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.
Posted inArts & Culture
This Day in RI History: March 23, 1948, Musician David Olney born in Providence
David Olney was born in Providence on March 23, 1948. In the 1970s and 1980’s he was a member of several bands including Simpson and the X-Rays, a band that once appeared on PBS TV’s “Austin City Limits.” A Nashville institution since the 1980s, Olney was best known as an “Americana pioneer” writing songs for […]
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Newport Classical to present world premiere of new violin work inspired by Washington’s letter to Newport Hebrew Congregation
Newport Classical will present the world premiere of a new violin work inspired by one of Newport’s most celebrated historical documents when violinist Yevgeny Kutik and pianist Llewellyn Sánchez-Werner take the stage Friday, April 10 at 7:30 p.m. at the Newport Classical Recital Hall, 42 Dearborn St. The program features the premiere of Scattered Light, […]
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Newport Pride announces full lineup of June 2026 events
Newport Pride has announced its lineup of events for Pride Month 2026, kicking off June 2 and culminating in a full weekend of festivities later in the month. The month begins with the annual Pride Flag Raising Ceremony on Tuesday, June 2. The event starts with a sidewalk parade from Equality Park — home of […]
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Salve Regina professor to explore legacy of Ireland’s Blasket Islands at Newport Irish History lecture
The Museum of Newport Irish History will present the fifth and final talk of its 24th Annual Lecture Series on Monday, March 23, at 6 p.m. at the Wyndham Newport Hotel, 400 Aquidneck Ave., Middletown, and via Zoom. Dr. Sean O’Callaghan, an associate professor at Salve Regina University, a native of Ireland and an Irish […]
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Preservation Society of Newport County announces plan to sell, transfer parts of its collection
The Preservation Society of Newport County announced Wednesday a deaccession initiative aimed at strengthening its permanent collection by removing items that no longer align with the organization’s interpretive mission. The initiative covers the organization’s wide-ranging permanent collection, which includes paintings, sculpture, furniture, ceramics, silver, textiles, tapestries, photographs and period dress housed across its 11 historic […]
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Arts Around the Fire to welcome new Newport Classical executive director March 18
The Arts and Cultural Alliance of Newport County will welcome Oliver Inteeworn, the newly appointed executive director of Newport Classical, as its featured guest at the next Arts Around the Fire networking event on Wednesday, March 18, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Sardella’s Restaurant, 30 Memorial Blvd. West. Inteeworn comes to Newport Classical from […]
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Judy Collins to bring farewell tour to Jane Pickens Theater in June
Folk legend Judy Collins will bring her farewell tour to the Jane Pickens Theater on Sunday, June 14, with showtime set for 7 p.m., Spectacle Live announced Monday. Tickets go on sale Friday, March 20, at 10 a.m. at janepickens.com or by calling 1-800-657-8774. The Newport show is part of Collins’ “Sweet Judy Blue Eyes” […]
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Newport’s Opera House has been under renovation for 25 years. It’s still not open.
When first conceived, organizers were exuberant about the possibilities a reopened historic opera house on Newport’s Washington Square would bring to the community. The Newport Performing Arts Center project received more than $4.2 million, second largest of nine grants from a 2014 Creative and Cultural Economy Bond. Randy Rosenbaum, then executive director of the Rhode […]
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Jane Pickens Theater to screen three noir classics in 4K, paired with pinot noir tastings this spring
The Jane Pickens Theater is inviting film lovers to step into the shadows this spring with a series of three landmark noir and neo-noir films screening in 4K restorations, each paired with a curated pinot noir tasting in the lobby before showtime. The series kicks off March 24 with the 50th anniversary screening of Martin […]
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This Day in RI History: March 16, 1976 Blu Cantrell born in Providence
R&B/Soul singer-songwriter and Providence native Blu Cantrell was born Tiffany Cobb on March 16, 1976. Her mother, Susi Franco, a former “Mrs. Rhode Island,” was an actress and jazz artist. From Wikipedia: Cantrell rose to fame in 2001, with the release of her debut single, “Hit ‘Em Up Style (Oops!)”, which peaked at number two […]
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Newport Historical Society offers limited-edition flags to mark America’s 250th anniversary
The Newport Historical Society is inviting residents and property owners to show their civic pride ahead of the nation’s 250th birthday with the purchase of a limited-edition “witness flag” — a handcrafted pennant honoring the city’s outsized role in the American Revolution. The flags, locally made by Maritime Tribes of Fall River, bear the semiquincentennial […]
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Newport’s 70th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade set for Saturday
The 70th annual Newport St. Patrick’s Day Parade steps off at 11 a.m. Saturday from Newport City Hall, 43 Broadway, with staging beginning at 9 a.m. The route will travel down Broadway into Washington Square, south onto Thames Street, onto America’s Cup Avenue and back onto Thames Street, ending on Carroll Avenue at St. Augustine’s […]
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Movies and TV shows 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 […]
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Sail Newport to host J/Boats president Jeff Johnstone for lecture on company’s 50-year history
Sail Newport will host Jeff Johnstone, president of Newport-based J/Boats, Inc., for a lecture tracing the company’s five decades of sailboat design on Thursday, April 2, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Fort Adams State Park. The event, part of Sail Newport’s Challenger Lecture Series presented by Hinckley Yachts, comes as J/Boats approaches its 50th anniversary. Johnstone […]
Posted inPeople & Profiles
This Day in RI History: March 13, 1799 -Oliver Shaw born in Newport
Oliver Shaw was one of the first important American classical composers. Due to a childhood accident and later a case of yellow fever, he was totally blind when he composed many of his most notable works. His works included many references to local places including “Taunton,” “Bristol” and “Trip to Pawtucket.” Shaw also composed numerous […]
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Newport Mansions’ ‘Sessions’ music video series features local duo Laden Valley at The Elms
The Newport Mansions’ new music video series “Sessions” continues this month with a live performance from Newport-based roots-folk duo Laden Valley, recorded at The Elms mansion. The video is available now on the Newport Mansions YouTube channel at youtube.com/@newport.mansions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkSk8NXxR9c Laden Valley — Evan St. Martin and Dave Sarazen — draw on the sonic palette […]
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Puddingstone Music kicks off spring concert series at Rough Point on April 15
Puddingstone Music returns to Rough Point mansion for an intimate concert on Wednesday, April 15, at 7 p.m., opening its spring series with “This Love Between Us,” a program of song and chamber music inspired by composer Reena Esmail’s meditation on shared humanity. The evening features soprano Katharine Dain, Grammy Award-winning violist Caitlin Lynch and […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Forum Lodge to celebrate Irish and Italian heritage with Gaelic & Garlic dinner March 18
Forum Lodge #391, Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America, will host its annual Gaelic and Garlic Celebration of Irish and Italian Heritage on Wednesday, March 18, at Vasco da Gama Hall, 15 Fenner Ave. Held in memory of Ralph J. Gizzi, the evening features corned beef and potatoes, pasta and sausage, Irish and […]
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Newport OUT brings Spring Break Drag Brunch to Stoneacre Brasserie on March 22
Newport OUT is bringing its Spring Break Drag Brunch to Stoneacre Brasserie on Sunday, March 22, with doors opening at 10:30 a.m. and the show beginning at 11 a.m. The event will be hosted by Provincetown’s “Neon Queen,” Mackenzie, with performances by Ladda Nurv, Lucy Diamonds and Kennedy Plaza. Tickets are $58 per person and […]
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Norman Bird Sanctuary kicks off spring with lineup of hikes, lectures, and family events
The Norman Bird Sanctuary is welcoming spring with a series of events designed to connect the community with the natural world, from geology hikes and stargazing to wildlife encounters and family open houses. The season kicks off Thursday, March 19, with a Golden Hour Geology Hike from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., exploring the ancient rock […]
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Gamm Theatre brings Shakespeare directly to students with new outreach program
Joey Del Santo is Director of Education & Community Programs at the Gamm Theatre in Warwick, and he’s excited about the theater’s newest program. Del Santo hopes that Gamm on the Go will be an “easier and more accessible way to engage students.” Until recently, if any school program wanted to see a show at […]
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Charter Books to host NYT bestselling author Julian Sancton for book talk March 29
Charter Books and the Newport Historical Society will host New York Times bestselling author Julian Sancton for a discussion of his newly released book, “Neptune’s Fortune: The Billion-Dollar Shipwreck and the Ghosts of the Spanish Empire,” on Sunday, March 29, from 5 to 6 p.m. The event at Charter Books, 8 Broadway, is free and […]
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Newport’s St. Patrick’s Day parade marks 70th anniversary Saturday
Newport’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade celebrates its 70th anniversary Saturday, March 14, with thousands expected to line the streets of downtown for the annual tradition. The parade steps off promptly at 11 a.m. in front of City Hall, rain, snow or shine, winding through Washington Square, down America’s Cup Avenue and Thames Street before finishing […]