Contestants were asked to submit photos taken on one of the five National Wildlife Refuges in Rhode Island. All the entered photos will be on exhibit at Kettle Pond Visitors Center in Charlestown until September 26 and then exhibited at Sachuest Point Visitors Center until October 14.
When: Tuesday, September 30 at 10:00 am
Where: Ninigret Wildlife Refuge (rain location Kettle Pond Visitor Center)
What: Learning to sketch the beautiful, natural environment of Ninigret Pond
Pre-registration: Reservations are required (link to register in post)
When: Saturday, September 27 at 5 pm
Where: East Beach (drive to the end of East Beach Road, bare to the left of Blue Shutters Beach, go straight on the dirt road and the parking lot will be on the left)
Who: Salt Ponds Coalition and ORCA
Register: Registration information in post
Join Salt Ponds Coalition and their partner, ORCA, to clean up East Beach. Our beaches have seen a lot of visitors this year, and might need a little post-Labor Day TLC!
Why: Household hazardous waste must not be placed in regular garbage!
When: Saturday, September 20, 2025 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Where: Richmond DPW – 51 Buttonwoods Rd., Richmond
Appointments are required for this event – link to register in post.
Enrollment is now open through September 6 to join Salt Pond Smart, a new community engagement initiative offered through the University of Rhode Island Cooperative Extension. Designed for homeowners along Rhode Island’s southern coast, Salt Pond Smart empowers residents to take meaningful action to protect and improve water quality in the state’s treasured coastal salt ponds.
Lecture
When: Wednesday, September 3 at 6:00 PM
Where: Kettle Pond Visitor Center, 50 Bend Rd., Charlestown
Walk
When: Thursday, September 4 at 8:30 AM
Where: Quonnie Breachway
Links to register for both events in post …
Where: Ninigret Park
When: August 29 to August 31
As it has for over a quarter of a century, Rhythm & Roots will return to Charlestown, this Labor Day Weekend. This year, the festival showcases music on three stages (the Roots, Rhythm, and Dance Stages) and will feature a variety of music styles, including Cajun, Zydeco, blues, country, bluegrass, Americana, and many other genres.
Roger loved living in Carolina. He was both a booster and protector of the National Register Historic Village where he regularly welcomed the village’s residents into his home and garden. You can read more about Roger and his life in his obituary.
Larry dedicated himself to researching and documenting hundreds of aviation crash sites across New England. What is now Ninigret Park was used for military flight training during World War II and for many years afterward. Read this and much more about Larry in his obituary.
Where: Frosty Drew Observatory and Science Center in Ninigret Park, Charlestown
When: Saturday, August 23 from 9:00 pm to 12:00 am
Cost: $5 per person over four years of age – you must get tickets in advance
Frosty Drew Observatory and Science Center is a great place to see the Milky Way Galaxy because it is easily accessible and it is sited in one of the darkest locations in southern New England.
When: August 13 to 17
Where: 78 Richmond Townhouse Road (Route 112), Richmond, RI
What: The Washington County Fair is Rhode Island’s largest agricultural event, plus country music, food, a carnival, and more.
When: Thursday, August 14 (dinner starts at 6 p.m. and the movie begins at dusk)
Where: Ninigret Park at the New Pavilion
What: Concert by Connecticut-based, 90’s rock band Leaf Jumpers; movie Garfield ; and food trucks providing dinner
Who: Brought to you by Charlestown Parks and Recreation Department
Cost: Music and Movie are Free. Dinner – pay for as little or as much as you want to eat
When: Tuesday, August 12 from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Where: Kettle Pond Visitor Center, 50 Bend Rd., Charlestown
Join an evening of conversation with members of the Spears family, an inter-generational panel of Narragansett Tribal citizens, as they share stories, memories, and traditional ecological knowledge of Charlestown’s Coastal Salt Ponds.
When: Wednesday, August 20 at 6:30 p.m.
Where: The Quonnie Grange, 5662 Post Rd, (Rt. 1) between East and West Beach Rd., next to Dunn’s Corners Fire Station (location map of the Quonnie Grange at bottom of post)
What: Learn about the amazing history of Block Island
When: Saturday, August 30 at 10 am
Where: Mill Pond Preserve, 4962 South County Trail, Charlestown
Cost: Free
Preregistration: Registration is required. Link to register in post.
This walk is sponsored by the Charlestown Land Trust
When: Thursday, August 7 (dinner starts at 6 p.m. and the movie begins at dusk)
Where: Ninigret Park at the New Pavilion
What: Concert by singer/songwriter/musician, Nick Bosse; movie Despicable Me 4 ; and food trucks providing dinner
Who: Brought to you by Charlestown Parks and Recreation Department
Cost: Music and Movie are Free. Dinner – pay for as little or as much as you want to eat
When: Wednesday, August 13 from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Where: Cross Mills Public Library, 4417 Old Post Road, Charlestown
Join Tomaquag Museum Assistant Director, Silvermoon LaRose, for a captivating evening of storytelling that celebrates the beauty of our coastal spaces. Bring your family and friends—this event is perfect for all ages!
When: Saturday, August 23 from 10 am to 4 pm
Where: A self-guided tour of some of Charlestown’s many farms
Farm Day provides a unique opportunity for visitors to explore the diversity of farms in Charlestown, a chance to meet farmers, and learn more about the role of farms across Charlestown.
Where: All activities will be held on tribal land off of Rt. 2 and Old Mill Road in Charlestown
Cost: Admission is $10 for adults, $3 for children and $7 for seniors
When: Saturday, August 9, and Sunday, August 10, 2025
When: Tuesday, August 12 at 6:00 PM (doors open at 5:30 PM)
Where: Quonochontaug Grange, 5662 Post Road, Charlestown
Friends of the Quonnie Grange are thrilled to host Tomaquag’s Executive Director, Lorén Spears. Attend the event to learn about the long history of Rhode Island’s earliest inhabitants. Ms. Spears program will present the Tomaquaug Museum’s history, purpose, programs, and future plans.
When: Thursday, August 7 from 6 to 7pm
Where: Kettle Pond Visitor Center at 50 Bend Rd, Charlestown
What: An update on the status of the repairs and future plans at the Charlestown Breachway
Register: Register by August 6
Local artisan and woodworker, Brian O’Connor of South County Paddles, has carved the beautiful diorama named “Anadromous Ascension III” that is pictured in the banner image for this post. The Charlestown Land Trust is holding a raffle of the framed and hand carved piece and will pick a winner on August 29 at the Charlestown Farmers’ Market.
These mammals play a vital ecosystem role. The nine bat species found in southern New England are insectivores, meaning they eat insects such as mosquitoes and some moths humans would label pests. It’s been estimated that an individual bat can eat 600 insects an hour. This post takes a look at the bats in southern New England listed as a species of concern, threatened, or endangered.
When: Wednesday, August 6 at 7 p.m.
Where: The Quonnie Grange, 5662 Post Rd, (Rt. 1) between East and West Beach Rd., next to Dunn’s Corners Fire Station (location map of the Quonnie Grange at bottom of post)
What: Learn about the rich history of the four lighthouses visible from Quonochontaug
When: Thursday, July 31 (dinner starts at 6 p.m. and the movie begins at dusk)
Where: Ninigret Park at the New Pavilion
What: Concert by singer/songwriter/musician, Mark Cutler; movie Inside Out 2; and food trucks providing dinner
Who: Brought to you by Charlestown Parks and Recreation Department
Cost: Music and Movie are Free. Dinner – pay for as little or as much as you want to eat
When: August 1, 2 and 3
Where: Ninigret Park, Charlestown, RI
What: Three days of food and entertainment
When: Thursday, July 24 (dinner starts at 6 p.m. and the movie begins at dusk)
Where: Ninigret Park at the New Pavilion
What: Concert by country music artist Houston Bernard; movie Mufasa: The Lion King; and food trucks providing dinner
Who: Brought to you by Charlestown Parks and Recreation Department
Cost: Music and Movie are Free. Dinner – pay for as little or as much as you want to eat
When: Wednesday, July 23 at 7 p.m.
Where: The Quonnie Grange, 5662 Post Rd, (Rt. 1) between East and West Beach Rd., next to Dunn’s Corners Fire Station (location map of the Quonnie Grange at bottom of post)
What: Learn about Samuel Davis who was a Quonochontaug developer, lawyer and preacher and why he was so mysterious.
Who: Presentation by Ken Andrew, Quonochontaug Historical Society Board member
When: Thursday, July 17 (dinner starts at 6 p.m. and the movie begins at dusk)
Where: Ninigret Park at the New Pavilion
What: Concert by Will Evans, whose album “Rise” was nominated for three categories by the New England Music Awards; movie Migration; and food trucks providing dinner
Who: Brought to you by Charlestown Parks and Recreation Department
Cost: Music and Movie are Free. Dinner – pay for as little or as much as you want to eat
When: Monday, July 21 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Where: Chariho Regional Middle School Auditorium – 455B Switch Road, Wood River Junction
Join the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM), for a meeting on PFAS in drinking water for residents of Southern Rhode Island.
