Newport County weekend events offer change to celebrate Earth Day, poetry and more
The weather has returned to something more seasonable but that doesn't mean we've got to stay hunkered down indoors.
This weekend offers plenty of events to brighten up the days and help your community. With Earth Day falling on Saturday there are a number of opportunities to participate in clean-ups or you can do your own and grab a pair of work gloves and a garbage bag to pick up your neighborhood.
You can also take in a poetry reading to celebrate National Poetry Month and Newport County residents have a chance to visit Newport's mansions for free.
So check out these five things to do in Newport County this weekend and make your plans.
Earth Day Garden Expo
The Tiverton Public Library and URI Master Gardeners are teaming up to produce the library’s inaugural Earth Day Garden Expo on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. This program is free and open to the public and will be held at the library on 34 Roosevelt Aven. in Tiverton.
The Expo will feature a URI Master Gardening kiosk, with Master Gardeners available to respond to your specific gardening questions. Bring a soil sample from your garden or lawn for FREE soil testing with the URI Master Gardeners. Please visit https://tivertonlibrary.org for instructions on how to prepare your soil sample for testing.
The Tiverton Library will offer activities for all ages, free seeds, a gardening book sale table, and a raffle to benefit outdoor library programming.
Finally, guests to the Expo can meet with and learn from experts on gardening, plants, and land preservation from around the East Bay:
Audubon Society
Eastern Conservation District
Eco Rhode Island
Gnarly Vines Farm
A local botanist
RI Beekeepers Association
RI Nature Conservatory
RI Tree Council
RI Wild Plant Society
Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation
Tiverton Farmers Market
Tiverton Land Trust
Poetry reading
In celebration of National Poetry Month, the Jamestown Arts Center,18 Valley St., Jamestown, will host a free JAC OutLoud Poetry Reading on Sunday at 3 p.m. Four highly acclaimed, nationally-recognized poets will read from their selected works. An open discussion will follow.
Poets are: Tina Cane, the Poet Laureate of RI; Imani Elizabeth Jackson, 2023 National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellow; Sawako Nakayasu, Brown Univ faculty member and artist working with language, performance, and translation; and Timothy Donnelly, Columbia U. faculty member and Guggenheim fellow.
For more information visit jamestownartcenter.org/events
Visit the mansions
Residents of Newport County are invited to enjoy free admission to open Preservation Society properties on Saturday and Sunday.
Residents of Jamestown, Newport, Middletown, Portsmouth, Tiverton and Little Compton are included in this offer. Free admission is also extended to personnel stationed at Naval Station Newport and their immediate family, as well as students of Salve Regina University. Proof of residence, or a Naval Station Newport or Salve Regina student ID, is required.
The Breakers, The Elms, Marble House and Green Animals Topiary Garden are open both days from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Houses and grounds close one hour after last tour admission. This offer does not include specialty tours such as Beneath The Breakers or The Elms Servant Life Tour.
For more information, go to https://www.newportmansions.org/events/newport-country-days-2023/.
Clean up Fort Adams
Two Newport-based nonprofit organizations, Clean Ocean Access and Sail Newport, are collaborating to clean Fort Adams State Park in preparation for the May arrival of the Ocean Race on Saturday from 10 a.m. until noon.
The Newport event adopts the international goals of The Ocean Race to be the first climate-positive international sporting event. The aim is to host a reduced-waste event with a minimal carbon footprint.
Volunteers will help remove debris from the two-plus miles of sandy and rocky shoreline where the Ocean Race Newport will take place. Gloves, trash pickers and bags will be provided for volunteers.
Volunteers may sign up here: https://waiver.smartwaiver.com/e/7s6rSTA8U2RazDTurWhKTh/
For more information visit cleanoceanaccess.org or theoceanracenewport.com.
Daffodil car parade
EDITOR'S NOTE: Due to weather the parade has been moved to Saturday, April 22.
The Audrain Automobile Museum partners with Newport’s Daffodil Days to host the 9th Annual Audrain Automobile Museum’s “Driving Miss Daffodil.” This is your opportunity to cruise past thousands of the over 1,300,000 daffodils planted throughout Newport.
Participants are encouraged to decorate their vehicles (and themselves!) in their best daffodil-themed regalia with awards going to the best “daffily-dressed” vehicles and drivers.
Fifty decorated vehicles will gather at 7 a.m. for an 8 a.m. start at Easton’s Beach. The parade will follow our Miss Daffodils, cruising past Easton’s Beach, up Memorial Boulevard, through downtown Newport, south around Ocean Avenue, up the drive to Castle Hill where 40,000 daffodils and the Castle Hill staff will greet arrivals.
The cars will then drive to Second Beach in Middletown for Audrain’s festive “Cars & Coffee.”
This year, two Miss Daffodils will lead the rally – The current Miss RI, Abby Mansolillo and current Miss Teen, Gillian Johnston.
Cost: $50.00 per vehicle. Limited to the first 50 sign-ups.
Participants receive:
Two free admission to the Audrain Automobile Museum, redeemable this Spring (April & May 2023)
A $10 voucher to LaForge Casino Restaurant
To register, go to AudrainAutoMuseum.org – Events.
This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: Things to do in Newport County April 22-23: Free mansions, Earth Day
