Imagine being a dog park denizen, dark sky enthusiast, or disc golfer used to frequenting the normally sleepy Ninigret Park in Charlestown and on your next visit finding two new residents, giant trolls made of recycled wooden pallets, bamboo, rope, and quahog shells, have turned the space into the state’s hottest new tourist destination. Unless […]
Thom Cahir
Posted inNews
2023-24: A banner year for winter-spring surfing
The diehard surfers of Southern New England epitomize the spirit of perseverance and dedication. Their courage and passion, together with the local surf shops that support them, demonstrate just how much they contribute to the prosperity and distinctive character of the region. As winter storms pounded the coast this winter, surfers remained steadfast, embracing the […]
Posted inOpinion
Thom Cahir: NFL Conference Championship Preview
After a mostly entertaining Divisional Round of games in the NFL last weekend, three games decided by one possession and a single rout, resulted in an almost odds-defying matchup of top seeds (Baltimore and San Francisco) versus three seeds (Detroit and Kansas City.) For local fans, who may profess to have no interest if the […]
Posted inNews
Moral complexity, empathy, and difficult conversations in the wake of the Israel-Hamas Conflict
Well before the attack on October 7, 2023, there were many, including many liberal Jews, who felt the Palestinian people suffered disproportionately at the hands of the Israeli government. In 2022, it led educator/playwright/actor Sandra Laub to craft her one-woman show, Picking Up Stones: An American Jew Wakes to a Nightmare. In the wake of […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Two iconic local brands, one smooth blended product
When the brewer most identified with Rhode Island and distiller recognized for producing internationally awarded whiskies secretly team up on a project, expectations would normally be high. Well, if the Sons of Liberty/Narragansett Collaboration Event held Saturday night November 18 was any indication, the final product was both revolutionary and gnarly. (Hey, I challenge anyone […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Just in Time for Halloween: ‘Dark Echoes’ paranormal show visits The General Stanton Inn
It’s that time of year, everyone is looking for a scare. Scan the listings on your television if there’s any doubt, they are full of programming guaranteed to provide a fright in either the classic horror vein or get you thinking about ghosts and the spirit world in search of paranormal activity. Matt Kondracki and […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
Theater Review: Academy Players shine in ’25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee’
Maybe if you’re not a fan of musical theater or if you completely repressed your middle school years, you might think The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is simply a group of tweens on too much caffeine who break into spontaneous song and dance routines. However, the current version of the production put on […]
Posted inNews
Summer may be over, but the shoreline public access debate is just heating up
Earlier this year, Charlestown seemed to be getting on the right side of the public access issue by adding the relevant section of the state constitution to its town beach signs, while Narragansett became the municipality setting itself up for future confrontations by implementing time limits for parking on Ocean Road. However, after a Town […]
Posted inNews
A year after exit renumbering, does anyone care?
More than a year since RIDOT started renumbering exits on I-95, the burning question is: How long will those “Old Exit (X)” plaques stay in place? For a state that prides itself on giving directions by “Where the Almacs used to be,” when that chain went out of business decades ago, rust might set in […]
Posted inFood & Drink
2023 Charlestown Seafood Fest a great success
When a small town in the Ocean State holds a seafood event at a former Naval Air Station adjacent to a salt pond famous for buttery smooth oysters, it would have to be a success, right? This year, by almost every metric, the 38th Annual Charlestown Seafood Festival surpassed every expectation. According to Charlestown Chamber […]
Posted inNews
Shoreline access advocates fly banner, literally
In what can only be described as a triumphant victory lap Saturday, July 1, advocates who have been fighting for public access to Rhode Island’s shoreline, and against private property owners trying to limit those rights, gathered at several places along the south coast and Narragansett Bay as a single-engine plane towed a banner proclaiming, […]
Posted inNews
An awesome license plate, & Ocean State-worthy research
Since this is the week “Jaws” debuted in 1975, and Rhode Island will arguably have one of the coolest license plates in the country, it seemed like the perfect time to catch up with Jon Dodd, Executive Director of the Atlantic Shark Institute. While the institute has gained notoriety in the last few months for […]
Posted inNews
Art, Food, and Fun at Strawberry Thanksgiving
School may be out, but the Quad at the University of Rhode Island was filled Saturday, June 10, with visitors of all ages for the annual Strawberry Thanksgiving presented by the Tomaquag Museum. The event highlights the music, dance, skills, arts, and food of the region’s original residents. Storyteller/Dance instructor Thawn Harris, a member of […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
Wakefield Music Festival draws crowds to South Kingstown
Without a doubt, one place to start off the Memorial Day weekend was in the heart of South Kingstown. The unofficial opening of the summer season began Saturday at noon in Peacedale as the Sons of Liberty distillery celebrated its grand reopening in an expanded tasting room with food trucks, bands, and giveaways. Crowds from […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Revolutionary Reopening of a Whisky Business
In many ways, COVID proved to be the 21st Century version of Prohibition to the many resurgent distillers who began selling their products, giving tours of their plants, and opening tasting rooms in the last dozen or so years. With the end of the pandemic, one of Rhode Island’s first and most-decorated distillers, Sons of […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Ghosts, Gangsters, Generals, and Gastronomic Delights, all Resurrected at the General Stanton Inn
The General Stanton Inn arises from the frequent fog on Old Post Road in Charlestown like one of the specters that are rumored to inhabit its halls and is a beacon for locals and tourists alike. The brightly painted yellow-with-white-trim former Colonial Inn re-opened in August of 2022 as a restaurant and tavern and is […]
Posted inArts & Culture, Things To Do
Trolls, they’re not just under bridges anymore
Normally, when most people hear “South County,” and “trolling,” in the same sentence, their minds automatically go to fishing; but that definition could soon be shattered with a recent pitch to the Charlestown Town Council from the South County Tourism Council. Karen Jedson of the Tourism Council proposed situating a pair of gigantic trolls by […]
Posted inOpinion
February 20, 2023: The Station Fire 20 years later
This year marks the twentieth anniversary of the Station Nightclub Fire, a tragedy that left an indelible scar on the psyche of many Rhode Islanders. In a state this small, if you didn’t know someone directly affected, chances are you know someone affected indirectly by the events that night. And while the scar may have […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Malted Barley in Westerly announces closing
In an open letter to the community published on Facebook, owners Colin and Stephanie Bennett announced that the Malted Barley in Westerly will be closing their doors for good on March 2, following a run in the downtown establishment that lasted a dozen years. Noting their pride in having provided so many quality products and […]
Posted inSports
Opinion: Why Rhode Island should be rooting for Morocco in the World Cup
It’s obvious, just look at a map, we’re both the little guys on big continents. Sure, Morocco might be the size of California, but when surrounded by Algeria, Mauritania, Mali, Libya, and Egypt, you’re the little guy. Aside from that, Morocco owns the title of the first nation to recognize the United States as a […]
Posted inArts & Culture
The ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special’ – A new holiday classic?
Last year, former Naval War College instructor, and contributor to The Atlantic, Tom Nichols wrote a piece entitled, “The Most Beloved Christmas Specials Are (Almost) All Terrible,” where he runs through the list of animated and Claymation specials we were subjected to as youths in the 1960s and 70s, pointing out their flaws and coming […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Theater Review: Academy Players bring the laughs in “Carmella”
Carmella is back and “A Christmas Carol,” will never be the same again. Frank O’Donnell’s Christmas Carmella 2022 keeps the audience happy by delivering laughs throughout, and cannoli at the intermission from the comfortable and viewer-friendly venue of the Academy Players of Rhode Island’s home in Providence. Carmella Sr., Paula Faber, plays a typically strong […]
Posted inThings To Do
Atlantis Rising: South County Silica Sculpting Spectacle
This weekend at Misquamicut State Beach, ten sculptors from around the world came to Westerly to produce and display their creations in the Atlantis Rising International Sand Sculpture Competition presented by the South County Tourism Council. Many of the designs reflected an aquatic theme, while other artists decided to follow their own artistic inclinations. David […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Charlestown Seafood Festival continues this weekend
The original and best, not to mention the biggest local seafood festival, the Charlestown Seafood Festival, kicked off Friday, August 5 at noon to pre-pandemic level crowds and kept the revelry going well into the night at Ninigret Park. Even counting the skipped 2020 season because of COVID-19, this is the 37th year the event […]
Posted inArts & Culture, Things To Do
Six Picks Events: What’s Up this weekend in RI (June 3-5)
Although it’s technically still Spring, the first weekend in June means it feels like summer is really here! A good weekend to get out on the water and more – check out “Six Picks Events” for some fun this weekend and beyond. All Weekend: Here’s an idea if you still aren’t sure of the difference […]
Posted inThings To Do
Cross Border Quack Up – Duck Races to return Saturday
If you’re looking for a little chicanery while celebrating cross-border camaraderie with our Connecticut cousins, all for a good cause, make the trip down to the 22nd Annual Westerly-Pawcatuck Duck Race this Saturday, April 30 and take a chance on a duck for charity. After a two-year COVID hiatus, the event picks back up this […]
Posted inFood & Drink
PVD Food Trucks Opens 2022 Season
In the wake of a tumultuous off-season, PVD Food Trucks opened their 2022 season Thursday, April 14 with a highly successful “Food Trucks Roll into Richmond” event. It took place on the small, triangular lot that is home to Richmond Town Hall, and featured 13 trucks offering everything from RI favorites to BBQ, to “south […]
Posted inColumns
Thom Cahir: PVD Food Trucks Getting Second Bite at Charlestown Apple
In what organizers and many townspeople thought was a “win-win” idea for weary residents about to be released from a mask mandate, almost everyone but the three councilors who voted down the event proposed by PVD Food Trucks were shocked at the results of the Feb. 28 Charlestown Council meeting. Eric Weiner of PVD Food […]
Posted inReal Estate
Distinctive Charlestown Estate hits the Market
Arguably one of South County’s most unique properties recently listed with Amy Doorley-Lucas and John Blair of Mott & Chace Sotheby’s International Realty. The 19.9-acre property at 160 C Ross Hill Road is a custom-designed compound with both Persian and Native American influences that was completed in 2018 and features such amenities as an outdoor yoga platform, an array […]
Posted inThings To Do
It’s a busy season for skiing and more at Yawgoo Valley in Exeter
As Rhode Island’s only ski area, Yawgoo Valley in Exeter sits on one of the largest hills in South County and has been a recreational mainstay since the mid-1960’s. With 14 trails, ranging from novice to difficult, and a tubing run, the park offers something for everyone’s alpine needs in winter. Yawgoo is one of […]
Posted inNews
What’s Up at the Movies: We review the latest in streaming video
There’s plenty to watch this weekend for lovers of long-running franchises and year-end comedy reviews. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOJ1cw6mohw First, for Star Wars fans, The Book of Boba Fett premiered on December 29 on Disney+ and makes creative use of flashback scenes to let us know how the main character survived the Sarlacc on Tatooine in Return of […]
Posted inArts & Culture
What’s Up at the Movies: We review “Don’t Look Up,” “Hawkeye” and “Being the Ricardos”
Don’t Look Up – Streaming on Netflix ★★★★ “It’s the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine.” Feel great actually, if the spin doctors in Don’t Look Up get their way. (Lyrics courtesy of REM) One of the better moments in the new Netflix film “Don’t Look Up” comes when […]
Posted inArts & Culture
What’s Up at the Movie: We Review “Spider-Man: No Way Home”
Just in time for Christmas, Marvel’s “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” delivers a story that combines old school comic book history with modern MCU chronology by tidily gift wrapping the end of Peter Parker’s Thanos snap-delayed high school career, personal growth as a solo hero and Avenger, a tale of loss, multiple cases of redemption, and […]
Posted inArts & Culture
What’s Up at the Movies: We review “Eternals”
★★★ If you’re an inveterate Marvel fan expecting to see strong-willed characters making decisive choices between high-intensity CGI action sequences, you may want to think twice before putting down your money to see the franchise’s newest offering, Eternals. The film opens with a crawl to give viewers context to the weighty issues of the cosmos […]
Posted inArts & Culture
What’s Up at the Movies: We Review “Dune”
★★★★ The much-awaited remake of the Frank Herbert sci-fi classic Dune has finally hit theaters and streaming this weekend, and director Denis Villeneuve gives his version the detail befitting the epic nature of the series of books that Herbert wrote. Villeneuve chose locations that provided striking vistas and stark contrasts, while using more refined CGI […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Charlestown Seafood Festival returning this weekend (Aug. 6-8)
It’s that time again, one of the largest seafood festivals around (it does take place on a former auxiliary air base), the Charlestown Seafood Festival starts Friday at noon and will run all weekend long. If you’re a first-timer to the event, there is plenty of parking and it’s family-friendly with plenty of offerings for […]
Posted inNews
Food, Music and Culture in South County this Weekend
There’s a lot going on in South County this first full weekend of summer, something to suit everyone’s taste. Thursday night the 24th, Wickford Harbor Lights runs its family-friendly “School’s Out for Summer,” free event with music and food trucks for anyone to attend, starting at 5 pm and running until 10 pm. It […]
Posted inThings To Do
Get a haircut and get out this weekend!
With summer almost in full swing, and many businesses opening with scaled back or restrictions lifted altogether, it’s time everyone looked their best after a pandemic-induced hibernation. I visited Don’s Barber Lounge on Canal Street in Westerly recently to remove the mop that took over my scalp. There’s an old-time feel inside with overstuffed leather […]
Posted inThings To Do
Itchin’ to Get Out!
The feeling is there now, its palpable, we all feel it, everyone has been cooped up long enough and wants to break out and have a good time, especially as Memorial Day weekend approaches. With that in mind, here are a couple of ideas for this weekend that can get you out of the house, […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Out and About in RI – New Rules Weekend
That’s it, go out and enjoy the first week of relaxed restrictions since we were forced into pandemic rules in the Spring of 2020. I just got back from the South County Famer’s Market, which has switched from its Winter iteration of Saturday hours to the Summer version that opens from 3:30-7:30 pm on Friday […]
Posted inThings To Do
The City, the Country, and of course, a Food Truck
This weekend has a little something for everyone, so strap in and get ready for a ride around the “biggest little!” First, if you’re in the capital city this weekend for the Farmer’s Market or the Providence Flea, you can’t beat The Coffee Exchange at 207 Wickenden St. in Fox Point. I had the “Blanca,” […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Food and Fun Around RI this weekend
This weekend looks like a mixed bag when it comes to weather, but that doesn’t mean everything has to remain indoors, not by a long stretch. Saturday between 9 am-1 pm at the Lazy K Ranch in West Kingston, the South County Winter Farmer’s Market is having a Food Trucks and Tulips event at their […]
Posted inThings To Do
Get Outside, South County
Typically, it’s not a Rhode Islander trait to drive a long way for much of anything. However, when it comes to Napatree Point, hikers prove that they’ll “take a hike,” to take a hike. At least that’s what the “State of the Napatree Point Report,” for 2020 seems to suggest; stating that 2020 was the […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Out and About in South County
Now that the weather is warming up, people are getting vaccinated and more places are opening to larger crowds, there are plenty of things to do in South County this weekend. Although in the first instance, the weather warming has caused a slowdown. You see, Shady Tree Maple Farm in Richmond has finished their boil […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Food Truck Friday: Saugy’s at Shaidzon
Right on cue, Shaidzon Brewery had a scheduled event for April 2 at their facility, bringing the Saugy food truck to the brewery at Fairgrounds Road in West Kingston, enabling a Food Truck Friday review. First the review of the product. Outstanding! I ordered, “The Original,” version that comes with mustard, onions, and celery salt, […]
Posted inThings To Do
RI Bookstores: We visit the Savoy in Westerly
Tucked away in a cozy nook at the intersection of Canal Street and Railroad Avenue in Westerly and backed up to the Connecticut border along the banks of the Pawcatuck River, The Savoy Bookshop & Café has come to represent the cultural and spiritual center of downtown Westerly, especially during the past year. Not to […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Cellini With a Chainsaw
With sawdust dancing in the air to the high-pitched whine of the two-stroke chainsaw as the faint smells of burning pine mixed with gasoline, Taylor Olson literally carves out an artistic niche along the side of the road in the rural village of Carolina. The sheer volume of work he has been able to turn […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Food Truck Friday – Rhody Roasters
As warmer weather approaches, we’re starting a new series, “Food Truck Friday.” We’ll sample area food trucks from time to time and give you the scoop on what’s cookin’ out there. This week, we check out Rhody Roasters in Richmond. As the weather turns, and spring begins to call more and more casual outdoor enthusiasts […]
Posted inNews
The Station Fire – 18 Years Later, A Call to Action
A generation has now passed since that terrible night in 2003 when so many of us were changed forever. It began as an early start to the weekend on a night when people were feeling a bit of cabin fever and ended as the fourth deadliest nightclub fire in U.S. history. Very few Rhode Islanders […]
Posted inNews
Local Author Wants Us to Channel Our Inner Italian
After a week where many of us were glued to television sets or constantly refreshing our browsers or glancing back at our portable devices to get the latest updates on the presidential race, it might finally be nice to have something soothing to remind us that the world around us still rotates around the sun […]
Posted inFood & Drink
What’s Up in Dining: We Visit Mia’s Cafe in Pawcatuck
As things settle into a “new normal,” more establishments open, set rules for how they’ll handle reservations, seating, mask use, and a whole host of other safety protocols for customers and staff to keep everyone safe; it’s time to start reporting on who is open, how they are handling the rules being placed on them, […]
Posted inFood & Drink, Obituaries
Forget Xmas in July, think “Jaws,” in January!
Imagine finding the perfect clamcake…and there’s a Winter Storm Warning in effect. That was my thought Saturday (Jan. 18) while driving through Wakefield while noticing the sign on Benny’s Clam Shack at 58 High Street read, “OPEN.” After running errands with the dog in the back of the SUV for most of the morning and into the […]