Thursday 17th of May 2012

12:00 AM

Nantucket Biodiversity Initiative Assessment Week

Biodiversity Week offers an exciting chance for naturalists, researchers and the public to help document the biodiversity of Nantucket from plants to birds to insects and beyond! www.nantucketbiodiversityinitiative.org

8:30 AM to 9:30 AM

Coffee and Muffin Cruise

Enjoy the early morning on Nantucket by starting your day with a relaxing cruise through the harbor. Complimentary coffee, juice, muffin. $30 person. Offered daily by Shearwater Excursions, www.ExploreNantucket.com, 508-228-7037.

10:00 AM to 11:00 AM

Harbor Tour/Ice Cream Cruise

Enjoy ice cream on a narrated tour of the inner harbor. Offered every day by Shearwater Excursions, Straight Wharf #1011. www.ExploreNantucket.com. 508-228-7037. $30 per person. Tours also offered at 11:15 am, 1 pm, 2:15 pm, 4 pm, and 5:15 pm.

10:30 AM to 11:00 AM

Toddler Time

A 20-25 minute story time for toddlers ages 18-36 months. Free admission. No reservation required, but program is limited to first 15 toddlers and their caregivers. Tickets available 10 am at the Children's Desk. Nantucket Atheneum, 1 India St.

10:30 AM to 12:00 PM

Ageless Companions: Cheese, Bread, Wine

Ihsan Gurdal of Formaggio Kitchen in Cambridge and Mario Mariani of Pain D'Avignon will collaborate on a fascinating pairing of cheese, bread, and wine. Winery: Fine Estates from Spain. Tickets $75 at http://www.nantucketwinefestival.com

11:00 AM to 12:00 PM

The Hidden Museum: Behind the Scenes Tour at the NHA

Have you ever wondered how the NHA cares for diverse items like furniture, scrimshaw, silver, and paintings? Join us on a guided behind-the-scenes tour of the NHA's climate-controlled storage facility, the Bartholomew Gosnold Center, and learn what it takes to properly preserve and protect historic objects. Free for members, $15 for nonmembers. Preregistration required: contact melissa@nha.org or call 508-228-1894, ext. 117. Gosnold Center, 89 Bartlett Road.

11:00 AM to 11:30 AM

Story Time

Storytime for children 3 years and older. Free admission. No reservation required, but program is limited to first 40 attendees. Nantucket Atheneum, 1 India St.

12:00 PM

Barossa Valley Luncheon

Brant Point Grill Executive Chef Frederick Bisaillon will use his dynamic flavors and techniques to pair 3 courses with John Duval's elegant and well balanced Rhone varietals from the Barossa Valley. Reservations: 508-325-1320.

12:00 PM to 2:00 PM

Three-Course Lunch for $25 at TOPPER'S

Experience our 3-course lunch for $25 through June 10. TOPPER'S at The Wauwinet. 508-228-8768

12:30 PM to 1:45 PM

Greatest Chef You Never Heard Of

Damon Baehrel has created an original cuisine he calls Native Harvest. Damon uses only native and cultivated ingredients from his 12-acre property to create an amazing array of preparations defying traditional concepts. Guests will have an unforgettable opportunity to savor Damon's food without waiting! Moderated by Natalie Jacobson. Tickets $85 at http://www.nantucketwinefestival.com

4:00 PM to 7:00 PM

Timbukblues Performs Live

Original blues and well-known blues played by this popular local trio of Chuck Colley, Erik Wendelken, and Tom Stoddart live at Cisco Brewery, 5 Bartlett Farm Road.

4:30 PM to 6:00 PM

Leg of Lamb Dinner Special

Every Thursday Bartlett's Farm is offering specially priced leg of lamb dinner. $14.99 per lb, and it includes a potato and vegetable. Bartlett's Farm Deli Counter, 33 Bartlett Farm Road.

5:30 PM to 7:00 PM

Dinner & Biodiversity Talk

Pizza & beer and a talk by Charley Eiseman on "Tracks and Signs of Insects and Other Invertebrates." Maria Mitchell Assn., Vestal Street. Suggested donation $5.

6:00 PM to 10:00 PM

Wine Festival Harbor Gala

The Twelfth Annual Nantucket Wine Festival Harbor Gala will feature 35 stations, each with a winemaker or winery representative and a restaurant chef (from on or off-island) or artisan food producer whose cuisine is chosen to match the wines. The Gala will be held at the White Elephant Hotel. Tickets $195 at www.nantucketwinefestival.com.

6:00 PM to 7:00 PM

Drop-in English Classes

Beginner and Intermediate/Advanced English skills, open to all, no pre-registration required. Nantucket Atheneum, 1 India St. 508.228.8710 for more information.

7:00 PM to 9:00 PM

Earth Got the Blues

Chicago-style jazz band at the Rose & Crown, 23 South Water Street.

7:30 PM

Noises Off

Called the funniest farce ever written, Noises Off presents a manic menagerie of itinerant actors rehearsing a flop called NOTHING'S ON. Doors slamming, on-stage and backstage intrigue, and an errant herring all figure in the plot of this hilarious and classically comic play. Presented by Theatre Workshop of Nantucket. Tickets $25 at www.theatreworkshop.com, Bennett Hall, 62 Centre St.

7:30 PM

NHS Chorus Masterwork Concert

Nantucket High School, 10 Surfside Road

9:30 PM

Cisco Brewery After Party at Galley Beach

After the Harbor Gala, the party continues! Cisco Brewery and Galley Beach team up again to bring you one of the best parties of the Nantucket Wine Festival. Follow the crowds after the Gala and come for a cocktail, or reserve a seat at the party and enjoy a four course dinner paired with Cisco Brewery's hand crafted Reserve and The Woods series of island brewed beers. Galley Beach Chef W. Scott Osif and Cisco's head brewer Jeff Horner will be on hand to guide guests through the amazing pairings. This lively late-night dinner will start after the Nantucket Wine Festival Harbor Gala, all are welcome and all will come, however space is limited, be sure to reserve a seat at the party for yourself and your friends. Reservations: 508-228-9641

10:00 PM to 1:00 AM

Karaoke

At the The Rose & Crown, 23 South Water Street. 508-228-2595