Welcome neighbors, to 401 Fun: the weekly column where we toast with Del’s and Autocrat to living our best lives here in the Ocean State. Your ever-loyal guide, I’ve hunted and gathered so many good times for you, I gotta make like I have a bag of Iggy’s and dive right in.
GO CELTS
This is something you can do at home, at your cousin’s watch party, or favorite bar — just a friendly PSA: We might win it all. Watch the Celtics in Game 4 of the NBA finals Friday at 8:30 p.m. #GoCelts. 🏀 ☘️ 🙏
CELEBRATING JUNETEENTH
In Providence, Kin Southern Table + Bar hosts its 4th Annual Juneteenth Block Party June 14 from 5 p.m to 1 a.m. Expect food, specialty cocktails, games, live entertainment and dancing, according to billing. Admission $5; kids 12 and under free. 71 Washington St. Details here.
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In Newport, Rhode Island Slave History Medallions’ Juneteenth Celebration is set for June 15 in Washington Square Park, during which the 1st Rhode Island Regiment will be honored. Known as the “Black Regiment,” some historians considered it the first Black battalion in US military history, although Native Americans served in its ranks as well. RISHM founder Charles Roberts will read a letter from Thomas Nichols, who served in the regiment and was freed from enslavement.
Elected officials, including Newport Mayor Xay Khamsyvoravong, Secretary of State Gregg Amore, state Representative Marvin Abney, Governor Dan McKee, and US Senator Jack Reed, will deliver remarks.
The celebration will also include musical performances from varied cultural traditions including gospel music, Bristol Fife and Drump Corps’ colonial music, the traditional dance of Narragansett folk artist Thawn Harris and family, and a drum performance by African artist Sidy Maiga. And there will be a historical reenactment, and storytelling from Valerie Tutson of the Rhode Island Black Storytellers. There will also be children’s activities, craft vendors and food trucks.
Free and open to the public. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. 32 Touro St #28. Details here and here.
WATER LANTERN FESTIVAL
If you know anything about Rhody, you know we love mixing our water with fire. So I can’t wait for the Water Lantern Festival June 15 at Pawtucket’s Slater Memorial Park. Expect food trucks, games, activities, vendors, music and “thousands of lanterns.” Gates open at 5:30 p.m. BYO blanket and chairs. You can design your lantern at 8 p.m., and launch it at 8:30 p.m. (Don’t worry — staff cleans up lanterns afterward.) Ticket prices and packages vary. Kids 7 and under free. 401 Newport Ave., Pawtucket. See here for a sense of vibe. All details here.
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PROM PRIDE RIDE
It’s prom-on-wheels time. Providence Bike Jam hosts a community “Prom Pride Ride” June 14. Meet at 7 p.m. at Burnside Park. “Get dressed up, deck out your bike, and join us for a love-filled spin around the city. We all get to be the cool kids this time, it’s a total prom do-over,” according to their Insta. The rides go through Providence and the surrounding area and are 8-13 miles long. Scooters, skateboards, rollerblades and skates are welcome. They ask that you read these guidelines before joining. Looks like they had a blast last year. Details here and here.
‘GANSETT X LOBSTER
Welp, this sums up summer in the Ocean State. Head to PVD’s Narragansett Brewery June 14-16 — free tip: June 16 is Fathers’ Day — for the “Fresh Catch Lobster Weekend.” Pair a brew with lobster, as Cousins Maine Lobster Truck pops up June 14 from 4-8 p.m., Dune Brothers pops up June 15 noon to 3 p.m., and Iggy’s pops up for Pop June 16 noon to 3 p.m. Free admission; pay for what you eat. 271 Tockwotton St. Providence. Details here.
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PRIDEFEST AND ILLUMINATED NIGHT PARADE
The 48th annual Rhode Island PrideFest and Illuminated Night Parade is June 15. The fun kicks off at 11:30 a.m. at District Park (120 Peck St.) and the day and night are jam-packed with fun. On the docket:
- A beer, wine and spirits tent for the 21+ crowd.
- A vendor exhibition and marketplace billed as “a kaleidoscope of LGBTQ+ and ally-owned businesses, local artisans, and community organizations.”
- A family-friendly “Pride Fest Kid Zone” from 12-3 p.m. with programming via the Providence Children’s Museum.
- On the main stage, catch Grammy winner/semi-finalist on “The Masked Singer” Thelma Houston, RuPaul’s Drag Race” stars Yvie Oddly and Xunami Muse, and “American Idol” alum Blake Lewis.
- The illuminated night parade starts right after the fest at 7:45, according to info., from the intersection of Empire and Washington. Viewing area includes Washington, Dorrance and Weybosset streets. All details here.
SUPER DOG ADOPTION DAY
I’m already cooing and talking dog-speak. (Whoosagoodboy? Who?) Yup, some 300 adoptable dogs and puppies from Always Adopt are headed to the WaterFire Arts Center June 15 from noon to 4 p.m and I want them all. You can see pups looking for a home here, but promise me you’ll come back and finish reading this column and not just get swept away by adorable puppy photos. Free admission. 475 Valley St., Providence. Details here and here.
‘MOTHERF**KER WITH THE HAT’
Nope, not your ex. It’s the play on now through June 16 at Pawtucket’s Burbage Theatre Company, directed by Jackie Davis. It so wowed Globe RI’s theater correspondent, he compared playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis to Shakespeare and Lin-Manuel Miranda … (I think that’s, like, six stars.) $30. 59 Blackstone Ave., Pawtucket. Learn more about the play here and here.
EAST PROVIDENCE RESTAURANT WEEK
You’ve heard of Providence Restaurant Week. Now get ready for the East Providence Restaurant Week. Yup, EP is launching its own celebration June 16-22. According to billing, it’s the “first-ever taste tour of East Providence’s culinary best.” Expect deals and prix fixe. You might, for example, lunch on authentic Portuguese food at Madeira Restaurant, where you’ll score a free cup of soup with any sandwich. For dinner, they offer a free cup of soup or side salad with $20 entree — perhaps sautéed shrimp in butter, garlic, and wine served over a bed of rice, or marinated pork blended with roasted potatoes and little necks. Meanwhile, Uncle Tony’s Pizza & Pasta offers a $23.95 prix fixe meal: Start on soup or salad, then you might dig into baked sea scallops with pasta, veggie or fries, or chicken parmigiana, before dessert: tiramisu or carrot cake. Details here.
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‘TASTE OF JUNETEENTH’
Meanwhile, it’s the first-ever “Taste of Juneteenth’' in Providence on June 19. The event plans to include food from the African Diaspora and to highlight Black-owned businesses. Head to Farm Fresh Rhode Island from noon to 4 p.m. Current food vendors include Ethiopian Eats, Caribbean Soul, Ja Patty RI, and Bugg’d Out BBQ, according to website. 10 Sims Ave., Providence. Free admission with RSVP here. Details here.
MUSIC AT SUNSET
BYO chairs, blanket and picnic dinner to soak up in the view of Narragansett Bay and sound of music on the rolling greens of a mansion. Bristol’s Blithewold Mansion, Gardens & Arboretum hosts Sunshine Melodies Steelpan Reggae as part of their Music at Sunset series June 19. Gates 5 p.m., show 6-8 p.m. Preregistration required; walk-ins not accepted. Adults $18; kids 5-17 $6. 101 Ferry Road. Get a sense of vibe here. Details here and here.
‘FROM FREE TO FREEDOM: A JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION’
In collaboration with Juneteenth RI, Mixed Magic Theatre, Rhode Island Black Storytellers, and Providence’s Department of Art, Culture, and Tourism, PPAC hosts “From Free to Freedom,” a free admission play on June 19. “From Free to Freedom” is billed as “a play with music, dance and storytelling that celebrates Juneteenth, a holiday that commemorates the end of 300 years of the enslavement of African people in America. Free, 7 p.m. 220 Weybosset St., Providence. Details here.
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BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE. ONGOING FUN…
TROOPTOP THURSDAYS : ‘Tis the season for a rooftop beer garden. WaterFire Providence’s TroopTop Thursdays rock the top of WaterFire Arts Center now through Aug. 29, except July 4 and July 25. Each week, you can catch the sunset, and the current exhibition, 5-9 p.m. Expect tunes, snacks, beer and wine. 475 Valley St., Providence. Details here.
‘LA CAGE AUX FOLLES’: Trinity Rep concludes its season with the Tony-winning musical “La Cage aux Folles,” with book by Harvey Fierstein, music by Jerry Herman, and directed by resident company member Taavon Gamble. The play centers on drag club owner Georges, and his husband, Albin, who performs at the club. “Hijinks ensue” when Georges’ son becomes engaged to the daughter of a homophobic politician and Georges tries to hide his sexuality, according to billing. From $24. Through June 30. 201 Washington St., Providence. Details here.
ITALIAN FOOD FEST: Foodies, rev your engines. Federal Hill, Rhody’s own Little Italy, hosts its 5th Al Fresco on the Hill on Saturdays through Aug. 31 from 5 p.m. to midnight. People can stroll the avenue and sample food from local restaurants and shop at retailers set up outside. There will also be live entertainment and artistic performances. Details here.
DRAGONS AT THE ZOO: Kids can explore “Dragons & Mythical Creatures” at Roger Williams Park Zoo. Billed as an “immersive experience featuring over 60 life-size animatronic wonders.” Through Aug. 11. Not included with regular zoo admission. $9 ages 2 and up. Under 2 free. 1000 Elmwood Ave., Providence. Details here.
FOOD TRUCK FRIDAYS: Weather permitting, some 15 local food trucks park at Roger Williams Park at 5 p.m. each Friday through Sept. 27. Bring a chair or blanket and soak up live tunes from local artists, jump on the carousel, hop the train ride. Free admission; pay for what you eat. 1000 Elmwood Ave., Providence. Details here.
ERIK ROCK, GRETA GRANITE AND THE THUNDERSTONE: In case you missed the unveiling last weekend, it’s officially Troll Time in Rhode Island. Renowned trash artist and recycle activist Thomas Dambo’s two trolls in Ninigret Park are now open to the public. 5 Park Lane, Charlestown.
FOOD AND ARCHITECTURE WALKING TOUR: Food, art, and architecture come together for Downcity Providence Food Tours, noon to 3:30 p.m., on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through November. Get an insider’s view of creative and lively Providence during a tour lasting more than three hours over 1.7 miles. Discover some of the city’s award-winning restaurants, its hidden art and historic architecture. Tickets $76-$94 per person. 1 Ship St., Providence. Details here.
BROWN’S ART WALKING TOURS: Brown University now offers free public art walking tours led by Brown students every weekend. Learn about Brown’s public art collection with a 40-minute student-curated tour, exploring six works of art. All tours are outdoors, rain or shine. No registration required. Meet up at 1 p.m. On Saturdays, meet at the Eli Harvey sculpture, Bronze Bruno, on the College Green (79 Waterman St.) On Sundays, meet at Tom Friedman’s Circle Dance, on the Campus Walk. Tours run weekends through Nov. 17. Map and all details here.
GREEN ANIMALS: Watch out! It’s an elephant! And a bear! And an ostrich! … Sorry, they’re plants. Yup, the Preservation Society of Newport County’s Green Animals Topiary Garden is open for the season, featuring some 80 topiaries in the shape of animals and designs — and loads of flowers — on the 7 acres. BYO Picnic. 380 Corys Lane, Portsmouth. Open daily 10 a.m to 5 p.m. Tickets sold in packages with house tours. Details here.
Until next week, Rhody: Keep rockin.’
Lauren Daley can be reached at ldaley33@gmail.com. Follow her on Twitter @laurendaley1.