 | | | | | | | | 10 Things To Do This Weekend!
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| | Viva la Foo!
 This Saturday, get ready for an epic reprise of AS220’s annual event, Foo Fest. The 25th anniversary festival will transform Empire Street into carnival-like fairground. More than 20 bands will perform on two stages with all-day entertainment, arts installations, games, food offerings and more. The event is – as always – all ages, and numerous activities have been planned for the younger crowd. The newly renovated Mercantile Block, located on Washington Street, will be on display during free tours taking place between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. Attendees will also be able to participate in the AS220 Oral History Project: Back Talk; get an instant black-and-white portrait shot with the characters from Big Nazo Puppets; check out the Anarchist Book Fair; and shop at all the local crafter and artist booths.
LOCATION: AS220, 115 Empire St., and Empire Street block, Providence. Saturday, Aug. 14, 1 p.m. to 1 a.m. $5 admission. Group tours of the Mercantile Block, 131 Washington St., Providence, 3 to 4 p.m.; free. Children’s activities from 1 to 6 p.m. For more information, visit the website.
WEBSITE: www.as220.org/front/.
CAPTION: Fly over to downtown for AS220’s all-day celebration.
IMAGE COURTESY WILLIAM BUZZELL AND CARA COLLINS |  |
| |  |  All in the family
A two-time Grammy award-winning artist and recipient of the Magic Penny Award from the Children’s Music Network, Bill Harley paints funny coming-of-age stories through song and verse. Harley is an accomplished author and recording artist and a regular commentator for National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered.” This Sunday, catch Harley at the Lippitt Garden where he will be performing vignettes about school and family life. Come armed with blankets and a late afternoon picnic for the whole family.
LOCATION: Lippitt Garden, 199 Hope St., Providence. Sunday, Aug. 15, 4 p.m. Concert is free. For more information, call (401) 453-0688 or visit the website.
WEBSITE: www.billharley.com .
CAPTION: Enjoy the performance and a picnic and afterwards go on a tour of the historic Lippitt House.
IMAGE COURTESY BILL HARLEY |
| | Take me to the movies
 The Rhode Island international Film Festival is an event that puts Little Rhody on the cinematic map. The film-filled week will be hosted at various locations across the state, which means you’ll have every opportunity to catch a movie. This year, more than 200 narrative, documentary and short films from 53 countries will be screened over a six-day period. The films were selected from an entry base of more than 4,200 submissions, a record for the festival. The event has held a spot in the global community as the threshold for international independent cinema. Now in its 14th year, the event is a qualifying festival for the Short Film Academy Award through its affiliation with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
LOCATION: Various locations throughout Providence, Barrington and Newport. Thursday, Aug. 12, through Sunday, Aug. 15. Full list of film locations and times available online. $10 general admission; senior, group and student discounts available with advanced purchase. For more information or to purchase tickets, call (401) 861–4445 or visit the website.
WEBSITE: www.film-festival.org.
CAPTION: This year’s event features 35 world and 23 North American premieres.
IMAGE COURTESY RIIFF |
| | Sports with flair
 For those with a competitive streak and a penchant for fishnets, check out the Providence Roller Derby bout taking place at the R.I. Convention Center this Saturday. The DC Rollergirls travel team, the DC All-stars, will arrive from the nation’s capital to the home turf of the Rhode Island Riveters just in time for an all-out roller girl bout. The Riveters recently returned from the East Coast Derby Extravaganza, where they faced tough battles with derby leagues from across the United States. Catch this weekend’s event as the Riverters’ co-captains Trophy Knife and Hot Sauce rally their teammates against Washington, D.C.’s only flat-track derby league. The half-time performance will feature the Unique Skate Crew, which features dancing, gymnastics and skating. After the bout, head over to Rick’s Road House for the after party.
LOCATION: R.I. Convention Center, 1 Sabin St., Providence. Saturday, Aug. 14, doors open at 6 p.m.; bout begins at 7 p.m. Tickets: $10 online; $13 at door; $6 children between ages 6 and 12 years. After party at Rick’s Roadhouse, 370 Richmond St., Providence. Must be 21 or older. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit the website.
WEBSITE: www.providencerollerderby.com.
CAPTION: This isn’t your parents’ roller derby.
IMAGE COURTESY PROVIDENCE ROLLER DERBY |
| | Reggae on
 The13th annual Nantucket Nectars Sunset Music Series comes to a close this weekend, but you can catch the last shot of good vibes at the event’s inaugural Newport Waterfront Reggae Festival. The event features The Original Wailers, John Brown’s Body, Soulshot with special guest Doreen Shaffer of the Skatalites, The Ravers and Rebel Heat. The gates to the Newport Yachting Center open at noon. The first performances on the Courtyard State begins at 12:30 p.m. and the headliner acts, John Brown’s Body and then the Original Wailers, will be featured on the Main Stage starting at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., respectively. Festivalgoers will be able to come and go as they please throughout the day so they can enjoy all that Newport has to offer.
LOCATION: The Newport Yachting Center, 4 Commercial Wharf, Newport. Saturday, Aug. 14, noon to 9:30 p.m. $45 preferred seating; $30 standard. For more information or to purchase tickets, call the Newport Yachting Center Box Office at (401) 846-1600 or visit the website.
WEBSITE: www.newportwaterfrontevents.com.
CAPTION: Get into the roots and rhythm of island tunes at the Reggae Festival.
IMAGE COURTESY NEWPORT WATERFRONT EVENTS |
| | Jump into the weekend with AfroSonic
 Grab a cocktail and settle into plush white couches this Friday night at State Lounge for this month’s installment of AfroSonic Collective, the beat-energy infused DJ group featuring live percussion. State Lounge is tucked away on South Main Street and offers a New York-bar atmosphere. Join Blacklove, Mikedelick, Nick de Paris, Dublin and Dupe as they spin records sure to get the dance floor moving. Jesus Andujar compliments the mix by playing drums.
LOCATION: State Lounge, 1 Throop Alley, Providence. Friday, Aug.13, 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. $5 entrance; must be 21 years or older For more information, visit the website.
WEBSITE: www.afrosonic-ri.com.
CAPTION: Get into a frenzied state with AfroSonic Collective.
IMAGE COURTESY AFTROSONIC COLLECTIVE |
| |  Good, clean fun
Back for their 17th year performing at Theatre By The Sea, Squeaky Clean presents a rock 'n' roll party featuring classics from the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. Formed in the early 1980s by Suzanne C. Smithline and Glenn Paul Manion, Squeaky Clean presents a rock 'n' roll show aimed at children and families as an arts-in-education presentation about the history of rock music. The authentic look and sound of the group recreates a time when rock 'n' roll was young. The album “Rock and Roll Party with Squeaky Clean” was awarded a seal of approval by the Parents Choice Foundation. After the performance, families can enjoy cold drinks and snacks, which will be available for purchase at the gazebo.
LOCATION: Theatre By The Sea, 364 Cards Pond Road, Matunuck. Friday, Aug.13, 10 a.m. and noon performances. $10 per ticket; discount rates available for groups of 20 or more. For more information or to purchase tickets, call (401)782-8587 or visit the website.
WEBSITE: www.theatrebythesea.com.
CAPTION: Check out Squeaky Clean at Theatre By The Sea’s annual Children’s Festival.
IMAGE COURTESY SQUEAKY CLEAN |
| | Who has a posse?
 This Friday, catch a rare screening of Helen Stickler’s film, “André The Giant Has A Posse” and a special Action Speaks panel discussion with the inaugural honorees of the AS220 Free Culture Award, Shepard Fairey and Brandon Edens; Harvard law professor, political activist and “Free Culture” author Lawrence Lessig; and AS220 Artistic Director Umberto Crenca. The conversation will be moderated by Marc Levitt, host and creative director of the nationally recognized Action Speaks radio show. The documentary short features Fairey and his world famous “Obey Giant” street art campaign, which launched in Providence in the early ’90s. The film has been described as “one of the keenest examinations of ’90s underground culture” by Village Voice film critic Ed Halter.
LOCATION: AS220 Performance Space, 115 Empire St., Providence. Friday, Aug. 13, 5 p.m. This is a free event. For more information, visit the website.
WEBSITE: www.actionspeaksradio.org/.
CAPTION: A few stickers resulted in visual domination and lots of conversation.
IMAGE COURTESY SHEPARD FAIREY |
| | Blaze a trail for weekend fun
 Join the Contemporary Theater Co., South Kingstown Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Merchants Association for the Wakefield Arts and Entertainment Festival. This big-time neighborhood event will feature special discounts at local shops, entertainment and a special fire lighting on the Saugatucket River. Free activities for the whole family will dot the Main Street area, and there will be lots of free parking to make it easier for everyone. There will be free yoga classes, taco eating contests, mini-bike time trials, story telling and live music. To boot, there will be a showing of Neil Simon’s “Rumors,” a theatrical show of hysterical proportions in the performance tent at Saugatucket Park.
LOCATION: Saugatucket Park, 99 High St., Wakefield. Thursday, Aug. 12, through Sunday, Aug. 15. Other activity locations all along Main Street in downtown Wakefield. Thursday events 7 to 9 p.m.; Friday, Saturday and Sunday events all day through 9 p.m. All events free except “Rumors” performances, which are $15 each. For schedule of events, special discounts and more information, visit the website.
WEBSITE: www.thecontemporarytheater.com.
CAPTION: Take Main Street in Wakefield by storm this weekend.
IMAGE COURTESY SOUTH COUNTY TOURISM COUNCIL |
| | Haunted paths
 The life and work of Providence’s best-known fantasy and horror author, H.P. Lovecraft, is the backdrop for a special tour offered by the Rhode Island Historical Society. The tours will coincide with the Rhode Island International Film Festival and will explore Lovecraft’s favorite Providence haunts and the sites that offered the seeds for his signature stories. Lovecraft's “Providence Stories,” written between 1924 and 1935, will inspire the excursion, which features the landmarks of Prospect Terrace, the First Baptist Church and numerous Benefit Street houses, including Lovecraft’s former house. Following the tour, participants will be treated to a special screening of films at any of the film festival’s locations that day.
LOCATION: Departs from the John Brown House, 52 Power St., Providence. Saturday, Aug. 14. Tour starts at 10 a.m. and lasts approximately 90 minutes. $16 per person; includes film festival screening ticket. For more information or to purchase tickets, call (401) 861-4445 or visit the website.
WEBSITE: www.film-festival.org.
CAPTION: Check out the “Literary Providence: The Life And Times Of H. P. Lovecraft” walking tour.
IMAGE COURTESY RIIFF |
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