5 Weekend Musts: Daffodil Days & More

Friday, April 08, 2011

GoLocalProv Features Team

From spring blooms in Bristol to ghost hunting in Newport, we got you covered. Here are five events, handpicked, for your April weekend.

Catch Spring Fever at Daffodil Days in Bristol
Saturday and Sunday

No other place in Rhode Island has more bulbs bursting yellow than Blithewold Mansion, and daffodil season opens officially this weekend. Get down there, take a walk, and look forward to warmer days. Look for art exhibits special for Daffodil Days, and check out a new Friday tea. 101 Ferry Rd, Bristol, 253-2707.

Pay Tribute at Larry Friedlander Concert Fundraiser at the Hi-Hat, Providence
Sunday

It was a sudden and tragic loss when Hi-Hat founder Larry Friedlander died last month, and more than a dozen bands are coming together this weekend to pay tribute and raise money for his family. Guest bartenders including Rich Lupo, Josh Miller, Terry Moran, Michael Solomon, and more will be pouring. Tickets are $20 and available at Hi-Hat, Lupo's, Lucky's, The Hot Club, Local 121, The Met, Nick-a-Nees, Z-Bar and Trinity Brew House. 3-9pm, 3 Davol Square, Providence, 453-6500.

Nerd Out, Civil War Style, at RIC
Friday

Yes, it all started far away in South Carolina, at Fort Sumter 150 years ago (on April 12), but the Civil War remains a defining (if not the defining) American event, and it touches Rhode Island's history in important ways. Reconnect as the sesquicentennial kicks off with an all-day, campus-wide event at Rhode Island College,complete with musket demonstrations, re-enactments, and an 1864 baseball game. Rhode Island in the Civil War: Public History and Popular Memory, Rhode Island College, 600 Mount Pleasant Ave, Providence, events begin at 8am.

Catch Up and Coming Dancers at Jump!'s Spring Concert at Carriage House, Providence
Saturday and Sunday

This is choreography as fresh and youthful as spring itself, from one of the state's most innovative companies. The theme is Carnival of the Animals, and at $12 for adults and $10 for children, it's one of the best family events going. Saturday 2 and 6pm, Sunday 2pm, Carriage House Theatre, 7 Duncan Ave, Providence, Call 529-4391 for reservations or go online, here.

Chase Ghosts in Newport at Belcourt Castle
Friday and Saturday

Is there anything better than a ghost tour? Nope. Especially when a mansion's owner, Mrs. Harle Tinney, takes you herself. She's been living in the OHP Belmost mansion for 50 years and has she got tales to tell. $25 adults, $15 seniors/children (not recommended for kids under 8), cash at the door. Doors open 5:15pm. Reservations strongly encouraged: call 846-0669. Belcourt Castle, 657 Bellevue Ave, Newport.

Bonus grabs: David Bettencourt's new punk-rock documentary, It's a Bash plays at The Spot Underground on Sunday/5:30pm, the Great International Spring Beer Festival intoxicates the Providence Convention Center on Saturday/1-4:30, 6:30-10.