From oysters to bike rides, get out and enjoy these Newport County events this weekend
Spring is definitely in the air — or maybe that's just pollen. Either way, there is no shortage of activities to get you outside this weekend, whether you're looking to indulge on seafood or hop on a bike for some exercise along one of Newport's most scenic stretches.
Check out these four events in Newport County and one that just might be worth leaving the area for.
Newport Oyster & Chowder Festival
The Newport Oyster & Chowder Festival will take over Bowen's Wharf on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m.to 6 p.m.
The event is open to the public, admission is free and all food will be available for purchase directly from vendors. Multiple cash bars will be on site and live music is also planned for both days
Bike along Ocean Avenue - with no cars
All are invited to enjoy “Elliot’s Ride for Everyone” when Ocean Avenue opens to people biking and strolling — and closes to cars — on Saturday, May 21.
Friends and families can pedal, stride, explore and enjoy a long stretch of Ocean Avenue and all the birds, boulders, surf, lagoons and majestic properties along the way. Also included on the route is the full-length of adjacent Hazard Road, home to the lovely tucked-away Gooseneck Cove Salt Marsh and its herons and ospreys.
Participants can park at Rogers High School on Wickham Road, where the official welcome will take place at 8:45 a.m. and where there will be refreshments and bathroom facilities. There is also the option to park at Brenton Point State Park, which is just a short distance from another entry point to the route — the intersection of Ocean Avenue and Harrison Avenue.
The event is produced by Bike Newport, the city’s nonprofit that works to improve and encourage biking in Newport and beyond. It is free and open to tall. Donations are welcome and will support this event and all of the organization’s community bicycle education programs.
If you need a bike: Bike Newport will have a fleet of bicycles available to borrow on a first-come, first-served, that can be signed up for in advance online.
If you have mobility challenges: Bike-On of Warwick will bring “adaptive bikes” for people to test ride. Please sign up in advance online to test ride an adaptive bike.
For online information, registration, and bike reservations visit bikenewportri.org/elliots-ride. You can also email info@bikenewportri.org or call 401-619-4900.
Elliot’s Ride for Everyone honors Elliot Kaminitz, a much-loved community member and bicycle safety advocate who lost his life in 2012 when he was hit by a car near Easton’s Beach.
Newport in Bloom plant sale
Newport in Bloom recently announced the return of its annual spring Plant Sale. This year, in addition to locally grown plants, herbs and colorful hanging baskets, out-of-state growers will provide hard-to-find annuals, perennials and succulents for your garden.
All proceeds support Newport in Bloom’s beautification efforts, including the decorative hanging flower baskets that adorn city streets and its annual garden competition and awards ceremony.
The sale takes place, Sunday, May 22, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., rain or shine, on the Newport Elks Club Lawn, 141 Pelham St.
Celebrate the Imagination Library
The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center will hold a free community event to celebrate the Imagination Library on Sunday, May 22 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Rodgers Recreation Center on the Salve Regina University campus.
The event features a concert with the Toe Jam Puppet Band, refreshments will be provided, free of charge, as well as photo-booth fun with Llama Llama.
Parking is free. For bus transportation, take bus No. 67 Bellevue/Salve Regina University from the Gateway Visitors Center.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library puts books into the hands and hearts of children up to 5 years old across the world. There is no cost to parents, and the MLK Center partners with local communities to mail a hand-selected, age-appropriate, high-quality monthly book to registered children.
In 2021, 1,662 local kids received books in the mail each month via DPIL at the MLK Center. Special thanks to the Bazarsky Family Foundation for making the Imagination Library possible for the children of Newport County.
For more information or to register your child for DPIL, please contact Judy Hall at 401-924-4252 or by email at imaginationlibrary@MLKCCenter.org.
Sunday Funday
A pedestrian shopping and dining experience in the heart of downtown Westerly from noon to 8 p.m. High Street will be closed to automobiles, but open for lunch, dinner, shopping, cocktails and artist booth exhibits.
Enjoy live music by Howling Hound Dogs from noon to 1:30 p.m., Big Lux from 1 to 3 p.m., Pop! from 3 to 4 p.m. and Greg Sherrod from 4 to 6 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: Newport County things to do May 21-22: Oyster & Chowder Festival
