With the onset of warmth and sunshine, many New Englanders are taking the opportunity to fire up that grill. Nothing says summer like outdoor eating and barbeques, and if you miss the Newport Burger Bender that took place in February, now is the perfect opportunity to consider having a household burger bonanza. In the meantime, […]
Ruthie Wood
Ruthie Wood is a recent graduate from Johns Hopkins University and burgeoning writer. As she works on her dreams of becoming a novelist, you can find her writing about Rhode Island living for What'sUpNewp. She has also written articles for Hey Rhody, Providence Monthly, The Bay, and SO Rhode Island magazines.
Posted inFood & Drink
It’s Time to “Shellebrate”: The 8th annual Quahog Week returns to Rhode Island May 11-18
It’s every native Rhode Islander’s dream: bowls of creamy, chunky clam chowder, linguini and fresh littlenecks, deep-fried and crunchy clam cakes, chorizo and clams, and mounds of “New England Thanksgiving:” chopped clams mixed with bread, spices, roasted, and served in a large quahog shell, otherwise known as a “stuffie.” It’s a Rhode Island delicacy, iconic, […]
Posted inNews
Groundbreaking ceremony for new NOAA homeport and research facilities at the Newport Naval Station hosts RI and federal government officials
The Newport Naval Station is now the proud host of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Marine Operations Center – Atlantic (MOC-A). Today marks the beginning of NOAA’s move from Norfolk, Virginia to Rhode Island as Naval officers, Rhode Island and federal government officials held a groundbreaking ceremony for NOAA’s new hub for research […]
Posted inArts & Culture
What’s in season: At the end of April, Farm Fresh RI’s Providence farmers market showcases a plethora of vendors and the last of the overwintered root vegetables
It’s nearly May, which means that many year-round farmers markets are preparing to move outdoors while many others are gearing up for their opening weekend. April 27 was the finale of Farm Fresh RI’s indoor Providence winter farmers market. Farm Fresh boasts that their facility hosts the largest indoor farmers market in New England with […]
Posted inNews
Fighting threats to our forest: Middletown’s Tree Commission and Open Space Committee work together to rehabilitate Albro Woods
Albro Woods, a beloved forest and trail system in Middletown, is vulnerable, sick, and needs help. It has become the next victim of beech leaf disease. Beech leaf disease is a relatively new disease affecting trees in North America. It was first discovered on the continent in 2012 in Ohio, and it has since spread […]
Posted inNews
Dune Restoration: Save the Bay revitalizes dunes at Easton’s Beach and across the Ocean State
There’s a reason the state is known as the Ocean State. Rhode Island’s total shoreline is 400 miles long, an impressive amount of coast for the smallest state in the country. But the large amount of coastal area means many parts of the state are susceptible to environmental issues like flooding, coastal water contamination, and […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Growing for good: Aquidneck Community Table hosts a spring cleanup educational and advocacy event in support of sustainable local foods and food justice
On April 25, 2024, the Aquidneck Community Table (ACT) is hosting a spring garden cleanup event as a part of Aquidneck Island Earth Week. The event will occur on Aquidneck Land Trust property off of Elizabeth Lane in Middletown. The ACT leases a part of the property (as does Garman Farm) and uses it to […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Micro, but mighty: Aquidneck Land Trust hosts a pollinator habitat workshop at Spruce Acres Farm for Aquidneck Island Earth Week 2024
In honor of Aquidneck Island Earth Week, Aquidneck Land Trust is hosting a pollinator habitat workshop at Spruce Acres Farm, a 22.67-acre former tree farm which is on the border of Middletown and Portsmouth. The workshop, which requires registration online but is free and open to the public, takes place on Sunday, April 21, 2024, […]
Posted inColumns
What’s in Season: A mid-April Mount Hope Farm farmers market brings in a fresh catch of seafood
Even though the sun is starting to peek out from behind April rainclouds, the untrustworthy weather mixed with the breeze off the bay makes being outside on the bare edges of blustery and chilly. That’s why, despite it being mid-April, the Mount Hope Farmers Market spent its last “winter” weekend indoors in the barn. On […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Root for the Home Team: Brown University’s Quadball team heads to the national U.S. Quadball Cup 2024
Brown University has a quadball team, and they’re good. The team is division two, ranked 17 out of 39 colleges competing in the national tournament, the U.S. Quadball Cup. They are placed above colleges like Middlebury, Tufts, Purdue, and Rensselaer Polytechnical Institute (RPI), and are just below Boston University’s team. To put that into perspective, […]
Posted inFood & Drink
That’s Amore: Providence Pizza Week returns April 14-20
The Providence Warwick Convention and Visitors Bureau proudly presents the third annual Providence Pizza Week, taking place from April 14-20, 2024. The week of pizzas showcases the most scrumptious and creative pizza pies that pizza joints, restaurants, and even food trucks from across the state can dream up. The celebration of one of the most […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Happiness comes in the form of tulips
“April showers bring May flowers,” or so the saying goes. But Rhode Islanders don’t need to wait until May to enjoy colorful, sweet-scented blooms, for April is the time of the tulips. Wicked Tulips Flower Farm dedicates itself to the celebration of this flower. With two locations in Rhode Island (Exeter and Johnston) and one […]
Posted inColumns
What’s in Season: A late March Aquidneck Growers Market in Newport brings joy with fresh sunchokes
Until April 27, when the fickle warmth of spring decides to stay for good, the Aquidneck Growers Market stays cozy in the winter months inside Stoneacre Garden in Newport. Inside, vendors and farmers nestle together to create a winding path of tantalizingly fresh food and goods. At this particular market, mushrooms, lavender sachets, breads, and […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Follow your taste buds from Newport restaurant Giusto to Piedmont, Italy
Chef Kevin O’Donnell has made a name for himself in the Newport restaurant scene. His hit, upscale Italian restaurant Giusto opened in 2020 with much success, and three years later he opened Mother Pizzeria in Newport with his team from Giusto. His menus have brought a taste of Italy to this coastal Rhode Island town, […]
Posted inArts & Culture
The siren song of Rhode Island birding
As the climate becomes milder, the first signs of spring appear: longer days, green shoots and budding flowers, and, most importantly for some Rhode Islanders, chirping birdsong. The trills and warbles are not only avian conversation starters for other birds – “My territory!” or “Mate please?” for example – but are also a siren song […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Town of Bristol v. The Great White Whale: The 2024 Bristol BookFest takes on American classic “Moby Dick”
Bristol BookFest returns April 5-6 for its fourth year of enriching the East Bay community with classic literature. This year, the festival celebrates the great American novel “Moby Dick” by Herman Melville. “Moby Dick,” like any of the classics, has become synonymous with “required reading;” most people know it to be long, difficult, all about […]
Posted inNews
Casting Off to The Homeport: Crew, family, & friends of the USS Yosemite return to Newport April 24 – 27
The Naval War College and the Naval Station in Newport attract young military service members for training, education, and career advancement. The Navy base has also seen a lot of crucial military history, and this April, history is returning. From April 24-27, the USS Yosemite Association, a society dedicated to the Navy ship and its […]
Posted inArts & Culture
What’s in season? How to use fresh ingredients from a mid-march Tiverton Farmer’s Market to make a meal
The term “farmer’s market” seems synonymous with summer: bountiful fresh fruit, leafy greens, and tomatoes begging to be made into gazpacho. That vision of a farmer’s market is limited to just summer-y produce, when in fact there are plenty of fruits and vegetables available and in season throughout the year! The Tiverton Farmer’s Market is […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
Salve Regina University presents their 2024 French Film Festival
On March 17, Salve Regina University presents their 2024 French Film Festival at the Bazarsky Lecture Hall. For just over two weeks (the festival runs until April 2), the university will showcase six films, from classic cinema to contemporary masterpieces, and all of which showcase a wide range of genre and different francophone auteurs. The […]
Posted inBusiness
Triple scoop success: Clementine’s Homemade Ice Cream opening in Portsmouth, their third location
Spring is just around the corner, and as warmer weather approaches, local ice cream joints are awakening from their winter slumber. Warren and Jess Sternberg, the owners of Clementine’s Homemade Ice Cream, have spent the winter months working hard to grow their small business. This spring, Aquidneck Islanders will be treated to a shop expansion […]
Posted inArts & Culture
RISD Illustration Stars returns to the Providence Athenaeum
March is National Reading Month, where the (somewhat cheesy) slogan “March into reading” decorates classrooms and is celebrated in libraries across the nation. National Reading Month encourages readers of all ages to crack open a book, although there is a large societal focus on teaching and motivating children to read. In Rhode Island, the Providence […]
Posted inArts & Culture
A new oil painting exhibition brings Buddhist philosophy to a Newport hotel
Newport is filled with fine art galleries and art shops, but tourists and natives alike may be missing an intimate gallery space nestled in the heart of Hammetts Hotel, right on the corner of America’s Cup Avenue and Thames Street. The Sarah Langley Gallery is on the hotel’s first floor, just to the left of […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
Newport’s Puddingstone events are a triumphant celebration of the arts
Story by Ruthie Wood, photos by Jack Casey Newport has a secret society dedicated to celebrating the arts. Or at least, that’s how it feels considering how few people discuss the elite monthly artistic showings that occur in various locations around Aquidneck Island, despite the fact there was quite a gathering at the presentation at […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Ink Fish Books hosts author Elizabeth Gonzalez James for book club discussions and hard conversations
Author Elizabeth Gonzalez James’ new book, The Bullet Swallower, has been making a splash in literary circles from an interview with NPR to positive reception from Kirkus Reviews and the L.A. Times to being chosen as Boston.com’s Book Club Read for February. Amidst it all, the indie bookstore in Warren, RI, Ink Fish Books, has […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Super Smash Burger
It’s time to celebrate the most quintessential American food, the hamburger, with the 7th Annual Newport Burger Bender. Forget the classic patty-lettuce-tomato-ketchup combo, because for ten consecutive days, 52 restaurants local to Newport and Bristol Counties are duking it out over ingredients, flavor profiles, and creativity in order to be crowned with the coveted title: […]