Event listings are free. They are put here in the hope you will find
there are many things to see and do on Aquidneck Island. The information
is submitted or compiled from promotional material distributed
for the events. Information is deemed reliable but you would be
wise to call or check the event website for the latest information.
Don't forget to say, you found them - "OnAquidneck.com"
If you need directions to get to an event try using Mapquest for
a map or go directly to driving directions here.
Family or "Open" ice skating is also available...
most Sundays at Portsmouth Abbey Rink (2pm to 4pm) 683-0621 St. George's Hockey Rink (Fridays 7p - 9p, then 9:30p to 10:30p adults only; Saturdays 9:30a - 11:30a; Sundays 4pm to 6pm) 842-6698
The rinks are sometimes unavailable for Open skating due to hockey tournaments etc. Call ahead.
Skate sharpening can be done at St. George's Ice Rink (various times, 842-6698) and Double Play Sports, 89 Aquidneck Ave. Middletown, 841-0326 also sharpens ice skates. (Double Play is also open various times, please call)
Through January 3, 2010 - Newport: Christmas at the Newport Mansions Make lifelong memories with a visit to the Newport Mansions during the holiday season. The glitter of gold and the sparkle of silver will dazzle, as you tour The Breakers, The Elms and Marble House, decorated with period-style ornaments, trees, and evergreens. All three houses are open daily for tours. Winter Passport ticket for admission to all three houses is $28 for adults, $9 for children 6-17, children under 6 free. More information and tickets, www.NewportMansions.org or call (401) 847-1000.
Through March 1 - Aquidneck Island: Boy's & Girl's Lacrosse sign ups for the Spring 2010 Online registration is open at Islanders Youth Lacrosse website: www.islandlax.org.
January 1 - Newport: New Year's Day
Polar Bear Plunge 12pm
at Easton's Beach, Memorial Blvd. Members of the Newport Polar Bear
club take a dip to benefit charity.
January 1 - Portsmouth: New Year's Day
Annual Seal Plunge 11am festivities start
at The Beach House on Park Avenue. Where a breakfast will be provided. At 12:00pm everyone will show up or walk down to Flo's, then go for a swim for the annual Seal Plunge into the warmer-than-the-air water across the street from Flo's clam shack at the corner of Park Ave and Gormley in Island Park. After the swimming is over all are welcome to go back to the Beach House and enjoy more breakfast.
From the opening of the Beach House at 11:00am to the end of the after swim party there will be a table with baked goods and a donation can for the Island Park Recreation Association. Proceeds will benefit the Association
Jan. 2-14 - Newport: Christmas tree pickup Discarded
Christmas trees will be collected on residents' regularly scheduled collection
day. Trees must be curbside and clean of any tree bags, ornaments, tinsel, etc.
For more information call Clean City Program at 845-5613 or see the collection calendar
Jan. 4 - 8 - Portsmouth: DPW picks up Christmas trees The Department of Public Works will pick up discarded Christmas trees on weekdays. Do NOT put them in plastic bags. Trees must be totally stripped of all decorations and tinsel! Leave them curbside by 7am on your collection day. Christmas trees cannot be accepted at the transfer station, but will be accepted at the Department of Public Works 143 Hedley St. 683-0362. Trees are recycled into mulch that will be free and available to Portsmouth residents. Call 682-0362 for information. Check the town web site for more info. The schedule for tree pick up follows your voting precinct area ... Monday January 4, 2010 - Precinct 2702, 2703 and 2704 (If you voted at the Roger Williams Conference Center 2702, the Portsmouth Senior Center 2703 or the Common Fence Point Community Hall 2704) Tuesday January 5, 2010 - Precinct 2705 and 2706 (If you voted at Hathaway School 2705 or Portsmouth High School gymnasium 2706 Wednesday January 6, 2010 - Precinct 2707 and 2708 (If you voted at Town Hall 2707 or Melville School 2708) Thursday January 7, 2010 - Precinct 2709 and 2710 (If you voted at Portsmouth Middle School 2709 or St Barnabas Church 2710) Friday January 8, 2010 - Precinct 2712 (If you voted at Aquidneck Island Christian Academy 2712)
Through Jan.9 - Middletown: Christmas Tree Pickup www.middletownri.com Christmas Trees are collected at curbside on your regular collection day the first week of January. online information can be found here.
** All ornaments, decorations, tinsel,
etc. should be removed from trees.
** Trees should NOT be In plastic
bags.
** All trees must be placed at curbside
by 7:00 a.m. on your collection day.
January 9 - February 27 Newport: Newport Art Museum’s 83rd annual Winter Lecture Series Lectures begin at 2 pm in the Newport Art Museum's John Griswold House, 76 Bellevue Avenue in Newport, RI. and are followed by a reception. COST: Newport Art Museum members $10; non-members $15. Receive preferred seating by signing up for the entire series: (401) 848-8200 x 109. Inclement weather cancellations on WADK 1540 AM and Facebook.
Winter Lecture Series Schedule January 9: Darrel West “Politics of the Times”
Vice President and Director of Governance Studies at the Brookings institution assesses the Obama Administration after one year in office. January 16: Robert Thorson “Romancing the Stone Wall”
Professor of Geology at the University of Connecticut discusses the history, geography, and archeology of stone walls, especially in Rhode Island. January 23: Edward Widmer “From the Harvard Lampoon, to the Clinton Whitehouse, and now the John Carter Brown Library”
Director of the John Carter Brown Library reminisces about his career as humorist, political speech writer and more. January 30: Stephen Houston “In the Realm of Monkey Scribes. Ancient Mayan Civilization, Writing and their Role in It”
Dupee Family Professor of Social Sciences, Anthropology, Brown University. Latest findings from the study of Mayan glyphs. February 6: Maury Klein: “Robber Barons: Then and Now”
A prolific writer who is well known for his works on industrial and financial America. Klein discusses myths and reality about men who built 20th century American economic power. February 13: Malcolm Grear “Seeing is Believing (the Cora Gibbs Lecture)”
An inside look at projects designed by world-renowned designer and educator Malcolm Grear and his associates. February 20: Robin Young “Seeing the Artist through the Radio: The Art of the Interview”
Young looks back at three decades of interviews with creative, captivating subjects. Journalist, host of WBUR/National Public Radio’s “Here and Now.” February 27: Brenda Connors “Sensing What is not Said”
Study of nonverbal behavior and communication has implications for predicting decision-making style, diagnosing medical issues and more. Behavioral Research Fellow, Chief of Naval Operations, Strategic Studies Group.
January 10 - 31 (Sundays) -Newport: Documentary Series at the Firehouse Theater Sundays at 7 p.m. at the Firehouse Theater, 4 Equality Park Place. $5.00 Donation requested. For more information contact The Firehouse Theater 849-3473. Sunday, January 10th - A Crude Awakening; The Oil Crash - directed by Basil Gelpke & Ray McCormack, this intensively-researched film drills deep into the uncomfortable realities of a world that is both addicted to fossil fuels & blissfully unaware of the looming “peak oil” crisis. Sunday, January 17th – Garbage! The Revolution Begins at Home - directed by Andrew Nisker, asks an average urban family to keep every scrap of garbage for 3 months. By the end of this trashy odyssey, you are truly inspired to revolutionize your lifestyle for the sake of future generations. Sunday, January 24th – The World According to Monsanto - by French director Marie-Monique Robin, reveals this company’s malignant corporate influence in government & technology as it races to genetically engineer (and patent) the world’s food supply. Sunday, January 31st – Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room - directed by Alex Gibney, is a searing examination of the Enron accounting scandal built from a network of bankers, traders & accountants that is echoed in the more recent corporate bail-outs. (This film may be replaced by a previous film cancelled because of inclement weather).
January 11 - March 1 - Middletown: 2010 Little League Baseball/Softball
registration Online registration is open from January 11th to March 1st.www.middll.org A ONE DAY ONLY WALK-IN REGISTRATION will be Feb 6th from 10-3pm at Middletown Town Hall. Bring players birth certificate and proof of residency to walk-in registration.
January 12, 19, 26, Feb. 2 & 9 - Newport: Learn to Skate program for beginner, novice and intermediate at the Sovereign Bank Family Skating Center at the Newport Yachting Center, 4 Comercial Wharf. Learning to skate has never been so fun and easy! Led by trained professional instructors, this six-week program begins in January and sharpens the skills of children and adults alike, at both beginner and intermediate levels. Students must be 4 years of age to participate. See schedule and more information here
January 13 & 27 - Newport: College Prep Workshop for Seniors and Parents at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center 7 pm. at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, 20 Dr. Marcus F. Wheatland Blvd, Newport. Victoria Johnson, former Principal of Rogers High School in Newport, will present a free College Information Workshop for Newport County students and parents. The session is the first in a series of workshops at the Center designed to help families make decisions about college. All workshops begin at 7 pm. For more information call (401) 846-4828 or visit www.MLKCCenter.org. January 13 - College Application Essays January 27 - Applying for Scholarships.
January 14 - Portsmouth: Portsmouth Little League Registration opens Register online with no additional cost - www.portsmouthll.org. There will be only 1 walk- in registration date - Feb. 27, 2010 at the Aquidneck Island Christian Academy (at the Portsmouth Sherman/Rooney Little League Complex) 9am to noon. There will NOT be mail in registrations. March 14 , 2010 - Registration closes, please register online before this date!
January 16 - Portsmouth: Common Fence Music Series See Harry Manx (from Canada), 8pm (doors open at 7pm) at the Common Fence Point Community Hall, 933 Anthony Rd. For more information and reservations click here
January 17 - February 21 - Newport: "The Image of the Written Word" at the Redwood Library and Athenaeum Redwood Library & Athenaeum, 50 Bellevue Avenue. The opening reception of the juried exhibition The Image of the Written Word and the presentation of prizes, Sunday, January 17, at the Redwood from 3:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. The Redwood, in collaboration with the Newport Photographers' Guild of the Newport Art Museum, is showcasing a juried exhibition in the Van Alen Gallery from January 17 to February 21. The show includes 26 photographs selected by a jury from more than 60 submissions presented by the approximately 140 members of the Photographers' Guild. The photographers interpreted the theme the written word through photographs and digital imagery.
January 27 - Portsmouth: "Seed Propagation of Native Perennials : a Lecture and Demonstration" at the Portsmouth Free Public Library 10:00am at the Portsmouth Free Public Library, 2658 East Main Rd. A great way to get the cold of winter to pass quickly is to dream of beautiful summer wildflowers. Check through your new seed catalogs and then come for "Seed Propagation of Native Perennials : a Lecture and Demonstration" with Marty Fisher from The Rhode Island Wild Plant Society.
The propagation of native plants from seed is not a difficult process. There are a few special techniques that will make it easier for the gardener to be successful. This lecture and demonstration will cover ways to prepare the seed, soils to use, and the care and transplanting of the delicate seedlings. Our presenter, Marty Fisher, had a native plant nursery in Colorado growing wildflowers for the retail and wholesale trade. Since moving to R. I., she has continued to explore the wildflowers here and to grow many of them from seed.
This program is free and open to the public. Seating is limited so please call the Library at 683-9457 or stop by to register.
January 23 - Portsmouth: Broadway From Then 'Til Now - A Concert of Broadway Showtunes, old and new 7:00 pm at the Portsmouth High School Auditorium, 120 Education Lane. The Robert A. Davidson Charitable Fund presents this concert featuring the vocal talents of New England Area professional entertainers Laurie Davidson Spaner, Richard Repetta, Kim Kekligian Stamoulis, Craig Spaner, Kendra Kachadoorian Alati, and James Tallach and musical talents of Mario Cruz, Pete Evans, Pat Murray, Kirk Sanger, Steve Jounakas, and Sara Moore. Dances by Blake Allan and Kayla Piccolo, choreographed by Stage Door Dance.
All Proceeds to Benefit the Portsmouth Public Education Foundation (PPEF). Tickets $20 Adults, $10 Children Under 10.
For Ticket Info., Call 401-683-2824 or Email
January 23 - Portsmouth: Common Fence Music Series A Gathering of Fiddlers and Fishermen #11, 6:30pm (Doors and music at 6:30 pm) at the Common Fence Point Community Hall, 933 Anthony Rd. For more information and reservations click here
January 26, 27 & 30 - Portsmouth: Children's Programs at the Portsmouth Free Public Library at the Portsmouth Free Public Library, 2658 East Main Rd. Parents or caregivers may sign up by calling the Children's Room at 683-9457. These programs are free and open to the public. Jan. 26 at 10 am: Preschool Story Time - Baa baa! Join us for stories, songs, and a sheep craft inspired by classic nursery rhymes. For children ages 3 to 5 years. Jan. 27 at 4 pm: Crafty Kids - Join Ms. Laura for a craft inspired by fractured fairy tales. Students will use the artwork they are shown in books to inform their own artistic creations. For students in grades K through 3. Jan. 30 at 11 am: Free Family Movie: Ice Age - Manny, Diego, Sid and Scrat are a courageous quartet of migrating misfits braving the frozen terrain and embarking on an incredible journey. See the movie on our big screen and bring your own snacks! Rated PG, run time of 80 minutes. Call the children's room at 683.9457 for more information. This program is free and open to the public.
January 26 - Newport: Lunch with Museum Director Lisa Goddard at the Newport Art Museum This brown bag lunch (bring your own meal) begins at noon in the Museum’s Griswold House, 76 Bellevue Avenue, Newport. Newport Art Museum members can join Executive Director Lisa Goddard for an informal “Getting to Know You Lunch” to contribute ideas and observations about the Museum. No charge. Call (401) 848-8200 for information. www.NewportArtMuseum.org
January 26 - Newport: Arts Around the Fire 6pm to 8pm at the Clarke Cook House on Bannister's Wharf. On the 4th Tuesdays of the month -Jan 26, Feb 23 &March 23 there will be an utterly informal gathering of artists and arts enthusiasts- cash bar no rsvp needed. www.newportarts.org
January 27 - Portsmouth: "Sustainable Plants / Sustainable Gardens" at the Portsmouth Free Public Library 6:30pm at the Portsmouth Free Public Library, 2658 East Main Rd. Have you ever planted a new tree or a shrub, only to have it grow very slowly, or not at all? Have you lost new plants to infestations of insects or diseases? Do you sometimes think your yard is jinxed, or that your “green” thumb has turned brown? Get the answers to these questions and more at the next gardening talk presented by URI Master Gardeners. Dave Hughes, a Master Gardener since 2002, will present “Sustainable Plants / Sustainable Gardens” – a talk which will help you to choose plants that are adapted to New England (and particularly Rhode Island’s coastline). He will then tell you how to plan your landscape and how to actually install and maintain your plants to improve their chances of thriving. About half of Dave’s talk will be focused on “popular” plants which present problems to New England gardeners, plus some recommendations for alternatives which are more likely to prosper – “…the right plant in the right place….”
This program is free and open to the public but seating is limited. Please call the Library at 683-9457 or stop by to register.
January 30 - Middletown: Meet the Author Series at Middletown Public Library 3pm at the Middletown Public Library, 700 West Main Road. Middletown Public Library kicks off the “Meet the Author” series with acclaimed young adult writer Marissa Doyle. Doyle will be here to discuss her life as writer and the inspiration for her books, including the just released “Betraying Season”. Come meet the author critics are calling “utterly delightful” and “magical”. “Meet the Author” events are a great way to for patrons to discover new books, talk to the writers behind today’s hottest titles and meet other book-lovers in the community. Every month we’ll feature new and engaging authors from diverse genres; from historical fiction to sci-fi, from antiquing to protecting the environment, and more. By giving patrons direct access to authors, the series promotes literacy and an interest in both reading and writing. The event is free and all are welcome. Food and drink courtesy of Domino’s Pizza. For more information call the library at 846-1573 or about Marissa Doyle and “Betraying Season,” go to www.MarissaDoyle.com.
January 31 - Middletown: "Iron John Rocks" 5:00-6:30 p.m.
Child & Family Community Center,
31 John Clarke Road. A night of live music, good food, and lively discussion...
Guests will have the opportunity to hear former members of Throwing Muses and their friends perform, and host a discussion about what it was like in the music industry. Attendees will also have the opportunity to play instruments, and give input about guests and topics selected for future Iron John Events. Iinspired by the 1990 book "Iron John" by Robert Bly, which contained lessons from the past and how they influence modern day male development. This is the launch event of a new series for boys and young men between the ages of 13 and 19. It is the opportunity to meet once a month with some of the most compelling and interesting men from our community and beyond who will share their talents, stories, and perspectives. www.childandfamilyri.com
*** Below are previous year's events (below) that we haven't gotten current information to update yet. ***
- Newport: Register now for upcoming programs at the Newport Art Museum To register or for more information visit www.NewportArtMuseum.org or call (401) 848-2787. The Coleman Center for Creative Studies is located in the Gilbert S. Kahn building, part of the Newport Art Museum’s three-building campus at 76 Bellevue Avenue, Newport Rhode Island. Coleman Center Hours: Monday – Friday, 9 am – 5 pm.
Daytime and evening adult programs at the Museum’s school, the Coleman Center for Creative Studies, include ceramics, collage, drawing, jewelry, painting, pastels, photography and printmaking. The Museum is offering two art history courses on Wednesdays this winter. “American Art 1820-1900” with Robert Kalaidjian runs from January 14 – February 4; “Samurai Swords and Silk Kimonos: Japanese Aesthetics” with Noelle King O’Connor runs from February 11 through 25. Art Classes and Kids’ Camps Warm up Winter
at Newport Art Museum - Children ages nine through twelve can spend a day with nationally published editorial cartoonist, Jim Bush on February 28. “Cartooning with Jim Bush” costs $50 for Museum members; $65 for non-members.
Classes in a variety of media for young people in kindergarten through high school are meeting weekly beginning in January.
School vacation art camps are filling up fast. The Museum’s art school, the Coleman Center for Creative Studies, is offering vacation programs in February and March for school-aged children and teens.
Art-making brings hundreds of people together during cold winter months at the Newport Art Museum. Winter programs for all ages begin in January. Now is also the time to register for February and March school vacation camps and for a Visiting Artist Workshop titled “Perspective Drawing” with well-known artist Susan Stone. The one-day workshop is scheduled to run on March 7, 2009 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Museum offers fee discounts to Museum members on most programs.
