What's Up This Weekend | 18 Open Houses to check out this weekend if you're shopping for a new home
Plus: 4 Qs with Dan Berube, Director of Marketing for Spectacle Live
Good Morning! Today is Saturday, February 25. Today’s newsletter is 1,974words - approximately a 9-minute read.
🐎 On tap for this weekend – Newport Winter Festival, Newport Burger Bender, Newport Polo on 2nd Beach, Teddy Thompson, and more! Get the full rundown → What’s Up This Weekend: Feb. 23 – 26
🏠 Here are some more ideas → ‘Six Picks’ Music: The best in local music this weekend (Feb. 24-26) + ‘Six Picks’ Events: What’s Up in RI this weekend (Feb. 24-26)
On the market for a new home? Here’s a look at what homes are hosting an open house this weekend → Open Houses: 18 homes to check out in Newport County this weekend
🎵 Among the activities happening today as part of Newport Winter Festival is a Tribute To Tom Petty, Dumpling Eating Contest, and Ice Carving Here is today’s schedule.
🍔 Just two more days to have your say in who serves up the best burger in Newport and Bristol Counties. Try one. Try some. Try them all. Then vote for your favorite burger! Check out the participating burgers.
4 Qs with Dan Berube, Director of Marketing for Spectacle Live
Spectacle Live has spent the last couple of years bringing concerts and comedy to The Jane Pickens Theater and Event Center. On Sunday, John Lodge from The Moody Blues will take the stand, and Dar Williams, Suzanne Vega, George Winston, Carbon Leaf, Tom Rush, Livingston Taylor, and Tom Chapin will also take the stage this year.
In a recent interview, Berube discussed the success of the company’s shows at The JPT and its plans for the future.
Spectacle Live has been producing shows at The JPT for over a year; what convinced you to bring shows to Newport?
“As concert promoters, we’re always looking for the opportunity to present more events. Newport has an excellent reputation for live music thanks to the Folk and Jazz Festivals, and we felt there would be demand for more shows year-round. Kathy Staab from the Jane Pickens Film & Event Center was receptive to the idea of us bringing shows in, and her team has been excellent to work with. Unfortunately, we were only able to test the idea once before our entire industry was shut down for over a year. We were able to bounce back and bring 14 shows to Newport in 2022, and thankfully the demand from fans was there.
From a booking standpoint, Newport is an ideal distance from our other venues in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Tour routing is important for artists, and we’re able to put in offers for multiple venues. For example, Suzanne Vega will perform at our venue in Nashua, NH the night before coming to Newport, while Carbon Leaf will play the Shalin Liu in Rockport, MA the night after their Newport show. The more chances we have to work with an artist, the better the relationship we can develop with them”.
2023 looks like it will be your busiest season of shows at The JPT. What show are you most looking forward to?
“Well, I learned a long time ago that it doesn’t really matter what I’m excited about, it’s what the fans are excited about. Some of the first shows I worked when I got into the business as a college student were Dolly Parton and Tom Jones. At that age, I wasn’t very familiar with them, but their performances and the audience responses really got me hooked on the live entertainment industry. People go to concerts to have a great night out, and it’s fun to be part of the team that makes that possible. That being said, I’m a big fan of 90s/early 2000s alternative and Carbon Leaf is definitely a show I’m personally looking forward to.”
With continued success, what might the future hold in Newport? Are any musicians on your wish list to bring to Newport?
“We’ve seen success with multiple genres in Newport, so the wish list is getting pretty long at this point. We’re sending in more offers to artists all the time, and we actually confirmed another show while I’m writing this! In addition to music, we’d like to bring in more stand-up comedy as well. We’re also seeing success with illusionists in our other venues, so we may be able to bring some magic to the Jane Pickens at some point in the future.”
Anything else you want to add?
“Thank you to the fans in Rhode Island for coming out and supporting live music at the Jane Pickens. 2020 and 2021 were rough years for those of us in live entertainment, so to see shows bounce back in 2022 was really important for all of us in the industry. All long as you keep showing up, we’ll keep trying to bring more shows to town!”
What’s Up Today
☀️ Weather
Today: Increasing clouds, with a high near 26. North wind 5 to 9 mph becoming light and variable.
Tonight: A slight chance of snow before 9pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 21. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming northeast in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
🛥️ Marine Forecast
Today: N wind 5 to 8 kt becoming variable and less than 5 kt. A slight chance of snow after 5pm. Seas 1 ft or less.
Tonight: Variable winds 5 kt or less. A slight chance of snow before 9pm. Seas 1 ft or less.
Coastal Water Temperature: 42°F.
🌊 Sun, Moon, & Tide
Sunrise: 6:25 am | Sunset: 5:30 pm | 11 hours and 4 minutes of sun.
High tide at 11:43 am | Low tide at 4:57 am & 4:43 pm.
Moon: Waxing Crescent. 5.2 days, 27% lighting.
🎭 Things To Do
9 am to 12 pm: Aquidneck Growers Market at Stoneacre Garden
11 am: Josh Funk Storytime and Book Signing at Charter Books
11 am: Ice Carving demonstration at Long Wharf
2 pm: Winter Speaker Series 2023: Katherine Quinn at Newport Art Museum
3 pm:Winter Festival Beach Poloon Second Beach6:30 pm: Winter Wine Dinner at Newport Vineyards
7 pm: Music and Poetry Open-Mic at Channing Coffeehouse at Channing Memorial Church
7 pm & 9 pm: Improv with the Bit Players at The Firehouse Theater
8:30 pm: Tribute to Tom Petty at Wyndham Newport Hotel
For more events and things to do, visit our events calendar.
🎶 Entertainment
Bar & Board: Mel at 8:30 pm
Blue Anchor Grill: Two Across from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm
Buskers: Brian Twohey at 9 pm
Clarke Cooke House: Live music at 10 pm
Johnny’s at Wyndham: Live music from 6 pm to 9 pm
JPT Film & Event Center: Turn Every Page: The Adventures of Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb at 1:30 pm, Jules Verne’s Mysterious Island at 4 pm, Carole King: Home Again-Live in Central Park at 7 pm
La Forge: Dave Manuel at 6 pm
Narragansett Cafe: Steve Smith & The Nakeds from 8 pm to 11:30 pm
Newport Blues Cafe: Zeneth at 9 pm
O’Brien’s Pub: CGray the DJ at 10 pm
One Pelham East: Timmy Smith from 4 pm to 7:30 pm, Christian Porter & Nyke Van Wyk from 8 pm to 11:30 pm
Pour Judgement: We Own Land Lucky #13 Anniversary Show with Bob Kendall’s Nerve Pill!! at 9 pm
Speakeasy: Live music at 10 pm
The Pub at Two Mile corner: John Erikson at 8:30 pm
The Firehouse Theatre: Live improv comedy with The Bit Players at 7 pm & 9 pm
The Reef: Collin and Sarah Van Pelt from 7 pm to 10 pm
Top of Pelham: Dueling Pianos featuring Daniel Boucher and Dave Laros from 8 pm to 10 pm
Vieste Simply Italian: Dave Alves at 7 pm
Wyndham Newport Hotel: Tribute to Tom Petty at 8:30 pm
🏛️ City & Government
No local meetings are scheduled.
See the agendas and a full list of public meetings across Rhode Island here.
On WhatsUpNewp.com
We published 26 stories yesterday on WhatsUpNewp.com, here’s a look at the latest since our last newsletter.
🆕 The Latest
Director of Marketing for Spectacle Live discusses the success of shows at The JPT and future plans
In a recent interview as part of the “4Qs with” series, Dan Berube, the Director of Marketing for Spectacle Live, discussed the success of the company’s shows at The Jane Pickens Theater and Event Center and its plans for the future.
Could 2023 be the year offshore wind energy takes off in the US?
How offshore wind capacity is expected to grow
West Warwick man sentenced in unemployment fraud scheme
A West Warwick man who admitted to a federal judge that he participated in a conspiracy to use the stolen identities of others to gain COVID related unemployment insurance benefits was sentenced today to three years in federal prison
Road Report: Schedule of lane closures and road construction projects (Feb. 25 – March 4)
The following road and lane closure notices have been scheduled by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) and Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority (RITBA).
Open Houses: 18 homes to check out in Newport County this weekend
On the market for a new home? Here’s a look at what homes are hosting an open house this weekend.
Rep. Caldwell, Sen. Gu sponsor legislation that would allow some meetings to be held virtually, residents to testify remotely
Rep. Justine A. Caldwell and Senator Victoria Gu are sponsoring legislation to make it easier for residents to participate in local government by allowing advisory boards and commissions to hold meetings via videoconference and allowing residents to testify remotely in certain local meetings including town council, planning, zoning and school committee meetings.
Senator Pearson introduces legislation that would expand eligibility for the Wavemaker Fellowship Program to include public school teachers
It provides a financial incentive for graduates pursuing a career or starting a business in Rhode Island in STEM fields by defraying student loan payments for up to four years.
❤️ Recent Local Obituaries
Alice F. Stratford
November 07, 1934 – February 22, 2023
📈 Popular Stories Right Now
Here’s what What’sUpNewp stories folks were reading the most yesterday;
Cities with the fastest growing home prices in Boston metro area
Castle Hill Inn unveils new Supper Club and Prix Fixe Lunch Menu
📖 Further Reading
WJAR: Newport cracks down on underage drinking
ecoRI: Funding for Vital Rhode Island Climate Agency Again Urged