Give thanks this November

by Elizabeth Morse Read

After two years of cancellations and isolation, we can all be grateful for the return of traditional holiday get-togethers and seasonal celebrations!

As the holiday hoopla gears up, remember all those less fortunate and honor our military on Veterans Day November 11 – and don’t forget to change your clocks November 6!

Fun for everyone!

Mark your calendars for the two-day CranFest November 11-12 at the Plimoth-Pawtuxet Museums in Plymouth, celebrating the cranberry’s role in our history, cuisine, and agriculture (plimoth.org).

Enjoy free family fun and entertainment on AHA! Nights in New Bedford! The November 10 theme is “Made in New Bedford” (ahanewbedford.org).

It’s time to sharpen the ice skates (or rent them) for indoor skating at Fall River’s Driscoll Arena (508-679- 3274), New Bedford’s Hetland Arena (508-999-9051), Taunton’s Aleixo Arena (508-824-4987), or Plymouth’s Armstrong Arena (508-746-8825) (fmcicesports.com)!

There’s fun for all ages on the new indoor Southcoast Pickleball courts in Fairhaven, open daily. AC, changing rooms, refreshments, rentals, clinics, tournaments (southcoastpickleball.com)!

Get ready for a fun-filled day iceskating or riding ice bumper cars at The Providence Rink in downtown Providence (theprovidencerink.com)!

Bundle up and watch Waterfire in Providence on November 5 (waterfire.org)!

Bring a chair to watch the annual Veterans Day Parade on November 11 in Fairhaven (fairhaventours.com)!

When it’s raining outside, take the little ones to the Children’s Museum of Greater Fall River (cmgfr.org)!

Head for the Museum of Natural History & Planetarium in Providence’s Roger Williams Park to watch the planetarium shows (providence.gov/ museum)!

Food, drink, and shopping

Celebrate Thanksgiving in Plymouth, America’s Hometown, with festivities, parade, concert, beer garden, exhibits, and more on November 17-20 (usathanksgiving.com)!

Start your holiday shopping at the 3rd Annual Holiday Artisan Market on November 19 at Linden Place in Bristol (lindenplace.org)!

Check out the many restaurants in greater Newport during Newport Restaurant Week November 4-13 (discovernewport.org/newportrestaurant-week)!

For a taste of New Bedford’s rich culinary history, go on a guided Food Tour (nbfoodtours.com)!

Head for downtown New Bedford on November 30 for the annual Holiday Shop & Stroll – family fun, live music, food, shopping (downtownnb.org/ events)!

Go on a local Vineyard Voyage with the Providence Riverboat Company (providenceriverboat.com).

Take the family to the monthly Open Farm Days at Round the Bend Farm in Dartmouth! Grass-fed meats, botanicals, local veggies, honey and more (roundthebendfarm.org).

Eat Fresh, Eat Local! Fill your baskets with local produce, pies and jams, dairy products, and holiday decorations! To find a farm, vineyard, or indoor farmers market near you, visit semaponline.org, farmfreshri.org, or coastalfoodshed. org. To find food and wine events, go to farmcoast.com, coastalwinetrail.com, or ediblesouthshore.com.

All the world’s a stage

Mark your calendars for the special events and entertainment at the Providence Performing Arts Center and The VETS! For schedule of events visit ppacri.org.

Mark your calendars to catch a performance of “Church Basement Ladies” December 1-4,8-11 at the Little Theatre in Fall River (littletheatre.net).

Don’t miss the New Bedford Festival Theatre’s production of “White Christmas” November 26 to December 4 at the Zeiterion in New Bedford (zeiterion.org)!

Enjoy dinner and a performance of “A Christmas for Carol” November 1 through December 31 at the Newport Playhouse (newportplayhouse.com).

Enjoy a performance of “Second Samuel” at Your Theatre in New Bedford on November 11-13, 18-20 (yourtheatre.org).

Catch a production of “Church & State” at the Marion Art Center Theatre on November 4-6, 10-13 (marionartcenter.org).

Start your holiday season with a performance of “A Christmas Carol” at Trinity Rep in Providence November 3 to January 1 (trinityrep.com).

South Coast sounds

Treat yourself to tribute performances of Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash on November 5 at White’s of Westport (southcoastcomedy.com)!

Head for Pilgrim Memorial Hall in Plymouth to hear the Righteous Brothers November 13 (memorialhall.com).

Find out who’s on stage at the District Center for the Arts in Taunton! Don’t miss Trapt November 4, Echoes of Floyd November 5, The Senders November 11, Ballz on Parade November 12, The Brothers Project November 18, Stairway to Halen November 23, The 60s Band November 26, Zappa Experience November 27 (thedistrictcenterforarts.com).

Head for Running Brook Vineyard in Dartmouth for free live music every Saturday and Sunday (runningbrookwine.com)!

Check out who’s on stage at the Spire Center for the Performing Arts of Greater Plymouth! For schedule of events visit spirecenter.org. Check out the lineup of shows upcoming including New Bedford Festival Theatre “White Christmas” November 26 to December 4 at the Zeiterion in New Bedford (zeiterion.org)!

Enjoy wine tastings and live jazz on Saturdays at Greenvale Vineyards in Portsmouth (greenvale.com).

Head for The Narrows Center for the Arts in Fall River for great music! (narrowscenter.com)!

Classical acts

Mark your calendars now to hear the New Bedford Symphony’s Chamber Music performance of “Benediction: A Thanksgiving Finale,” at St. Gabriel’s Church in Marion on November 26 and at St. Peter’s Church in South Dartmouth on November 27 (nbsymphony.org/ chamber-series).

Listen to the Jasper String Quartet on November 13 at Westport’s Concerts at the Point (concertsatthepoint.org)!

Head for Pilgrim Memorial Hall in Plymouth to hear the Plymouth Philharmonic’s special Thanksgiving Celebration concert November 18 (memorialhall.com).

The Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra will present Olga Kern playing Beethoven on November 11-12 at The VETS (riphil.org).

Expand your horizons

Check out what’s happening at the Lloyd Center for the Environment in Dartmouth. The trails are free and open to the public every day from dawn to dusk (lloydcenter.org).

Enjoy the fall scenery and weather on the 8th Annual Destruction Brook Woods Trail Race on November 5! (free post-race pizza and beer!) (dnrt.org).

Go on a free Bird Walk or Flower Walk at the Norman Bird Sanctuary in Middletown (normanbirdsanctuary.org).

Learn about the free virtual classes in meditation, laughter yoga, tai chi, yoga and smoking-cessation hypnosis, offered by New Bedford Wellness Initiative (facebook.com/ NewBedfordWellnessInitiative).

Take a stroll through the urban greenspace of the Allen G. Haskell Public Gardens in New Bedford (thetrustees.org).

Get Healthy! “Walk With a Doc” on Saturdays at Dartmouth Mall, part of the New Bedford Wellness Initiative (nbewell.com)!

“Discover Buzzards Bay” offers an online portal with information about 100+ public places to walk, bird-watch, kayak/canoe, fish, snowshoe, or crosscountry ski (savebuzzardsbay.org/ discover). You can find other outdoor recreation spots along the South Coast at thetrustees.org, exploreri.org, massaudubon.org, riwalks.org, asri. org, riparks.com, or stateparks.com/ rhode_island.

Beat the Christmas crowds!

Many of the traditional holiday extravaganzas along the South Coast open in November, so pack up the family this month and visit them early! Less chance of snow, then, too!

The Annual Festival of Lights at LaSalette Shrine in Attleboro begins November 24 through January 1 – more than 300,000 lights illuminating ten acres (lasaletteattleboroshrine.org)!

Bundle up and enjoy the lights and Christmas decorations indoors and out at Blithewold Mansion and Gardens in Bristol (blithewold.org).

Buy your tickets early for the Christmas Wonderland and Festival of Lights at Edaville Railroad in Carver from November 10 through January 1! Heated train rides illuminated by 17 million lights throughout the park and European-style Christmas Market (edaville.com)!

Stroll through the brilliantly illuminated Roger Williams Park Zoo for the Holiday Lights Spectacular from November 25 through January 1 (rwpzoo.org)!

Mark your calendars for the weeks-long annual Bristol Christmas Festival, starting with the Christmas Snow Ball on November 11 (christmasbristolri.com)!

Be dazzled by the over-the-top splendor of the Gilded Age during “Holidays at the Newport Mansions” November 19 to January 1 (newportmansions.org)!