Newport String Project Celebrates the Opening of Season 13 (Credit: Newport String Project)

Good morning, Newport! 👋 Today is Wednesday, Sept. 3, the 246th day of 2025. There are 119 days left in the year.

🚨 You need to know

The Newport String Project will celebrate the opening of its 13th season with Pocket Concerts, a day-long series of intimate micro-concerts featuring the Newport String Quartet and special guest artists on Sunday, Sept. 21, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The event, presented in partnership with the Newport Art Museum and Belmont Chapel, offers audiences 15-minute personalized concerts in unique settings including the Newport Art Museum at 76 Bellevue Ave., Belmont Chapel at Island Cemetery on 30 Warner St., and a Secret Garden Room. The micro-concerts pair one or two musicians with individual or small group audiences for an engaging performance experience.

Pocket Concerts serves as a sequel to the Newport String Project’s popular “One to One” series, which provided Newport audiences with safe access to live music during the pandemic. The Newport String Quartet features Ealaín McMullin and Kenneth Trotter on violin, Florrie Marshall on viola and Chelsea Bernstein on cello.

Tickets are available by donation with a suggested contribution of $25. Concertgoers attending multiple micro-concerts throughout the day are invited to donate at a level of their choosing. All donations directly support the Newport String Project’s free performance and youth mentoring programs.

Ticket donations and reservations are available at www.newportstringproject.org.

Here’s what else you need to know

⚽ Middletown High School’s girls soccer team put on an offensive showcase Tuesday night, defeating Tiverton 6-2 in a high-scoring contest that saw the Islanders pull away for a convincing road victory. Recap & Photo Gallery

⚽ Lincoln High School’s boys soccer team put on an offensive clinic Tuesday night, defeating Tiverton 6-0 in a dominant road performance that showcased the Lions’ depth and attacking prowess. Recap & Photo Gallery

🚔 Law enforcement agencies across Rhode Island arrested 59 people for driving under the influence during the Labor Day holiday weekend, according to the Rhode Island Police Chiefs Association.

🎵 Newport County offers a diverse lineup of events this week, from cultural attractions to outdoor activities and live entertainment. Things to do this week and weekend.

🏘️ Last week’s “What Sold” is highlighted by a $10,000,000 transaction in Jamestown at 2 Fort Wetherill Road, one of the largest residential sales we’ve seen statewide this year, along with 21 total residential closings published in the statewide MLS. From high-end estates to more modest single-family homes and condominiums, the sales reflect the full range of our local market.

🚢 Up next on the cruise ship schedule, The Silver Shadow is scheduled to stop in Newport today, the Enchanted Princess on Sunday.

📰 The Latest from What’sUpNewp

Newport Jazz Festival unveils 2026 lineup

Herbie Hancock, Jon Batiste, Thundercat and Gary Clark Jr. headline the 72nd annual festival July 31-Aug. 2 at Fort Adams; discounted 3-day tickets on sale today for 48 hours

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📈 Yesterday’s most-read

The following were yesterday’s most-read What’sUpNewp articles.

  1. Borden Farm Estates in Portsmouth hits the market for $2.2M
  2. J.T. Commons now hiring for front and back-of-house positions
  3. What Sold: A look at 21 recent sales across Newport County to round out August (Aug. 25 – 29)
  4. Letter to the Editor: From Gdańsk to our schools, lessons on division and progress
  5. Portsmouth rated fourth-best high school in RI 
  6. Obituary: Nancy Meikle
  7. Things to do this week and weekend in Newport: Sept. 2 – 7
  8. Newport Historical Society’s black history database now reaches millions through partnership
  9. Letter to the Editor: Save Glen Park
  10. 59 arrested for DUI during Rhode Island’s Labor Day weekend

📅 What’s Up Today

Weather Forecast

  • Today: Patchy fog between 7am and 8am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 72. Calm wind becoming south 5 to 8 mph in the afternoon.
  • Tonight: Patchy fog after 1am. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 59. South wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Marine Forecast

  • Today: Variable winds less than 5 kt becoming SSE 5 to 7 kt in the afternoon. Patchy fog between 7am and 8am. Seas 1 ft or less.
  • Tonight: Variable winds 5 kt or less. Patchy fog after 1am. Seas 1 ft or less.
  • The coastal water temperature is 68 degrees.

Sun, Moon & Tide

  • Sunrise at 6:13 am. Sunset at 7:15 pm. 13 hours of sun.
  • High tide at 4:36 am & 5:11 pm. Low tide at 10:24 am & 11:40 pm.
  • The lunar phase is a Waxing Gibbous.

Things To Do

Live Music & Entertainment

  • Buskers: Open Mic with Mike Warner at 9 pm
  • Fastnet Pub: Trivia at 9 pm
  • Landing: Mike Milazzo at 12:30 pm, Jay Parker at 4 pm, Jim Devlin at 8 pm
  • O’Brien’s Pub: Eoin Egan at 4:30 pm
  • Ragged Island Brewing: In Tandem at 6 pm
  • The JPT Film & Event Center: Jaws at 3 pm, Harold and Maude with live Cat Stevens music by Avi Jacob at 7 pm
  • The Quencher: Karaoke at 9 pm

Newport County Public Meetings

Organizing an event? Submit your event to What’sUpNewp’s Event Calendar.

Ryan Belmore is the owner and publisher of What's Up Newp. He took over the publication in 2012 and has grown it into a three-time Rhode Island Monthly Best Local News Blog (2018, 2019, 2020). He was named LION Publishers Member of the Year in 2020 and received the Dominique Award from the Arts & Cultural Society of Newport County the same year. He has been awarded grants for investigative and community journalism, and continues to coach and mentor new local news publications nationwide. Ryan...