Spring is here, finally
The river is up, the dogwoods are open, and the patios are back. This week: a quiet new wine bar in Easthampton, a $14k cut on Maple Street worth paying attention to, and three weekends' worth of music starting Friday. Welcome back, May.
This Weekend
§ 01- № 01
Spring Bash at the Drake
Sat May 9 · 8pm · The Drake, AmherstThree local bands and a bar that knows how to pour. Doors at 7:30. Get there early; the upstairs fills.
- № 02
Mill River Greenway opening walk
Sun May 10 · 10am · Mill River TrailheadA two-mile guided walk along the new greenway extension with the Conservation Commission. Coffee at the trailhead.
- № 03
Smith College Glee Club, outdoors
Sat May 9 · 4pm · Chapin LawnBring a blanket. The acoustics in front of College Hall are uncannily good. Free.
- № 04
Greenfield Farmers Market opens
Sat May 9 · 8am to 12pm · Court SquareFirst market of the season. Snell's has fiddleheads. The Wheelhouse has new croissants. Bring cash.
- № 05
Maple Sugar Closeout
Sun May 10 · all day · Williams SugarhouseLast weekend of the season. The grade B is, as always, the one to buy. Pancakes on the porch.
- № 06
Garden tour, Forbes Library
Sat May 9 · 1pm · Forbes Library, NorthamptonSix private gardens in Florence and Leeds. Tickets benefit the Forbes children's collection. $25.
- № 07
Northampton Pride Kickoff
Fri May 8 · 6pm · Pulaski ParkMusic, food trucks, and a march at sundown. Family-friendly. Rain plan: First Churches.
Restaurant Watch
§ 02Quill, in Easthampton, is the one to put on your list. The team behind Belly of the Beast (yes, that team) has been quietly working on a wine bar in the old Eastworks lobby for the better part of a year, and they open Friday. The room is small, low-lit, and smarter-looking than it has any right to be at this price point.
The food list is short and disciplined: six snacks, four small plates, one daily larger plate that, on a recent walkthrough, was a brown butter trout that I am still thinking about. The wine list runs deep on the Loire and the Jura, with a half dozen Massachusetts and Vermont bottles that earn their spot.
Reservations are already booked through May. Walk-ins at the bar from 5 to 6:30 on weeknights are the move. Bring someone you actually want to talk to.
Real Estate Pulse
§ 03Third straight weekly rise. Buyers who locked in March at 6.5% are looking smart. Sellers should expect more deals contingent on rate buy-downs.
The 30/15 spread is back to 78 basis points, the widest in six months. Lenders are pricing in more long-term risk than they were in winter.
Mortgage rates track the 10-year with about a 1.5 to 2 point spread, which means another small rise in next Thursday's PMMS is likely.
Notable closings this week, from the Hampshire Registry: a Florence colonial at $1.2M (the highest sale in town this year), and an Easthampton ranch under contract in 4 days, the fastest sale in that price band since November.
Lady Killigrew Café
Tucked into the back of Montague Bookmill, the Lady Killigrew has been pouring honest coffee, generous sandwiches, and quietly excellent house red since 2001. They've kept this letter going through its first year, which is the only reason you're reading it today.
Visit the Lady Killigrew →Around Town
§ 04- · Closure
Local Burger on Main Street is closed through May 14 for a kitchen refresh. They will reopen with a new menu and, the rumor goes, an actual milkshake machine.
- · Opening
Quill, the wine bar from the team behind Belly of the Beast, opens its doors in Easthampton on Friday. Reservations already booked into June.
- · Town
Northampton DPW begins repaving on Bridge Street May 12. Detour through Hawley. Plan an extra ten minutes if you commute east in the morning.
- · Notice
Five Colleges Free Bus goes to summer schedule May 18. The 31 runs once an hour after 7pm. Save this for your Tuesday-evening planning.
- · Quirk
Look up. The osprey pair on the Connecticut River nest cam, just south of the Coolidge Bridge, has two chicks as of Sunday. They are very loud and very small.
- · Heads up
Town meeting: Hadley votes Tuesday on the school budget override. If you live there, this is the one to show up for.
Local Wins
§ 05The Sunderland Public Library, the one you can drive past in three seconds if you blink, quietly hit its capital campaign goal last week. They had been raising for a children's wing for almost four years, and were $34,000 short going into April. A single anonymous donor closed it out on Earth Day with a note that just said: "I learned to read here."
Groundbreaking is set for late June. They are still taking donations toward the furnishing budget, and yes, you can dedicate a chair.