5 Weekend Musts: Greek Festival, Art Auctions + More

Friday, August 19, 2011

Rachel Eides, GoLocalProv Contributor

This weekend is all about art, from Broadway coming to Watch Hill, to poetry and music tackling bullying in Providence, you’re invited to this weekend’s top 5 picks.

Go Greek in Pawtucket

Friday-Sunday The 84th Annual GREEK Festival will have authentic Greek cuisine, live music and dancing, church tours, kid’s corner, raffle for a trip to Greece, and cookie demos. Friday 5pm-10pm, Saturday 12pm-10pm, Sunday 12pm-9pm. Free parking and free shuttle bus service. Assumption of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church, 97 Walcott Street, Pawtucket. Call 725-3127.

Enjoy Broadway in Watch Hill

Friday At Broadway on the Lawn, singers from the Salt Marsh Opera return after last years fabulous event to perform classic Broadway musicals on the South Lawn. Set list includes: "I Could Have Danced All Night" - My Fair Lady, "Many a New Day" – Oklahoma, "Green Finch & Linnet Bird" - Sweeney Todd, "Soliloquy" – Carousel, "If Ever I Would Leave You" – Camelot. Bring a blanket and enjoy the performance. Boxed dinners available if purchased in advance. Cash Bar available to purchase drinks. Show $30/Adult, $20/Child, Show with boxed dinner $55/Adult, $20/Child (plus tax and gratuity). Dinner 6pm, Show 7:30pm. Ocean House, 1

Bluff Avenue, Watch Hill. Buy tickets online or call 584-7000.

Create, observe, and buy art in Newport

Saturday-Sunday At Wet Paint 2011, artists will create artwork in public view and then auction it off on the same day. Artists may submit art created "en plein air,” the most recent work. New for 2011, artists will put two brief bio facts on the back of his or her artwork. The art proceeds will support the museum's programs, exhibitions and events. Registration online is encouraged. Saturday: 8am-10am Registration, 12pm-3pm Artwork Drop-off, 6pm-8pm Preview Reception and Silent Auction. Sunday: 12pm-3pm Silent Auction continues, 4pm Live Auction. Artists who submit work will be admitted free with one guest to Saturday's Preview Reception; Members $10; non-members $15. Newport Art Museum, 76 Bellevue Avenue, Newport. Call 848-8200.

Tackle bullying in Providence

Saturday The TSETSE Gallery will fight bullying through sponsoring the Festival of the Arts to Stop Bullying. The gallery, owned by Therese Lavallee, will showcase 15 winning poems, which revolve around the bullying theme, submitted by RI students of all ages. Bands, including Opera Providence, will perform the poems on stage in front of the TSETSE Gallery. Inside the gallery, the hundreds of submitted poems will be displayed. In honor of the event, the State House will be lit with red lights. Glow-in-the-dark tiles will be sold for $7 each to raise money for anti-bullying programs. Visitors are encouraged to write thoughts about bullying prevention on the tiles, which will be mounted on movable panels. DVDs of the music will be available to purchase, proceeds support anti-bullying efforts. Free to the public. 1pm-5pm. 51 Empire St, Providence.

Carve stone in Wakefield

Saturday-Sunday Join the Stonecarving Weekend Workshop and choose Limestone Relief Carving or Soapstone Carving in the Round, which are basics you can use right away for your garden or home. Laura Travis, stonecarving expert and 20 year art teacher, will teach the workshop. Limited enrollment. $90 plus materials fee. 10am-3:30pm. 10 min from Newport Bridge.10 min from Newport Bridge, 15 Maple St, Wakefield. Call 792-7149.