Good Morning! Today is Saturday, July 29. Today’s newsletter is 1,821 words, approximately a 9-minute read.

🎵 The 2023 Newport Folk Festival kicked off in grand style on Friday, July 28. Friends old and new performed at the sold-out festival, the start of two weekends of musical magic at Fort Adams State Park. No doubt it was hot, literally and figuratively!

The big surprise? Late in the day, the crowd got word that Noah Kahan, previously scheduled to appear on the Quad stage, was ill and unable to perform. So James Taylor, summering nearby in Jamestown, was called on to pinch-hit.

Read and see more from day 1 at Newport Folk Festival, here – 2023 Newport Folk Festival: James Taylor makes surprise appearance on Day 1

Head to our Instagram page for live audio interviews with Newport’s own Laden Valley, who we caught up with just after their debut at Newport Folk Festival. We’ll have many more photos, stories, and interviews today and tomorrow from Newport Folk, so be sure you’re following us on Instagram!

🚴‍♀️ The hot and humid weather didn’t stop the crowds of people from getting to the festival by bike. Bike Newport reports a record-breaking 1,600 bikes at the festival.

🎉 11th Hour Racing Team etched its name in history on June 29, becoming the first American team to win The Ocean Race, which started in Alicante, Spain, on January 15, 2023 – a grueling 37,500 nautical mile, around-the-world marathon, considered the longest and toughest test of a team in professional sport.

The team is now set to return to its hometown of Newport, home to the team’s title sponsor 11th Hour Racing, on August 4, to celebrate this historic milestone with the local community who have been a cornerstone of support every step of the journey. Read More

👉 On Saturday, August 5, as part of the international Emancipation Day celebrations, the Rhode Island Black Heritage Society will host a ceremony to recognize and celebrate the thousands of persons of West African heritage who once lived, worked, worshiped, and died in Colonial Newport and who are represented by the hundreds of burial markers that remain in the “God’s Little Acre” section of the Newport Common Burying Ground. Read More

What’s Up Today

Weather

Heat Advisory until July 29, 08:00 PM EDT
Hazardous Weather Outlook
Flood Watch in effect from July 29, 11:00 AM EDT until July 29, 11:00 PM EDT
Today: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 5 pm. Some of the storms could produce gusty winds, heavy rain, and frequent lightning. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 84. Southwest wind 6 to 11 mph. The chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Tonight: Showers and thunderstorms are likely before midnight, then a slight chance of showers between midnight and 3 am. Some of the storms could produce gusty winds, heavy rain, and frequent lightning. Patchy fog. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 68. Southwest wind 6 to 11 mph becoming north after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 21 mph. The chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
7-Day Weather Forecast | 3-day Surf Forecast

Marine Forecast

Today: SSW wind 6 to 10 kt. Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 5pm. Some of the storms could produce gusty winds, heavy rain, and frequent lightning. Seas 1 ft or less.
Tonight: WSW wind 5 to 10 kt becoming N after midnight. Showers and thunderstorms likely before midnight, then a slight chance of showers between midnight and 3am. Some of the storms could produce gusty winds, heavy rain, and frequent lightning. Patchy fog. Seas 1 ft or less.
Coastal Water Temperature: 69°F.

Sun, Moon, & Tide

Sunrise: 5:37 am | Sunset: 8:05 pm | 14 hours and 28 minutes of sun.
High tide at 5:03 am & 5:37 pm | Low tide at 10:31 am & 11:57 pm.
Moon: Waxing Gibbous. 10.5 days, 80% lighting.

Things To Do

Newport Folk Festival at Fort Adams State Park
9 am to 12 pm: Aquidneck Growers Market at 25 Enterprise Drive, Middletown
10 am: CARS & COFFEE AT THE NEWPORT CAR MUSEUM
10 am to 5 pm: The 2023 Newport Show at St. George’s School Ice Rink
12 pm to 6 pm: Ca’ del Bosco Wine Garden at The Chanler at Cliff Walk
2 pm: Fundraiser for Armand Richard at Middletown FOPA Lodge 21
5 pm: BlissFest at IYRS
5 pm: Newport International Polo Series at Newport International Polo Grounds
8 pm: Improv with the Bit Players at The Firehouse Theater
For more events and things to do, visit our events calendar.

Live Music & Entertainment

Blue Anchor Grill: Live music from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm
Busker’s Irish Pub: Brian Twohey at 9 pm
Casino Theatre: Newport Folk Festival presents The Piano Recital at 9 pm (sold out)
Clarke Cooke House: Live music at 10 pm
Dockside & Riptides: To be announced
Greenvale Vineyards: Live Jazz Music from 1 pm to 4 pm
IYRS: BlissFest at 5 pm
Johnny’s at The Atlantic Resort: Phoenix Avenue from 6 pm to 9 pm
JPT Film & Event Center: Newport Folk Aftershow – All The Best – Margo Price & Friends (Sold Out) at 9 pm
Landing: Dezi Garcia from 1 pm to 4 pm, Blockhead from 4:30 pm to 7:30 pm, Jake Kulak from 8 pm to 12 am
Midtown Oyster Bar: Live music at 9 pm
Narragansett Cafe: Rugburn from 8 pm to 11:30 pm
Newport Blues Cafe: Zeneth at 9 pm
Newport Harbor Island Resort: DJ Nook at The Firepits from 6 pm to 10 pm
O’Brien’s Pub: CGray the DJ at 10 pm
One Pelham East: Live music from 8 pm to 11:30 pm
Parlor Bar & Kitchen: Newport Folk Festival presents S.G. Goodman, The Heavy Heavy, and Abraham Alexander at 9 pm (sold out)
Rejects Beer Co: John Ferrara at 8 pm
Shops At Long Wharf Mall: Llana Katz Katz from 1 pm to 5 pm
Speakeasy: Sean Rivers at 9 pm
The Deck: To be announced
The Firehouse Theatre: Live improv comedy with The Bit Players at 8 pm
The Reef: J Mark Flynn from 12 pm to 3 pm, Jake Hus from 3 pm to 6 pm, Mel & Friends from 7 pm to 10 pm
Top of Newport at Hotel Viking: Live music from 6 pm to 9 pm
Top of Pelham: Dueling Pianos at 7:30 pm

Local Government

No meetings are scheduled in Newport County.
See the agendas and a complete list of public meetings across Rhode Island here.

Cruise Ship Schedule

Here’s what’s left on the July cruise ship schedule;

July 29 – American Constitution via Fort Adams State Park

On WhatsUpNewp.com

The Latest on WUN

2023 Newport Folk Festival: James Taylor makes surprise appearance on Day 1

Hot weather and hot music make the scene

Better Bay Alliance’s interactive map, LIVE CHART, helps boost boating, water safety on Rhode Island waters

There are going to be record numbers of people on Rhode Island waters this weekend, and a real-time, interactive map created by The Better Bay Alliance is assisting Rhode Island law enforcement agencies with promoting safety awareness in an effort to save lives.

Letter: When did Newport’s City Council become anti-science?

By Aida Neary & Amy Machado, Newport residents

Historic Victory Celebration: 11th Hour Racing Team returns home

The team welcomes all fans to the 11th Hour Racing Team Victory Party at 5pm, August 4, at The Great Friends Meeting House in Newport, Rhode Island

The Rhode Island Black Heritage Society will commemorate Emancipation Day on August 5 at God’s Little Acre

God’s Little Acre, on Farewell Street, contains the oldest and largest surviving collection of burial markers of enslaved and free persons of African heritage, dating back to 17th-century America.

Obituary: Helen Donohoe Behan

October 29, 1929 – July 26, 2023

Obituary: Philip Ardito

April 02, 1949 – July 25, 2023

3-day Surf Forecast for Rhode Island

Forecast includes rip current risk, surf height, weather, winds, and more.

Triston Casas homers, hits RBI double to lead Red Sox past Giants 3-2 for fifth straight win

Moved up in the batting order, Casas homered and hit an RBI double to back Kutter Crawford, and Boston beat the Giants 3-2 on Friday night for its fifth straight win.

Aaron Hernandez’s brother now facing federal charges over alleged threatening messages

The troubled brother of the late NFL player Aaron Hernandez was charged Friday, now in federal court, with new counts of threatening and stalking after authorities say he threatened to shoot up the University of Connecticut and kill three people in another state.