Welcome to summer, Rhode Island. Yup, Summer Solstice is this week — along with Fathers’ Day, Juneteenth, and, apparently the 48th anniversary of “Jaws” — all in the middle of Pride Month. I have a lot to get to, so let me make like a kid with an Awful Awful and dive right in.
JUNETEENTH BLOCK PARTY
PVD’s Kin Southern Table + Bar kicks off Juneteenth Weekend with the 3rd Annual Juneteenth Block Party June 16 from 5 p.m.-1 a.m. Expect good food, specialty cocktails, games, DJs, dancing and more food. $5 admission. Free admission kids 12 and under. 71 Washington St. Details here.
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OUTDOOR JAZZ NIGHT
Newport Live x Norman Bird Sanctuary’s third annual Summer Outdoor Series season kicks off with the McCoy Mrubata Quartet June 16 at 7 p.m. BYO picnic to groove at Middletown’s bird sanctuary — beer and wine will be for sale.
Born in 1959 in Cape Town, he left school when it “became impossible in the fiery aftermath of the 1976 uprising,” according to his bio on musicafrica.net. The three-time winner of the South African Music Award in Traditional Jazz, he lives in Johannesburg. $35. 583 Third Beach Road, Middletown. Concert info. here. Learn more about the artist here. Get a sense here.
CROCODILE ROCK
“Rocket Man,” Rus Anderson’s spectacle of an Elton John tribute show hits PPAC June 16. It’s time to belt out the hits. 7:30 p.m. Tickets from $13. Details here.
SUMMER BLOCKBUSTERS & JAWS-IVERSARY
Nothing says summer nights like a drive-in movie, and this week Misquamicut Drive-in is showing summer blockbusters. Seeing how June 20 is the 48th Anniversary of “Jaws,” you can catch “Jaws” on June 16, followed by “Jaws 2″ on June 17. And — because nobody puts Baby in a corner — “Dirty Dancing” June 23. $25 per carload. Gates open 6:30 p.m. Previews at 8 p.m; movie at 9 p.m. 316 Atlantic Ave., Westerly. Details here.
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RHODE ISLAND PRIDEFEST & ILLUMINATED NIGHT PARADE
Providence, it’s time for the 47th Rhode Island PrideFest & Illuminated Night Parade on June 17, and the day is packed with events.
The fun kicks off at 11 a.m. with PrideFest at the I-195 District Park at 120 Peck St. Find some 250 nonprofit organizations, businesses, food vendors, and a main stage with live entertainment.
Pre-parade, The Black Sheep Providence hosts a “Pre-Pride Parade Tea Dance” with tacos and drink specials. No cover. No reservation. First come, first serve for tables. 397 Westminster St., Providence. Details here.
The Illuminated Night Parade steps off around 8 p.m. from Washington and Empire streets. Viewing spots are on Washington, Dorrance, and Weybosset streets, with a handicap-accessible viewing area on Weybosset near PPAC, according to billing. Parade registration is closed, but find the waitlist here. Fest and parade details here.
Post-parade, it’s a nighttime Pride block party in PVD with a foam pit, glow room, free burgers and hotdogs, burlesque and drag performances. Head to Platforms Dance Club for an indoor/outdoor fete June 17 from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. 21+, $10 advance. 165 Poe St., Providence. Details here.
Mini City Thrifty Vintage Market and Pride Celebration Pop-up pops at Trinity Beer Garden June 17 from noon to 5 p.m. Shop with beer or cocktail — you’ll find some 30 vintage vendors from around New England. According to the website, all proceeds from vendor fees benefit Rhody’s Project Weber/RENEW. Free, open to all. Biltmore Park, 2 Kennedy Plaza, Providence. Details here.
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PVD’s Askew hosts its 4th Annual Pride Block Party June 17 with DJ, drag performances and more. 150 Chestnut St. Details here.
MORE PRIDE MONTH FUN
There’s so much going on all over Rhody for Pride Month, it takes up a whole other column. Check here for a full listing. This week’s highlights include:
The Gamm Theater hosts a family-friendly Pride Karaoke Night June 16. All ages welcome, patio and concessions will be open. Free. 6-9 p.m. 1245 Jefferson Boulevard, Warwick. Details here.
Billing themselves as “a group for queers who like beers,” Queers & Beers of Rhode Island meets up at Moniker Brewery in PVD every Monday, including June 19. All are welcome. 6-9 p.m. West Fountain Street, Providence. Details here.
FARMCOAST RAMBLE
Farmcoast — a swath of beauty from Little Compton and Tiverton to Westport and South Dartmouth — is worth exploring anytime. But especially on June 17 for the first “Farm Coast Art & Garden Ramble.” Head to quaint historic Tiverton Four Corners for a free “curated outdoor Art & Garden event from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Find things like pottery, block printing, photography, paintings, metal works, sculpture, bird baths, clothing, kitchen goods, textiles, linens, jewelry” and more, plus live music and workshops. 3852 Main Road, Tiverton. Details here.
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LITTLE COMPTON GARDEN TOUR
More Farmcoast fun that same day: Take a self-guided tour through “Coastal Gardens of Little Compton” from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visit seven private gardens in the picturesque coastal town, plus stop by the historic herb garden at the Little Compton Historical Society and tour the historic home. Rain or shine. $40 advance, $50 day of at St. Andrews by the Sea Church, 182 Willow Ave. You can pick up maps there, too. BYO picnic, or, I suggest three stellar pick-me-up spots here, here and here. Tour info. here.
JURASSIC PARK
Get your Jurassic on with “Dinosaurs Among Us” running at the Roger Williams Park Zoo now through Aug. 13. You’ll see some 60 life-size animatronic dinos, according to billing, plus “dinosaur rides, dinosaur-themed selfie stations, meet and greets with baby dinosaurs and hands-on fossil dig stations.” Interactive bird shows will happen daily, weather permitting. Note that on June 17, the zoo hosts a “special sensory-friendly morning an hour before the dinosaur trail opens to the public: designed for those with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and sensory processing differences and their families.” 8-9 a.m. $9, does not include zoo admission. Details here and here.
CHAMPAGNE AND OYSTERS
Don’t mind if I do. Yup, kick off summer with an hour-long tour of Matunuck Oyster Farm that includes a glass of Laurent-Perrier ‘La Cuvée’ Brut champagne and half a dozen oysters per person. Because you deserve it. $55. June 17, 10:45 a.m. 629 Succotash Road, South Kingstown. Details here.
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SUMMER SOLSTICE MUSIC FEST
Cumberland celebrates the summer solstice a few days early with the 11th Annual Blackstone River Theatre Summer Solstice Festival, with four stages of Celtic and world music on June 17. (Celtic music fans, you’re really in luck this week.) Head to Cumberland’s Diamond Hill Park for more than a dozen acts — including Atwater-Donnelly Trio, Cantrip, The Vox Hunters, Tir Na Nog Irish Dance — and more, plus craft and food vendors, kids activities, and an open-session tent where you can sit and play. Bring your instruments. At Diamond Hill Park, Route 114, Cumberland. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Rain date June 18. Adults $20, seniors $15 seniors, kids $5. Free for kids under 5. 401-725-9272. Details here.
MAKE A JAWS BEER MUG FOR DAD
[Da-na… Da-na… Danadanadanadana] Yes, that was me singing in the “Jaws” theme. The movie that starred a shark and Rhody’s own Narraganset beer turn 48 on June 20 —and ‘Gansett is celebrating early, on Fathers’ Day June 18, with a Jaws-themed beer mug painting night via Inebri-Art.
If Dad likes Jaws or beer or both, you might bring him, anytime from 6 to 9 p.m., to create a beer mug “using our special Jaws template.” Then fill with Narragansett Beer. $20. 271 Tockwotton St., Providence. Limited mugs available, get tickets here.
TOAST TO DAD
If Dad’s a whiskey lover, take him on a Fathers’ Day distillery tour:
Industrious Spirit Company in Providence hosts an in-depth spirt tour with guided tasting on June 18 from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. $15. 1 Sims Avenue #103. Details here.
Meanwhile, on Father’s Day Eve (June 17) White Dog Distilling in Pawtucket hosts a distillery tour and tasting from 1:30 -2:30 p.m. $18. 560 Mineral Spring Ave. Details here.
FREE JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION AT PPAC
No tickets needed at “From Free to Freedom” Juneteenth celebration June 19. at PPAC. The free event — in collaboration with JuneteenthRI, Mixed Magic Theatre, Rhode Island Black Storytellers, and Providence’s Art, Culture, and Tourism — presents “a special Wonders of the Wurlitzer lunchtime presentation in story, song, and music… featuring PPAC house organist Peter Edwin Krasinski on the Wurlitzer, Ricardo Pitts-Wiley as narrator, plus the JuneteenthRI Choir and Storyteller Rachel Briggs, according to billing. Noon-1 p.m. Event info. here and here.
Um…What’s a Wurlitzer? Good question. “PPAC’s “Mighty Wurlitzer” built in 1927 has five keyboards, 21 ranks, and percussion that can produce many orchestral sounds, as well as sound effects that can be utilized when accompanying silent films, according to PPAC. Hear PPAC’s here. There are also free pre-recorded Wurlitzer concerts performed by Krasinski online. Love it.
CELTIC DANCE
Celtic dance fans, rejoice: the full-on spectacle that is Celtic Throne hits PVD June 19. Described as celebrating “the dramatic and mysterious origins of Irish dance,” you’ll follow a “millennia-long journey of a music-and-dance-loving people as they migrate from the ancient Near East to Ireland, Scotland, England and the United States.” Dare you not to clap along. Tickets from $45. 7:30 p.m. At The Vets, One Avenue of the Arts. Details here.
THE DUDE ABIDES
Donny, you’re out of your element. That rug really tied the room together. Yup, after two Dudeless years, the Jane Pickens Theatre’s annual screening of “The Big Lebowski” returns. Don the jelly shoes and let the White Russians flow. You may think other movies are better, but that’s just, like, your opinion man. Obviously, you are not a golfer. June 20, 6:30 p.m. $16. 49 Touro St. Details here.
NEWPORT’S OUTDOOR MOVIE SEASON
Free outdoor summer docs in Newport return: newportFILM Outdoors series opens its 2023 season with “Patrick And The Whale” at the Great Friends Meeting House on June 22.
newportFILM — “a year-round, non-profit documentary film series in Newport, R.I. featuring current and impactful films that build community and propel change,” according to the Insta bio — will host free Thursday documentary screenings all summer long. Venue opens at 6 p.m., live music at 7:20 p.m., film starts at 8:40 p.m. Learn about the film and get more details here.
Until next week, Rhody: Keep rockin’.
Lauren Daley can be reached at ldaley33@gmail.com. Follow her on Twitter @laurendaley1.