Street office, I love watching what takes place on Main Street Nantucket on any average afternoon – couples strolling hand in hand, kids licking ice cream cones, dogs tied to a post napping while mom shops and friends and neighbors gathered on one of the many benches along the street chatting about their lives. Main Street anywhere, but certainly in Nantucket, makes us feel at home.
Whether you live here year round or are planning your first ever trip to Nantucket, be sure to schedule some time to enjoy Main Street. Meander in and out of the shops, linger in one of the art galleries, stop by the pharmacy for an ice cream or bring along a friend and pull up a bench for some good old-fashioned conversation. And then, as Bob Segar says, “drift back in time and find your feet”…..
Down on Mainstreet
Shellie Dunlap
