Looking for something to do in Newport this weekend: Here are 4 best bets
This weekend marks the end of winter vacation for students in the area and that means spring is right around the corner.
Events taking place this weekend will start to give you that feeling, with the St. Patrick's Day parade starting to jump to the front of our minds.
If you're not quite ready to think about the changing of seasons the Newport Winter Festival is wrapping up this weekend with some marquee events and a Black History Month celebration will take place on Sunday with a free event at the St. John the Evangelist Chuch.
If movies are your thing, the Newport Art Museum will host four showings in conjunction with the Providence Children’s Film Festival.
Check out what's happening and start making your plans.
Slave History Medallion installation
The Rhode Island Slave History Medallions invites the public to celebrate Black History Month at a program honoring Black abolitionist and church founder Peter Quire on Sunday at 3 p.m. at the historic St. John the Evangelist Church, 61 Washington St. in Newport. The event is free, open to the public, and a reception follows.
With speakers and gospel music, the event will feature U.S. Congressman Gabe Amo speaking about Black History Month. RISHM historian and a Brown University Ph.D. candidate Imen Boussayoud will also speak about the history of Peter Quire, who worked with the Pennsylvania Quakers on the Underground Railroad freeing enslaved people, and his wife Harriet, both lifelong advocates for equality who were leaders of the Black community in Newport. The St. John’s Choir will perform with special guest Gospel singer Kenny Johnson.
RISHM will be installing a medallion at the church’s entrance and it will be among the 14 markers installed across the state that tell the inclusive stories of African and Indigenous Americans during the Colonial Era.
Medallions provide a QR code for scanning with a mobile phone, linking visitors to the slave history archive at www.rishm.org. For more information, contact RISHM director Charles Roberts at info@rishm.org.
St. Practice Day
Newport's annual St. Patrick's Day parade is less than a month away and organizers are hosting their first parade-related event of the season.
Join the parade committee on Sunday at O'Brien's Pub from noon to 3 p.m. for the St. Practice Day Kick-off. Music by Rhode to Dublin, prizes, and light snacks. Come out and help support the parade.
For more information visit newportirish.com
Providence Children’s Film Festival at Newport Art Museum
The Museum welcomes the 15th Annual Providence Children’s Film Festival to Newport on Friday and Saturday with four film screenings over two days. There will also be free drop-in animation activities for all ages. All shows are “Give What You Can,” ensuring inspiring shared film experiences are accessible to all. Visit the museum for animated, live-action and documentary short and feature-length films from across the globe that will pique your curiosity, challenge your senses, and spark your imagination.
The schedule is:
Friday: “Wolfwalkers.” 5:30 p.m.
Saturday: “Be Strong, Be Kind.” 10:30 a.m.
“Ernest & Celestine.” 12:30 p.m.
“Comm-YOU-nity.” 2:30 p.m.
Doors open 30 minutes before the start of all films.
For more information on the films visit newportartmuseum.org/events
Newport Winter Festival
The festival taking place across Newport wraps up this weekend with a couple of highly anticipated events on the schedule.
Highlights include the Silent Disco at 7 p.m. on Friday at OceanCliff, the Mac & Cheese Smackdown at the Newport Marriott beginning at 11 a.m. on Saturday, and the Ice Carving Demonstration at 11 a.m. on Sunday at Long Wharf.
For more information, including a full schedule and event admission costs, visit newportwinterfestival.com
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Newport weekend events Feb. 23-25: Newport Winter Festival, St. Practice
