Where: Ninigret Park
When: September 4 to September 6
As it has for over a quarter of a century, Rhythm & Roots will return to Charlestown, this Labor Day Weekend. The festival showcases a wide array of musical styles on three stages such as Cajun, Zydeco, blues, country, bluegrass, Americana and many other genres.
When: Saturday, September 5 from 9 am to noon
Where: Charlestown Mini Super, 4071 Old Post Road, Charlestown
Why: Indie Cycle is offering this great opportunity to dispose of your unwanted electronics that can be either recycled, reused or refurbished.
Three Ways To Vote (choose one of these)
• Vote by mail
• Vote early until September 8
• Vote on Wednesday, September 9
There is only one local contest on the Primary ballot, and that is the local Democratic Party primary for Representative in General Assembly District 36
Links to District 36 candidates’ websites in this post.
The local candidates profiled in this post are individuals with the skills and dedication to act in the best interests of all the citizens of our town. They will do the hard work to protect our environment, safeguard our rural character, and keep our tax rate as one of the lowest in Rhode Island.
When: Saturday, August 22 – Arrival 8:30 am; Launch 9:00 am
Where: Green Hill Civic Association Dock/Kayak Launch located on Green Hill Beach Road, South Kingstown Rhode Island
Register: Registration is required for the event
Learn about the beauty of Green Hill Pond as well as some of the challenges that it faces
When: Saturday, August 15 from 9 am to 5 pm
Where: Rocky Neck State Park ( 244 West Main Street (Route 156), Niantic (East Lyme), CT )
and
When: Sunday, August 16 from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm
Where: Scarborough North State Beach ( 870 Ocean Road, Narragansett, RI )
The New Haven to Providence Capacity Planning Study team is popping up again with very short notice in Narragansett, RI and in Connecticut.
Where: Frosty Drew Observatory and Science Center in Ninigret Park, Charlestown
When: Saturday, August 15 from 9:00 pm to 11:30 pm
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.
The August 6 “pop-up” was not a presentation, but instead a table with pamphlets, a bulletin board for the public to place three stickers each on the topics they were most concerned about, and members of the Amtrak study team circulating for one on one conversations with the public. Most of what was at the “pop-up” is already available at the Capacity Planning Study website. But the conversations with the study team members were still enlightening.
When: Wednesday, August 19 at 6:30 pm
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)
Who: Presentation by Joan Lawlor, Bill Steinman, and Steve Young, all from the Quonochontaug Historical Society
The presentation will be preceded by a short annual meeting.
When: Monday, August 17, at 7 p.m.
Where: Kettle Pond Visitor Center, 50 Bend Rd., Charlestown
Cost: Free and open to the public
Guest Presentation: A talk titled “RI’s Great White Sharks… and What About the Seals?” presented by Jon Dodd, Executive Director of the Atlantic Shark Institute.
When: Thursday, August 13 at 6 pm
Where: Cross Mills Public Library, 4417 Old Post Rd., Charlestown
Who: Lisa Tewksbury, Biological Control Lab Director, URI Department of Plant Sciences and Entomology
Join Lisa Tewksbury for a look at black swallow-wort, an aggressive invasive vine spreading through Rhode Island fields, forests, and gardens-and the biocontrol research underway to bring it under control.
When: Thursday, August 6 (dinner starts at 6 p.m., movie begins at dusk)
Where: Ninigret Park at the New Pavilion
What: Concert by The Chris Marra Band; movie Lilo and Stitch; and food trucks providing dinner
Who: Brought to you by Charlestown Parks and Recreation Department
Cost: Music is Free. Dinner – pay for as little or as much as you want to eat
When: Thursday, August 6 at 6 p.m.
Where: Ninigret Park at the New Pavilion
With less than 48 hours notice before the event, a notice went up on the Town of Charlestown’s web site and Facebook page that Amtrak would be conducting this pop-up event. No notice was sent by Amtrak to the many residents who have signed up to be notified via the study email list.
Charlestown voters passed the referendum to allow the use of land in Charlestown for a new, unified elementary school for all students in Pre-K through Grade 5 from Hopkinton, Richmond, and Charlestown on the site of the current elementary school at 363 Carolina Back Road (Rt. 112).
If you think an out of town trip, or any other reason may stop you from voting in the September 9 Rhode Island Primary, consider ordering a mail ballot for that primary election. Plus, information on the Representative in General Assembly District 36 Democratic Primary in Charlestown.
Where: Indian Church Rd. (off Rt. 2), Charlestown
Cost: Admission is $10 for adults, $3 for children, and $7 for seniors
When: Saturday, August 8, and Sunday, August 9
When: Wednesday, August 12, 2026 from 11 am to 3 pm
Where: Frosty Drew Observatory and Science Center in Ninigret Park
Cost: $5 per person over 4 years of age
On August 12, the Northeast US and Canada will experience a fabulous partial eclipse of the Sun. Frosty Drew Observatory and Science Center will be open in celebration of this spectacular event!
RI Channel 12’s “Rhode Show” team visited Frosty Drew Observatory in Ninigret Park on July 31 to learn about this amazing public resource: its history; scientific work; and the beauty and value of Charlestown’s night sky.
When: Saturday, August 29 from 10 am to 3 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.
UPDATE: Event Cancelled due to rain and wet conditions.
When: Thursday, July 30 (dinner starts at 6 p.m., movie begins at dusk)
Where: Ninigret Park at the Kimball Pavilion
What: Concert by Country Wild Hearts; movie Stand By Me; and food trucks providing dinner
Who: Brought to you by Charlestown Parks and Recreation Department
Cost: Music is Free. Dinner – pay for as little or as much as you want to eat
When: August 7, 8, and 9
Where: Ninigret Park, Charlestown, RI
What: Three days of food and entertainment
When: Wednesday, July 29 at 11 am
Where: Kettle Pond Visitor Center, 50 Bend Rd., Charlestown
Who: Brought to you by the Salt Ponds Coalition
Reservations are required – link to pre-register in post
Hands-on workshop where you’ll learn how to identify, arrange, and preserve colorful seaweed specimens to create stunning botanical artwork
When: Tuesday, August 4 at 10:00 am
Where: Kettle Pond Visitor Center
and
When: Tuesday, September 15 at 10:00 am
Where: Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge
Who: Led by Salt Ponds Coalition and local artist, Frances Topping
What: Learning to sketch the beautiful, natural environment of Ninigret Pond
Reservations are required – link to pre-register in post
When: Tuesday, August 4, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Where: Charlestown Town Hall, 4540 South County Trail
Who: Anyone registered to vote in the town of Charlestown
What: Charlestown referendum on whether to allow the use of land in Charlestown for a new, unified elementary school for all students in Pre-K through Grade 5 from Hopkinton, Richmond, and Charlestown on the site of the current elementary school at 363 Carolina Back Road (Rt. 112)
The August 4 referendum is about the school site, not the school bond, and is only for Charlestown voters.
When: Wednesday, August 5 at 6 pm
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)
Who: Presentation by Sarah Callan, Director of Animal Rescue at Mystic Aquarium
Learn about the Mystic Aquarium Animal Rescue Program and bring your children and grandchildren to enjoy an ice cream social.
PLEASE NOTE: The start time for this is 6 pm
Effective opposition to additional rails or rail realignments that destroy environmental and cultural treasures such as the Carter Preserve, the Pawcatuck River, or our historic mill villages “would be meaningfully more difficult under the 2025 SPEED Act, which would limit the role of the National Environmental Policy Act in shaping projects with federal funding or permits”
At the Town Council meeting on June 22, a piece of history, the Goulding decision, was removed from the Ninigret Park Utilization Plan. When the land was given to Charlestown, Paul E. Goulding, Administrator of the General Services Administration, in his decision, noted that this area is a major migration site for waterfowl and other birds and of great ecological and scenic importance.
CT Mirror story on Amtrak’s New Haven to Providence Capacity Planning Study. Unlike NEC Future, the new study is not being conducted under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), a federal law that requires agencies to evaluate the environmental impacts of major infrastructure projects before approving them. Gregory Stroud said. “How do you engage with a federal process if you don’t know what rules it’s governed by?” Post links to story at CT Mirror.
The August 4 referendum is just for Charlestown voters to give permission for the Chariho Regional School District to demolish the Charlestown Elementary School and build a new facility for use by the pre-k to fifth-grade students from all three towns if the November referendum to fund the new school bond passes district-wide. Video of the hearing, with highlights of the video content, in this post.
When: Thursday, July 16 (dinner starts at 6 p.m. and the movie begins at dusk)
Where: Ninigret Park at the New Pavilion
What: Concert by Madison Blues; movie Blades of Glory; 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