Categories
Past Events › Free Events
Events List Navigation
Slater’s Art & Manufacture Festival
On Saturday, August 27 and Sunday, August 28, from 11 am to 5 pm, Slater Mill will be hosting its annual outdoor art and manufacture festival, S.A.M. FEST.
Taking place outside and inside, the two-day event promises music, film, a maker fair, food trucks, libations and free self-guided tours of Slater Mill itself, including the Wheel Pit exhibit (where a 10-ton wheel moves 2,000 gallons of water per minute).
Saturday features music from Mitch Chakour Band, w/Cliff Goodwin; Western Caravan, w/ “Thirsty” Dave Hansen; and Paul Rishell & Anne Raines. Starting at 7:40 pm, you can catch the Rhode Island-shot film, Moonrise Kingdom. For those who can celebrate into the late hours, David Bowie’s myth and fantasy film Labyrinth begins at 9:40 pm.
Sunday, see musical performances by Troy Gonyea, James Montgomery Band, and Jesse Dee. And both days will have a tented stage and dance floor!
Click on the poster below to see more details!
Naval Impressment: A 1765 Reenactment in Colonial Newport
Discover Newport’s place in history, by seeing history unfold! On the afternoon of August 27, 2016, “step back in time” to the summer of 1765, before the American Revolution, to witness (and engage with!) Newport Historical Society’s living-history event, Naval Impressment: A 1765 Reenactment in Colonial Newport.
Taking place in the harbor and in Washington Square, Newport will be ablaze with activities from 1 to 5 p.m., portraying the life and the lifestyle of colonial-era Americans with dozens of costumed interpreters re-imagining a summer afternoon in June of 1765.
Children’s games will be available, along with a family scavenger hunt to inspire learning. Families can explore an 18th century boat, visit inside a colonial home of Newport residents, as well as discover a fish market, meet a merchant captain, and talk to a sailmaker!
“Naval Impressment” illustrates life in a colonial seaport by going back to June 1765 when members of the Royal Navy from HMS Maidstone strong-armed colonialists (known as a “naval impressment”) to crew British warships (known as a “naval press gang”). In reaction to these manpower demands, the citizens of Newport stole and set on fire the Maidstone’s longboat.
See the rush of defiance that helped grow the historic roots of our American Revolution — in real life! “Naval Impressment” visitors can roam between three locations that have distinct connections to the June 1965 incident:
- At Perotti Park (39 America’s Cup Avenue), interpreters will represent life in the Royal Navy where they will train “impressed sailors” and discuss life at sea. Visitors can also view a reproduction 18th century boat which will be moored in the harbor and learn about what sailing was life during the Golden Age of Sail.
- At the Wanton-Lyman-Hazard House (17 Broadway), interpreters portraying middle and upper class residents will discuss the views on the naval incident and how the loss of sailors impacts their personal economic stance.
- And Washington Square will be occupied with reenactors portraying many aspects of 18th century daily life including a fish market, a merchant captain, tavern life, a sailmaker, printer and much more.
Enjoy a hearty cup o’ cider: The Society will sell reproduction tankards that visitors can fill with apple cider at each of the three locations where the living history event takes place–Washington Square, Perotti Park and the Wanton-Lyman-Hazard House. The handmade tankards cost $25, which includes several cider refills during the afternoon program. The tankards can be pre-ordered by calling the Brick Market: Museum & Shop at 401-841-8770 or purchased there the day of the program. Event attendees purchasing this tankard receive an extra 15% off at the museum shop on August 27th.
Museum of Work & Culture Labor Day Open House
Explore the legacy of Rhode Island mill workers at the Museum of Work & Culture’s 18th Annual Labor Day Open House.
Admission is free, from 9:30 am to 4 pm on Monday, Sept. 5, with this year’s event celebrating the debut of the Mill Workers’ Memory Bank, a digital registry of profiles of former mill workers.
Monday, September 5th, Labor Day, will mark the exhibit’s premiere, with event attendees being the first to have the opportunity to register their loved ones and permanently recognize their contribution to Rhode Island’s manufacturing heritage. For Labor Day only, photographs will be included in profiles for free.*
Additional programming will include:
- Walking tours of historic Woonsocket by the National Park Service at 10 am and 11:30 am
- A presentation by Woonsocket Works Exhibit Developers Content Design at 1:30 pm
- A designing Main Street activity for children and a staffed Catholic schools archive
- As well as the display of “Community Care Alliance: Human Services in Woonsocket, A 125 Year History” in the changing gallery.
*Read about the Mill Workers’ Memory Bank project, and how to participate, in the Valley Breeze. Profiles can be created for a donation of $25. All donations will go toward the development of Woonsocket Works, a new digital exhibit space which will prominently feature the Memory Bank. All donations are tax deductible. Registration forms can be downloaded here.
Visit Beavertail Lighthouse Museum
Fall weekends through Columbus Day
Learn about America’s 3rd oldest lighthouse (established in 1749) at a museum designed for all ages! Hear historical stories, see artifacts and learn about Rhode Island Lighthouses and local shipwrecks. Visit the adjacent RIDEM aquarium — free admission! Enjoy a seaside vista of rocks, waves and historical grounds unequaled in Southern New England. The museum is located at the south end of Beavertail State Park in Jamestown.
The Beavertail Lighthouse Tower is open to climb twice a month through Columbus Day. Tower openings are held on Saturday, Sept 10; Saturday, Sept 24; & Sunday, October 9. Suggested donation of $5 per adult climber.
Toe Jam Puppet Band
Bring a blanket and enjoy this hands‐on children’s entertainment that grown‐ups can actually enjoy. A dynamic group, the Toe Jam Puppet Band has a unique combination of original songs, masterful shadow puppetry, storytelling and just plain old good fun! $5 suggested donation.
RIHS’s “What Cheer Wednesdays” (for the infinitely curious)
Go behind the scenes to get a unique look at a day in the life of a museum. Each week “What Cheer Wednesdays” features a new theme, and these tour titles are sure to cue curiosity in kids and adults alike: “Third Floor Door Tour” and “Weird & Creepy Rhode Island,” as well as “Setting the 18th-Century Table” and “Morgan’s Favorites.”
On some days, there are two tours available for each event – so be sure to check the listing!
What Cheer Wednesdays upcoming schedule:
- September 14: What’s in the Basement at John Brown House Museum? (1:30pm & 3pm)
- September 21: Posters Celebrating the Opening of the National Museum of African American Heritage & Culture
- September 28: Morgan’s Favorites Tour — RIHS Executive Director takes guests through her favorite places and spaces in the John Brown House Museum. Tour at 2:30pm
-
October 5: Character Research & Development for Oct. 22‘s What Cheer Day
-
October 12: Dressing & UnDressing
-
October 19: What Cheer Day Preview
-
October 26: Weird & Creepy Rhode Island
-
November 2: The Third Floor Doors Tour (1:30pm & 3pm)
-
November 9: What’s in the Basement at John Brown House? (1:30pm & 3pm)
-
November 16: The Mill Project at MoWC
-
November 23: Setting the Table
-
November 30: After Dark & Shutting Down the House
Free admission to John Brown House and the Museum of Work & Culture (with pop-up programming, too!) In addition, you’ll be able to learn more about the Museum of Work & Culture’s fascinating Mill Project in Woonsocket.
Newport County Days at Newport Mansions
Residents of all Newport County communities are invited to enjoy free admission to all of the Preservation Society’s properties: The Breakers, Chateau-sur-Mer, Chepstow, The Elms, Green Animals Topiary Garden, Hunter House, Isaac Bell House, Kingscote, Marble House & Rosecliff. Just show proof of residency (driver’s license or other identification with an address) to receive free admission. Check operating schedule for hours of operation and tour schedule for each house.
RIHS’s “What Cheer Wednesdays” (for the infinitely curious)
Go behind the scenes to get a unique look at a day in the life of a museum. Each week “What Cheer Wednesdays” features a new theme, and these tour titles are sure to cue curiosity in kids and adults alike: “Third Floor Door Tour” and “Weird & Creepy Rhode Island,” as well as “Setting the 18th-Century Table” and “Morgan’s Favorites.”
On September 21st, What Cheer Wednesdays is participating in a national and international celebration of the National Museum of African American Heritage & Culture, featuring a set of unique and highly informative posters about the museum and the collection.
The official opening of the Smithsonian Museum is on September 24th, but if you cannot get to D.C. this What Cheer Wednesday installment is a perfect way to get a taste of the NMAAHC’s sprawling collections.
What Cheer Wednesdays upcoming schedule:
- September 28: Morgan’s Favorites Tour — RIHS Executive Director takes guests through her favorite places and spaces in the John Brown House Museum. Tour at 2:30pm
-
October 5: Character Research & Development for Oct. 22‘s What Cheer Day
-
October 12: Dressing & UnDressing
-
October 19: What Cheer Day Preview
-
October 26: Weird & Creepy Rhode Island
-
November 2: The Third Floor Doors Tour (1:30pm & 3pm)
-
November 9: What’s in the Basement at John Brown House? (1:30pm & 3pm)
-
November 16: The Mill Project at MoWC
-
November 23: Setting the Table
-
November 30: After Dark & Shutting Down the House
Free admission to John Brown House and the Museum of Work & Culture (with pop-up programming, too!) In addition, you’ll be able to learn more about the Museum of Work & Culture’s fascinating Mill Project in Woonsocket.
Rhode Island & Free Smithsonian Museum Day
Museum Day Live! is an annual celebration of boundless curiosity hosted by Smithsonian magazine. Participating museums and cultural institutions across Rhode Island are providing free entry.
Below are a few of Rhody Ramble historic sites hosting free events! To find other local sites, click here.
Paine House Heritage Day
Coventry is a secret pocket of Rhode Island history, and the past gets a lively jolt at Paine House Museum’s 7th Annual Heritage Day with music performances by the Providence Brigade Band and demonstrations by the Rhode Island Spinners Guild. Take a free tour of Paine house (ca. 1691), try out candle dipping, weaving, butter making, pumpkin painting and other crafts. Have your kids try the “fast-food of olden times,” with old-fashioned hot dogs, johnny cakes, popcorn, Birch beer, sarsaparilla, and cider.