Here’s this week’s Sour Grapes; enjoy!
Arts & Culture
A look at What’s Up in arts and culture in Newport, Rhode Island, and beyond.
Newport Artists Collective and University Orthopedics collaborate to showcase local art in Middletown facility
The Newport Artists Collective (NAC) has announced a partnership with University Orthopedics to exhibit NAC members’ artwork in the newly opened 10,000-square-foot facility located at 34 Valley Road, Middletown. This collaboration aims to enhance the healing environment for patients and staff by integrating local art into the medical setting. The spacious facility offers the potential […]
Museum of Newport Irish History Interpretive Center is open for Irish Heritage Month
In celebration of the 48th Annual Newport Irish Heritage Month, the Museum of Newport Irish History Interpretive Center will be open on the second, third and fourth weekends in March (Fri-Sat-Sun),12 noon to 5:00 p.m. The complete schedule may be found on the Museum’s website home page, NewportIrishHistory.org Hosted by knowledgeable and engaging docents, visitors to the Center will […]
Hop to It! Roger Williams Park Zoo hosts FrogWatch USA training
Early March contains the first harbingers of the shifting seasons. The temperature starts to fitfully rise, the sun stays out for longer – noticeably, as we spring forward the clocks – and after dusk comes the unmistakable chiming chorus of spring: the peeps of Spring Peeper frogs. Spring Peepers are the first frogs to make […]
What’s Up Interview: Rob Barraco of Dark Star Orchestra, band playing PPAC Wednesday, March 12
The Music Never Stopped … Deadheads and fellow travelers, get ready to party … Grateful Dead tribute band, Dark Star Orchestra is coming to town. The band will play their 3224th show (yes, they keep track) and their first show ever at the Providence Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, March 12 at 7:30. They surpassed […]
Seven movies and tv shows currently casting in Rhode Island
The glitz and glam of Hollywood captures the attention of Americans starting from an early age. Beyond celebrities’ Instagram Stories and red carpet poses, there are actors out there paying their dues and honing their craft in pursuit of a sustainable career or a fulfilling sideline. Submitting to casting calls is a big part of […]
Women’s History Month: Ruth Buzzi … or is that Gladys Ormphby
Who could ever forget Gladys Ormphby, that feisty spinster, a favorite of Dan Rowan and Dick Martin’s “Laugh-In.” “Gladys Ormphby never met a celebrity she didn’t feel compelled to smack senseless,” wrote Nick Tomas a few years ago, referring to the diminutive Omphby’s lethal pocketbook. It was a character that the amazingly talented Ruth Buzzi […]
‘Spring Greens’ art show to debut at Newport’s new Tasting Room
Newport Wine Cellar & Gourmet and Gallery Sitka are joining forces to bring a monthly event called “2nd Fridays/All You Need is Art & Wine” to Newport. The next gathering, “Spring Greens,” is set for March 14 from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at The Tasting Room, right next to Newport Wine Cellar & Gourmet’s main […]
Women’s History Month: Meet Miss Johnson and Miss Wales
Many women have played prominent roles in Rhode Island education, from teaching to founding what has now become a prominent university with campuses in Providence and North Carolina. As WUN celebrates National Women’s History Month, we’ll introduce several women who have played significant roles in our area, from the sports field to politics and government, […]
Westerly’s United Theatre announces “Nashville North”
A new initiative at The United Theatre was announced with great fanfare on Wednesday, March 5th, at the recently renovated cultural center in downtown Westerly. A new program, Nashville North, is expected to create an exciting pipeline between Nashville, America’s Music City, and Westerly. The program is a partnership with two notable Nashville institutions, The […]
Newport Classical bringing two family-friendly outdoor concerts to Newport this spring
Newport Classical announced two spring concerts today as part of its 2024-2025 Newport Classical Community Concerts Series. The concerts will feature Ji Su Jung’s Percussion Playground on Sunday, April 27, at 2:30 pm at Great Friends Meeting House and Rasa Quartet and Percussion on Sunday, May 18, at 2:30 pm on the lawn at Newport Craft Brewing & Distilling. “Audiences can look forward to enjoying these casual, engaging, […]
The JPT is celebrating all things Irish in March with live music, film, and festive ales
The Jane Pickens Theater & Event Center (The JPT) embraces the city’s deep Irish roots this March with Enter Ireland on Stage & Screen—a special event series featuring live music, beloved Irish films, and festive Narragansett Beer tastings. With a rich Irish heritage that dates back centuries, Newport comes alive with St. Patrick’s Day festivities, and the […]
What’s Up this week in Newport County: March 3 – 10
Discover all that’s happening, new, and to do in and around Newport County, Rhode Island, this week/weekend, Monday, March 3 through Monday, March 10, 2025. Check back often as we update this story throughout the week as more things pop up! Are you organizing an event? Submit events to our community calendar. Community Calendar Monday, March 3 […]
Tim Jones – Sour Grapes: Avoid
Here’s this week’s Sour Grapes; enjoy! Sour Grapes is a comic about “Aesop”, a miserable flying dog and his odd friends, all living in a problematic and troubled world.
Butchers, bakers, candlestick-makers − and prostitutes: The women working behind the scenes in papal Avignon
By Joelle Rollo-Koster, University of Rhode Island In the medieval church, women’s roles were limited – usually some form of enclosure and celibacy, such as becoming an anchoress walled up alone for life, or a nun in a classic convent. On the other extreme were a few dramatic examples of women who made history for […]
What’s Up Interview: Acclaimed Irish violinist Máiréad Nesbitt playing Jane Pickens March 9
As March arrives, all things Irish take over the city by the sea. One highlight of the St. Patrick’s Day season will undoubtedly be the concert by violinist Máiréad Nesbitt, who takes Jane Pickens Film and Event Center stage on Sunday, March 9. Click here for tickets. I caught up with the top-selling Grammy Award-nominated […]
Stephen Wilson Jr., Hurray For The Riff Raff, Kim Deal, and Mon Rovîa join 2025 Newport Folk lineup
The Newport Folk Festival is lining up an exciting roster for its 2025 event, featuring artists like Stephen Wilson Jr., Hurray For The Riff Raff, Kim Deal, and Mon Rovîa. Set for July 25-27, the festival has already sold out but continues to reveal its performer list, with more names expected in the weeks ahead. […]
Newport Mansions to offer free admission to Newport County residents March 8-9
Residents of Newport County are invited to visit The Preservation Society of Newport County’s open houses and properties for free on Saturday and Sunday, March 8 and 9. This offer applies to Jamestown, Newport, Middletown, Portsmouth, Tiverton, and Little Compton residents. Free admission is also extended to personnel stationed at Naval Station Newport and their […]
Things to do this weekend in Newport County: February 27 – March 2
Discover all that’s happening, new, and to do in and around Newport County, Rhode Island, this weekend, Thursday, February 27 through Sunday, March 2 Check back often as we update this story throughout the week as more things pop up! Are you organizing an event? Submit events to our community calendar. Community Calendar Thursday, February 27 Things […]
Tiverton Public Library offers free talk on New England’s pirate history
Curious about pirates in New England? The Tiverton Public Library has you covered with an upcoming free presentation on March 12. Local teacher Luca Rebussini will lead “Pirates in New England” at 6:30 p.m. at the library on 34 Roosevelt Ave. The talk will dive into the Golden Age of Piracy, exploring why people became […]
RPM Voices of Rhode Island to perform African American choral music at St. Columba’s Chapel
St. Columba’s Chapel in Middletown is set to host RPM Voices of Rhode Island as part of its Concert Series on March 30, 2025. The performance, featuring traditional African American choral music, will begin at 3 p.m. in the Chapel’s Parish Hall. RPM (Reaching People Through Music) Voices of Rhode Island has been preserving and […]
Newport’s 69th St. Patrick’s Day Parade set for March 15
The 69th Annual Newport St. Patrick’s Day Parade will take place on Saturday, March 15, 2025, beginning at 11:00 a.m. from Newport City Hall. The parade, which will proceed to Carroll Avenue at Saint Augustin’s Church in the Fifth Ward, is expected to last approximately two hours. This year’s celebration honors Michael Henlyshyn as Grand […]
Preservation Society bringing back the Newport Symposium
After a five-year hiatus, the Preservation Society of Newport County’s Newport Symposium returns this year—not once but twice. The one-day “Newport ‘Piccolo Simposio’: Italian Influence in Newport” will be held on Thursday, April 3, at Rosecliff. A second 2025 Newport Symposium, “The French Influence in Newport,” will take place Nov. 6-8 at Rosecliff and Marble […]
Tom Rush and Jake Shimabukuro coming to The JPT
Spectacle Live is bringing two exciting shows to The JPT in Newport this summer. Folk legend Tom Rush and ukulele master Jake Shimabukuro are set to perform at the historic venue. Mark your calendars – tickets go on sale Friday, February 28, at 10 a.m. Tom Rush, joined by singer-songwriter Matt Nakoa, will take the […]
“We Are What Our Ancestors Ate”: Touro Synagogue program to explore culinary heritage
Touro Synagogue Foundation has announced the first event of its 2025 Judah Touro Program Series, to be presented via Zoom on Thursday, February 27, at 6:30 p.m. Guest speaker Amy Wachs will present a talk titled “Our Eastern European Roots: We Are What our Ancestors Ate.” Family recipes can reveal much about our Eastern European […]
