Swing into spring

Elizabeth Morse Read

Spring is just around the corner! Wear green on St. Patrick’s Day (March 17), red on St. Joseph’s Day (March 19), and a new hat on Easter Sunday (April 9)! Celebrate Women’s History Month every day in March, the first day of spring on March 20 and Earth Day on April 22 – and don’t forget to change your clocks on March 12!

Tiptoe through the daffodils

It’s that time of year when gardeners can’t wait to get outside and enjoy the sight and scent of flowers! Don’t miss the 73rd Annual RI Home Show, including the RI Flower and Garden Show and Energy Expo at the RI Convention Center in Providence March 30 to April 2 (ribahomeshow.com). Then step into spring in April during Daffy Days in Newport (newportdaffydays.com) and during “Gateway to Spring” at Blithewold Mansion and Gardens in Bristol (blithewold.org), or else wander through the fields of daffodils in Parsons Reserve in Dartmouth (dnrt.org)!

Get outdoors and get moving

Shake off winter’s inactivity and breathe some fresh air! Register now for the Newport 5K Night Run on April 1 (newportnightrun.com), the Shamrock Stampede 5k through Plymouth (and the tavern!) on March 18 (southshorerace.com), the New Bedford Half Marathon on March 19, sponsored by the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick (newbedfordhalfmarathon.org), or the West Island 5K Run/Walk on April 23 in Fairhaven (fairhaventours.com)!

Get healthy – for free! “Walk With a Doc” on Saturdays, or find out what’s happening at the Boys and Girls Club of Greater New Bedford on Sundays –like yoga, meditation, or Zumba – all part of the New Bedford Wellness Initiative (nbewell.com).

Or else check out the online portal at “Discover Buzzards Bay” with information about more than 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 and massaudubon.org, asri.org, riparks.com, or stateparks.com/rhode_island.

Fun for the whole family

Looking for something that everyone in the family will enjoy? Check out these upcoming activities and events: there’s free family fun and entertainment on the second Thursday of every month at downtown New Bedford’s AHA Nights (ahanewbedford.org) and the annual Herring Run Festival at Oliver Mill Park in Middleborough on April 15-16 (discovermiddleborough. com)!

If you’re looking for something indoors, don’t miss “Jurassic Park Live” March 23-26 at the Dunkin Donuts Center (dunkindonutscenter. com) or the planetarium shows at the Museum of Natural History and Planetarium in Roger Williams Park (providenceri.gov/museum), or, for the little ones, a performance of “Bluey’s Big Play” at The VETS on April 1-2, all in Providence! Or if you’re near New Bedford, head for the Zeiterion to watch “Enter the Dragon” on March 19 (zeiterion.org). Or you can all bring your ice skates (or rent them) at indoor skating rinks in Southeastern Massachusetts (fmcicesports.com/rinks).

If you’re still enjoying cold weather activities, grab your binoculars and go on a guided Seal Watch boat tour departing from Bowen’s Ferry Landing in Newport through April (savebay.org/seals), or catch a glimpse of snowy owls and other migratory birds at the Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge (fws.gov/ sachuestpoint) or at the Norman Bird Sanctuary (normanbirdsanctuary. org), both in Middletown! Maybe go on a night-time Owl Prowl at the Lloyd Center for the Environment in Dart mouth on March 6 or 20 (lloydcenter.org).

Or, for something completely different, take the kids to see psychic medium Matt Fraser March 15-16 at New Bedford’s Zeiterion (zeiterion.org) or illusionist Lyn Dillies at the Spire Center in Plymouth on March 25-26 (spirecenter.org)!

Take a trip down Broadway

Stay here on the South Coast to watch a Broadway play or enjoy the show tunes we all love so much!

The Tri-County Symphonic Band will perform “Celebrating Andrew Lloyd Webber” on March 19 at Tabor Academy in Marion (tricountysymphonicband.org), and the Rhode Island Philharmonic will perform the songs of “West Side Story” on March 17-18 at The VETS in Providence (riphil.org). And if you’re in the mood for musicals, check out “SIX” April 11-23 or “Beetlejuice” April 25-30, both at the Providence Performing Arts Center (ppacri.org)!

Enjoy the soothing sounds of classical music

Whether you prefer the intimate setting of a chamber music ensemble, a chorale concert or a full orchestra experience, there are many events to suit your musical tastes coming up in March and April.

The Haven String Quartet will perform in Rehoboth on March 18 (rehobothantiquarian.org), followed by Jonathan Cohler & Rasa Vitkauskaite on April 29. The Newport String Project will perform at Ochre Court in Newport on March 12 (newportstringproject.org), and the Frisson Ensemble will perform on March 26, as will the Handel & Haydn Society on April 23, at Westport’s Concerts at the Point (concertsatthepoint.org). There will be “Chamber Music in the Parlors” performed by members of the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra on April 16 at the Rotch-Jones-Duff Museum in New Bedford (rjdmuseum.org), and the South Coast Chamber Music Series will perform “Dreamcatchers” at St. Gabriel’s Church in Marion on April 29 and at St. Peter’s Church in Dartmouth on April 30 (nbsymphony.org/ southcoast-chamber-music-series).

The Sippican Choral Society will perform “Music of Poetry & Love” on March 30 at Tabor Academy in Marion (sippicanchoralsociety.org) and the Pilgrim Festival Chorus will sing Handel’s “Israel in Egypt” at St. Bonaventure Parish in Plymouth on April 29 (pilgrimfestivalchorus.org). Also, the Providence Singers with the Aurea Ensemble will perform “Finding the Light” at the Grace Episcopal Church in Providence on March 11-12 (providencesingers.org).

The New Bedford Symphony Orchestra and pianist Gluzman will perform selections of Beethoven’s works on March 25 at the Zeiterion, then “Mahler’s Farewell” on April 8 (nbsymphony.org), and the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra will perform “Rite of Spring” on April 15 at The VETS (riphil.org).

From tragedy to comedy

Nothing is more intriguing than the plot of a well-crafted play, whether a comedy, tragedy, or mystery. Don’t miss the performances of Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest” on March 10-12, 17-19, 24-25 at the Marion Art Center (marionartcenter.org) or “The Crucible” March 3-5, 10-12 at Your Theatre in New Bedford (yourtheatre. org), or else enjoy “Guys and Dolls” March 23-26 at the Little Theatre in Fall River (littletheatre.net)!

And mark your calendar for the performances of “The Inferior Sex” March 16-April 16 at Trinity Rep in Providence (trinityrep.com). Then head for the Providence Performing Arts Center March 21-26 to watch “Hadestown” (ppacri.org), or a performance of “Indecent” by The Wilbury Group in Providence starting April 13 (thewilburygroup.org)!

Meet like-minded people

Shake off the winter boredom and mingle with other folks who’re curious to sample something new! If you’re heading near New Bedford, check out the free monthly New Bedford Science Café lectures and discussions at The Last Round Bar & Grille (nbsciencecafe.com), learn how to line dance at Kilburn Mills (facebook.com/ aandmdanceacademy.com), or check out the classes and workshops for all ages at the New Bedford Art Museum/ Artworks (newbedfordart.org)!

Sample local craft beers at the annual Newport Craft Beer Festival at Fort Adams on April 29 (ribrewersguild. org) , try your hand at pickleball at Fairhaven’s indoor Southcoast Pickleball arena (southcoastpickleball.com), or check out the Friday afternoon movies at the Newport Public Library (newportpubliclibraryri.org)!

Celebrate your irish roots

Even if you’re not Irish, everyone enjoys the traditions and culture our Irish forebears brought to the South Coast. Don’t miss the spectacular Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Newport on March 11 (newportirish.com), “The Irish in America” concert, also on March 11, at the Newport Public Library (newportpubliclibraryri.org), a rousing performance by Irish fiddler Eileen Ivers on March 11 at Memorial Hall in Plymouth (plymouthphil.org), or the multi-faceted show “Ireland with Michael Londra” on March 12 at the Zeiterion in downtown New Bedford (zeiterion.org).

From today's headliners to yesterday's golden oldies

No matter what your taste in contemporary/pop music, there’s a nearby venue on the South Coast to suit your musical moods! Head for the Narrows Center for the Arts in Fall River (narrowscenter.org), the Zeiterion in downtown New Bedford (zeiterion.org), The VETS (vmari. com) or the Providence Performing Arts Center in Providence (ppacri. org), the District Center for the Arts in Taunton (thedistrictcenterforarts. com), or the Spire Center for the Performing Arts of Greater Plymouth (spirecenter.org) or Memorial Hall of Plymouth (memorialhall.com)!

Green building

“A small building with an enormous impact,” the state-ofthe-art Living Building Challenge Welcome Center at the Lloyd Center is an environmentally friendly structure that promises to bring national and international recognition to the Lloyd Center and the students of Greater New Bedford Voc-Tech.

Students in the Carpentry, Plumbing, Electrical, and HVAC programs have worked on the construction for years. Engineering students designed a bicycle rack, while Media Technology students have been monitoring the project with photos and video, which will contribute to the building’s eventual certification.

As the exterior nears its completion, students are now turning their attention to interior design and construction.

Taking a leap

Island Moving Company is now known as the Newport Contemporary Ballet, and its dance academy is now The Academy at Newport Contemporary Ballet. The change comes as the organization enters is 41st season, and demonstrates an effort to strengthen its commitment to its home city, while “enriching the cultural vitality of the region and remaining a global force in the dance world.” On March 16-18 and 24-25, see “Elements” performed at the Keats Theatre at Saint Andrews School in Barrington. For more information and additional upcoming shows, visit newportcontemporaryballet. org. Also search Vimeo for an announcement trailer.