9 minute read
Celebrate in April
by Elizabeth Morse Read
After the soggiest and most confusing extreme-weather winter, it’s time to emerge into the sunshine and warmth of springtime on the South Coast! Celebrate Easter (April 9) and Earth Day (April 22), and the return of all the flowers, early vegetables, and woodland critters.
Advertisement
Gather with your family, friends, and neighbors to once again enjoy local theatre, concerts, and outdoor events!
Everything’s bloomin’!
Step into spring during Daffy Days in Newport throughout April (newportdaffydays.com) and during “Gateway to Spring” at Blithewold Mansion and Gardens in Bristol (blithewold.org)!
Make your reservation now to wander through the spectacular fields of daffodils at Parsons Reserve in Dartmouth (dnrt. org), or pack a picnic and stroll through the daffodils and tulips at the whimsical Green Animals Topiary Gardens in Portsmouth (newportmansions.org)!
Family activities
Hop over to Buttonwood Park Zoo in New Bedford on April 1-2 for the Spring Fling and Breakfast with the Easter Bunny! Full breakfast indoors, magic shows, games, crafts, unlimited carousel rides, animal visitors – purchase tickets online (bpzoo.org)!
Take the whole family to the free Herring Run Festival at Oliver Mill Park in Middleborough on April 15-16! Food, games, music and beer garden (discovermiddleborough.com).
Enjoy free family fun and entertainment on the second Thursday of every month at New Bedford’s AHA Nights –“Sustainable South Coast” is the April 13 theme (ahanewbedford.org)!
Head for Providence with the little ones to see “Bluey’s Big Play” April 1-2 at The VETS (thevetsri.com)!
Take the little ones to the annual Easter Egg Hunt at Livesey Park in North Fairhaven on April 8 – and check the calendar for the town’s Cherry Blossom Festival in late April or early May (fairhaventours.com).
Classical acts
Don’t miss “Dreamcatchers” on April 29 at St. Gabriel’s Church in Marion, or on April 30 at St. Peter’s Church in Dartmouth, performed by the South Coast Chamber Music series (nbsymphony.org/southcoast-chambermusic-series).
Enjoy an afternoon of “Chamber Music in the Parlors” at the Rotch-Jones-Duff Mansion in New Bedford on April 16, performed by members of the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra (rjdmuseum.org)!
The shows must go on!
Don’t miss the Pilgrim Festival Chorus’ performance of Handel’s “Israel in Egypt”
Don’t miss The Wilbury Group’s performances of “Indecent” April 13-May 7 in Providence (thewilburygroup.org).
Listen to the Rhode Island Philharmonic perform “The Rite of Spring” at The VETS in Providence on April 15 (riphil.org).
Enjoy dinner with your drama at the Newport Playhouse! Don’t miss “Blithe Spirit” through April 5, “Run for Your Wife” April 12-May 24 (newportplayhouse. com)!
Head for the Providence Performing Arts Center to enjoy the musicals “SIX” April 11-23 and “Beetlejuice” April 25-30 (ppacri.org)!
Buy your tickets early to see “The Inferior Sex” through April 16 at Trinity Rep in Providence (trinityrep.com).
Head for the Zeiterion in downtown New Bedford to watch “On Your Feet!” April 12 and the New Bedford Festival Theatre’s production of “The Wiz” April 27-May 6 (zeiterion.org).
Head for the Zeiterion in downtown New Bedford to hear the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra’s performance of “Mahler’s Farewell” on April 8 (zeiterion.org).
Listen to “Music of Poetry and Love” sung by the Sippican Choral Society at Tabor Academy on April 30 (sippicanchoralsociety.org).
Newport Classical will present Thomas Mesa and Ilya Yakushev at Emmanuel Church in Newport on April 21 (newportclassical.org/events)!
Enjoy a performance of the Handel & Haydn Society on April 23 at Concerts at the Point in Westport (concertsatthepoint.org).
Head for Rehoboth’s Arts in the Village on April 29 to hear Jonathan Cohle and Rasa Vitkauskaite (rehobothantiquarian.org)!
Mark your calendar for the benefit concert for the Plymouth Philharmonic with “Time for Three” on April 29 at Memorial Hall in Plymouth (plymouthphil.org).
Watch the Festival Ballet Providence’s performance of “Pure Dance” on April 28-30 at the Moses Brown School in Providence (festivalballetprovidence.org).
On the road again
Register now for the Newport 5K Night Run on April 1 (newportnightrun.com), or the West Island 5K Run/Walk on April 23 in Fairhaven (fairhaventours.com)!
Dash through the daffodils in Newport on April 15 in the Newport Rhode Races – marathon, half marathon, 5K or beach mile (rhoderaces.com)!
Register now for the Cinco de Mayo 5K in Wareham on May 7 (southshorerace.com)!
Get Healthy! “Walk With a Doc” on Saturdays at Buttonwood Park Zoo, part of the New Bedford Wellness Initiative (nbewell.com).
Sign up now for the Providence Marathon and Half Marathon
(and post-race festival) on May 7 (providencemarathon.com).
Meet like-minded people
Learn more about Homer’s “The Odyssey” at the Bristol BookFest March 31 and April 1 at Linden Place in Bristol (bristolbookfest.com, lindenplace.org).
Check out the Friday afternoon movies at the Newport Public Library (newportpubliclibraryri.org)!
Try your hand at pickleball at Fairhaven’s indoor Southcoast Pickleball arena (southcoastpickleball.com).
Quench your thirst for learning at the free monthly New Bedford Science Café lectures and discussions at The Last Round Bar & Grille (nbsciencecafe.com)!
Sounds of the South Coast
Head for Plymouth’s Pilgrim Memorial Hall to hear Get the Led Out April 7, comedian Steve Travino April 22, Time for Three April 29 (memorialhall.com).
Listen to New Edition: Legacy Tour on April 21 at the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence (dunkindonutscenter.com)!
Enjoy the outdoors!
Go on a guided Seal Watch boat tour with Save The Bay, departing from Bowen’s Ferry Landing in Newport through April (savebay.org/seals)! Go on free guided Bird Walks on Sundays, a scavenger hunt on April 8, or the Earth Week Extravaganza with Bill Harley April 19-20 at the Norman Bird Sanctuary in Middletown (normanbirdsanctuary.org)!
Sign up for the Outer Cape Birding and Whale Watching Hike on April 2 with the Lloyd Center for the Environment in Dartmouth (lloydcenter.org)!
“Discover Buzzards Bay” offers an online portal with information about 100+ public places to walk, bird-watch, kayak/canoe, fish, snowshoe or cross-country ski (savebuzzardsbay.org/discover). You can find other outdoor recreation spots along the South Coast at thetrustees.org, exploreri.org, massaudubon.org, asri.org, riparks.com or stateparks.com/ rhode_island.
Head for the Zeiterion in downtown New Bedford to hear David Sedaris April 1, New Bedford Symphony Orchestra’s “Mahler’s Farewell” April 8, “On Your Feet!” April 12, Ruben Studdard & Clay
Aiken April 14, Tape Face April 15, movie “Vote to Decide” April 16, New Bedford Festival Theatre’s “The Wiz” April 27-May 6 (zeiterion.org).
Head for The VETS in Providence to hear Get the Led Out April 28 (thevetsri.com)!
Draw the Line April 22 performing in The Vault at the Greasy Luck Brew Pub in downtown New Bedford (vaultnb.com)! Find out who’s on stage at the Spire Center for the Arts of Greater Plymouth! Don’t miss The Breakers April 1, Celtic Angels Ireland April 2, Tommy Castro & the Painkillers April 6, George Winston April 12, Joe Henry April 15, Joan Osborne April 21, Delta Generators April 28, Hey Nineteen April 29 (spirecenter.org).
Don’t miss Won’t Back Down April 8, Paul Nelson April 14, Whiskey Saints April 16, 420 Party April 20, Johnny Folsom 4 April 21, Disco Dream April 22, Workin’ for a Livin’ April 28 at The District Center for the Arts in Taunton (thedistrictcenterforarts.com)!
Head to the Narrows Center in Fall River to hear John Cafferty & the Beaver Brown Band April 1, Jimmy Webb April 7, Liz Longley April 8, Mile Twelve April 14, Blood Brothers April 21, The Silos April 22, Journeyman April 29 (narrowscenter.com)!
Eat fresh – eat local!
Take the family to the Open Farm Days at Round The Bend Farm in Dartmouth starting this month! Grass-fed meats, seasonal produce, honey, maple syrup, botanicals, and family-friendly farm tours (roundthebendfarm.org).
Fill your baskets with seasonal produce, artisanal foods and dairy products! To find a farm, vineyard or farmers market near you, visit semaponline.org, coastalfoodshed.org, farmfreshri.org, or localharvest.org.
What’s coming up in May
Listen to the Fall River Symphony Orchestra’s “Spring Concert” with the South Coast Community Chorale on May 7 at BCC’s Jackson Theatre (fallriversymphonyorchestra.org). Get ready for the Buttonwood Park Zoo’s annual “Red, White and Brew” beer- and wine-tasting festival on May 19 in New Bedford (bpzoo.org)!
Register early for the day-trip to the Bronx Zoo on May 13, leaving from the Roger Williams Zoo in Providence (rwpzoo.org/programs/2023-bronx-zootrip)!
Plan ahead for the 7th annual Newport
Oyster and Chowder Festival at Bowen’s Wharf on May 20-21 (bowenswharf.com).
Head for the Priscilla Beach Theatre in Plymouth, one of the oldest barn summer stock theatres in America! Plan ahead for “Singin’ in the Rain” May 5-13 (pbtheatre.org).
Treat Mom to a Mother’s Day Mimosa Boat Tour through the waterways of Providence on May 14 (providenceriverboat.com)!
Mark your calendars for the return of the Wareham Oyster Festival on May 28 (warehamoyster.com)!
Don’t miss the Newport Contemporary Ballet’s performance of “Catch Fire!”, including a reimagined “Firebird,” at the WaterFire Arts Center in Providence May 18-20 (newportcontemporaryballet.org).
Discover the Barker Playhouse on Benefit Street in Providence, the oldest continuously-running little theatre in America! Don’t miss “Avenue Q” May 19-28 (playersri.org).
Newport in bloom
The 12th Annual Daffodil Days will be taking place throughout April in Newport. Visit to enjoy over 1,350,000 buds in bloom!
Festivities begin with the opening ceremonies at Bannister’s Wharf at noon on April 1 with an explosion of musket fire and a garland of daffodils cut by Miss Daffodil and the Mayor. Then, the annual “Daffy Doggy Paw-rade” trots off to Queen Anne Square for the judging of the daffiest dressed dogs (and humans).
On April 8, bicyclists will “petal on” to view Newport’s fields of daffodils, including a private garden with over 20,000 blooms to welcome yellow-clad arrivals. The following Saturday, April 15, the Newport Rhode Races start from Easton’s Beach, where 60,000 daffodils will wave as the runners pass by. And from April 14 through April 23, Daffodil Days overlap with Newport Restaurant Week, allowing foodies and flower lovers alike to enjoy discounts and deals at local restaurants.
On April 25 and 27, join the former chief horticulturalist at the Green Animals Topiary Garden for a special tour as he describes the over 22,000 daffodils in bloom, featuring 70 different varieties representing all 13 official Daffodil divisions.
Be sure to check the Let’s Get Daffy calendar at NewportinBloom.org for even more events and updates.
