This Week on Nantucket
April 24 - May 1
– In This Issue –
• Daffodil Weekend Calendar
• Let’s Eat! Millie’s at the Rotary
• MusACK: 7-Day Weekend
• Walk with Neil: The Sesachacha Heathlands
Thursday, April 24
Flower Crown Party
Daffodil Weekend To-do List
5:30-7:30 p.m., Dreamland Theater Harborview Room, 17 South Water St. The Chamber of Commerce hosts this flower crown decorating party. The $80 ticket price ($65 for Chamber members) includes crown materials, two drink tickets and hors d’oeuvres. Visit www.nantucketchamber.org/daffy to register.
Online Author Talk
7 p.m. Visit calendar page of www.nantucketatheneum.org to sign up. New York Times bestselling author Gregg Hurwitz chats about his “Orphan X” series and his life as a writer of suspenseful storytelling.
Friday, April 25
Daffodil Bazaar
10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sherburne Hall, upstairs at 11 Centre St. A diverse market of small businesses and nonprofits, from photography to jewelry, apparel to memorabilia.
Daffodil Car Wash
3-5 p.m. Nantucket Inn, 1 Miller Lane. Free, but donations suggested for Nantucket Island Safe Harbor for Animals.
Live Music: Buckle & Shake
4:30 p.m. Cisco Brewers, 5 Bartlett Farm Road. Nantucket’s own alt-country band Buckle & Shake will perform.
Welcome Home Reception
5-7 p.m. Artists Association of Nantucket Federal Gallery, 8 Federal St. The Artists Association of Nantucket will host a reception to celebrate the opening of its new downtown gallery in the former Jordan Real Estate building.
Flower Power Party
6 p.m. Nantucket Whaling Museum, 13 Broad St. The hottest party of the spring. The Nantucket Historical Association’s whaling museum is transformed for this festive spring celebration, with hors d’oeuvres by Island Kitchen and music by Billy Voss. Sold out. Visit www.nha.org to be added to the waitlist.
FRIDAY, PAGE 16
Rebecca Love Photography Saturday’s Daffodil Festival antique and classic car parade will begin staging on Main Street at 9:30 a.m. Saturday before heading to Sconset at noon.
Millie’s at the Rotary: West End Meets Mid-Island
By Joshua Balling jballing@inkym.com
Craving a Millie’s taco, quesadilla or po’boy but don’t feel like trekking all the way out to the west end of the island, or at this time of year, they’re still a month away from opening?
You’re in luck. Millie’s at the Rotary opened April 3, with an expanded menu very similar to its big sister out in Madaket. Queso? Check. The Pocomo? Pork carnitas with roast poblano peppers, onion and tomato salsa? They’ve got that. How about the Muskeget, Millie’s signature lobster roll? You can order that, too.
“We’re not trying to be something we’re not,” said Dunadel Daryoush, general manager of Millie’s Nantucket, which has grown over the past decade and a half from the flagship Madaket location to include Millie’s at the Rotary, Surfside on Broad Street near Steamboat Wharf and several mobile food units.
“I like to say that Millie’s offers the quintessential Nantucket experience for guests and staff alike. What we’re very good at is really fresh, delicious food that appeals to all walks of life and all ages. Who doesn’t like tacos?”
Seating at the rotary is similar to that in Madaket, but on a smaller scale, with a mix of indoor and outdoor tables and a few seats at the counter bar. We chose to sit at the bar last week, where we got to watch our server mix up summer-style cocktails, including the iconic Madaket Mystery, a rum punch that – make no mistake about it – packs a delicious punch.
The rotary location features the same
Let’s Eat!
relaxed vibe and casual yet attentive service as the Madaket space, but without the crowds, especially in the shoulder seasons.
New this season – available starting the first week of June – are steamed lobster dinners, served out of one of Millie’s mobile food carts in the restaurant’s parking lot.
“We’re treating it like a pop-up. You’ll get a one-and-a-half-pound steamed lobster, an ear of corn, clam chowder, crackers and a bib, it’s the quintessential Nantucket summer thing. There’s really a lack of lobster dinners out here, especially in the mid-island,” Daryoush said.
The lobster dinners are intended to be grab-and-go, but you could take your food to one of Millie’s outdoor tables and watch the traffic circle the rotary if you can’t wait until you get home. Millie’s will also deliver on orders of 10 or more.
Millie’s classics are well represented, too. The queso rivals that of Mexican restaurants on the mainland, and even in April, the cobs of street corn had full, plump, sweet kernels slathered in a generous and well-balanced mix of chili-lime mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, queso fresco and lime juice.
The Westender, featuring a hearty portion of blackened mahi mahi in a corn tortilla, was just spicy enough when cooled by pineapple mango salsa, guacamole and lime sour cream. Paired with summer rice salad, there was enough to take
LET’S EAT, PAGE 22
Courtesy of Millie’s Nantucket
Millie’s is introducing steamed lobster dinners this summer, served from a mobile food cart in the parking lot of its Milestone Rotary location.
Courtesy of Millie’s Nantucket
The Lobster Roll Box includes eight cold-dressed lobster rolls on brioche buns with creamy cole slaw, lemons and chips.
Courtesy of Millie’s Nantucket
The Fishers Landing, blackened swordfish on a buttered brioche roll, purple cabbage slaw, onion straws and Cajun remoulade.
7 Day Weekend brings the party back to The Box
7 Day Weekend has been keeping the Boston music scene dancing for more than a decade. They bring their high-energy party vibe back to The Chicken Box Daffodil Weekend.
By Kendall Graham kgraham@inkym.com
It all started with a last-minute cancellation.
Adam DeSousa, drummer of the cover band 7 Day Weekend, received a call in early spring 2023 from The Chicken Box asking if they would be available to fill some empty performance slots over Daffodil Weekend.
DeSousa and the rest of the band said yes, and now they are returning for their third consecutive set of Daffodil shows this weekend.
“It really worked out for us,” DeSousa said. “Since then, we’ve had a blast. So, we make sure to make it part of our schedule.”
7 Day Weekend for over a decade now has treated crowds to their signature
brand of high-energy, genre-hopping performances. They read the room with incisive eyes and adapt on the fly to keep the party alive.
DeSousa will notice the crowd responding positively to, say, the smash pop hit “Pink Pony Club” by Chappell Roan and will call through the band’s set of talkback mics to play more fun, upbeat pop songs.
But they cover everything from major pop hits to classic rock to country to R&B and Motown hits and all the styles in between. They parse their extensive catalog for songs they anticipate audiences will respond to.
“We’ll notice little things about people and adapt accordingly,” said DeSousa,
“It’s a cyclical thing. We get the energy from the crowd, they get the energy from us and it just goes back and forth all night.”
– Adam DeSousa, 7 Day Weekend Drummer
who is also one of the band’s co-founders.
“It’s a cyclical thing. We get the energy from the crowd, they get the energy from us and it just goes back and forth all night.”
7 Day Weekend will play The Chicken Box Friday and Saturday, with both sets beginning at 10 p.m.
And, like much of the island, the band considers it the kickoff to their packed spring and summer season.
“Daffy kind of kicks off the real stretch for us,” DeSousa said. “From April
through October, we’re slammed. This is where the fun really starts.”
In 2024, they clocked in just under 100 shows. For 2025, they’ve scaled back slightly in the offseason to prioritize rehearsal time, with a goal of updating their material and giving more of the bandmates a chance to shine.
While DeSousa and lead singer Joe Dupuis are the original core and perform the majority of the vocals, bassist Kyle Teeter, guitarist Charles Coleman and keyboardist Chris Del Nigro are all stepping into lead vocal spots more frequently.
“We’re cutting the fat, switching things up and making things more streamlined,” DeSousa said.
“We’re trying to give the best possible show we can. And when we (perform) somewhere like The Chicken Box, doing two nights in a row, two hours each night,
Courtesy of 7 Day Weekend
MusACK
7 Day Weekend’s promotional poster. it allows us to play enough different stuff that if people come both nights, they’re going to see a pretty significantly different show each time.”
The versatility extends to everything from their set lists to their onstage choreography. Rehearsals aren’t just for learning new material, they’re for mapping out moments.
“(In rehearsals) we do spend a lot of time on little things so that way, on stage, things are very tight and choreographed, and that plays into the crowd work,” DeSousa said.
“But everybody does their homework in terms of musicianship. These little things that we think no one notices are often the things that people mention when they reach out to book us.”
Audience response guides everything. If the room is feeling 1990s energy, they’ll lean into it. If it’s a bachelorette crowd? Cue “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!”
Sometimes, it’s the newer stuff that hits, like “Pink Pony Club,” which DeSousa says “gets everybody going crazy, no matter the age group.” Other nights, a surprise favorite like their “Grease” medley turns into a full-on stage takeover.
The band was in Pennsylvania performing at an event for Bucknell University alumni a few weeks ago when two women jumped on stage and started singing word-for-word alongside them.
“They just knew ‘Grease’ in and out and sang all the female parts while my singer
sang all the lead parts,” DeSousa said.
“It was as if it was rehearsed. And it was the first time we had ever met those people, and it was amazing. Since that day, we’ve had a renewed energy with the ‘Grease’ mix that we do.”
DeSousa hopes that 7 Day Weekend’s strong chemistry, especially with the current lineup that has been together for the past year and a half, will help them expand geographically in the future.
They’ve had successful gigs in Key West, Fla. and are looking to grow their presence in the state, particularly in the Tampa, Orlando and St. Petersburg areas, where DeSousa has a home base.
“It’s just a matter of establishing a relationship with a couple of agencies down there,” he said. “That would be an ideal location. There’s a lot going on there in terms of touristy stuff.”
But for now, they’re focused on what’s right in front of them: two rowdy nights at The Chicken Box, a full summer calendar which sees them returning to the island again over Memorial Day Weekend, the Fourth of July and again in August, and a room full of people who just want to dance.
Catch one of 7 Day Weekend’s two shows at The Chicken Box, 6 Dave St., over Daffodil Weekend: Friday, April 25 at 10 p.m. and Saturday, April 26 at 10 p.m. 21 and over. Cover at the door.
Courtesy of 7 Day Weekend
Sesachacha Heathlands a jewel of a nature walk
By Neil Foley
Contributing Writer
Shake off the dust of winter inactivity and emerge to walk the waking island once again.
Like the garter snakes on sunny trail edges, bask in any patch of warmth that you can find and brighten your day among the earliest flowering trees.
Make your way to outer Polpis and pull in to 345 Polpis Road, marked by a red post, and park at the small lot at the base of the hill.
Walk just under a quarter mile up the hill to a small trail on your left. This trail is part of the 24.7-mile Coast to Coast Trail that spans the island from east to west, but instead we are heading in reverse today through the Mass Audubon property known as the Sesachacha Heathlands.
Close to the start of this trail section is a small entrance down to Jewel Pond, an isolated kettle hole pond ringed by highbush blueberry and inkberry holly.
The pond life is awakening as much as the land surrounding it. Aquatic caddisfly larvae are floating around, adorning themselves with grass, small twigs and other debris in the pond to create their protective cases.
It may be less conventional than the folks decorating their cars for daffodil weekend or donning their best pastels, but these springtime larvae are part of a seasonal celebration, nonetheless.
Small kettle hole ponds like this are dotted across the Middle Moors. Most are hidden behind veils of shrubs, but those like Jewel Pond are accessible because of careful tending and curious exploration by year-rounders.
Allen Reinhard, the long-time Middle Moors ranger, Land Bank commissioner
WALK, PAGE 21
A caddisfly larvae in its decorated spring casing.
Photo by Neil Foley
The small and beautiful flowers of trailing arbutus, also known as Mayflower, among the leaf litter of the Eastern Moors.
Photo by Neil Foley
Walk with Neil
Jon Waterman
Bob Woodward
Suzy Welch
Charmaine Wilkerson
Ocean Vuong Dawn Tripp
Jason Reynolds
Loretta J. Ross Christian Sheppard Wright Thompson Adam Ross
Wally Lamb
Victor Luckerson
Ann Leary Betsy Lerner
Patrick Radden Keefe
Imani Perry
Molly Jong-Fast
Lisa Genova
Carl Hiaasen Alice Hoffman Jenny Johnson Patti Callahan Henry
Kim Coleman Foote
Geraldine Brooks Billy Costa
Nantucket’s newspaper since 1821
Meenakshi Ahamed Jennifer Finney Boylan
Vacqueyras: The hip little sibling of fine French wine
By Peter McEachern Contributing Writer
Does little refer to stature, size or age?
Quite frankly, it always amazes me –being one of four siblings and having four children of my own – why others refer to the “little sibling.”
Even in today’s wine world, a neighboring village or vineyard can be referred to using the same blanket title, “little sibling.”
In the sun-drenched heart of the southern Rhône Valley lies Vacqueyras, a wine appellation that has long stood in the shadows of its more famous neighbors.
Yet to dismiss Vacqueyras as merely the little sibling of Gigondas or Châteauneuf-du-Pape would fundamentally misunderstand its distinctive character and independent spirit.
These wines tell their own story, one of unique terroir where limestone and clay nurture Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre into expressions of remarkable depth and rustic elegance.
Vacqueyras doesn’t emulate its presti-
gious neighbors. It complements them, offering a soulful counterpoint that speaks with its own voice: robust yet refined, powerful yet accessible and utterly singular in its Provençal personality.
South vs. north – The Rhône
Before we delve into Vacqueyras wines, many friends ask what the fundamental differences between the two large grape-growing regions are.
Northern and southern Rhône wines share ancient winemaking traditions dating back to Roman times but diverge significantly in climate, grape varieties and style.
The Northern Rhône features a continental climate with steep granite slopes, producing wines dominated by Syrah for reds and Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne for whites.
These wines are more austere, struc-
Courtesy of Peter McEachern
A typical vineyard near Vinsobres, Cotes du Rhone, France.
Courtesy of Peter McEachern
Wine grapes hanging from a vine, just before the autumn harvest.
The Wine Cellar
tured and elegant, with higher acidity and pronounced savory characteristics.
In contrast, the southern Rhône enjoys a Mediterranean climate with flatter, more varied terrain, including limestone, clay and the famous galettes roulés (rocks).
Here, Grenache leads the blends, supported by Syrah, Mourvèdre and numerous other varieties.
This results in fuller-bodied, richer, more fruit-forward wines with higher alcohol content and distinctive herbal notes.
While the northern Rhône represents only about 5 percent of the region’s total production, both areas maintain quality hierarchies with prestigious appellations at the top: Côte-Rôtie and Hermitage in the north, Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the south.
Despite these differences, both regions emphasize terroir expression and follow blending traditions, though these are more prominent in the south.
The resulting wines, whether from north or south, ultimately reflect the distinctive character of their respective terroirs while upholding the Rhône Valley’s esteemed winemaking legacy.
Vacqueyras: Its tale
Picture ancient Romans sipping wine on sun-baked hillsides. That’s where our Vacqueyras tale begins. The Romans spotted something special in this “valley of stones.”
That’s literally what the name means in Latin. Talk about truth in advertising.
Fast-forward through the Middle Ages, when the Avignon popes developed quite the taste for local wines.
While the papal court was busy making Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the medieval equivalent of a celebrity wine, Vacqueyras quietly perfected its craft in the background.
Vacqueyras wines were the equivalent of being lumped into the “various artists” category for centuries: just another village blend in the massive Côtes
du Rhône
Photo by Peter McEachern
A typical vineyard near Vacqueyras, Cotes du Rhone, France.
“Behind the Seams” opening at the NHA Memorial Day weekend
Nantucket Historical Association
Work is currently well underway on the Nantucket Historical Association’s featured exhibition for 2025, Behind the Seams: Clothing and Textiles on Nantucket, which will open Memorial Day weekend.
From the Museum
The exhibit will present more than 150 objects from the NHA’s costume and textile collections to tell stories of making, meaning and island identity from across Nantucket history.
In 2016, the NHA received a significant grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services to inventory, catalog and rehouse its 2,000-piece collection of clothing, household textiles and accessories.
Carried out across 18 months, the work improved the care and preservation of the objects while unlocking their potential for research and display.
Staff began planning toward the end of the inventory project for an exhibition based on the new insights resulting from the work, and that show is now being realized.
Behind the Seams will explore more than two centuries of textile production, trade and use on island and share new perspectives on what textiles reveal about Nantucketers’ relationships, communities and identities.
It will present Nantucket clothing brands that reflect the summer resort and explore the island’s 20th-century craft revival.
The guest curator for the exhibit is Jennifer Nieling, an independent costume and textile specialist whose association with the NHA goes back to 2015 when she inventoried the menswear collection and mounted the first of many costumes for NHA exhibition projects.
In 2017, she led the IMLS-funded collection inventory with the help of interns Meg Pierson and Ariana Bishop and volunteer Robin Campbell.
A graduate of Boston University and the Fashion & Textile Studies masters program at the Fashion Institute of Technology, Nieling now specializes in costume mounting and display through her business, JLN Costume Mounting LLC. She has continued to pursue research
MUSEUM, PAGE 14
Courtesy of Nantucket Historical Association Wedding dresses worn by Amelia Sanford (1870) and Patricia Anathan (1971). Textiles associated with significant life moments are some of the most highly valued and sentimental objects in people’s lives, often saved and passed down through generations. These wedding dresses from 100 years apart represent a long history of Nantucket brides and the special gowns they wore.
NHA launches history bike tour May 16
The Nantucket Historical Association is launching a new historic bike tour this season to expand on narratives of Nantucket history and broaden the scope of history being told by its guides.
This tour will consist of a two-hour ride, taking participants to iconic NHA historic sites, as well as exploring new locations of historic significance throughout the downtown and expanding outside of the downtown area.
“Our visitor services team has been working hard to develop this offering and is excited to introduce the first bike tour offered by the organization,” NHA executive director Niles Parker said.
“This tour will continue a legacy of engaging directly with the public to make history accessible and expand upon our popular guided walking tours offered each season.”
The historic bike tour will take visi -
Courtesy of Nantucket Historical Association Willcox & Gibbs chainstitch treadle sewing machine, circa 1900. Before the invention of the sewing machine in the mid-19th century, all stitching was done by hand. Nantucketers embraced this new technology, which saved time for home sewers and dressmakers and became a cornerstone of factory work by the end of the century.
Museum, continued from page 12
interests that include clothing as art and the 20th-century craft revival on Nantucket, and has published on the history of Nantucket Looms and weaver Andy Oates. Neiling was recently on-island work-
tors back in time, extending centuries, starting in the Ice Age and concluding in the present day.
The tour will cover diverse communities and explore their economic and social contributions to the island, as well as how they harnessed the limited resources that island life brought.
The tour will also pass through cemeteries where some of Nantucket’s most influential historic figures are buried.
The NHA will host the first tour Fri-
day, May 16 in conjunction with its Unwind Under the Whale series.
Additional dates will be offered each month throughout the season.
The NHA is partnering with Young’s Bicycle Shop to offer participants a discounted rental of a traditional or e-bike, if they do not have a bicycle of their own.
The NHA will also provide wireless transmitters to ensure the tour provides quality sound of the guided stories to each rider.
Courtesy of Nantucket Historical Association
Wilburite-style Quaker bonnet, 1840s. Clothing can be a powerful tool for visually expressing identity and community. Beginning in the 1830s, women of Nantucket’s Quaker communities indicated the sect they belonged to through their style of bonnet, with differences in gathers or pleats and nuances in size.
ing with objects in the collection.
“I am thrilled to be back at the NHA to work on Behind the Seams, a concept that I first conceived back in 2017 when I had the privilege of getting to know the NHA’s clothing and textile collections intimately through inventorying them,” she said.
“I look forward to sharing the many stories that Nantucket’s clothing and textiles can tell and showcasing some wonderful objects, from humble household textiles to show-stopping gowns. It is my hope that this celebration of clothing and textiles in all their richness, diversi-
ty and complexity helps people to value and appreciate these items in a new way. We can’t wait to share them with you in May.”
For more on Behind the Seams and the Nantucket Historical Association, visit www.nha.org
Nantucket Yacht Club
THURSDAY, June 12 6-9 pm
Heavy Hors D’Oeuvres Open Bar Silent Auction Exciting Raffle Packages by Cranberry Alarm Clock A Benefit for PASCON Palliative and Supportive Care of Nantucket Music
$250 per person
RSVP BY MAY 31
Daffodil Weekend To-Do List
Friday, continued from page 3
“It Might as Well Be Spring”
7 p.m. St. Paul’s Church, 20 Fair St. St. Paul’s music director Joe Hammer will be joined by gifted local musicians in presenting a selection of music celebrating the joy of springtime. Bubbles and bites. Tickets are $20 at the door.
Live Music: 7-Day Weekend
10 p.m. The Chicken Box, 6 Dave St. South Coast party band 7-Day Weekend will perform. 21 and over. Second show Saturday.
Saturday, April 26
Arbor Day Seedling Giveaway
8 a.m.-noon, Nantucket landfill, 186 Madaket Road. Free seedlings of flowering trees, until they are gone.
Clothesline Project
9 a.m.-noon, Atheneum Garden, 1 India St. The Clothesline Project is a visual display of T-shirts created by local survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence, or those who have lost a loved one to violence. Join A Safe Place in raising awareness within the community and celebrating the strength of local survivors.
Rafael Osona Online Auction
9:30 a.m. Rafael Osona presents his first auction of 2025, featuring a collection of mid-century and modern furniture, antiques, art, jewelry, Oriental carpets and more. Bid online, absentee or by phone. Live previews, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. April 24-26, Legion Hall, 21 Washington St. Visit www.rafaelosonaauction.com to view the auction.
Daffy Hat Pageant
10 a.m. Children’s Beach Bandstand, Harborview Way. Festively decorate a daffodil-themed hat and join the fun. Ribbons awarded in men’s, women’s and children’s categories.
Book-signing: Nancy Thayer
10:30 a.m.-noon, Mitchell’s Book Corner, 54 Main St. Island author Nancy Thayer will sign copies of her new novel, “Summer Light on Nantucket.”
Daffodil Kids Parade
10:35 a.m., Children’s Beach, Harborview Way. For children of all ages and their families. Bikes, trikes, scooters,
SATURDAY, PAGE 18
Courtesy of Steve Rondo Singer-songwriter Steve Rondo will play Cisco Brewers this weekend.
Photo by Kris Kinsley Hancock
The Nantucket Garden Club’s annual Daffodil Flower Show will
held Saturday and Sunday at Bartlett’s Ocean View Farm.
Saturday, continued from page 16
Daffodil Weekend To-Do List
wagons, skateboards, baby-carriages and other self-propelled and decorated vehicles are welcome. Children under 10 must be accompanied by an adult, and all children on bicycles must wear a helmet.
NanPuppets
11 a.m.-noon, Children’s Beach bandstand, Harborview Way. A performance by Lizza Obremski and her puppet friends.
Magic Mark
11:45 a.m. Children’s Beach Bandstand, Harborview Way. An interactive, playful magic show full of surprises. Free.
Antique Car Parade
Noon, Main Street. More than 100 classic automobiles, from Model Ts to muscle cars, line Main Street before heading out to Sconset for a tailgate picnic. Staging begins at 9:30 a.m.
Daffy Dog Parade
12:30 p.m. Children’s Beach, Harborview Way. All friendly and leashed dogs are welcome to participate. Daffodil costumes and decorations strongly encour-
aged. Prizes, but dogs must be registered to win. Registration from 10 a.m.-noon at the corner of Main and Federal streets. Donations benefit Nantucket Island Safe Harbor for Animals.
Tailgate Picnic
1 p.m. Main Street, Sconset. Bring along a picnic and check out the classic cars and their daffodil tailgate spreads.
Daffodil Flower Show
2-5 p.m. Bartlett’s Ocean View Farm, 33 Bartlett Farm Road. The Nantucket Garden Club presents its 48th annual daffodil show. Free. Shuttle service available from Washington Street during show hours. Free, but donations welcome for the Garden Club’s daffodil-planting fund. Entry/exhibitor information available at www.nantucketgardenclub.org
Live Music: Steve Rondo
3-7 p.m. Cisco Brewers, 5 Bartlett Farm Road. Boston-based Steve Rondo and his band perform dynamic indie rock. This post-parade party includes a daffodil-cocktail naming contest, best-dressed dog contest face painting and food truck specials. Second show Sunday at 3 p.m.
Photo by Kit Noble
Best-selling island author Nancy Thayer will sign copies of her latest novel, “Summer Light on Nantucket,” Saturday at Mitchell’s Book Corner.
Dreamland Daffy Party
Daffodil Weekend To-Do List
7 p.m. Dreamland Studio Theater, 17 South Water St. The Dreamland’s first seasonal party of 2025 celebrates Daffodil Weekend with live music, bites by chef Chris Morris and cash bars. 18 and over. Visit www.nantucketdreamland.org for tickets.
Sunday, April 27
Arbor Day Seedling Giveaway
8 a.m.-noon, Nantucket landfill, 186 Madaket Road. Free seedlings of flowering trees, until they are gone.
Daffodil 5K
9 a.m. start, Codfish Park, Sconset. Run through Daffodil Weekend on Nantucket at this annual 5K road race through the scenic coastal village of Sconset on Nantucket’s eastern shoreline. Bib pick-up is Friday, April 25 and Saturday, April 26 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at Nantucket Run Centre on Centre Street. Register at https://www.runreg.com/nantucket-daffodil2025-5k
Costumes are all the rage at the
Daffodil Flower Show
10 a.m.-3 p.m. Bartlett’s Ocean View Farm, 33 Bartlett Farm Road. See Saturday, April 26 listing for details. No shuttle service today.
Armchair Reading
6 p.m. Saltmarsh Senior Center, 81 Washington St. The Nantucket Center for Elder Affairs presents an armchair reading of “Evening at the Talk House,” preceded by a simple supper. RSVP by calling (508) 325-4181. For more activities at the Saltmarsh Center, visit https:// friendsofnantucketseniors.org/aboutthe-center/
Photo by Kaie Quigley
Sconset Tailgate Picnic on Daffodil Weekend.
compilation album. But the winemakers knew they had something special fermenting.
The first big break came in 1955 when Vacqueyras got promoted to the Côtes du Rhône Villages league, essentially moving from the minor leagues to Triple A baseball.
But the real cork-popping celebration happened in 1990 when Vacqueyras finally got its own AOC status. After centuries of playing second fiddle, it joined the exclusive southern Rhône Hall of Fame alongside the three established stars: Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas and Tavel.
Since then, Vacqueyras has been the wine world’s best-kept secret, that friend who’s cooler than everyone realizes.
While tourists flock to take selfies with bottles of Châteauneuf, savvy wine lovers have been quietly filling their carts with Vacqueyras, getting all that bold Grenache-Syrah-Mourvèdre goodness without emptying their wallets.
Today, Vacqueyras struts confidently through the wine world, no longer the forgotten middle child of the southern Rhône family but the hip sibling who does things their way.
Not bad for a wine that waited nearly 2,000 years for its moment in the spotlight.
NOWNEWOPEN
Geology of the Vacqueyras
Vacqueyras sits on a fascinating geological patchwork that gives its wines distinctive character. The appellation straddles two key geological formations that create a “tale of two terroirs.”
In the western part, you’ll find the famous terraces of the Ouvèze River, where ancient alluvial deposits have left behind a mix of clay-limestone soils studded with the region’s signature galettes roulés : those smooth, rounded stones that absorb heat during the day and radiate it back to the vines at night.
These stones aren’t just pretty vineyard decorations. They’re natural heat regulators that help ripen the grapes while maintaining crucial acidity.
The eastern sector tells a different story. It features higher-elevation vineyards (up to 1,350 feet) with sandier, more fragile soils and fewer heat-trapping stones. This area tends to produce wines with more finesse and aromatic complexity.
Running through parts of the appellation are seams of blue and yellow clay, similar to those found in neighboring Gigondas.
These clay deposits retain water during the hot southern French summers, preventing vine stress and allowing for even ripening, crucial in a region where drought can be a serious concern.
The combination of these varied soil
types – clay-limestone terraces, sandy uplands and those magical heat-storing stones – creates a perfect playground for Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre.
Each grape variety responds differently to these geological variations, adding layers of complexity to the final blends.
This geological diversity in a relatively compact area (just 1,400 hectares) allows Vacqueyras wines to deliver their characteristic balance of power and elegance: wines unmistakably southern Rhône in their generosity but with their distinct geological signature.
My go-to producers
Arnoux et Fils, Château des Tours, Domaine Montirius, Domaine de la Ligière, Domaine La Garrigue, Domaine Le Clos des Cazaux, Domaine Le Sang des Cailloux, Domaine Santa Duc, La Ferme du Mont and Roucas Toumba.
A toast to uniqueness
Next time you’re swirling a glass of Vacqueyras, remember you’re not just tasting grapes. You’re tasting a geological time machine.
Those pebbles in the vineyard? Prehistoric rivers smoothed them while dinosaurs roamed the Earth.
Is that clay nurturing the vines? Ancient seabed that once housed marine creatures.
In every sip, you’re experiencing millions of years of geological drama compressed into your wine glass, plate tectonics and prehistoric floods working together to create nature’s perfect wine-growing laboratory.
And let’s be clear: this isn’t some handme-down terroir living in the shadow of big brother Gigondas or fancy cousin Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
Vacqueyras stands proudly on its geological foundation: unique, distinctive and refusing to be defined by comparison to its neighbors. These wines don’t aspire to be anything but themselves: the genuine expression of ancient stones, resilient clay and a fiercely independent spirit that’s been quietly perfecting its craft for centuries while others hogged the spotlight.
Vacqueyras isn’t just wine. It’s liquid geology with a seriously fun backstory and an identity all its own. As the locals might say with a wink while pouring you another glass: “Terroir? It rocks!”
Now that’s something worth raising a glass to.
Peter McEachern is the general manager of the Nantucket Yacht Club. He has been buying wine, creating wine lists and running wine tastings since 1983. He can be reached at peter@nantucketyachtclub.org
Cellar, continued from
Walk, continued from page 8 and Renaissance man, has identified over 60 kettle hole ponds within a mile of his post at the Heath House Ranger Station just up the road.
Reinhard took years of hard work in the 1990s and 2000s to find beautiful views and open trail access throughout the island.
Quiet and densely forested, these trails are now maintained with a mostly handsoff approach by the Mass Audubon team to let the properties take shape with natural succession.
Scrub oaks dominate and seclude these previously open and fog-laden heathlands. You can still find patches of short bearberry and false heather that display the namesake habitat of this property.
April showers bring Mayflowers, but what do Mayflowers bring? Pilgrims?
Or the welcome sign that native plants are waking for the season. While most heathland plants in the Eastern Moors have not begun flowering yet, look out for the small blossoms of Mayflower, a.k.a. trailing arbutus in low clusters at ground level.
They can often be overlooked, but they have a reputation for being a harbinger that long precedes the Pilgrims.
As you further this trail east, be aware of the trail edges and the hazards that cling on them. Tick emergence is in full effect on sunny afternoons, so check yourself regularly (and your fur-bearing companions) before you risk infection from one of the many flavors of tick-borne illness.
The trail winds up and down over shallow hills with views of the Sankaty Head lighthouse. It ends at a T-intersection with Barnard Valley Road, a drivable sand road that spans the moors.
While I would not want to drive my truck in here from Polpis Road for fear of additional Nantucket pinstripes, it can be easily walked up to the memorial bike for Stuart Finkelstein, killed here in a vehicle collision in 2018.
Once on the bike path, you can easily walk the mile back to your vehicle with captivating views of Sesachacha Pond. Take solace in the fact that the weather can only get warmer and more amenable to after-work wanders. April showers may bring Mayflowers, but April sun brings endless reasons to be outside and enjoying the bounty of early-spring walks.
Neil Foley is the interpretive education coordinator and ecologist at the Nantucket Conservation Foundation.
Photo by Neil Foley
A trail through the shallow hills of the Sesachacha Heathlands, with Sankaty Head Lighthouse in the distance.
home for lunch the next day.
One of the diners with us last week has raved about the Eel Point – seared rare tuna in a flour tortilla with wasabi crème fraîche and soy glaze – since Millie’s opened in Madaket 16 years ago. The rotary version – essentially identical –did not disappoint, with perfectly-sliced pieces of near-sushi-grade tuna nestled atop a watercress and fennel salad complemented by a yin-yang balance of sweet soy glaze, cooling crème fraîche and just a bit of wasabi bite.
Starting May 15, Millie’s at the Rotary will begin offering breakfast and deli sandwiches.
Millie’s also has a knack for feeding large groups. Its taco boxes have earned a loyal following among summer visitors looking to eat in one of their nights on Nantucket, or anyone hoping to take care of the kids so they can head out for a night on the town.
The Lobster Roll Box could even be considered a deal, given the cost of a good lobster roll on the island today often exceeds $40. For $295, you get eight lobster rolls, cold-dressed on brioche buns with butter, lettuce, lemon and chives, plus cole slaw and chips. That breaks down to about $37 a roll.
Other boxes include The Chicken Box,
quickly developing a cult following, with 18 tenders, yellow rice, cole slaw and Millie’s Secret Sauce; and the Crispy Salmon Box: six 6-ounce crispy salmon filets on a bed of summer rice with tomato corn salad and creamy basil sauce.
Since Millie’s at the Rotary opens earlier in the season and closes later, it affords the opportunity to do some things that the Madaket location can’t, like offer soup – on the menu this season is chicken jambalaya, beef chili and clam chowder –and host a Trivia Night.
Trivia started last fall, and will continue through early June, Daryoush said.
“It’s fun to have something for the locals. They endure so much when it comes to the mass influx of summer residents, it’s nice to have a place that’s so mobbed in the summertime so accessible in the fall, winter and spring,” he said.
The restaurant was packed on a recent Monday night, with about half the patrons there purposely for trivia, and a handful of diners who originally came in just for dinner joining in.
Millie’s Mid-Island at the Rotary, Spring hours, 10:30 a.m.-9 p.m. daily, closed Tuesday; 1 Sparks Ave., (508) 2288435, www.milliesnantucket.com
Courtesy of Millie’s Nantucket
Millie’s Eel Point taco, seared rare tuna in a flour tortilla with wasabi crème fraîche and soy glaze garnished with watercress and fennel salad.
