Rhode Island

401 Fun: The best things to do in R.I. Sept. 20-27 – The Boston Globe

Published

2 years ago

September 19, 2024

401 Fun: The best things to do in R.I. Sept. 20-27 – The Boston Globe

My friends, it’s that weird week when we have one foot in summer, one foot in fall. As your loyal 401 Fun columnist I’ve hunted high and low for fun from both seasons: From a seafood fest and outdoor jazz, to a pumpkin trail and a Portuguese Oktoberfest (Oktobahfésta! It’s real.) Let’s go.

ONE PROVIDENCE PLACE: A MALL MUSICAL

Peak Rhode Island. The Providence Place Mall just keeps serving inspo. First, artists lived there. Then, a podcast about the artists. Then a documentary about them called “Secret Mall Apartment.” Now, a musical:

“One Providence Place: A Mall Musical” runs Sept. 19-29 at the AS220 Black Box Theater. According to billing: “Don’t expect this to be a straight-up retelling of the mall apartment saga. The folks behind this production… used the concept as a jumping off point” to talk about art, grief and family. $20. 95 Empire St. Providence. Details here and here.

NEWPORT JAZZ

BYO picnic to this Portsmouth vineyard to enjoy jazz from Kenya. Newport Live x Greenvale Vineyards Present “Aaron Rimbui: Jazz From Kenya” Sept. 20. Multi-instrumentalist and composer Harun Kimathi Rimbui, who was born in Nairobi, is regarded as one of the greatest pianists in East Africa, according to African newspaper Nation. $35. 7p.m. 582 Wapping Road, Portsmouth. Details here.

NEWPORT MANSIONS WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL

This annual Rhody staple is mostly sold out. But the festival also includes a series of wine dinners at participating restaurants Sept. 20 and 21. Details on those events here.

PORTUGUESE OKTOBAHFESTA

I love this so much. Head to Vigilant Brewing for their 3rd annual Oktobahfésta Celebration Sept. 21. Think beer, Portuguese food from Casa Tia Rosa food truck, malassadas, live music, and a Portuguese Azulejo Tile Painting Workshop. The ticketed event includes two tiles, lunch, dessert, and Vigilant beer. 44 Ballou Blvd., Bristol. Tile painting 2-4 p.m., $50. Otherwise free admission. Details here and here.

SOCCER TIME

Get your Ted Lasso on. The Ocean State’s pro men’s soccer team, Rhode Island FC, takes on FC Tulsa Sept. 21 at 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices vary. At Beirne Stadium at Bryant University. 1150 Douglas Pike, Smithfield. Details here.

DAVID SPADE

Whether you know him from “Tommy Boy,” “Grown Ups,” “Joe Dirt,” “Saturday Night Live”… you all know him. The comic plays PVD’s The Vets Sept. 21 at 8 p.m. From $45. 1 Avenue of the Arts, Providence. Details here.

GETTIN’ SQUIDDY WITH IT

Saturday is the last day of summer, and fittingly, the Ocean State is closing the season with one last seafood fest: It’s squid time. The 7th Annual Rhode Island Calamari Festival in Narragansett is Sept. 21, and typically draws thousands from across southern New England to dig into 1,500 pounds of calamari, according to billing. Local restaurants compete for top honors and the “calamari crown” in three categories: Best Overall, Most Inventive, and Most Spirited Team, according to billing. (If you win the Calamari Crown, please send me a photo. I’m picturing golden tentacles.) Don’t like squid? Fear not: There will be food trucks. Adults $20 advance, $25 door. Free admission 12 and under. 35 Ocean Road, Narragansett. Details here.

LAST WATERFIRE OF SUMMER

It’s tradition, on the last day of summer, for Rhode Islanders to gather by river banks in Providence to light pyres. We’ve got a special WaterFire on Sept. 21.

As the daughter of two Rhody teachers, I love this: “WaterFire: A Salute to Rhode Island Educators,” includes an awards ceremony and torch procession honoring Rhody educators at Memorial Park at 4:30 p.m. At 6:40 p.m., some 90 District Teachers of the Year and educators will take part in the lighting ceremony.

Meanwhile, Washington Street Bridge will see “Robots on Fire” 5:30-10 p.m. Don’t be scared: it’s just 20+ robotics teams showing us their latest projects. Plus fire-spinning, stargazing, and more WaterFire Fun. Details here.

RHODE ISLAND HERITAGE FEST

Get to know your neighbors at the free-admission 46th Annual Rhode Island Heritage Fest Sept. 21 at the WaterFire Arts Center. Billed as a lively celebration of our state’s rich cultural heritage, expect culture, music, and dancing from around the world. Explore cultural exhibits, visual art, craft demonstrations, dance, music, and food trucks. It’s a jam-packed schedule, including a Puerto Rican drum group, a Bavarian folk dance group, Bollywood Dance, Rhode Island Black Storytellers, singing from the French American School of Rhode Island, dancing from the Colombian American Cultural Society, Swedish Folk Songs, Irish dancing, Korean harp, and much more. Plus face-painting, arts and crafts for kids. 475 Valley St., Providence. Details here and here.

HISTORIC HOMES

If you love historic homes, head to Bristol for the Bristol Historical & Preservation Society’s House Tour Sept. 21 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The rain or shine event features 11 houses in downtown Bristol, according to billing. Shuttle vans will be available to take visitors to the homes. Advance tickets $45; day of $55 at 48 Court St. Details here.

BALLET IN THE PARK

Leap into fall — literally. Sept. 22 is the first day of fall, and Ballet RI is hosting a free day of dance at Roger Williams Park Temple to Music. According to billing, you can take an “open creative movement class at noon,” then watch a performance from the Ballet RI Company Dancers at the pet-friendly event. Plus local artists, vendors, and food trucks. Free. Noon to 3 p.m. 1000 Elmwood Ave., Providence. Details here.

AUTUMN NIGHT MARKET

Rhode Island Night Market hosts an Autumn Marketplace Sept. 26, 6-9 p.m., at the Event Factory in Warwick. Hit up a local artisan makers market, with full bar, music, line dancing, paint and sip, giveaways and more. The first 100 attendees receive a $5 Dunkin’ card, according to their Insta. Free entry. 144 Metro Center Blvd. Details here.

HOPOSIUM: BEERS OF OKTOBERFEST

You think you know beer? Hop-heads, School yourself for Oktoberfest season and head to Westerly’s United for “Hoposium: Oktoberfest & Festive Fall Brews” Sept. 27 at 7 p.m.

Hosted by master beer judge Max Finnance, you’ll explore seasonal beers like pumpkin ales, and learn more about the history of the world’s biggest beer festival. (I think I can get an A in this class.) 21+ Tickets include “3-4 beer tastings.” $32. 5 Canal St., Westerly. Details here.

LAST FOOD TRUCK FRIDAY

Say it ain’t so! Summer truly is over when the last of the food trucks in Roger Williams Park migrate to their winter homes. The final #FoodTruckFriday is Sept. 27. Bring a chair or blanket and soak up live tunes from local artists, jump on the carousel, or hop the train ride. Free admission; pay for what you eat. 1000 Elmwood Ave., Providence. Details here.

PUMPKIN TRIVIA TRAIL

What WaterFire is to Rhody summer, Roger Williams Park Zoo Jack-o-Lantern Spectacular is to Rhody fall — part of our customs and rituals. Yes, my friends, it’s time to see thousands of pumpkins as the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular returns Sept. 27. This year’s theme: “Trivia Edition.” Show off your trivia knowledge as you wander through the display filled with thousands of carved pumpkins. Open nightly 6-10:30 p.m. Online purchase only. Mondays through Thursdays: $19 adult, $16 child (babies 1 and under free). Fridays through Sundays: $22 adult, $19 child. 1000 Elmwood Ave., Providence. Details here.

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE: ONGOING FUN

MAIZE MAZE: Escobar Farm’s Corn Maze is now open for the season. Dare to escape Portsmouth’s maize maze. Plus concessions and hayrides. Adults $10, ages 4-10 $8. Under 3 free. 255 Middle Road, Portsmouth. Details here.

HOW DO YOU LIKE THEM APPLES?: It’s apple-picking season, baby. From Jaswell’s Farm, to Steere Orchard in Apple Valley, it’s time to skip the supermarket and pick your own treats. Obviously, check online before you hit up any farms — Mother Nature is in charge here — but I rounded up some Ocean State orchards for apples, cider, doughnuts, pumpkins and peaches here.

BIG BEAUTIFUL BAMBOO BIRDS: You’ve heard of the Charlestown trolls — now there’s the big beautiful birds of Bristol. Noted artists Donna Dodson and Andy Moerlein are talented artists in their own right. When they team up, they are The Myth Makers, and they’ve created big beautiful bamboo birds at the 33-acre Blithewold estate in Bristol. Each bird ranges from 15 to 30 feet tall, and each has a story to tell. Free to see with admission through next summer. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sundays 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. General admission for adults, $22, ages 11-16 $11; children ages 6-10 $6; ages 0-5 free. 101 Ferry Road. Details here.

BROWN’S ART WALKING TOURS: Brown University now offers free public art walking tours led by Brown students every weekend. Learn about Brown’s public art collection with a 40-minute student-curated tour, exploring six works of art. All tours are outdoors, rain or shine. No registration required. Meet up at 1 p.m. On Saturdays, meet at the Eli Harvey sculpture, Bronze Bruno, on the College Green (79 Waterman St.) On Sundays, meet at Tom Friedman’s Circle Dance, on the Campus Walk. Tours run weekends through Nov. 17. Map and all details here.

FOOD AND ARCHITECTURE WALKING TOUR: Food, art, and architecture come together for Downcity Providence Food Tours, noon to 3:30 p.m., on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through November. Get an insider’s view of creative and lively Providence during a tour lasting more than three hours over 1.7 miles. Discover some of the city’s award-winning restaurants, its hidden art and historic architecture. Tickets $76-$94 per person. 1 Ship St., Providence. Details here.

Until next week, Rhody: Keep rockin.’

Lauren Daley can be reached at ldaley33@gmail.com. Follow her on Twitter @laurendaley1.

Source link

Rhode Island

Truckers ordered to pay own legal bills from failed RI toll lawsuit

Published

11 hours ago

March 28, 2026

Press Room

Truckers ordered to pay own legal bills from failed RI toll lawsuit

The trucking industry will have to pay its own legal bills for the unsuccessful eight-year-old lawsuit it brought to stop Rhode Island’s truck toll system, a federal judge ruled Friday, March 27.

The American Trucking Associations was seeking $21 million in attorneys fees and other costs from the state, but a decision from U.S. District Judge John McConnell Jr. says the truckers lost the case and will have to pick up the tab.

The state had previously filed a counterclaim for reimbursement of $9 million in legal bills, but an earlier recommendation from U.S. Magistrate Judge Patricia Sullivan had already thrown cold water on that possibility.

McConnell ordered American Trucking Associations to pay Rhode Island $199,281, a tiny fraction of the amount the state spent defending the network of tolls on tractor trailers.

Settling the lawyer tab may finally bring an end to a court fight that bounced back and forth through the federal judiciary since the toll system launched and the truckers brought suit in 2018.

As it stands, the state’s truck toll network has been mothballed since 2022 when a since-overturned judge’s ruling temporarily ruled it unconstitutional.

The Rhode Island Department of Transportation said it hopes to relaunch the tolls around March 2027.

The court costs fight hinged on which side could claim legal “prevailing party” status as the winner of the lawsuit.

The trucking industry claimed that it had won because the First Circuit Court of Appeals ruled an in-state trucker discount mechanism, known as caps, in the original truck toll system was unconstitutional.

But Rhode Island argued that it is the winner because the appeals court had ruled that the larger system and broad concept of truck tolls is constitutional and can relaunch with the discounts stripped out.

“The Court determines that ATA has vastly overstated the benefit, if any, that they have received from the ultimate resolution of their challenge to the RhodeWorks program,” McConnell wrote.

The truckers “failed to obtain any practical benefit from the First Circuit’s severance of the [in-state toll] caps,” he went on. “Specifically, the evidence from this dispute confirmed that the lack of daily caps will result in ATA paying a higher amount in daily tolls and that it does not receive any tangible financial benefit from their elimination.”

In her December analysis of the legal fees question, Sullivan had concluded that the Trucking Associations’ outside counsel had overbilled and overstaffed the case.

But she had recommended that the industry be reimbursed $2.7 million for its bills, while McConnell’s ruling gives it nothing.

Source link

Rhode Island

Think you’re middle class in Rhode Island? Here’s the income range

Published

24 hours ago

March 28, 2026

Press Room

Think you’re middle class in Rhode Island? Here’s the income range

Your household can earn more than $160,000 a year and still be considered part of the “middle class” in Rhode Island, according to a recent study by SmartAsset.

Rhode Island is the state with the 17th-highest income range for households to be considered middle class, based on SmartAsset’s analysis using 2024 income data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The Pew Research Center defines the middle class as households earning roughly two-thirds to twice the national median household income.

According to a 2022 Gallup survey, about half of U.S. adults consider themselves middle class, with 38% identifying as “middle class” and 14% as “upper-middle class.” Higher-income Americans and college graduates were most likely to identify with the “middle class” or “upper-middle class,” while lower-income Americans and those without a college education generally identified as “working class” or “lower class.”

Here’s how much money your household would need to bring in annually to be considered middle class in Rhode Island.

How much money would you need to make to be considered middle class in RI?

In Rhode Island, households would need to earn between $55,669 and $167,008 annually to be considered middle class, according to SmartAsset. The Ocean State has the 17th-highest income range in the country for middle-class households.

The state’s median household income is $83,504.

How do other New England states compare?

Rhode Island has the fourth-highest income range for middle-class households in New England. Here’s what households would have to earn in neighboring states:

Massachusetts (#1 nationally) – $69,885 to $209,656 annually; median household income of $104,828
New Hampshire (#6 nationally) – $66,521 to $199,564 annually; median household income of $99,782
Connecticut (#10 nationally) – $64,033 to $192,098 annually; median household income of $96,049
Rhode Island (#17 nationally) – $55,669 to $167,008 annually; median household income of $83,504
Vermont (#19 nationally) – $55,153 to $165,460 annually; median household income of $82,730
Maine (#30 nationally) – $50,961 to $152,884 annually; median household income of $76,442

Which state has the highest middle-class income range?

Massachusetts ranks as the state with the highest income range to be considered middle class, according to SmartAsset. Households there would need to earn between $69,900 and $209,656 annually. The state’s median household income is $104,828.

Which state has the lowest middle-class income range?

Mississippi ranks last for the income range needed to be considered middle class, according to SmartAsset. Households there would need to earn between $39,418 and $118,254 annually. The state’s median household income is $59,127.

Source link

Rhode Island

AARP report highlights scale and value of unpaid caregiving in Rhode Island

Published

1 day ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

AARP report highlights scale and value of unpaid caregiving in Rhode Island

“Nationally there are 59 million Americans who are providing care for a loved one and that is 49.5 billion hours of care annually. It’s valued at a trillion dollars,” said Catherine Taylor, the director of AARP Rhode Island; AARP, the nation’s largest non- profit, dedicated to empowering people 50 and older.

In Rhode Island, the report shows 155,000 people serve as caregivers, providing 111 million hours of care.

Barbara Morse reports on unpaid caregivers. (WJAR)

“The total impact is $2.8 billion a year,” said Taylor.

It’s not just babysitting a loved one.

Catherine Taylor, the director of AARP Rhode Island, spoke with NBC 10’s Barbara Morse about the value of caregiving. (WJAR)

“People are doing a lot more nursing tasks, you know–wound care, injections and things like that and they’re doing a lot more intensive daily care, like bathing, and dressing and feeding than we used to,” she said.

Its latest report–“Valuing the Invaluable.”

“The whole point of this report is to draw attention to how many family care givers there are and what the magnitude of what the need is for their support,” said Taylor.

That includes financial support and respite care.

AARP wants you to know this:

An older man using equipment in a gym. (FILE)

In Rhode Island, temporary caregiver insurance or TCI is available to folks who qualify, for up to eight weeks.

There are federal tax credits you may qualify for. There is help.

BE THE FIRST TO COMMENT

“All you have to do is call 211 and say you’re a family caregiver and they will connect you to all of AARP’S trusted information, including a Rhode Island specific guide on resources for caregivers,” she said.

Source link