It’s Beach Bonfire Night at Second Beach!  Take the kids to the Point a few hours earlier for Arts & Crafts Day at the National Wildlife Refuge from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. A special Wine and Cheese Artist Benefit Reception to display the works of Joya Granbery Hoyt will be held at Sweet Berry Farm from 6–8 p.m. A portion of the proceeds from Hoyt’s photo collages on Navajo rug designs will be donated to the Aquidneck Land Trust. Local police departments are holding a special Children’s Night community festival at Easton’s Beach tonight. On this day in 2002, the sunken U.S.S. Monitor was raised off…

As Bridgefest continues Wednesday, highlights include George Wein & Friends at 41 North, the Lois Vaughan Jazz Quartet at King Park, RI Sound at Easton’s Beach, Bloody Knuckles at the Newport Yachting Center and much much more! The Middletown Town Council has scheduled a special 5 p.m. meeting tonight to award the big contract to get the stormwater system reconstruction project underway.  A good dose of laughter with the Bit Players at the Firehouse Theater tonight will get you over Hump Day. Tonight's fun Zumba class will get you bouncing through the work week. In this date in 1944, the Nazi…

(EDITOR'S NOTE: THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT.) Wild times await at the Middletown Public Library today, when Dave Marchetti presents “Animal Experiences from Around the World” at 2 p.m.  Time is running out to reserve your seat at the Lobster Clambake to follow the Aug. 6 U.S.A. vs. Chile polo match. McGrath Clambake Co. will prepare the authentic New England Lobsterbake. Today’s “Storytime in the Garden” at the Norman Bird Sanctuary will feature “Near One Cattail: Turtles, Logs and Leaping Frogs” by Anthony D. Federick. The cost is $4 for members and $6 for non-members. Today’s Storytime with Miss…

Bridgefest 2011 picks up today with 10 shows located throughout Newport and most of the shows are free.  It’s Movie Monday at the Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge. Catch “Finding Nemo” and “Disneynature Earth” this afternoon. Apparently “finding Nemo” is easy today! If you missed the Wildlife Refuge’s showing, “Finding Nemo” also plays at the Aquidneck Restaurant & Pizzeria tonight. Pruitt Chiropractic kicks off its annual school supply drive. Each year the center collects supplies for schools around Aquidneck Island. Anyone who donates a bag of new school supplies can receive a free …

Did someone say “free lunch?” And I was going to get an iced coffee anyway.   Storytime with Miss Lynn at Barnes & Noble this morning features “Cars Galore” by Peter Stein. Lots happening at the Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge Friday: Catch the seine net class at 1 p.m., then stick around for the 5 p.m. seminar, “Steps to Living a Greener Life.” Looking for good waves out on Second Beach? Swells are forecast to build Friday afternoon before peaking around 6 p.m., then continue through the early part of Saturday. After that, it'll look like a pond out there. On this day in 1958, the U.…

Give blood and get a free pound of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee today. That’s not all. The Rhode Island Blood Center and WADK have planned a special “thank you” cookout celebration at the Aquidneck Avenue donor center from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m.  It’s Arts & Crafts Thursday at the Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge. The fun starts at noon. The Island Farmers Market at the Aquidneck Grange Hall on East Main Road runs from 2 to 6 p.m. Know a kid with talent? Acting Classes for children at the Firehouse Theater are now open for registration. On this date in 1868, the 14th Amendment was officially …

Windmill Wednesday returns to Prescott Farm tonight. The Island Moving Company’s second annual Great Friends Dance Festival—bringing together dancers from all over the country—takes place at the historic Great Friends Meeting House in Newport. Hilarity ensues as the Bermuda Avenue Triangle continues at the Newport Playhouse & Cabaret Restaurant. Today’s weather? Toss a coin or click here. On this day in 1974, the House Judiciary Committee recommends that America's 37th president, Richard M. Nixon, be impeached and removed from office.

The Zoning Board of Review meets tonight at 7 p.m. Included among the agenda items is a newly proposed 92-room hotel for adjoining parcels at 310 and 348 West Main Road.  The Sweet Berry Farm Tuesday Night Summer Concert series features The Elderly Brothers from 6 to 8 p.m. Unwind with Yoga in the Park at Ballard Park in Newport. It’s Family Night on Easton’s Beach. On this day in 1775, the U.S. postal system was established with Benjamin Franklin as the first postmaster general.

Start the day with free Tai Chi by the beach. Sign up the kids for acting lessons. It’s Fourth Friday at the Newport Art Museum. Check out tonight’s musical act. $5 for members and $8 for non-members. Playing hooky and hitting the beach never looked so good on scorchers like today. Since my boss reads this, sadly I cannot join you. Check surf conditions before heading out.  On this day in 2003, U.S. Army Private Jessica Lynch, a prisoner-of-war, received a hero's welcome home to Palestine, West Virginia after rescued from an Iraqi hospital.

Let’s hear it for the Bard! Shakespeare’s Middletown fans get together at the Middletown Public Library every Thursday night. Tonight’s book talk at Island Books centers around this year's Pulitzer Prize winner for fiction, “A Visit from the Goon Squad.” Comedian Steven Wright plays the Newport Yachting Center tonight. Seriously! The Middletown School Committee meets tonight at the earlier summer start time of 5 p.m. Among the topics to be discussed tonight: which school construction projects should be prioritized? On this date in 1861, during the first major Civil War battle of Bull Run, …

It’s Family Night at Easton’s Beach! Catch Abbey Rhode for a free beach concert. A Bluegrass Invitation Band plays at Sweet Berry Farm tonight from 6 to 8 p.m. Hitting the beach? Find out today’s surf conditions.  The Newport Music Festival continues today with three different concerts, beginning with Morning Mozart at the Elms. On this day in 1799, a French soldier discovered the Rosetta Stone, a rock slab inscribed with ancient writings that enabled scholars to decipher ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics for the first time in about 2,000 years.

Rough Monday and need a good laugh? The Bit Players run seven nights a week. Need to unwind in more of a Zen way? Check out Monday night Yoga at the Norman Bird Sanctuary. Confused about roundabouts and want to hear from the engineers themselves? The Rhode Island Department of Transportation will make a presentation tonight at 6 p.m. Speaking of which, the Middletown Town Council meets tonight, with the earlier start time of 6 p.m. instead of 7 p.m. A new beach pavilion is among the many items up for discussion. See the agenda in the image gallery at upper right. On this day in 1940, Franklin…

Looking for Harry Potter local showtimes? Find them here on Patch. The Black Ships Festival Opening Ceremonies take place today. Learn how to predict the weather at Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge. See the gardens of the ‘Masters’ this weekend with a special statewide tour that includes five local private and public gardens. On this date in history in 1971, President Nixon announced on TV that he was planning on visiting Communist China. 

The Middletown Public Library today presents "One World, Many Stories, Songs, and Smiles," a musical "show and tell" featuring folk instruments from around the world and talks about the cultural origins of today’s “American” instruments. NewportFILM’s free screening of “Buck,” the true-life inspiration behind “The Horse Whisperer,” plays tonight at the Newport Polo Grounds in Portsmouth. AIRPA will holding its final public hearing for the Navy surplus lands throughout Aquidneck Island tonight at the CCRI Newport Campus Auditorium. "Sunset Rhythms on the Beach," a Norman Bird Sanctuary arts  …

Do you have an opinion on traffic circles for West Main Road? Tonight’s Planning Board Public Hearing is your chance to be heard.  Don't know your binoculars from your boots? Tonight’s “Birding 101” class at the Norman Bird Sanctuary will get you out in the field with greater confidence in no time. The Potter League for Animals offers a Pet Loss Support Group tonight. BINGO!  On this date in 1985, Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana opened the first Live Aid Concert to benefit famine-stricken Africans. 

It's Family Fun Night at the Krupowicz Planetarium. It's Family Night at Easton's Beach. A neighborhood informational meeting will be held at 6 p.m. to discuss the Continental Village sewer and storm water project that begins work July 18.  A Bluegrass Invitation Band brings classic bluegrass and more to Sweet Berry Farm tonight from 6 to 8 p.m. An optional ticketed multi-course meal may also be purchased at the show.  On this date in history in 1984, Walter Mondale, the Democratic Presidential front-runner, introduced Representative Geraldine Ferraro for his running mate.

At the Norman Bird sanctuary today, take the guided Bird Walk.  Christopher Kavi presents “Andiamo Tutti!” a celebration of Italy in story and song at the Middletown Public Library at 11 a.m.  In Middletown government, the Conservation Commission meets today. Get your daily Middletown surf report here. On this date in 1804, Vice President Aaron Burr shot and killed long-time political rival Alexander Hamilton in a duel.   

Looking for the daily surf report for Middletown or hitting the beach this weekend? Check out MagicSeaweed.com's forecast. Looking to bring a new dog or cat into the home this summer? The Potter League for Animals just received nearly 30 southern dogs and is looking to place nearly 70 homeless cats into loving homes. Is it a beach weekend or isn’t it? Tough call. The forecast for Friday and Saturday seems to be anyone’s guess right now while Sunday seems to have the strongest chance of sun. Friday morning, the Newport Music Festival presents Chopin Rarities, little known and recently …

Oxbow Farms' 1st Annual DARE Day takes place today from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. with fun, food, games and music. On your marks, get set… waddle! It’s the MEC's Duck Race Day, Middletown. Don’t like traffic? Avoid East Main Road in Portsmouth today! NewportFILM’s free screening of “Life In A Day” at Trinity Church in Newport tonight has everyone buzzing. Don’t miss it! On this day in 1930, construction of the Hoover Dam began.

The Middletown Public Library’s Summer Reading Series this afternoon features “Around the World Folk Tales for Kids.” Sure to be on the must-see list for the kids this summer, the latest “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” sequel can be found locally in 3D as well as standard projection at Island Cinemas in Middletown. The Campbell’s Tennis Hall of Fame Championships continue today.  BINGO! The Martin Luther King Community Center in Newport offers BINGO games every Wednesday night as a fundraiser. On this date in history in 1957, Althea Gibson became the first African American to win a …