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SUMMARY:Dan Moretti & Brazilia Bring Wayne Shorter Into the World of Latin Jazz at the UNITED
DESCRIPTION:Dan Moretti & Brazilia Bring Wayne Shorter Into the World of Latin Jazz at the UNITED on Oct. 4\, when the Rhode Island saxophonist leads an international quintet through a meeting of modern jazz and Latin rhythms in the UNITED Theatre’s Gallery Events Space. \nThis isn’t simply a Latin jazz band playing standards with added percussion. Moretti and Brazilia take compositions apart rhythmically and rebuild them around mambos\, cha-cha-chas\, sambas and other Latin and Brazilian grooves. \nThat approach is particularly important to the group’s latest project. \nTheir 2025 live album\, Celebrating Wayne Shorter: Live at the Pump House Music Works\, takes the music of one of the most influential composers in modern jazz and gives it a different rhythmic foundation. \nThat means compositions including “Black Nile\,” “Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum\,” “Night Dreamer\,” “Speak No Evil\,” “Witch Hunt\,” “Yes or No\,” and “Footprints” can sound familiar and entirely different at the same time. \nFive Musicians From Four Countries\nThe current Brazilia lineup is unusually international. \nDan Moretti\, from Rhode Island\, leads on tenor and soprano saxophones and flute. \nOscar Stagnaro\, originally from Peru\, handles bass. The four-time Grammy winner has spent decades at the center of Latin jazz and is closely associated with Paquito D’Rivera. He is also a longtime Berklee educator and has played with artists including Chucho Valdés\, Dave Valentin and the Caribbean Jazz Project. \nMaxim Lubarsky\, originally from Ukraine\, is on piano. His playing brings together jazz improvisation\, classical training and the rhythmic vocabulary of music from different parts of the world. \nErnesto Diaz\, from Colombia\, supplies the percussion that gives Brazilia much of its Latin pulse. \nSteve Langone\, from the United States\, completes the group on drums\, working alongside Diaz rather than simply duplicating the percussion. That drum-and-percussion combination gives the ensemble room to move between straight-ahead jazz and denser Latin rhythmic structures. \nAll five musicians have Berklee connections\, but the geographical spread matters just as much. Brazilia isn’t approaching Latin jazz from a single national tradition. The musicians bring backgrounds from the United States\, Peru\, Ukraine and Colombia into the same ensemble. \nBrazilia Goes Back More Than 30 Years\nThe name Brazilia isn’t a recent addition to Moretti’s career. \nHe recorded Dan Moretti & Brazilia: Live at Chan’s in 1995 with a formidable lineup that included saxophonist Greg Abate\, pianist Alain Mallet\, bassist Oscar Stagnaro\, drummer Ben Wittman and percussionist Pernell Saturnino. \nStagnaro’s presence in both the 1995 and current versions of Brazilia gives the group a connection spanning more than three decades. \nBy 1999\, Moretti & Brazilia were appearing at the Litchfield Jazz Festival with saxophonist Dave Liebman as special guest. Moretti’s own discography continued moving through jazz\, funk\, Latin music and other combinations rather than settling into one permanent format. \nThe current incarnation circles back to Brazilia while using Wayne Shorter’s music as its jumping-off point. \nWhy Wayne Shorter Gives Them So Much to Work With\nWayne Shorter left behind the kind of compositions musicians can keep discovering things inside. \nHis career stretched from Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and Miles Davis’ Second Great Quintet to the groundbreaking fusion group Weather Report and decades of work under his own name. But his influence wasn’t limited to being an extraordinary saxophonist. \nHe was a composer whose pieces often resist the predictable resolutions of conventional jazz standards. \nThat makes his music unusually fertile territory for a group such as Brazilia. \nInstead of reproducing famous Shorter recordings\, the quintet can preserve the melodies and harmonic architecture while changing what’s happening underneath them. A composition originally associated with a particular post-bop feel can suddenly be propelled by a mambo or samba rhythm. \nMoretti’s 2025 live recording grew out of exactly that idea. \nThe resulting album reached No. 1 on the Roots Music Report charts\, climbed to No. 6 on JazzWeek and remained on national jazz charts for more than 20 weeks. \nMoretti’s Career Runs From Ray Charles to Berklee\nMoretti has enough history of his own to fill an evening. \nBorn in Providence and raised in Narragansett\, he began playing saxophone in elementary school and was performing with the Rhode Island Youth All-State Jazz Band at the Newport Jazz Festival by age 12. \nHe later became the University of Rhode Island’s first saxophone major at a time when saxophonists generally had to major in clarinet and treat saxophone as a secondary instrument. \nHis professional career eventually crossed boundaries between jazz\, R&B\, funk\, soul and pop. His performance credits include Ray Charles\, Aretha Franklin\, Ben E. King\, The Four Tops\, The Temptations\, Chaka Khan\, Dr. John\, Stevie Nicks\, Steve Winwood\, Robert Plant\, Nile Rodgers\, George Duke and others. \nMoretti has also recorded extensively as a leader\, composer and producer. His catalog reaches back to the 1980s and includes Point of Entry\, Dan Moretti & Brazilia\, That’s Right\, Latin Genesis\, Stories\, Passing Place\, Invoke and numerous other projects. \nRhode Island recognized that body of work by inducting him into the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame in 2017. \nParallel to all of it has been a long career in music education. \nMoretti became a professor at Berklee College of Music\, teaching contemporary writing and production and helping develop curriculum in groove writing and arranging. He is now Professor Emeritus. \nSo when Brazilia plays with rhythm\, it isn’t decorative. Moretti has spent decades studying\, performing\, composing and teaching precisely how rhythm changes the character of music. \nSunday Jazz in the Gallery\nThe UNITED is putting the quintet in its Gallery Events Space rather than one of its conventional theater rooms. \nThat’s a good match for this music. \nJazz built around improvisation works differently when the audience is close enough to watch musicians communicate. A glance from Moretti toward the rhythm section\, a piano phrase picked up by the saxophone or a rhythmic shift between Diaz and Langone becomes part of what you’re watching rather than something happening at a distance. \nAnd with musicians of this caliber\, the written composition is only the beginning. \nWayne Shorter supplied the architecture. \nBrazilia gets to decide where to take it. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. To purchase tickets\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \nDetails\nEvent: Dan Moretti & Brazilia – Sunday Jazz at the U\nDate: Sunday\, Oct. 4\, 2026\nTime: 6–8 p.m.\nVenue: UNITED Theatre – Gallery Events Space\nAddress: 5 Canal Street\, Westerly\, RI 02891\nMusic: Latin jazz\, Brazilian jazz and contemporary jazz\nDan Moretti: Tenor and soprano saxophones\, flute\nOscar Stagnaro: Bass\nMaxim Lubarsky: Piano\nErnesto Diaz: Percussion\nSteve Langone: Drums\nLatest Album: Celebrating Wayne Shorter: Live at the Pump House Music Works\nAccessibility: The UNITED’s cinemas are wheelchair accessible; guests attending live performances who need accessible seating are encouraged to contact the box office before purchasing tickets.\nBox Office: 401-388-8208\nEmail: info@unitedtheatre.org \n  \n  \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/dan-moretti-brazilia-bring-wayne-shorter-into-the-world-of-latin-jazz-at-the-united/
LOCATION:United Theatre\, 5 Canal Street\, Westerly\, RI\, 02891\, United States
CATEGORIES:United Theater
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261003T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261003T213000
DTSTAMP:20260929T215135Z
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SUMMARY:Monophonics Bring Heavy Soul and Psychedelic Rock Back to the Knick
DESCRIPTION:Monophonics Bring Heavy Soul and Psychedelic Rock Back to the Knick Oct. 3\, when the San Francisco band returns to Westerly with the kind of music that can make a modern club feel like somebody just opened a forgotten door into 1971. \nIf you haven’t heard Monophonics before\, start with the ingredients. \nTake the emotional weight of classic soul\, add the deep grooves and horns of funk\, layer in psychedelic guitars and vintage keyboards\, and put Kelly Finnigan out front with a voice that sounds remarkably at home in another musical era. \nThe result isn’t a tribute act and it isn’t a band simply reproducing old records. Monophonics write contemporary songs using a musical vocabulary built from late-’60s and early-’70s soul\, psychedelic rock and R&B. \nThat’s also what makes the Knick Music Lab an especially good room for them. \nOld Soul Without Becoming a Museum Piece\nMonophonics formed in the San Francisco Bay Area in the mid-2000s\, but the band’s defining era began when singer\, songwriter\, producer and keyboardist Kelly Finnigan joined the group. \nFinnigan helped push Monophonics toward the sound that has become its calling card: big analog textures\, emotionally charged vocals\, horns\, psychedelic flourishes and arrangements that can move from intimate soul ballads to explosive funk-rock. \nThere are plenty of historical reference points. \nYou can hear echoes of Curtis Mayfield and the cinematic side of soul\, the psychedelic experiments of late-’60s Motown\, vocal groups such as the Delfonics and the expansive pop of bands like the Zombies. \nBut Monophonics don’t treat those influences as artifacts. \nThe songs themselves deal with recognizable subjects — love\, loss\, perseverance\, isolation and the messy business of trying to get through life — while the production deliberately reaches backward to an era when records sounded warm\, imperfect and human. \nThat combination helped songs including “Last One Standing\,” “It’s Only Us\,” “Chances\,” “Lying Eyes\,” “Promises” and their interpretation of “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)” find audiences far beyond the retro-soul scene. \nIf You Want to Know What They Sound Like\, Check Into the Sage Motel\nTheir 2022 album Sage Motel may be the best introduction to the Monophonics world. \nIt’s a concept album built around an imaginary motel that supposedly began as a roadside stop in the 1940s\, became a bohemian destination during the 1960s and ’70s and then slowly deteriorated. \nPeople pass through its rooms carrying dreams\, broken relationships and turning points in their lives. \nMusically\, it gives Monophonics room to blend heavy soul with psychedelic rock and cinematic arrangements\, with Finnigan’s voice holding the stories together. \nBy that point the band had already developed a substantial following. Its previous album\, It’s Only Us\, accumulated tens of millions of streams\, while Monophonics built its reputation the old-fashioned way as well: touring. \nThe group has performed across the United States and in cities throughout Europe and beyond\, including London\, Paris\, Amsterdam\, Athens and Istanbul. \nAnd live performance matters with this band. \nThe Horns Are Coming Too\nThe current Monophonics lineup is constructed to deliver considerably more than a stripped-down touring approximation of the records. \nFinnigan handles vocals and keyboards\, backed by drummer Austin Bohlman\, bassist Max Ramey and guitarist Aquilles Magaña. \nThen comes the horn section\, led by trumpeter Ryan Scott with Jason Cressey on trombone. \nThat’s important because the horns aren’t decorative in this music. They’re part of what gives Monophonics its scale\, moving between tight rhythmic punches and sweeping soul arrangements while the rhythm section provides the groove underneath. \nThe UNITED describes the band’s live performances as energetic\, and years of international touring have made the stage as important to Monophonics’ identity as the studio. \nFor people who like soul but don’t necessarily want a nostalgia show\, this is where the distinction becomes clear. \nMonophonics aren’t pretending it’s still 1970. \nThey’ve simply decided that some of the things musicians knew how to do in 1970 were worth keeping. \nA Big Sound in an Intimate Westerly Room\nSaturday’s concert isn’t inside the UNITED’s main theater. \nIt’s at the Knick Music Lab\, the performance space at 35 Railroad Avenue that continues the musical life of Westerly’s historic Knickerbocker Music Center. \nThat should put Monophonics considerably closer to the audience than a traditional theater presentation would. \nThe night also includes support from Taylor Williams\, with doors opening at 7:30 p.m. and music beginning at 8. \nTickets are $30 in advance and $35 on the day of the show\, with fees included. The concert is open to all ages. \nFor anyone whose record collection wanders through classic soul\, psychedelic rock\, funk and modern artists who still believe a horn section and a deep groove can solve an awful lot of problems\, this is one worth investigating. \nAnd if you’ve never heard Monophonics\, give “Last One Standing” a few minutes before deciding. \nSeven minutes later\, you’ll have a much better idea of what Saturday night in Westerly is going to sound like. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. To purchase tickets\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \nDetails\nEvent: Monophonics\nDate: Saturday\, Oct. 3\, 2026\nDoors: 7:30 p.m.\nShow: 8 p.m.\nVenue: Knick Music Lab\nAddress: 35 Railroad Ave.\, Westerly\, RI\nAdmission: $30 advance; $35 day of show\, inclusive of fees\nAge: All ages\nSupport: Taylor Williams\nSeating: General admission\nFood & Drink: Prepackaged concession snacks and soft drinks available for purchase; limited bar with prepackaged beer\, wine and canned cocktails\nTicket Policy: Tickets are nonrefundable and nonexchangeable \n  \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/monophonics-bring-heavy-soul-and-psychedelic-rock-back-to-the-knick/
LOCATION:Knickerbocker Music Center\, 35 Railroad Ave\, Westerly\, RI\, 02891\, United States
CATEGORIES:United Theater
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261002T173000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261002T200000
DTSTAMP:20260627T003925Z
CREATED:20260531T175641Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260627T003925Z
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SUMMARY:The First Friday Art Crawl in Downtown Westerly
DESCRIPTION:The First Friday Art Crawl in Downtown Westerly brings together local artists\, galleries\, artist studios\, creative spaces and more throughout downtown Westerly’s arts district on the first Friday of every month. Typically from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. and often later\, visitors can stroll between galleries\, artists studios and creative spaces to experience all Westerly (and spilling over into Pawcatuck) has to offer. \n \nVisitors can enjoy painters\, photographers\, sculptors\, ceramicists\, jewelry makers\, graphic designers\, illustrators\, mixed media and many other types of artists and art forms during the First Friday Art Crawl. One of Downtown Westerly’s main attractions\, the evening Art Crawl allows visitors to stroll between participating locations while meeting artists\, viewing new work and enjoying the creativity that flourishes in downtown Westerly. Many of these locations are galleries\, artist studios\, restaurants and community spaces that open their doors for guests to enjoy art\, conversation and yummy food while supporting local creatives. \nArt enthusiasts\, date night seekers\, families\, and more enjoy the First Friday Art Crawl. Beginning as a simple art stroll downtown in the early 2000’s\, the First Friday Art Crawl has developed into a monthly celebration of local artists and businesses that continues to thrive. Check out which venues are participating and see the most current crawl map prior to attending\, as it may change monthly. \n  \n 
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/the-first-friday-art-crawl-in-downtown-westerly/2026-10-02/
LOCATION:Downtown Westerly RI\, 5 Hight Street\, Westerly\, RI\, 02891\, United States
CATEGORIES:Downtown Westerly
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261002T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261002T200000
DTSTAMP:20261001T000746Z
CREATED:20261001T000746Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261001T000746Z
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SUMMARY:Myth & Magic Fills Westerly’s Historic Train Station With the Mysterious and Imagined
DESCRIPTION:Myth & Magic Fills Westerly’s Historic Train Station With the Mysterious and Imagined beginning Oct. 2\, as more than 100 artists transform the Artists’ Cooperative Gallery of Westerly into an exploration of legends\, symbols\, ancient stories and the things that exist just beyond the ordinary. \nThe exhibition actually opens Sept. 30 and remains on view through Nov. 1\, but Friday night’s free opening reception is the public celebration\, with artists gathering at the gallery from 5 to 8 p.m. alongside wine and hors d’oeuvres. \nAnd this is a particularly large show for the cooperative. \nRather than spotlighting a handful of featured artists\, Myth & Magic brings together work from the gallery’s approximately 55 juried members and nearly 50 associate members\, ranging from established artists to emerging creators. \nThe result should make the October exhibition one of the gallery’s most eclectic of the year. \nGiving Form to Things We Can’t Quite Explain\nThe theme is deliberately broad. \nMyths have always given people ways to explain the inexplicable: creation\, death\, natural forces\, good and evil\, luck\, transformation and the possibility that something exists beyond what we can see. \nMagic occupies similarly flexible territory. It can mean supernatural power\, folklore and ritual\, but it can also describe an ordinary moment that somehow feels extraordinary. \nThe artists aren’t being asked to illustrate one particular mythology or legend. Instead\, Myth & Magic invites them to interpret the stories\, symbols and moments of wonder that have fascinated people across generations. \nThat opens the exhibition to everything from ancient mythology and folklore to fantasy\, personal symbolism and entirely invented worlds. \nAnd because this is a full-member exhibition\, those ideas won’t be expressed through a single medium. \nVisitors can expect oil and acrylic painting\, watercolor\, collage\, sculpture\, pottery\, woodwork\, fused glass and other forms of fine art and craft throughout the gallery. \nMore Than 30 Years of Artists Running Their Own Gallery\nThe Artists’ Cooperative Gallery of Westerly has been operating since 1992\, when artists Bruce Goodsell\, Sandi Gold and Ginger Mitchell founded the organization. \nThe model is different from that of a conventional commercial gallery. \nACGOW is a nonprofit cooperative managed and operated by its artists\, with members volunteering to staff the gallery and handle the work required to mount exhibitions and keep the organization running. \nJuried artists don’t simply send their work somewhere and wait for a gallery owner to sell it. They’re participants in the organization displaying it. \nThe cooperative presents a completely new exhibition each month\, ordinarily marking the changeover with a First Friday opening reception. Works can also change during an exhibition as pieces are sold\, so someone returning later in October may not encounter precisely the same show. \nThe mission extends beyond selling art. The organization offers workshops\, classes and other educational programs while trying to create connections among artists and audiences throughout the Westerly-Pawcatuck area. \nArt Inside a 1912 Railroad Station\nThe building adds another layer. \nACGOW occupies space inside the historic Westerly Train Station\, the distinctive Spanish Renaissance-style structure built in 1912 along the railroad tracks downtown. \nThat makes Myth & Magic an exhibition of contemporary work displayed inside a building more than a century old. \nThe gallery also maintains a shop in its west wing\, where visitors can browse smaller original works\, prints\, cards and other pieces created by member artists and artisans. \nOctober will bring additional opportunities to make art rather than simply look at it. Gallery artist Tammy Blais is scheduled to lead palette-knife painting classes on Oct. 13 and Oct. 27\, while Janet Maher will teach a five-signature long-stitch book and journal-making workshop on Oct. 19. \nBut Friday evening belongs to the exhibition itself. \nThere is no admission charge and no requirement to approach the work as an art expert. Walk through\, find the pieces that pull you in\, meet some of the people who made them and see how more than 100 artists answered essentially the same question in completely different ways: \nWhat does myth or magic look like to you? \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nDetails\nEvent: Myth & Magic\nOpening Reception: Friday\, Oct. 2\, 2026\nReception Time: 5–8 p.m.\nExhibition Dates: Sept. 30–Nov. 1\, 2026\nVenue: Artists’ Cooperative Gallery of Westerly\nLocation: Historic Westerly Train Station\nAddress: 14 Railroad Avenue\, Westerly\, RI 02891\nAdmission: Free and open to the public\nArtists: Approximately 55 juried members plus nearly 50 associate members\nMedia: Oil\, acrylic\, watercolor\, collage\, sculpture\, pottery\, wood\, fused glass and additional fine art and craft media\nOpening Reception: Meet participating artists with wine and hors d’oeuvres\nRegular Gallery Hours: Wednesday–Saturday\, 11 a.m.–7 p.m.; Sunday\, 1–5 p.m.\nGallery Shop: Small original works\, prints\, cards and other works by member artists and artisans\nPhone: 401-596-2221\nEmail: info@westerlyarts.com \n  \n  \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/myth-magic-fills-westerlys-historic-train-station-with-the-mysterious-and-imagined/
LOCATION:Artists’ Cooperative Gallery of Westerly\, 14 Railroad Avenue\, Westerly\, RI\, 02891\, United States
CATEGORIES:Artists' Cooperative of Westerly
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260930T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260930T203000
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CREATED:20260621T012345Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260621T021216Z
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SUMMARY:Downtown Westerly Walk or Run 5K
DESCRIPTION:Downtown Westerly Walk or Run 5K gives participants a chance to stay active\, meet new people\, and explore the heart of downtown Westerly in a fun and welcoming group setting. Held on Wednesday evenings throughout the summer\, the event encourages walkers and runners of all experience levels to get outside and enjoy the community. \nRather than a competitive race\, the weekly gathering focuses on fitness\, social connection\, and enjoying the local area. Participants can choose to walk or run the 5K route\, making it accessible to everyone from seasoned runners to those simply looking for an enjoyable midweek outing. \nWhether you’re training for a larger race\, looking to add some movement to your week\, or hoping to connect with fellow outdoor enthusiasts\, Downtown Westerly Walk or Run 5K offers a free and friendly way to spend a summer evening. \nEvent Details \nWhen: Every Wednesday \nTime: 6:30 p.m. \nLocation: One Of One Athletics Club\n26 High Street\nWesterly\, RI \nDistance: 5K \nAdmission: Free \nHighlights \n\nWalk or run at your own pace\nWeekly community event\nExplore downtown Westerly\nOpen to all fitness levels\nMeet fellow walkers and runners\n\n  \n 
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/downtown-westerly-walk-or-run-5k/2026-09-30/
LOCATION:One of One Athletics Club\, 26 High Street\, Westerly\, RI\, 02891\, United States
CATEGORIES:One of One Athletics Club
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260927T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260927T210000
DTSTAMP:20260923T194738Z
CREATED:20260923T194454Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260923T194738Z
UID:10008528-1790535600-1790542800@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Roots Music Stomp Brings America’s Musical Traditions Together With Erica Weiss
DESCRIPTION:Roots Music Stomp Brings America’s Musical Traditions Together With Erica Weiss Sunday\, Sept. 27\, for an evening that can move from an Appalachian fiddle tune to Louisiana Cajun music\, Balkan singing\, and an original song without ever leaving the UNITED’s Gallery Events Space. \nThe September edition of the monthly series pairs host Craig Edwards with Erica Weiss\, a multi-instrumentalist\, singer\, teacher and dance caller whose musical world crosses traditions that are often separated into different genres. \nWeiss plays fiddle\, guitar and bass\, sings and performs Appalachian old-time string band music\, Cajun and Zydeco\, Balkan vocal music and her own songs. \nThat range makes her particularly well suited to Roots Music Stomp. \nThe series isn’t designed as a conventional concert where a touring artist arrives\, plays a prepared set and leaves. Instead\, Edwards invites musicians steeped in traditional styles to play together while exploring where the music came from\, how it traveled and why seemingly different American musical traditions frequently turn out to be related. \nPart Concert\, Part Musical Conversation\nRoots Music Stomp has been described as something approaching a live musical podcast. \nThere is performance\, but conversation and musical history are part of the experience. \nEdwards and his guest can play a tune\, talk about the tradition behind it and then follow the music somewhere else. \nThat makes improvisation part of the appeal. \nA fiddle can lead into Appalachian old-time music. An accordion can shift the evening toward Louisiana. A song can open a discussion about the communities that carried it from one generation to another. \nThe point isn’t simply to reproduce old music. \nIt’s to show that roots music has always been alive\, changing as musicians and communities encountered one another. \nErica Weiss Crosses Musical Borders\nWeiss has spent years inside the traditional-music community as both a performer and teacher. \nShe has performed and taught at festivals and music camps and worked alongside musicians in the old-time and Cajun traditions\, while her interests extend well beyond either one. \nAppalachian old-time music itself developed through a complicated meeting of cultures. European fiddle traditions mixed with African American musical traditions\, including the banjo\, an instrument with West African ancestry that became fundamental to American string-band music. \nCajun music developed from another migration story. \nFrench-speaking Acadians expelled from Canada during the 18th century eventually established communities in Louisiana\, where their music interacted with Creole\, African\, Caribbean and other traditions. Fiddles were eventually joined by accordions\, and neighboring Cajun and Creole musical cultures helped produce the sounds now associated with Cajun and Zydeco music. \nBalkan singing brings another musical world into Weiss’ repertoire\, with vocal traditions known for powerful harmonies\, distinctive intervals and rhythms that can sound strikingly different to ears accustomed to American popular music. \nRoots Music Stomp provides a place where those differences can be heard side by side. \nCraig Edwards Has Spent a Lifetime Following the Connections\nIf the concept sounds unusually broad\, that’s because Edwards’ own musical career is unusually broad. \nHe sings and plays fiddle\, guitar\, five-string banjo\, mandolin and button accordion\, with a repertoire encompassing Appalachian old-time\, blues\, bluegrass\, Cajun\, Celtic music\, chanteys\, folk\, roots rock\, swing and Zydeco. \nHis interest goes beyond learning songs. \nEdwards studied ethnomusicology at Wesleyan University\, focusing on American string-band traditions and conducting fieldwork in places including West Virginia\, North Carolina\, Louisiana\, Ireland and Nova Scotia. \nHe has also studied with West African master musicians and dancers\, another route into understanding how African musical traditions became part of the foundation of American music. \nEdwards later spent years as a staff musician at Mystic Seaport Museum and served as director of its Sea Music Festival\, where his work expanded into maritime traditions from around the world. \nToday\, he teaches traditional fiddle styles at Wesleyan and teaches at the UNITED while continuing to perform across multiple roots traditions. \nCalling him a multi-instrumentalist almost undersells what he’s doing with Roots Music Stomp. \nHe’s using the instruments as tools for musical history. \nA Series Built Around a Different Tradition Every Month\nThe September program is one chapter in an ongoing monthly experiment at the UNITED. \nPrevious Roots Music Stomp programs have explored bluegrass with fiddler Austin Scelzo\, maritime and folk traditions with longtime Mystic Seaport chanteyman Geoff Kaufman\, traditional Irish music and the enormous influence of Bob Dylan on American folk and popular songwriting. \nOther editions have ventured into Franco-American fiddling\, seasonal traditional music and additional regional folk traditions. \nThe format changes because the guest changes. \nRather than impose the same concert structure every month\, Edwards uses each musician’s specialty as the starting point. The collaboration then allows different traditions to collide\, overlap or reveal connections that might not be apparent from simply listening to recordings. \nWith Weiss\, there are a lot of directions the conversation can go. \nAppalachia. Louisiana. The Balkans. Traditional dance music. Original songwriting. \nAnd with two musicians capable of changing instruments as the evening develops\, there’s no requirement that they stay in one place for very long. \nAn Intimate Room for Music That Was Meant to Be Shared\nRoots Music Stomp takes place in the Gallery Events Space at the UNITED\, rather than the theater’s large Black Box auditorium. \nThat smaller setting fits the material. \nMuch of the music being explored in the series developed long before amplifiers\, arenas or even modern concert culture. These were social traditions played at dances\, gatherings\, homes\, community celebrations\, work sites and informal sessions. \nThe music was passed from musician to musician largely by listening\, watching and playing together. \nRoots Music Stomp recreates a little of that process in front of an audience. \nInstead of presenting traditional music as something preserved behind glass\, Edwards and Weiss can pull it apart\, talk about it and then put it back together by playing it. \nFor anyone who has wondered how a fiddle tune from Appalachia\, a Louisiana dance tune and music carried across an ocean can all wind up under the enormous umbrella called American roots music\, Sunday night offers a pretty good place to start. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nTo purchase tickets\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \nDetails\nEvent: Roots Music Stomp featuring Erica Weiss\nDate: Sunday\, Sept. 27\, 2026\nTime: 7–9 p.m.\nLocation: UNITED Gallery Events Space\nAddress: 5 Canal St.\, Westerly\, RI 02891\nFeatured Musician: Erica Weiss\nHost: Craig Edwards\nMusic: Appalachian old-time\, Cajun\, Zydeco\, Balkan singing\, folk\, original music and other traditional styles\nFormat: Live performance\, collaboration and discussion of traditional music and its history\nVenue: Gallery Events Space at the UNITED\nAccessibility: The UNITED is wheelchair accessible; guests needing accommodations for a live performance can contact the box office\nContact: 401-388-8208 \n  \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/roots-music-stomp-brings-americas-musical-traditions-together-with-erica-weiss/
LOCATION:United Theatre\, 5 Canal Street\, Westerly\, RI\, 02891\, United States
CATEGORIES:United Theater
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Roots-Music-Stomp-Brings-Americas-Musical-Traditions-Together-With-Erica-Weiss.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260927T163000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260927T180000
DTSTAMP:20260923T204847Z
CREATED:20260923T204600Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260923T204847Z
UID:10008530-1790526600-1790532000@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Youth On-the-Mic Gives Young Performers the Knickerbocker Stage
DESCRIPTION:Youth On-the-Mic Gives Young Performers the Knickerbocker Stage Sunday\, Sept. 27\, creating a pressure-free place for sixth- through 12th-graders to sing\, play an instrument\, perform an original song\, or try out a favorite cover in front of a live audience. \nThe 90-minute open mic at the Knickerbocker Music Center is specifically designed for young musicians from Rhode Island and southeastern Connecticut\, whether they’ve already played in public or have never stepped onto a stage. \nThere are no auditions. \nThere isn’t a competition. \nAnd nobody needs a polished set. \nThe idea behind Youth On-the-Mic is much simpler: young musicians need somewhere to begin. \nThe Alternative to an Adult Open Mic\nFor a teenager learning to perform\, the usual open-mic circuit can be an awkward fit. \nMany take place late at night in bars\, breweries and restaurants. The musicians are adults. The audiences are adults. And even an intentionally welcoming room can feel intimidating when you’re 13 years old and preparing to sing in public for the first time. \nYouth On-the-Mic was created as an alternative. \nNow in its seventh year\, the bi-monthly series gives middle- and high-school-age performers their own space to experiment in front of other young musicians\, families and a supportive audience. \nStudents can perform solo or with others. They can sing\, play music\, present an original composition or cover somebody else’s song. \nThe UNITED describes the atmosphere as pressure-free and supportive\, with the emphasis on encouraging kids to get onto the stage rather than judging how polished they are once they get there. \nThat’s an important distinction. \nThe first performance is often the hardest one. \nLearning Something a Practice Room Can’t Teach\nMusic lessons can teach chords\, scales\, rhythm\, technique and repertoire. \nPerforming teaches something else. \nA microphone sounds different from singing alone in a bedroom. An amplifier changes how a guitarist hears an instrument. Musicians have to learn where to stand\, how to communicate with one another\, what to do after making a mistake and how to continue playing while people are watching. \nThose are difficult skills to learn without actually performing. \nYouth On-the-Mic provides that opportunity without requiring a young musician to land a formal gig first. \nIt also creates a community around the performers. \nA sixth-grader watching an older student play can see what might be possible a few years later. An experienced high-school musician can test a new original song. Players who normally practice alone can meet other musicians their age. \nAnd sometimes a young performer simply discovers that getting onto a stage wasn’t nearly as frightening as expected. \nNot Just Any Stage\nThere’s another reason this particular open mic is unusual. \nThe kids aren’t performing in a classroom or multipurpose room. \nThey’re playing the Knickerbocker stage. \nThe Knickerbocker Music Center has been part of Westerly’s music culture for decades\, and the building’s history stretches back much further. \nThe venue traces its roots to the Knickerbocker Café\, which became one of southern New England’s important blues and roots-music rooms during the second half of the 20th century. \nMost famously\, it became closely associated with Roomful of Blues. \nThe band formed in Westerly in 1967\, founded by guitarist Duke Robillard and pianist Al Copley\, and developed a long-running relationship with the Knickerbocker. Its residency helped turn the club into a destination for blues\, swing\, R&B and roots music. \nOver the years\, the Knick’s musical history grew to include generations of local and touring musicians. \nToday\, the venue operates as part of The UNITED Theatre’s expanded arts campus\, preserving a stage with deep regional music history while using it for performances\, education and community programs. \nSo when a young musician walks up to the microphone Sunday afternoon\, it may be an open mic. \nBut it isn’t a practice stage. \nA Place to Find the Next Bandmate\nThe event also solves another problem young musicians face: finding one another. \nA teenager playing guitar at home may have no idea that another student a few towns away plays drums\, writes songs or wants to start a band. \nRegular youth music events can become informal meeting places. \nThe performer who comes to play one song can return to hear someone else. Musicians can discover shared influences. Friendships form. Collaborations can follow. \nThat’s one reason the recurring nature of Youth On-the-Mic matters. \nA single showcase gives a student one performance. \nA continuing series gives that student somewhere to come back to. \nAnd progress that happens slowly in a rehearsal room can suddenly become obvious when a musician returns to the same stage a few months later. \nNo Alcohol\, No Bar Scene\nFor this event\, the Knick operates differently from a typical evening concert. \nThe venue no longer has a working kitchen\, but prepackaged concession snacks and soft drinks will be available for purchase. Payments are cashless. \nNo alcohol will be served during Youth On-the-Mic. \nThat keeps the focus exactly where organizers intend it to be: on young musicians\, their families and the experience of getting comfortable onstage. \nFor some performers\, Sunday may simply be another chance to play. \nFor somebody else\, it could be the first time they stand behind a microphone\, look out into a room and realize people are actually waiting to hear what they can do. \nEvery musician who looks comfortable onstage eventually had a first time. \nYouth On-the-Mic gives local kids a place to have theirs. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nDetails\nEvent: Youth On-the-Mic\nDate: Sunday\, Sept. 27\, 2026\nTime: 4:30–6 p.m.\nLocation: The Knickerbocker Music Center\nAddress: 35 Railroad Ave.\, Westerly\, RI 02891\nWho Can Perform: Students in grades 6–12 from Rhode Island and southeastern Connecticut\nPerformances: Singing\, instrumental music\, original songs and cover songs\nExperience Level: New and experienced young performers are welcome\nFormat: Supportive youth open mic\nSeries: Bi-monthly; currently in its seventh year\nFood: Prepackaged concession snacks available for purchase\nDrinks: Soft drinks available for purchase; no alcohol served at this event\nPayment: Cashless purchases only\nContact: The UNITED\, 401-388-8208 \n  \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/youth-on-the-mic-gives-young-performers-the-knickerbocker-stage/
LOCATION:Knickerbocker Music Center\, 35 Railroad Ave\, Westerly\, RI\, 02891\, United States
CATEGORIES:The Knickerbocker
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260927T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260927T203000
DTSTAMP:20260922T025349Z
CREATED:20260922T025231Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260922T025349Z
UID:10008494-1790506800-1790541000@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Mystic Film Festival Brings Four Days of Independent Cinema to Mystic and Westerly
DESCRIPTION:Mystic Film Festival Brings Four Days of Independent Cinema to Mystic and Westerly Sept. 24–27\, turning multiple venues on both sides of the Connecticut-Rhode Island line into screening rooms for one of the region’s largest celebrations of independent film. \nAnd the Chamber calendar seriously undersells this one. \nThe 9th Annual Mystic Film Festival includes narrative features\, feature documentaries\, dozens of short films\, three blocks devoted entirely to student filmmakers\, filmmaker conversations\, networking events\, a screenplay competition\, and a closing-night awards ceremony. \nThe official festival site is: Mystic Film Festival 2026 \nThe 2026 festival runs across several venues rather than operating out of a single theater. Mystic Luxury Cinemas in Olde Mistick Village remains the cornerstone venue and hosts opening night\, while screenings and programs expand to La Grua Center in Stonington Borough\, the Mystic & Noank Library\, and The UNITED in Westerly. \nMore Than a Weekend at the Movies\nMystic Film Festival was created by area filmmakers and artists with a deliberate dual mission: give Connecticut and New England filmmakers somewhere to show their work while bringing independent films from around the world to southeastern Connecticut. \nNine years later\, that local festival has developed a surprisingly large footprint. \nThe 2026 official slate contains more than 100 films\, spanning narrative and documentary features\, narrative and documentary shorts\, animation and student work. The feature-documentary program alone includes films about politics\, sports\, Native identity\, aviation\, photography\, speed\, international borders and defectors. \nThis is also a festival where the people who made the films are part of the experience. Filmmaker Q&As\, workshops\, industry events and informal conversations are built around the screenings rather than treating each movie as a standalone theatrical showing. \nThe 2026 Film Schedule\nBecause several screens and venues operate simultaneously\, there isn’t one linear schedule. Audiences build their own festival. \nThe festival’s official individual film pages and venue schedules confirm the following major screening blocks. The festival’s Event Schedule should be checked before attending for the final screen assignment and any last-minute changes. \nThursday\, Sept. 24 — Opening Night\nThe festival opens at Mystic Luxury Cinemas in Olde Mistick Village\, traditionally putting the spotlight on locally produced work and filmmakers from the region. \nOpening night is specifically designed to celebrate films made by local filmmakers before the festival expands into its multi-venue schedule Friday through Sunday. \nFriday\, Sept. 25 — UNITED Theatre\n12–2 p.m. — Crystal Cross\nNarrative Feature \n2:30–4:30 p.m. — The Life We Leave\nFeature Documentary \n5–7 p.m. — Micronations\nFeature Documentary \n7:30–9 p.m. — Transforming the Beautiful Game: The Clyde Best Story\nFeature Documentary \nAll four screen in the UNITED Micro Cinema in Westerly. \nFriday — Mystic & Noank Library\nThe festival also moves into the library for programming Friday. One confirmed screening block runs 12:45–2:45 p.m. and includes Forever Home\, a 20-minute student documentary directed by Kyle Francis Barton about Newhouse Wildlife Rescue in Massachusetts and the work of rehabilitating injured wildlife for eventual release. \nFriday — Mystic Luxury Cinemas\nMultiple short-film programs also run at the festival’s Mystic anchor venue. \nAmong the confirmed Friday programs is a 4–6 p.m. documentary-short block that includes Under the Ice\, director John Martin’s nearly 30-minute documentary about a woman confronting depression and alcoholism through an attempt to swim beneath the ice of a frozen Norwegian lake and pursue a Guinness World Record. \nSaturday\, Sept. 26 — UNITED Theatre\n12–2 p.m. — Tails of the Himalayas…Of Dogs & Devotees + Unspoken Bond\nDocumentary Short + Feature Documentary \n2:30–4:30 p.m. — Art of Destruction\nFeature Documentary \n5–7 p.m. — Nobody Wants to Be Here\, Nobody Wants to Leave\nNarrative Feature \n7:30–9:15 p.m. — Act One\nNarrative Feature \nSaturday — La Grua Center Student Film Showcase\nSaturday brings an entire parallel festival-within-the-festival to Stonington Borough. \nLa Grua Center hosts three blocks of student films\, moderated by Jim Quinn\, with opportunities for audiences to hear from participating filmmakers. \n11 a.m. — Student Shorts Block 1 \nYer Smackin’\nBusker\nWiwa\nRunning On The Edge\nUs And Them\nI Constantly Thank God For Estaban\nThe Magic Words\nPerspico\nHow’d It Go? \n1:30 p.m. — Student Shorts Block 2 \nThe Locked Groove\nNo Small Matter\nClucky’s\nValue\nDental Breakdown\nTrapped Air: Life With No Burp-Zone\nGarden Of Babel\nSeparate Together\nFace Me Face You \n4 p.m. — Student Films Block 3 \nSame Time Tomorrow\nMade Whole\nNight Of Silence\nFalling Behind\nRunning Against The Odds\nBatteries\nThe Last Hug\nCorsano’s Roach \nThe subjects alone demonstrate how broad the student program has become. Running Against the Odds\, for example\, tells the story of Narragansett runner Tarzan Brown\, a two-time Boston Marathon winner who represented the United States at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. \nNo Small Matter comes from a 15-year-old filmmaker and examines a court designed to address homelessness and mental-health issues through treatment and support rather than conventional punishment. \nAnd Trapped Air: Life With No-Burp Syndrome is a five-minute documentary about R-CPD and the patients who live with the inability to burp. \nSaturday — Mystic Luxury Cinemas\nMystic Luxury Cinemas simultaneously hosts additional short-film blocks. \nA confirmed 2–4 p.m. narrative-short program includes My Dog: The Paradox\, an animated short from Matthew Inman\, creator of The Oatmeal and co-creator of Exploding Kittens\, about the joy and inevitable heartbreak of loving a dog. \nThat same block includes The Lord of All Future Space and Time\, a 23-minute mashup of Western revenge story\, science fiction and comedy. \nAnother narrative-short program runs 4–6 p.m.\, including Drowned\, about a single mother with chronic illness confronting medical setbacks and the possibility of losing custody of her child. \nSaturday Night Becomes a Filmmaker Gathering\nAt 6:30 p.m. Saturday\, the movies give way to an Industry Networking Event at La Grua Center. \nThe gathering runs until 9 p.m. and brings filmmakers\, screenwriters and other festival participants together away from the theaters. \nIt’s an important part of what Mystic Film Festival has become. The festival isn’t only trying to find an audience for finished movies. It’s also trying to create relationships among people who may make the next ones. \nThe event requires a separate RSVP for participating filmmakers and screenplay finalists. \nSunday\, Sept. 27 — UNITED Theatre\nThe Westerly screenings continue throughout the festival’s final day. \n12–2 p.m. — In Spite of Ourselves\nNarrative Feature \n2:15–4:15 p.m. — School For Defectors\nFeature Documentary \n2:30–4:30 p.m. — Documentary Shorts Block\nResume of Regrets\nOne Soupy Season\nHow I Survived a Kamikaze Attack\nThe Petal Pusher\nPlant Life \n4:30–6 p.m. — Fat + One Woman One Bra\nNarrative Short + Narrative Feature \nThe 2:30 documentary block screens in the UNITED Main Cinema while the other Sunday programs use the Micro Cinema\, allowing simultaneous programming. \nSunday — Mystic Luxury Cinemas\nAdditional programs continue in Mystic. \nOne confirmed block begins at 11:30 a.m. and includes animation such as Half Baked\, a short comedy about a young adult repeatedly failing to learn how to cook and ordering pizza after every disaster. \nA 4–6 p.m. narrative shorts program includes The Yellow Sponge is the Dish Sponge\, Michele Noble’s comedy about a couple whose disagreements over cleaning and household chores escalate on the day of a party. \nMore Than 100 Films\, From Features to Six-Minute Experiments\nThe size of the slate makes the festival difficult to summarize with a handful of marquee titles. \nAmong the documentary features are Art of Destruction\, Micronations\, Remaining Native\, Fork In The Road\, March Forth\, Nasty\, Public Access\, School For Defectors\, Sculptors of Speed\, Outliers\, People Vs. Politics\, Slowburn Shoot\, Team 28\, The Flight of Jackie Cochran\, The Life We Leave\, They Fight With Cameras\, Transforming the Beautiful Game: The Clyde Best Story and Unspoken Bond. \nNarrative features include A Woman’s Work\, Act One\, Crystal Cross\, In Spite of Ourselves\, Nobody Wants to Be Here\, Nobody Wants to Leave\, One Woman One Bra and Road To L’Etape Du Tour. \nThe shorts program goes considerably deeper\, with dozens of narrative and documentary films running from just a few minutes to nearly feature length. \nThat makes the festival less like going out to see one movie and more like sampling a film world that normally doesn’t make it to a commercial multiplex. \nScreenwriters Get Their Own Competition\nFilms aren’t the only stories competing. \nThe Mystic Film Festival’s Screenplay Competition is now in its sixth year\, providing a route into the festival for writers whose work hasn’t yet become a finished movie. \nThe competition has expanded its categories as the festival has grown\, and the top screenplay winners are announced during festival weekend. \nThat distinction matters. Independent film festivals often become one of the few places where an unproduced writer can enter the same professional conversation as directors and producers with completed films. \nMystic has deliberately made that part of its mission. \nSunday Night Ends With the Awards\nThe four days conclude where they began: Mystic Luxury Cinemas. \nThe Mystic Film Festival Awards Ceremony runs from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Sunday. \nA wine reception is scheduled from 6:30 to 7 p.m.\, followed by the ceremony beginning at 7 p.m. \nAwards recognize standout work across the festival’s categories\, and the winners of the screenplay competition are also announced during the festival. \nBy that point\, audiences will have moved among two states\, several theaters and cultural venues\, features\, documentaries\, shorts and student films. \nThat’s a considerably bigger event than the little Chamber calendar listing suggests. \nFor four days\, Mystic and Westerly effectively become one regional independent-film campus. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nTo purchase tickets\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \nDetails\nEvent: 9th Annual Mystic Film Festival\nDates: Thursday\, Sept. 24 through Sunday\, Sept. 27\, 2026\nLocations: Mystic and Stonington\, Connecticut\, and Westerly\, Rhode Island\nCornerstone Venue: Mystic Luxury Cinemas\, 27 Coogan Boulevard\, Mystic\nAdditional Venues: The UNITED\, La Grua Center\, Mystic & Noank Library and other festival locations\nProgramming: Narrative features\, documentary features\, narrative and documentary shorts\, animation and student films\nAlso Included: Filmmaker Q&As\, workshops\, networking events\, screenplay competition and awards celebration\nSaturday Student Showcase: La Grua Center\, 11 a.m.\, 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.\nSaturday Industry Networking: La Grua Center\, 6:30–9 p.m.\nSunday Awards: Mystic Luxury Cinemas\, 6:30–9 p.m.; wine reception at 6:30 p.m.\, ceremony at 7 p.m.\nTickets: Individual screening tickets and festival passes are available through the festival’s ticketing system. Because multiple programs run simultaneously\, ticket holders should confirm the venue and screen for each selection when reserving. \n  \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/15878/2026-09-27/
LOCATION:Mystic Luxury Cinemas\, 27 Coogan Blvd Ste. 1-B\, Mystic\, 06355\, United States
CATEGORIES:Mystic Luxury Cinemas
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Mystic-Film-Festival-Brings-Four-Days-of-Independent-Cinema-to-Mystic-and-Westerly.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260926T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260926T213000
DTSTAMP:20260926T162825Z
CREATED:20260920T194125Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260926T162825Z
UID:10008477-1790451000-1790458200@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Billy Gilman Celebrates 25 Years of Music With a Home-State Show at the UNITED (postponed)
DESCRIPTION:NOTE: This event was postponed due to the nor’easter.\nBilly Gilman Celebrates 25 Years of Music With a Home-State Show at the UNITED Saturday\, Sept. 26\, bringing the Rhode Island singer back to Westerly for an anniversary concert that looks back at one of the more unusual careers in modern country music. \n25 Years of Hits & Showstoppers begins at 7:30 p.m. in the UNITED’s Black Box Auditorium. The fully seated\, all-ages performance will mix songs from Gilman’s career with classics\, covers\, and stories from a musical journey that began when he became nationally famous before he was even a teenager. \nFor this particular anniversary show\, the location matters. Gilman was born in Westerly and grew up in nearby Hope Valley. Twenty-five years after his childhood career put a Rhode Island kid on country radio across America\, he’s returning home to celebrate the music that followed. \nWhen “One Voice” Changed Everything\nGilman’s career exploded in 2000 with “One Voice.” \nHe was only 11 when the song became a major country hit\, making him the youngest solo performer at the time to reach Billboard’s country charts. The song also crossed over to the Billboard Hot 100. \nHis debut album\, also titled One Voice\, followed and became a major commercial success. Suddenly\, a child from Rhode Island was sharing the country music conversation with established Nashville stars. \nThen came the Grammys. \n“One Voice” earned Gilman a nomination for Best Male Country Vocal Performance at the 43rd Grammy Awards\, putting the 12-year-old singer in a category alongside adult country performers. The songwriters also received a nomination for Best Country Song. \nGilman went on to release Classic Christmas\, Dare to Dream and Music Through Heartsongs during a remarkably compressed period of childhood fame. \nWhat Happens When a Child Singer Grows Up?\nGilman’s story became more complicated as he got older. \nThe voice that had made him famous as a child inevitably changed during adolescence. For most singers\, that’s an ordinary part of growing up. For Gilman\, his career had been built around a voice millions of people already knew. \nHis recording career slowed considerably. \nThat could easily have been the end of the story: a former child star remembered primarily for one extraordinary period at the beginning of the 2000s. \nInstead\, Gilman eventually found another national stage. \nA Second Introduction on The Voice\nIn 2016\, Gilman auditioned for Season 11 of NBC’s The Voice. \nThis time\, audiences weren’t meeting an 11-year-old country prodigy. They were hearing an adult singer essentially asking to be judged again. \nHis blind audition of Adele’s “When We Were Young” turned all four coaches’ chairs. Gilman chose Adam Levine’s team and ultimately made it all the way to the season finale\, finishing as runner-up. \nThe appearance reintroduced him to a national audience more than 15 years after “One Voice\,” while also allowing him to move beyond the expectations attached to his childhood sound. \nThat arc gives the title 25 Years of Hits & Showstoppers more weight than a standard anniversary concert. It’s a career that has effectively contained two introductions to the American public. \nComing Home to Westerly\nNow 38\, Gilman returns to the town where he was born for a show built around that entire journey. \nThe UNITED describes the concert as a combination of familiar songs\, heartfelt classics and powerful covers reimagined in Gilman’s current style\, with storytelling connecting different periods of his career. \nThe setting should make this one particularly intimate. \nRather than the UNITED’s larger configurations\, the concert is a fully seated performance in the Black Box Auditorium\, with reserved seating selected when tickets are purchased. \nDoors open at 6:30 p.m.\, with the show beginning at 7:30. Tickets are $35 with fees included. \nFor longtime Rhode Island fans\, there is an obvious full-circle element to the night. The kid from Hope Valley who became a national country star at 11\, disappeared from the center of the industry as his voice changed\, and then sang his way back onto national television as an adult is celebrating the anniversary close to where the whole thing started. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nTo purchase tickets\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \nDetails\nEvent: Billy Gilman: 25 Years of Hits & Showstoppers\nDate: Saturday\, Sept. 26\, 2026\nDoors: 6:30 p.m.\nShow: 7:30 p.m.\nVenue: UNITED Black Box Auditorium\nAddress: 5 Canal Street\, Westerly\, RI 02891\nAdmission: $35\, fees included\nSeating: Fully seated show; seating location is selected when purchasing tickets\nAge: All ages\nAccessibility: The UNITED is wheelchair accessible and recommends contacting the box office before purchasing tickets to discuss the best location for accessible seating.\nTicket Policy: Tickets are non-refundable and non-exchangeable. \n  \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/billy-gilman-celebrates-25-years-of-music-with-a-home-state-show-at-the-united/
LOCATION:United Theatre\, 5 Canal Street\, Westerly\, RI\, 02891\, United States
CATEGORIES:United Theater
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Billy-Gilman-Celebrates-25-Years-of-Music-With-a-Home-State-Show-at-the-UNITED.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260926T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260926T193000
DTSTAMP:20260926T163153Z
CREATED:20260924T152152Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260926T163153Z
UID:10008599-1790445600-1790451000@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Paint Night With Lana Gunn Turns Coastal Rhode Island Into a Canvas (postponed)
DESCRIPTION:NOTE: This event was postponed due to the nor’easter.\nPaint Night With Lana Gunn Turns Coastal Rhode Island Into a Canvas Saturday\, Sept. 26\, as a Westerly artist whose work is inspired by shorelines\, dunes\, and quiet natural spaces leads a 90-minute painting workshop at Coastal Town Collective. \nThe 6 to 7:30 p.m. class is designed as a guided paint night rather than an open studio session. Gunn will lead participants through creating a coastal landscape\, with all painting supplies included in registration. No shopping list\, brushes\, or half-used tubes of paint need to come from home. \nAnd the subject is particularly appropriate for the artist teaching it. \nLana Gunn Paints the Coast as a Place to Slow Down\nGunn’s work is rooted heavily in nature\, particularly the landscapes and seascapes of coastal Rhode Island. \nHer paintings often begin with things encountered on walks: coastal paths\, rocky shorelines\, wildflowers\, dunes and water. She describes her approach as blending soft realism with impressionistic color\, using gentle blues\, creams\, blushes and sunlit greens to create landscapes that feel recognizable without functioning like photographic reproductions. \nThere’s a purpose behind that softness. \nGunn describes her paintings as an attempt to capture the stillness people can experience in nature\, particularly those moments when the noise of everything else seems to drop away. \nFor Saturday’s class\, participants get to try that process themselves. \nAn Artist Who Also Learned How to Teach Art\nThere’s another piece of Gunn’s background that matters for a paint night. \nShe isn’t simply an artist demonstrating her own technique. \nGunn is a 2019 graduate of Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts and later earned a Master of Arts in Art + Design Education from Rhode Island School of Design. \nHer work has included drawing and painting plants\, animals\, landscapes and the human figure\, but education has remained part of her practice. \nEarlier paint nights with Gunn have emphasized creativity and expression rather than trying to reproduce an instructor’s painting with mechanical precision. Her teaching has focused on guiding participants through the process while leaving room for individual choices. \nThat distinction can make an art workshop considerably less intimidating for someone who hasn’t held a paintbrush since school. \nThe goal isn’t to discover whether you can paint exactly like Lana Gunn. \nIt’s to discover what your version of the landscape looks like. \nWhy Coastal Landscapes Are a Good Place to Begin\nLandscape painting offers beginners an unusually forgiving way into art. \nA face can look noticeably wrong if an eye moves half an inch. \nA shoreline doesn’t have that problem. \nClouds can change shape. Waves don’t have to match. Grass can lean in different directions. Colors can become warmer or cooler depending on the painter. \nEven two people following the same instructor can finish with paintings that feel completely different. \nGunn’s own combination of realism and impressionistic color provides plenty of room for that variation. \nThe recognizable structure of a coast gives painters something to follow\, while water\, sky\, vegetation and changing light allow them to experiment with color and brushwork. \nAnd when the 90 minutes are finished\, the painting goes home with its creator. \nCoastal Town Collective Was Built for Exactly This Kind of Night\nThe setting is part of the story\, too. \nCoastal Town Collective occupies 2 Broad Street in downtown Westerly and describes itself as both an artists’ shop and creative space. \nRather than operating strictly as a gallery\, the Collective brings work from multiple local makers into one storefront while also hosting hands-on workshops. \nIts shelves and displays have featured locally produced artwork\, woodworking\, candles\, jewelry\, soap and other artisan goods. Gunn’s artwork has also been among the work carried by the shop. \nThe Collective has increasingly used workshops to make the relationship between shopper and maker more participatory. \nRecent programming has included sea-glass canvas workshops and small painting projects alongside the work available for purchase. \nSaturday takes that idea further. \nInstead of buying a coastal painting from a local artist\, participants spend an evening with one learning how to create their own. \nPart of a Growing Downtown Arts Community\nThe location also places the workshop inside Westerly’s increasingly interconnected arts scene. \nCoastal Town Collective participates in the Westerly Arts Crawl\, the monthly downtown event connecting galleries\, working studios\, shops\, restaurants and other businesses displaying art. \nThat network stretches through a compact downtown where visual art\, theater and live music increasingly overlap. \nFor a small workshop\, that’s useful context. \nPaint Night isn’t taking place in an isolated classroom. \nIt’s happening inside a store devoted to regional makers\, in a downtown where artists are increasingly sharing walls\, storefronts and audiences. \nFor 90 minutes Saturday evening\, one of those storefronts becomes the studio. \nAnd nobody needs to arrive already knowing how to paint the ocean. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nTo purchase tickets\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \nDetails\nEvent: Paint Night With Lana Gunn Art\nDate: Saturday\, Sept. 26\, 2026\nTime: 6–7:30 p.m.\nLength: 90 minutes\nLocation: Coastal Town Collective\nAddress: 2 Broad St.\, Westerly\, RI 02891\nInstructor: Lana Gunn\nProject: Guided painting of a coastal landscape\nSupplies: All painting supplies are included\nRegistration: Required\nTicket Price: Approximately $50 including listed Eventbrite fees\nRefunds: Available up to seven days before the event\nVenue: Local artist shop and creative workshop space in downtown Westerly \n  \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/paint-night-with-lana-gunn-turns-coastal-rhode-island-into-a-canvas/
LOCATION:Coastal Town Collective\, 2 Broad Street\, Westerly\, RI\, 02891\, United States
CATEGORIES:Coastal Town Collective
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Paint-Night-With-Lana-Gunn-Turns-Coastal-Rhode-Island-Into-a-Canvas.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260926T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260926T210000
DTSTAMP:20260922T025349Z
CREATED:20260922T025231Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260922T025349Z
UID:10008493-1790420400-1790456400@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Mystic Film Festival Brings Four Days of Independent Cinema to Mystic and Westerly
DESCRIPTION:Mystic Film Festival Brings Four Days of Independent Cinema to Mystic and Westerly Sept. 24–27\, turning multiple venues on both sides of the Connecticut-Rhode Island line into screening rooms for one of the region’s largest celebrations of independent film. \nAnd the Chamber calendar seriously undersells this one. \nThe 9th Annual Mystic Film Festival includes narrative features\, feature documentaries\, dozens of short films\, three blocks devoted entirely to student filmmakers\, filmmaker conversations\, networking events\, a screenplay competition\, and a closing-night awards ceremony. \nThe official festival site is: Mystic Film Festival 2026 \nThe 2026 festival runs across several venues rather than operating out of a single theater. Mystic Luxury Cinemas in Olde Mistick Village remains the cornerstone venue and hosts opening night\, while screenings and programs expand to La Grua Center in Stonington Borough\, the Mystic & Noank Library\, and The UNITED in Westerly. \nMore Than a Weekend at the Movies\nMystic Film Festival was created by area filmmakers and artists with a deliberate dual mission: give Connecticut and New England filmmakers somewhere to show their work while bringing independent films from around the world to southeastern Connecticut. \nNine years later\, that local festival has developed a surprisingly large footprint. \nThe 2026 official slate contains more than 100 films\, spanning narrative and documentary features\, narrative and documentary shorts\, animation and student work. The feature-documentary program alone includes films about politics\, sports\, Native identity\, aviation\, photography\, speed\, international borders and defectors. \nThis is also a festival where the people who made the films are part of the experience. Filmmaker Q&As\, workshops\, industry events and informal conversations are built around the screenings rather than treating each movie as a standalone theatrical showing. \nThe 2026 Film Schedule\nBecause several screens and venues operate simultaneously\, there isn’t one linear schedule. Audiences build their own festival. \nThe festival’s official individual film pages and venue schedules confirm the following major screening blocks. The festival’s Event Schedule should be checked before attending for the final screen assignment and any last-minute changes. \nThursday\, Sept. 24 — Opening Night\nThe festival opens at Mystic Luxury Cinemas in Olde Mistick Village\, traditionally putting the spotlight on locally produced work and filmmakers from the region. \nOpening night is specifically designed to celebrate films made by local filmmakers before the festival expands into its multi-venue schedule Friday through Sunday. \nFriday\, Sept. 25 — UNITED Theatre\n12–2 p.m. — Crystal Cross\nNarrative Feature \n2:30–4:30 p.m. — The Life We Leave\nFeature Documentary \n5–7 p.m. — Micronations\nFeature Documentary \n7:30–9 p.m. — Transforming the Beautiful Game: The Clyde Best Story\nFeature Documentary \nAll four screen in the UNITED Micro Cinema in Westerly. \nFriday — Mystic & Noank Library\nThe festival also moves into the library for programming Friday. One confirmed screening block runs 12:45–2:45 p.m. and includes Forever Home\, a 20-minute student documentary directed by Kyle Francis Barton about Newhouse Wildlife Rescue in Massachusetts and the work of rehabilitating injured wildlife for eventual release. \nFriday — Mystic Luxury Cinemas\nMultiple short-film programs also run at the festival’s Mystic anchor venue. \nAmong the confirmed Friday programs is a 4–6 p.m. documentary-short block that includes Under the Ice\, director John Martin’s nearly 30-minute documentary about a woman confronting depression and alcoholism through an attempt to swim beneath the ice of a frozen Norwegian lake and pursue a Guinness World Record. \nSaturday\, Sept. 26 — UNITED Theatre\n12–2 p.m. — Tails of the Himalayas…Of Dogs & Devotees + Unspoken Bond\nDocumentary Short + Feature Documentary \n2:30–4:30 p.m. — Art of Destruction\nFeature Documentary \n5–7 p.m. — Nobody Wants to Be Here\, Nobody Wants to Leave\nNarrative Feature \n7:30–9:15 p.m. — Act One\nNarrative Feature \nSaturday — La Grua Center Student Film Showcase\nSaturday brings an entire parallel festival-within-the-festival to Stonington Borough. \nLa Grua Center hosts three blocks of student films\, moderated by Jim Quinn\, with opportunities for audiences to hear from participating filmmakers. \n11 a.m. — Student Shorts Block 1 \nYer Smackin’\nBusker\nWiwa\nRunning On The Edge\nUs And Them\nI Constantly Thank God For Estaban\nThe Magic Words\nPerspico\nHow’d It Go? \n1:30 p.m. — Student Shorts Block 2 \nThe Locked Groove\nNo Small Matter\nClucky’s\nValue\nDental Breakdown\nTrapped Air: Life With No Burp-Zone\nGarden Of Babel\nSeparate Together\nFace Me Face You \n4 p.m. — Student Films Block 3 \nSame Time Tomorrow\nMade Whole\nNight Of Silence\nFalling Behind\nRunning Against The Odds\nBatteries\nThe Last Hug\nCorsano’s Roach \nThe subjects alone demonstrate how broad the student program has become. Running Against the Odds\, for example\, tells the story of Narragansett runner Tarzan Brown\, a two-time Boston Marathon winner who represented the United States at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. \nNo Small Matter comes from a 15-year-old filmmaker and examines a court designed to address homelessness and mental-health issues through treatment and support rather than conventional punishment. \nAnd Trapped Air: Life With No-Burp Syndrome is a five-minute documentary about R-CPD and the patients who live with the inability to burp. \nSaturday — Mystic Luxury Cinemas\nMystic Luxury Cinemas simultaneously hosts additional short-film blocks. \nA confirmed 2–4 p.m. narrative-short program includes My Dog: The Paradox\, an animated short from Matthew Inman\, creator of The Oatmeal and co-creator of Exploding Kittens\, about the joy and inevitable heartbreak of loving a dog. \nThat same block includes The Lord of All Future Space and Time\, a 23-minute mashup of Western revenge story\, science fiction and comedy. \nAnother narrative-short program runs 4–6 p.m.\, including Drowned\, about a single mother with chronic illness confronting medical setbacks and the possibility of losing custody of her child. \nSaturday Night Becomes a Filmmaker Gathering\nAt 6:30 p.m. Saturday\, the movies give way to an Industry Networking Event at La Grua Center. \nThe gathering runs until 9 p.m. and brings filmmakers\, screenwriters and other festival participants together away from the theaters. \nIt’s an important part of what Mystic Film Festival has become. The festival isn’t only trying to find an audience for finished movies. It’s also trying to create relationships among people who may make the next ones. \nThe event requires a separate RSVP for participating filmmakers and screenplay finalists. \nSunday\, Sept. 27 — UNITED Theatre\nThe Westerly screenings continue throughout the festival’s final day. \n12–2 p.m. — In Spite of Ourselves\nNarrative Feature \n2:15–4:15 p.m. — School For Defectors\nFeature Documentary \n2:30–4:30 p.m. — Documentary Shorts Block\nResume of Regrets\nOne Soupy Season\nHow I Survived a Kamikaze Attack\nThe Petal Pusher\nPlant Life \n4:30–6 p.m. — Fat + One Woman One Bra\nNarrative Short + Narrative Feature \nThe 2:30 documentary block screens in the UNITED Main Cinema while the other Sunday programs use the Micro Cinema\, allowing simultaneous programming. \nSunday — Mystic Luxury Cinemas\nAdditional programs continue in Mystic. \nOne confirmed block begins at 11:30 a.m. and includes animation such as Half Baked\, a short comedy about a young adult repeatedly failing to learn how to cook and ordering pizza after every disaster. \nA 4–6 p.m. narrative shorts program includes The Yellow Sponge is the Dish Sponge\, Michele Noble’s comedy about a couple whose disagreements over cleaning and household chores escalate on the day of a party. \nMore Than 100 Films\, From Features to Six-Minute Experiments\nThe size of the slate makes the festival difficult to summarize with a handful of marquee titles. \nAmong the documentary features are Art of Destruction\, Micronations\, Remaining Native\, Fork In The Road\, March Forth\, Nasty\, Public Access\, School For Defectors\, Sculptors of Speed\, Outliers\, People Vs. Politics\, Slowburn Shoot\, Team 28\, The Flight of Jackie Cochran\, The Life We Leave\, They Fight With Cameras\, Transforming the Beautiful Game: The Clyde Best Story and Unspoken Bond. \nNarrative features include A Woman’s Work\, Act One\, Crystal Cross\, In Spite of Ourselves\, Nobody Wants to Be Here\, Nobody Wants to Leave\, One Woman One Bra and Road To L’Etape Du Tour. \nThe shorts program goes considerably deeper\, with dozens of narrative and documentary films running from just a few minutes to nearly feature length. \nThat makes the festival less like going out to see one movie and more like sampling a film world that normally doesn’t make it to a commercial multiplex. \nScreenwriters Get Their Own Competition\nFilms aren’t the only stories competing. \nThe Mystic Film Festival’s Screenplay Competition is now in its sixth year\, providing a route into the festival for writers whose work hasn’t yet become a finished movie. \nThe competition has expanded its categories as the festival has grown\, and the top screenplay winners are announced during festival weekend. \nThat distinction matters. Independent film festivals often become one of the few places where an unproduced writer can enter the same professional conversation as directors and producers with completed films. \nMystic has deliberately made that part of its mission. \nSunday Night Ends With the Awards\nThe four days conclude where they began: Mystic Luxury Cinemas. \nThe Mystic Film Festival Awards Ceremony runs from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Sunday. \nA wine reception is scheduled from 6:30 to 7 p.m.\, followed by the ceremony beginning at 7 p.m. \nAwards recognize standout work across the festival’s categories\, and the winners of the screenplay competition are also announced during the festival. \nBy that point\, audiences will have moved among two states\, several theaters and cultural venues\, features\, documentaries\, shorts and student films. \nThat’s a considerably bigger event than the little Chamber calendar listing suggests. \nFor four days\, Mystic and Westerly effectively become one regional independent-film campus. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nTo purchase tickets\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \nDetails\nEvent: 9th Annual Mystic Film Festival\nDates: Thursday\, Sept. 24 through Sunday\, Sept. 27\, 2026\nLocations: Mystic and Stonington\, Connecticut\, and Westerly\, Rhode Island\nCornerstone Venue: Mystic Luxury Cinemas\, 27 Coogan Boulevard\, Mystic\nAdditional Venues: The UNITED\, La Grua Center\, Mystic & Noank Library and other festival locations\nProgramming: Narrative features\, documentary features\, narrative and documentary shorts\, animation and student films\nAlso Included: Filmmaker Q&As\, workshops\, networking events\, screenplay competition and awards celebration\nSaturday Student Showcase: La Grua Center\, 11 a.m.\, 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.\nSaturday Industry Networking: La Grua Center\, 6:30–9 p.m.\nSunday Awards: Mystic Luxury Cinemas\, 6:30–9 p.m.; wine reception at 6:30 p.m.\, ceremony at 7 p.m.\nTickets: Individual screening tickets and festival passes are available through the festival’s ticketing system. Because multiple programs run simultaneously\, ticket holders should confirm the venue and screen for each selection when reserving. \n  \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/15878/2026-09-26/
LOCATION:Mystic Luxury Cinemas\, 27 Coogan Blvd Ste. 1-B\, Mystic\, 06355\, United States
CATEGORIES:Mystic Luxury Cinemas
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Mystic-Film-Festival-Brings-Four-Days-of-Independent-Cinema-to-Mystic-and-Westerly.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260925T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260925T220000
DTSTAMP:20260921T020504Z
CREATED:20260921T020504Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260921T020504Z
UID:10008486-1790366400-1790373600@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Al Copley Returns to the Knick Dance Floor Where Roomful of Blues Made History
DESCRIPTION:Al Copley Returns to the Knick Dance Floor Where Roomful of Blues Made History Friday\, Sept. 25\, bringing his quintet to Westerly for an evening of swing\, blues\, and boogie-woogie at the Knick Music Lab. \nThis isn’t simply a veteran musician playing another local show. Copley’s history and the Knick’s history are intertwined. \nCopley co-founded Roomful of Blues with Duke Robillard in Westerly in the late 1960s. The band eventually established a residency at the Knickerbocker Cafe that lasted roughly 15 years\, helping turn the room into one of southern New England’s important homes for blues and roots music. \nNow Copley is coming back to that same storied dance floor for the Knick’s first dance night of fall. \nAnd yes\, this one is meant for dancing. \nFrom Westerly to Roomful of Blues\nCopley was still a teenager when the musical partnership that became Roomful of Blues began taking shape. \nHe had become fascinated with boogie-woogie piano and Chicago blues\, absorbing the work of players including Albert Ammons\, Pete Johnson\, Meade Lux Lewis and Otis Spann. By his mid-teens\, he was already performing around the Westerly area. \nCopley and Robillard formed Roomful of Blues in 1967. The early group concentrated on Chicago electric blues before its musical vocabulary expanded dramatically. \nA trip to the Ann Arbor Blues & Jazz Festival in 1971 helped convince the musicians to pursue a horn-driven sound rooted in the jumping blues\, jazz and R&B of the 1940s and ’50s. \nThat decision became central to the Roomful of Blues sound. \nThe group eventually backed some of the musicians who had helped inspire it\, including Big Joe Turner and Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson. Roomful also shared the stage with Count Basie\, who became an admirer of the band. \nCopley remained with Roomful for 16 years before leaving in 1984 and moving to Europe. \nA Career That Went Far Beyond Westerly\nCopley’s departure from Roomful began another long chapter. \nHe established a solo career in Europe\, performing at jazz and blues festivals and developing a reputation for a highly energetic piano style that moves between boogie-woogie\, blues\, swing and jazz. \nHis résumé eventually connected him with an extraordinary collection of musicians. \nCopley has recorded with the Fabulous Thunderbirds\, Lou Rawls\, Big Joe Turner\, Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson\, Duke Robillard and others. His performance history includes appearances with B.B. King\, Etta James\, Stevie Ray Vaughan\, Ruth Brown\, the original Blues Brothers and Big Mama Thornton. \nHe also played a series of Royal Albert Hall dates with Jimmie Vaughan opening for Eric Clapton and later opened additional shows for Clapton himself. \nIn 2002 and again in 2009\, Copley performed his own symphonic orchestrations before audiences of more than 25\,000 with the Boston Festival Orchestra. \nThrough all of it\, the Westerly connection remained. \nBack to the Knick\nThat’s what makes Friday night’s location particularly interesting. \nRoomful of Blues didn’t merely pass through the Knickerbocker. The band’s lengthy residency there helped establish both the group and the club. \nThe Knick became a place where audiences could hear the increasingly sophisticated mixture of blues\, swing\, jazz and R&B that Roomful was developing\, years before the band accumulated an international following. \nDecades later\, the building is now the Knick Music Lab\, part of the UNITED Theatre’s expanded arts campus. \nFor Dance Night\, the room returns to one of its original purposes: putting a band onstage and people on the dance floor. \nThe UNITED describes the show as an evening of swing\, so this isn’t a concert where everyone is expected to remain planted in a chair. The Al Copley Quintet will be playing the room as a dance band. \nNo dance partner or elaborate swing-dance experience is required. The point is to use the floor. \nA Different Kind of Friday Night at the Knick\nThe Knick does not currently have a working kitchen\, so anyone expecting the old dinner-and-show experience should plan accordingly. \nPrepackaged snacks and soft drinks will be available for purchase\, along with a limited bar serving prepackaged beer\, wine and canned cocktails. \nThe music begins at 8 p.m. \nFor longtime local music fans\, there is a considerable amount of history packed into that simple setup: Al Copley at a piano\, a band behind him and people dancing at the Knick. \nNearly six decades after Copley helped start Roomful of Blues in Westerly\, he’s coming back to one of the rooms where the band’s sound became part of the city’s musical identity. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nTo purchase tickets\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \nDetails\nEvent: Dance Night at The Knick with the Al Copley Quintet\nDate: Friday\, Sept. 25\, 2026\nTime: 8 p.m.\nVenue: Knick Music Lab\nAddress: 35 Railroad Avenue\, Westerly\, RI\nMusic: Swing\, blues\, boogie-woogie and jazz\nFormat: Live music and dancing\nFood: No working kitchen; prepackaged concession snacks available\nDrinks: Soft drinks plus a limited bar with prepackaged beer\, wine and canned cocktails\nPresented By: The UNITED Theatre / Knick Music Lab \n  \n\ \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/al-copley-returns-to-the-knick-dance-floor-where-roomful-of-blues-made-history/
LOCATION:Knickerbocker Music Center\, 35 Railroad Ave\, Westerly\, RI\, 02891\, United States
CATEGORIES:The Knickerbocker
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Al-Copley-Returns-to-the-Knick-Dance-Floor-Where-Roomful-of-Blues-Made-History.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260925T113000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260925T210000
DTSTAMP:20260922T025349Z
CREATED:20260922T025231Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260922T025349Z
UID:10008492-1790335800-1790370000@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Mystic Film Festival Brings Four Days of Independent Cinema to Mystic and Westerly
DESCRIPTION:Mystic Film Festival Brings Four Days of Independent Cinema to Mystic and Westerly Sept. 24–27\, turning multiple venues on both sides of the Connecticut-Rhode Island line into screening rooms for one of the region’s largest celebrations of independent film. \nAnd the Chamber calendar seriously undersells this one. \nThe 9th Annual Mystic Film Festival includes narrative features\, feature documentaries\, dozens of short films\, three blocks devoted entirely to student filmmakers\, filmmaker conversations\, networking events\, a screenplay competition\, and a closing-night awards ceremony. \nThe official festival site is: Mystic Film Festival 2026 \nThe 2026 festival runs across several venues rather than operating out of a single theater. Mystic Luxury Cinemas in Olde Mistick Village remains the cornerstone venue and hosts opening night\, while screenings and programs expand to La Grua Center in Stonington Borough\, the Mystic & Noank Library\, and The UNITED in Westerly. \nMore Than a Weekend at the Movies\nMystic Film Festival was created by area filmmakers and artists with a deliberate dual mission: give Connecticut and New England filmmakers somewhere to show their work while bringing independent films from around the world to southeastern Connecticut. \nNine years later\, that local festival has developed a surprisingly large footprint. \nThe 2026 official slate contains more than 100 films\, spanning narrative and documentary features\, narrative and documentary shorts\, animation and student work. The feature-documentary program alone includes films about politics\, sports\, Native identity\, aviation\, photography\, speed\, international borders and defectors. \nThis is also a festival where the people who made the films are part of the experience. Filmmaker Q&As\, workshops\, industry events and informal conversations are built around the screenings rather than treating each movie as a standalone theatrical showing. \nThe 2026 Film Schedule\nBecause several screens and venues operate simultaneously\, there isn’t one linear schedule. Audiences build their own festival. \nThe festival’s official individual film pages and venue schedules confirm the following major screening blocks. The festival’s Event Schedule should be checked before attending for the final screen assignment and any last-minute changes. \nThursday\, Sept. 24 — Opening Night\nThe festival opens at Mystic Luxury Cinemas in Olde Mistick Village\, traditionally putting the spotlight on locally produced work and filmmakers from the region. \nOpening night is specifically designed to celebrate films made by local filmmakers before the festival expands into its multi-venue schedule Friday through Sunday. \nFriday\, Sept. 25 — UNITED Theatre\n12–2 p.m. — Crystal Cross\nNarrative Feature \n2:30–4:30 p.m. — The Life We Leave\nFeature Documentary \n5–7 p.m. — Micronations\nFeature Documentary \n7:30–9 p.m. — Transforming the Beautiful Game: The Clyde Best Story\nFeature Documentary \nAll four screen in the UNITED Micro Cinema in Westerly. \nFriday — Mystic & Noank Library\nThe festival also moves into the library for programming Friday. One confirmed screening block runs 12:45–2:45 p.m. and includes Forever Home\, a 20-minute student documentary directed by Kyle Francis Barton about Newhouse Wildlife Rescue in Massachusetts and the work of rehabilitating injured wildlife for eventual release. \nFriday — Mystic Luxury Cinemas\nMultiple short-film programs also run at the festival’s Mystic anchor venue. \nAmong the confirmed Friday programs is a 4–6 p.m. documentary-short block that includes Under the Ice\, director John Martin’s nearly 30-minute documentary about a woman confronting depression and alcoholism through an attempt to swim beneath the ice of a frozen Norwegian lake and pursue a Guinness World Record. \nSaturday\, Sept. 26 — UNITED Theatre\n12–2 p.m. — Tails of the Himalayas…Of Dogs & Devotees + Unspoken Bond\nDocumentary Short + Feature Documentary \n2:30–4:30 p.m. — Art of Destruction\nFeature Documentary \n5–7 p.m. — Nobody Wants to Be Here\, Nobody Wants to Leave\nNarrative Feature \n7:30–9:15 p.m. — Act One\nNarrative Feature \nSaturday — La Grua Center Student Film Showcase\nSaturday brings an entire parallel festival-within-the-festival to Stonington Borough. \nLa Grua Center hosts three blocks of student films\, moderated by Jim Quinn\, with opportunities for audiences to hear from participating filmmakers. \n11 a.m. — Student Shorts Block 1 \nYer Smackin’\nBusker\nWiwa\nRunning On The Edge\nUs And Them\nI Constantly Thank God For Estaban\nThe Magic Words\nPerspico\nHow’d It Go? \n1:30 p.m. — Student Shorts Block 2 \nThe Locked Groove\nNo Small Matter\nClucky’s\nValue\nDental Breakdown\nTrapped Air: Life With No Burp-Zone\nGarden Of Babel\nSeparate Together\nFace Me Face You \n4 p.m. — Student Films Block 3 \nSame Time Tomorrow\nMade Whole\nNight Of Silence\nFalling Behind\nRunning Against The Odds\nBatteries\nThe Last Hug\nCorsano’s Roach \nThe subjects alone demonstrate how broad the student program has become. Running Against the Odds\, for example\, tells the story of Narragansett runner Tarzan Brown\, a two-time Boston Marathon winner who represented the United States at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. \nNo Small Matter comes from a 15-year-old filmmaker and examines a court designed to address homelessness and mental-health issues through treatment and support rather than conventional punishment. \nAnd Trapped Air: Life With No-Burp Syndrome is a five-minute documentary about R-CPD and the patients who live with the inability to burp. \nSaturday — Mystic Luxury Cinemas\nMystic Luxury Cinemas simultaneously hosts additional short-film blocks. \nA confirmed 2–4 p.m. narrative-short program includes My Dog: The Paradox\, an animated short from Matthew Inman\, creator of The Oatmeal and co-creator of Exploding Kittens\, about the joy and inevitable heartbreak of loving a dog. \nThat same block includes The Lord of All Future Space and Time\, a 23-minute mashup of Western revenge story\, science fiction and comedy. \nAnother narrative-short program runs 4–6 p.m.\, including Drowned\, about a single mother with chronic illness confronting medical setbacks and the possibility of losing custody of her child. \nSaturday Night Becomes a Filmmaker Gathering\nAt 6:30 p.m. Saturday\, the movies give way to an Industry Networking Event at La Grua Center. \nThe gathering runs until 9 p.m. and brings filmmakers\, screenwriters and other festival participants together away from the theaters. \nIt’s an important part of what Mystic Film Festival has become. The festival isn’t only trying to find an audience for finished movies. It’s also trying to create relationships among people who may make the next ones. \nThe event requires a separate RSVP for participating filmmakers and screenplay finalists. \nSunday\, Sept. 27 — UNITED Theatre\nThe Westerly screenings continue throughout the festival’s final day. \n12–2 p.m. — In Spite of Ourselves\nNarrative Feature \n2:15–4:15 p.m. — School For Defectors\nFeature Documentary \n2:30–4:30 p.m. — Documentary Shorts Block\nResume of Regrets\nOne Soupy Season\nHow I Survived a Kamikaze Attack\nThe Petal Pusher\nPlant Life \n4:30–6 p.m. — Fat + One Woman One Bra\nNarrative Short + Narrative Feature \nThe 2:30 documentary block screens in the UNITED Main Cinema while the other Sunday programs use the Micro Cinema\, allowing simultaneous programming. \nSunday — Mystic Luxury Cinemas\nAdditional programs continue in Mystic. \nOne confirmed block begins at 11:30 a.m. and includes animation such as Half Baked\, a short comedy about a young adult repeatedly failing to learn how to cook and ordering pizza after every disaster. \nA 4–6 p.m. narrative shorts program includes The Yellow Sponge is the Dish Sponge\, Michele Noble’s comedy about a couple whose disagreements over cleaning and household chores escalate on the day of a party. \nMore Than 100 Films\, From Features to Six-Minute Experiments\nThe size of the slate makes the festival difficult to summarize with a handful of marquee titles. \nAmong the documentary features are Art of Destruction\, Micronations\, Remaining Native\, Fork In The Road\, March Forth\, Nasty\, Public Access\, School For Defectors\, Sculptors of Speed\, Outliers\, People Vs. Politics\, Slowburn Shoot\, Team 28\, The Flight of Jackie Cochran\, The Life We Leave\, They Fight With Cameras\, Transforming the Beautiful Game: The Clyde Best Story and Unspoken Bond. \nNarrative features include A Woman’s Work\, Act One\, Crystal Cross\, In Spite of Ourselves\, Nobody Wants to Be Here\, Nobody Wants to Leave\, One Woman One Bra and Road To L’Etape Du Tour. \nThe shorts program goes considerably deeper\, with dozens of narrative and documentary films running from just a few minutes to nearly feature length. \nThat makes the festival less like going out to see one movie and more like sampling a film world that normally doesn’t make it to a commercial multiplex. \nScreenwriters Get Their Own Competition\nFilms aren’t the only stories competing. \nThe Mystic Film Festival’s Screenplay Competition is now in its sixth year\, providing a route into the festival for writers whose work hasn’t yet become a finished movie. \nThe competition has expanded its categories as the festival has grown\, and the top screenplay winners are announced during festival weekend. \nThat distinction matters. Independent film festivals often become one of the few places where an unproduced writer can enter the same professional conversation as directors and producers with completed films. \nMystic has deliberately made that part of its mission. \nSunday Night Ends With the Awards\nThe four days conclude where they began: Mystic Luxury Cinemas. \nThe Mystic Film Festival Awards Ceremony runs from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Sunday. \nA wine reception is scheduled from 6:30 to 7 p.m.\, followed by the ceremony beginning at 7 p.m. \nAwards recognize standout work across the festival’s categories\, and the winners of the screenplay competition are also announced during the festival. \nBy that point\, audiences will have moved among two states\, several theaters and cultural venues\, features\, documentaries\, shorts and student films. \nThat’s a considerably bigger event than the little Chamber calendar listing suggests. \nFor four days\, Mystic and Westerly effectively become one regional independent-film campus. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nTo purchase tickets\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \nDetails\nEvent: 9th Annual Mystic Film Festival\nDates: Thursday\, Sept. 24 through Sunday\, Sept. 27\, 2026\nLocations: Mystic and Stonington\, Connecticut\, and Westerly\, Rhode Island\nCornerstone Venue: Mystic Luxury Cinemas\, 27 Coogan Boulevard\, Mystic\nAdditional Venues: The UNITED\, La Grua Center\, Mystic & Noank Library and other festival locations\nProgramming: Narrative features\, documentary features\, narrative and documentary shorts\, animation and student films\nAlso Included: Filmmaker Q&As\, workshops\, networking events\, screenplay competition and awards celebration\nSaturday Student Showcase: La Grua Center\, 11 a.m.\, 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.\nSaturday Industry Networking: La Grua Center\, 6:30–9 p.m.\nSunday Awards: Mystic Luxury Cinemas\, 6:30–9 p.m.; wine reception at 6:30 p.m.\, ceremony at 7 p.m.\nTickets: Individual screening tickets and festival passes are available through the festival’s ticketing system. Because multiple programs run simultaneously\, ticket holders should confirm the venue and screen for each selection when reserving. \n  \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/15878/2026-09-25/
LOCATION:Mystic Luxury Cinemas\, 27 Coogan Blvd Ste. 1-B\, Mystic\, 06355\, United States
CATEGORIES:Mystic Luxury Cinemas
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Mystic-Film-Festival-Brings-Four-Days-of-Independent-Cinema-to-Mystic-and-Westerly.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260924T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260924T210000
DTSTAMP:20260922T025349Z
CREATED:20260922T025231Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260922T025349Z
UID:10008491-1790274600-1790283600@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Mystic Film Festival Brings Four Days of Independent Cinema to Mystic and Westerly
DESCRIPTION:Mystic Film Festival Brings Four Days of Independent Cinema to Mystic and Westerly Sept. 24–27\, turning multiple venues on both sides of the Connecticut-Rhode Island line into screening rooms for one of the region’s largest celebrations of independent film. \nAnd the Chamber calendar seriously undersells this one. \nThe 9th Annual Mystic Film Festival includes narrative features\, feature documentaries\, dozens of short films\, three blocks devoted entirely to student filmmakers\, filmmaker conversations\, networking events\, a screenplay competition\, and a closing-night awards ceremony. \nThe official festival site is: Mystic Film Festival 2026 \nThe 2026 festival runs across several venues rather than operating out of a single theater. Mystic Luxury Cinemas in Olde Mistick Village remains the cornerstone venue and hosts opening night\, while screenings and programs expand to La Grua Center in Stonington Borough\, the Mystic & Noank Library\, and The UNITED in Westerly. \nMore Than a Weekend at the Movies\nMystic Film Festival was created by area filmmakers and artists with a deliberate dual mission: give Connecticut and New England filmmakers somewhere to show their work while bringing independent films from around the world to southeastern Connecticut. \nNine years later\, that local festival has developed a surprisingly large footprint. \nThe 2026 official slate contains more than 100 films\, spanning narrative and documentary features\, narrative and documentary shorts\, animation and student work. The feature-documentary program alone includes films about politics\, sports\, Native identity\, aviation\, photography\, speed\, international borders and defectors. \nThis is also a festival where the people who made the films are part of the experience. Filmmaker Q&As\, workshops\, industry events and informal conversations are built around the screenings rather than treating each movie as a standalone theatrical showing. \nThe 2026 Film Schedule\nBecause several screens and venues operate simultaneously\, there isn’t one linear schedule. Audiences build their own festival. \nThe festival’s official individual film pages and venue schedules confirm the following major screening blocks. The festival’s Event Schedule should be checked before attending for the final screen assignment and any last-minute changes. \nThursday\, Sept. 24 — Opening Night\nThe festival opens at Mystic Luxury Cinemas in Olde Mistick Village\, traditionally putting the spotlight on locally produced work and filmmakers from the region. \nOpening night is specifically designed to celebrate films made by local filmmakers before the festival expands into its multi-venue schedule Friday through Sunday. \nFriday\, Sept. 25 — UNITED Theatre\n12–2 p.m. — Crystal Cross\nNarrative Feature \n2:30–4:30 p.m. — The Life We Leave\nFeature Documentary \n5–7 p.m. — Micronations\nFeature Documentary \n7:30–9 p.m. — Transforming the Beautiful Game: The Clyde Best Story\nFeature Documentary \nAll four screen in the UNITED Micro Cinema in Westerly. \nFriday — Mystic & Noank Library\nThe festival also moves into the library for programming Friday. One confirmed screening block runs 12:45–2:45 p.m. and includes Forever Home\, a 20-minute student documentary directed by Kyle Francis Barton about Newhouse Wildlife Rescue in Massachusetts and the work of rehabilitating injured wildlife for eventual release. \nFriday — Mystic Luxury Cinemas\nMultiple short-film programs also run at the festival’s Mystic anchor venue. \nAmong the confirmed Friday programs is a 4–6 p.m. documentary-short block that includes Under the Ice\, director John Martin’s nearly 30-minute documentary about a woman confronting depression and alcoholism through an attempt to swim beneath the ice of a frozen Norwegian lake and pursue a Guinness World Record. \nSaturday\, Sept. 26 — UNITED Theatre\n12–2 p.m. — Tails of the Himalayas…Of Dogs & Devotees + Unspoken Bond\nDocumentary Short + Feature Documentary \n2:30–4:30 p.m. — Art of Destruction\nFeature Documentary \n5–7 p.m. — Nobody Wants to Be Here\, Nobody Wants to Leave\nNarrative Feature \n7:30–9:15 p.m. — Act One\nNarrative Feature \nSaturday — La Grua Center Student Film Showcase\nSaturday brings an entire parallel festival-within-the-festival to Stonington Borough. \nLa Grua Center hosts three blocks of student films\, moderated by Jim Quinn\, with opportunities for audiences to hear from participating filmmakers. \n11 a.m. — Student Shorts Block 1 \nYer Smackin’\nBusker\nWiwa\nRunning On The Edge\nUs And Them\nI Constantly Thank God For Estaban\nThe Magic Words\nPerspico\nHow’d It Go? \n1:30 p.m. — Student Shorts Block 2 \nThe Locked Groove\nNo Small Matter\nClucky’s\nValue\nDental Breakdown\nTrapped Air: Life With No Burp-Zone\nGarden Of Babel\nSeparate Together\nFace Me Face You \n4 p.m. — Student Films Block 3 \nSame Time Tomorrow\nMade Whole\nNight Of Silence\nFalling Behind\nRunning Against The Odds\nBatteries\nThe Last Hug\nCorsano’s Roach \nThe subjects alone demonstrate how broad the student program has become. Running Against the Odds\, for example\, tells the story of Narragansett runner Tarzan Brown\, a two-time Boston Marathon winner who represented the United States at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. \nNo Small Matter comes from a 15-year-old filmmaker and examines a court designed to address homelessness and mental-health issues through treatment and support rather than conventional punishment. \nAnd Trapped Air: Life With No-Burp Syndrome is a five-minute documentary about R-CPD and the patients who live with the inability to burp. \nSaturday — Mystic Luxury Cinemas\nMystic Luxury Cinemas simultaneously hosts additional short-film blocks. \nA confirmed 2–4 p.m. narrative-short program includes My Dog: The Paradox\, an animated short from Matthew Inman\, creator of The Oatmeal and co-creator of Exploding Kittens\, about the joy and inevitable heartbreak of loving a dog. \nThat same block includes The Lord of All Future Space and Time\, a 23-minute mashup of Western revenge story\, science fiction and comedy. \nAnother narrative-short program runs 4–6 p.m.\, including Drowned\, about a single mother with chronic illness confronting medical setbacks and the possibility of losing custody of her child. \nSaturday Night Becomes a Filmmaker Gathering\nAt 6:30 p.m. Saturday\, the movies give way to an Industry Networking Event at La Grua Center. \nThe gathering runs until 9 p.m. and brings filmmakers\, screenwriters and other festival participants together away from the theaters. \nIt’s an important part of what Mystic Film Festival has become. The festival isn’t only trying to find an audience for finished movies. It’s also trying to create relationships among people who may make the next ones. \nThe event requires a separate RSVP for participating filmmakers and screenplay finalists. \nSunday\, Sept. 27 — UNITED Theatre\nThe Westerly screenings continue throughout the festival’s final day. \n12–2 p.m. — In Spite of Ourselves\nNarrative Feature \n2:15–4:15 p.m. — School For Defectors\nFeature Documentary \n2:30–4:30 p.m. — Documentary Shorts Block\nResume of Regrets\nOne Soupy Season\nHow I Survived a Kamikaze Attack\nThe Petal Pusher\nPlant Life \n4:30–6 p.m. — Fat + One Woman One Bra\nNarrative Short + Narrative Feature \nThe 2:30 documentary block screens in the UNITED Main Cinema while the other Sunday programs use the Micro Cinema\, allowing simultaneous programming. \nSunday — Mystic Luxury Cinemas\nAdditional programs continue in Mystic. \nOne confirmed block begins at 11:30 a.m. and includes animation such as Half Baked\, a short comedy about a young adult repeatedly failing to learn how to cook and ordering pizza after every disaster. \nA 4–6 p.m. narrative shorts program includes The Yellow Sponge is the Dish Sponge\, Michele Noble’s comedy about a couple whose disagreements over cleaning and household chores escalate on the day of a party. \nMore Than 100 Films\, From Features to Six-Minute Experiments\nThe size of the slate makes the festival difficult to summarize with a handful of marquee titles. \nAmong the documentary features are Art of Destruction\, Micronations\, Remaining Native\, Fork In The Road\, March Forth\, Nasty\, Public Access\, School For Defectors\, Sculptors of Speed\, Outliers\, People Vs. Politics\, Slowburn Shoot\, Team 28\, The Flight of Jackie Cochran\, The Life We Leave\, They Fight With Cameras\, Transforming the Beautiful Game: The Clyde Best Story and Unspoken Bond. \nNarrative features include A Woman’s Work\, Act One\, Crystal Cross\, In Spite of Ourselves\, Nobody Wants to Be Here\, Nobody Wants to Leave\, One Woman One Bra and Road To L’Etape Du Tour. \nThe shorts program goes considerably deeper\, with dozens of narrative and documentary films running from just a few minutes to nearly feature length. \nThat makes the festival less like going out to see one movie and more like sampling a film world that normally doesn’t make it to a commercial multiplex. \nScreenwriters Get Their Own Competition\nFilms aren’t the only stories competing. \nThe Mystic Film Festival’s Screenplay Competition is now in its sixth year\, providing a route into the festival for writers whose work hasn’t yet become a finished movie. \nThe competition has expanded its categories as the festival has grown\, and the top screenplay winners are announced during festival weekend. \nThat distinction matters. Independent film festivals often become one of the few places where an unproduced writer can enter the same professional conversation as directors and producers with completed films. \nMystic has deliberately made that part of its mission. \nSunday Night Ends With the Awards\nThe four days conclude where they began: Mystic Luxury Cinemas. \nThe Mystic Film Festival Awards Ceremony runs from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Sunday. \nA wine reception is scheduled from 6:30 to 7 p.m.\, followed by the ceremony beginning at 7 p.m. \nAwards recognize standout work across the festival’s categories\, and the winners of the screenplay competition are also announced during the festival. \nBy that point\, audiences will have moved among two states\, several theaters and cultural venues\, features\, documentaries\, shorts and student films. \nThat’s a considerably bigger event than the little Chamber calendar listing suggests. \nFor four days\, Mystic and Westerly effectively become one regional independent-film campus. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nTo purchase tickets\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \nDetails\nEvent: 9th Annual Mystic Film Festival\nDates: Thursday\, Sept. 24 through Sunday\, Sept. 27\, 2026\nLocations: Mystic and Stonington\, Connecticut\, and Westerly\, Rhode Island\nCornerstone Venue: Mystic Luxury Cinemas\, 27 Coogan Boulevard\, Mystic\nAdditional Venues: The UNITED\, La Grua Center\, Mystic & Noank Library and other festival locations\nProgramming: Narrative features\, documentary features\, narrative and documentary shorts\, animation and student films\nAlso Included: Filmmaker Q&As\, workshops\, networking events\, screenplay competition and awards celebration\nSaturday Student Showcase: La Grua Center\, 11 a.m.\, 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.\nSaturday Industry Networking: La Grua Center\, 6:30–9 p.m.\nSunday Awards: Mystic Luxury Cinemas\, 6:30–9 p.m.; wine reception at 6:30 p.m.\, ceremony at 7 p.m.\nTickets: Individual screening tickets and festival passes are available through the festival’s ticketing system. Because multiple programs run simultaneously\, ticket holders should confirm the venue and screen for each selection when reserving. \n  \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/15878/2026-09-24/
LOCATION:Mystic Luxury Cinemas\, 27 Coogan Blvd Ste. 1-B\, Mystic\, 06355\, United States
CATEGORIES:Mystic Luxury Cinemas
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Mystic-Film-Festival-Brings-Four-Days-of-Independent-Cinema-to-Mystic-and-Westerly.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260924T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260924T130000
DTSTAMP:20260928T002534Z
CREATED:20260914T000428Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260928T002534Z
UID:10007596-1790240400-1790254800@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:YMCA Garden Club Annual Fall Plant Sale Brings Mums\, Fall Décor and Hidden Treasures to Westerly
DESCRIPTION:YMCA Garden Club Annual Fall Plant Sale returns to the Westerly-Pawcatuck Branch Thursday\, September 24\, with plants\, seasonal arrangements\, fall decorations and an assortment of donated treasures\, all raising money to help local children attend YMCA summer camp. \nThe sale runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Ocean Community YMCA at 95 High Street in Westerly. \nThis is more than a chance to pick up a mum for the front steps. \nThe Garden Club turns the annual sale into a seasonal marketplace\, with plants\, floral arrangements\, fall décor and treasures offered alongside one another. Credit cards will be accepted\, and every purchase benefits the YMCA’s Campership Scholarship Program. \nIn other words\, buying a plant can help send a child to camp. \nThe Garden Club Works Year-Round for This\nThe Ocean Community YMCA Garden Club isn’t assembled just for the fall sale. \nIt’s an ongoing adult club at the Westerly-Pawcatuck Branch devoted to gardening\, education and community service. \nThe group meets monthly\, typically on the third Wednesday\, with presentations devoted to particular gardening subjects. Members also participate in activities and fundraising projects throughout the year. \nThe YMCA’s program materials make one point particularly clear: \nAll money raised by the Garden Club goes toward camperships. \nThat gives the September sale a purpose beyond clearing out the greenhouse before cold weather arrives. \nThe plants go home with shoppers. \nThe proceeds go to kids. \nExpect Plenty of Plants for the Beginning of Fall\nThe sale falls just two days after the autumnal equinox\, making the timing almost perfect for anyone ready to replace tired summer containers and annuals. \nThe YMCA is advertising simply “plants\,” rather than publishing a complete inventory in advance\, so shoppers shouldn’t assume that any particular variety will be available. \nPromotional images do\, however\, show the kind of colorful fall material that has become synonymous with this time of year\, including large flowering mums and seasonal container arrangements. \nAnd because plant sales are dependent on what is available and what other shoppers have already bought\, there’s an advantage to arriving early. \nIf you see something unusual at 9:15\, don’t necessarily expect it to be waiting at noon. \nFall Arrangements Do Some of the Work for You\nNot everyone wants to buy individual plants and assemble a fall container from scratch. \nThat’s where the fall arrangements come in. \nGarden Club members can combine plants and seasonal material into ready-made displays\, giving shoppers something that can go directly onto a porch\, patio\, front steps or table. \nFall containers also tend to be more forgiving than their summer counterparts. \nCooler September and October temperatures reduce the stress that comes with July heat\, and many traditional autumn plants perform well into the season. \nFor someone whose summer planters have reached the “we had a good run” stage\, September 24 provides an opportunity to start over. \nThen There Are the Treasures\nThe word that makes this more interesting than a conventional nursery sale is “treasures.” \nThe YMCA specifically advertises plants\, treasures and décor\, expanding the sale beyond living plants. \nThat means the inventory can vary substantially depending on what Garden Club members and supporters have assembled for the fundraiser. \nGarden accessories\, decorative pieces and other donated or repurposed finds can turn the treasure portion into a browse rather than a shopping trip with a predetermined list. \nIt’s also another reason to come early. \nPlants can sometimes be replenished. \nThere’s usually only one of a treasure. \nA Garden Club With Deep Community Roots\nGarden clubs have a long tradition of combining horticulture with civic service. \nThey’re places to trade practical knowledge about what actually grows locally\, but they’re also volunteer organizations. \nThat second part is especially evident here. \nThe Westerly-Pawcatuck Garden Club doesn’t simply hold meetings about gardening. Its fundraising is specifically directed toward helping children participate in YMCA camping programs. \nThat connection makes sense within the larger mission of the Ocean Community YMCA. \nThe association operates multiple branches in Rhode Island and southeastern Connecticut along with summer camping programs including Camp Watchaug in Charlestown and Camp Cove in Mystic. \nFor many families\, however\, the cost of camp can be a barrier. \nThat’s where financial assistance and camperships come in. \nWhat Is a Campership?\nThink scholarship\, but for camp. \nA campership provides financial assistance to help a child attend summer camp when the cost would otherwise make participation difficult or impossible. \nThat can turn what seems like a small fundraiser into something tangible. \nMoney from a mum. \nMoney from an arrangement. \nMoney from a piece of fall décor someone takes home. \nCombined with all the other purchases during the four-hour sale\, those dollars can help cover the cost of sending children to camp. \nThe YMCA’s broader financial-assistance programs are designed around the same principle: a family’s finances shouldn’t automatically prevent someone from participating in programs that could benefit them. \nCamp Watchaug Has Been Giving Kids Summers Outdoors for Generations\nOne of the YMCA’s major camping programs is Camp Watchaug\, located on Watchaug Pond in Charlestown. \nThe day camp combines the classic ingredients of summer camp with an unusually good waterfront setting. \nSwimming\, boating and water activities are joined by outdoor recreation and adventure programming\, including activities such as climbing\, zip lining and archery. \nThe emphasis isn’t simply on keeping children occupied while school is out. \nSummer camp gives kids an opportunity to become more independent\, make friends\, try unfamiliar activities and spend long stretches of the day outdoors. \nFor a child who has never paddled a canoe\, climbed a wall or spent a summer day on a lake\, those experiences can become the part of childhood they remember decades later. \nCamp Cove Brings the Experience to Mystic\nThe Ocean Community YMCA also operates Camp Cove from its Naik Family Branch on the Mystic River. \nIts waterfront location provides another outdoor summer setting\, with swimming\, recreation and traditional camp programming backed by the facilities of the YMCA branch itself. \nTogether\, the camps help explain why the Garden Club has made campership fundraising an ongoing mission rather than attaching the money to a different cause each year. \nThe club knows where its proceeds are going. \nBack into the YMCA community. \nAnd specifically toward children who need help getting to camp. \nThe Westerly-Pawcatuck YMCA Goes Back Nearly a Century\nThe plant sale also takes place at an organization with unusually deep roots in Westerly. \nThe Westerly-Pawcatuck Branch was founded in 1928 at its present location next to Wilcox Park. \nOver nearly a century\, the facility has expanded considerably beyond the traditional image of a YMCA. \nToday the branch includes indoor pools\, a gymnasium\, wellness facilities\, group exercise spaces\, racquetball\, pickleball\, youth programs and community gathering spaces. \nBut clubs like the Garden Club illustrate another side of the Y. \nNot everything there involves a treadmill\, basketball or swimming pool. \nAdult enrichment\, volunteering and community service are part of the mix\, too. \nThe Garden Club happens to combine all three. \nYou Don’t Have to Be a Serious Gardener\nA plant sale can sound intimidating if your horticultural expertise amounts to remembering to water something before it turns brown. \nThat’s fine. \nYou don’t need a greenhouse. \nYou don’t need a perennial border. \nYou don’t need to know the Latin name of anything. \nFall plants are an easy way to add color to a porch or entrance as summer flowers begin to fade\, and a premade arrangement removes most of the creative decision-making. \nThe décor and treasure tables make the sale worthwhile even for people who don’t want another plant at all. \nAnd if you do have questions about what you’re buying\, you’re purchasing it from a club built around people who actually enjoy talking about gardening. \nAsk. \nFour Hours to Shop\, One Larger Purpose\nThe annual sale has the basic ingredients of a good community fundraiser. \nIt raises money by selling things people actually want. \nThere are plants for gardeners. \nArrangements for people who want somebody else to do the arranging. \nDecorations for people ready for fall. \nTreasures for people who would rather hunt for something unexpected. \nAnd the money doesn’t disappear into a vague fundraising bucket. \nIt helps provide camperships for children. \nThat’s a pretty good return on a mum. \nDetails\nEvent: YMCA Garden Club Annual Fall Plant Sale\nDate: Thursday\, September 24\, 2026\nTime: 9 a.m.–1 p.m.\nLocation: Ocean Community YMCA Westerly-Pawcatuck Branch\nAddress: 95 High Street\, Westerly\, RI 02891\nOrganizer: Ocean Community YMCA Garden Club\nFor Sale: Plants\, treasures\, fall décor and fall arrangements\nPayment: Credit cards accepted\nBeneficiary: Ocean Community YMCA Campership Scholarship Program\nPurpose: Proceeds help provide financial assistance for children to attend YMCA camp\nShopping Tip: Selection may change throughout the four-hour sale; arrive early for the broadest choice. \n  \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/ymca-garden-club-annual-fall-plant-sale-brings-mums-fall-decor-and-hidden-treasures-to-westerly/
LOCATION:Ocean Community YMCA Westerly/Pawcatuck\, 95 High Street\, Westerly\, RI\, 02891\, United States
CATEGORIES:Ocean Community YMCA Westerly/Pawcatuck
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/YMCA-Garden-Club-Annual-Fall-Plant-Sale-Brings-Mums-Fall-Decor-and-Hidden-Treasures-to-Westerly.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260923T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260923T203000
DTSTAMP:20260621T021216Z
CREATED:20260621T012345Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260621T021216Z
UID:10006073-1790188200-1790195400@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Downtown Westerly Walk or Run 5K
DESCRIPTION:Downtown Westerly Walk or Run 5K gives participants a chance to stay active\, meet new people\, and explore the heart of downtown Westerly in a fun and welcoming group setting. Held on Wednesday evenings throughout the summer\, the event encourages walkers and runners of all experience levels to get outside and enjoy the community. \nRather than a competitive race\, the weekly gathering focuses on fitness\, social connection\, and enjoying the local area. Participants can choose to walk or run the 5K route\, making it accessible to everyone from seasoned runners to those simply looking for an enjoyable midweek outing. \nWhether you’re training for a larger race\, looking to add some movement to your week\, or hoping to connect with fellow outdoor enthusiasts\, Downtown Westerly Walk or Run 5K offers a free and friendly way to spend a summer evening. \nEvent Details \nWhen: Every Wednesday \nTime: 6:30 p.m. \nLocation: One Of One Athletics Club\n26 High Street\nWesterly\, RI \nDistance: 5K \nAdmission: Free \nHighlights \n\nWalk or run at your own pace\nWeekly community event\nExplore downtown Westerly\nOpen to all fitness levels\nMeet fellow walkers and runners\n\n  \n 
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/downtown-westerly-walk-or-run-5k/2026-09-23/
LOCATION:One of One Athletics Club\, 26 High Street\, Westerly\, RI\, 02891\, United States
CATEGORIES:One of One Athletics Club
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Downtown-Westerly-Walk-or-Run-5k-Wednesdays-at-630-pm.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260920T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260920T190000
DTSTAMP:20260915T215319Z
CREATED:20260915T215319Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260915T215319Z
UID:10007871-1789923600-1789930800@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Swing Band Benefit Concert Brings Three Big Bands and a Dance Floor to the UNITED
DESCRIPTION:Swing Band Benefit Concert fills the UNITED Theatre with brass\, reeds\, rhythm and the music of the big-band era on Sunday\, September 20\, as three regional jazz orchestras share the stage for a concert benefiting music education on both sides of the Connecticut-Rhode Island line. \nThe third annual benefit runs from 5 to 7 p.m. in the UNITED’s Black Box Auditorium in Westerly. This year’s lineup brings together the Time and Changes Jazz Orchestra\, As Time Goes By and the Sean Nelson Jazz Orchestra. \nThe music reaches back to Frank Sinatra\, Benny Goodman\, Glenn Miller and Count Basie\, but this isn’t being presented as a sit-down history lesson. \nThe UNITED’s invitation is considerably simpler: listen\, dance\, and donate. \nAnd the money raised goes back into music\, supporting the UNITED Music School and music programs in the Westerly and New London public schools. \nThree Bands\, One Concert\nThe structure gives the evening something closer to a miniature big-band festival than a conventional concert. \nTime and Changes Jazz Orchestra opens the show. \nThe group performs in the classic 17-piece big-band configuration\, the kind of lineup capable of producing the enormous ensemble sound associated with the swing era. \nNext comes As Time Goes By\, a local swing and jazz band that also organized the benefit. \nThen the Sean Nelson Jazz Orchestra closes the evening with another 17-piece ensemble drawing musicians from around New England. \nPut all three together and there will be a lot of musicians moving through the UNITED stage in two hours. \nThat’s appropriate for music that was built around scale. \nWhy 17 Musicians?\nThere’s a reason two of Sunday’s ensembles are specifically described as 17-piece bands. \nThe classic big-band format generally divides its musicians into sections: saxophones\, trumpets\, trombones and a rhythm section. \nRather than simply having everyone play simultaneously\, arrangers can move melodies and harmonies among those sections. \nSaxophones can carry one passage before trumpets answer. \nTrombones can add a darker layer underneath them. \nThe rhythm section keeps everything moving while individual musicians step forward for solos. \nThen the arranger can bring the entire ensemble together. \nThat’s where the sheer power of a big band comes from. \nA 17-piece jazz orchestra can whisper\, but when everybody arrives at the same musical destination at once\, it doesn’t stay quiet for long. \nTime and Changes Opens With the Classic Big-Band Sound\nThe Time and Changes Jazz Orchestra gets first crack at the room. \nIts billing as a classic 17-piece big band immediately establishes the musical vocabulary for the evening. \nThis is music descended from the large jazz orchestras that became one of America’s dominant forms of popular entertainment during the 1930s and ’40s. \nBefore rock bands filled arenas\, big bands filled ballrooms. \nAnd before recorded music became the default soundtrack for a night out\, people danced to actual orchestras. \nThat connection between jazz and dancing is important to Sunday’s concert because the UNITED isn’t asking audiences simply to admire the arrangements. \nDancing is part of the evening. \nAs Time Goes By Is the Band Behind the Benefit\nThe middle set belongs to As Time Goes By\, the local swing and jazz group that organized the Swing Band Benefit Concert. \nThat gives the band’s appearance a different role. \nThey’re not simply one of three acts on the bill. They’re helping bring the bands together around a common purpose. \nThis is now the event’s third year\, giving what began as a benefit concert the beginnings of an annual Westerly tradition. \nAs Time Goes By occupies the center position between two large jazz orchestras\, creating some musical variety while keeping the evening rooted firmly in swing and jazz. \nAnd its name couldn’t be much more appropriate for a concert drawing heavily from the American songbook. \nSean Nelson Jazz Orchestra Closes the Night\nThe final set belongs to the Sean Nelson Jazz Orchestra. \nLike Time and Changes\, Nelson’s group is a 17-piece jazz orchestra\, with the UNITED describing its membership as musicians drawn from across New England. \nNelson is a trombonist\, composer\, arranger and bandleader whose work spans jazz performance and large-ensemble writing. \nA jazz orchestra gives an arranger an unusually broad musical palette. \nInstead of thinking only about melody\, chords and rhythm\, the arranger can work with instrumental color: which section carries a line\, which instruments answer it\, where the ensemble pulls back and when the entire band comes roaring in. \nThat’s part of what separates hearing this music from a recording. \nA big band moves air. \nIn a live room\, you feel the brass as much as hear it. \nSinatra\, Goodman\, Miller and Basie Point Toward the Songbook\nThe UNITED is highlighting music associated with Frank Sinatra\, Benny Goodman\, Glenn Miller and Count Basie. \nThose four names cover a surprising amount of musical territory. \nGoodman’s orchestra helped push swing into the center of American popular culture during the 1930s. \nMiller developed one of the era’s most recognizable ensemble sounds\, producing recordings that became inseparable from the World War II generation. \nBasie’s orchestra approached swing differently\, with an extraordinary emphasis on rhythm\, space and blues. \nAnd Sinatra’s career connected the big-band era with the emergence of the modern solo pop vocalist. \nHe first became a national star singing with the Harry James and Tommy Dorsey orchestras before establishing the solo career that eventually made him one of the defining American singers of the 20th century. \nSunday’s program isn’t advertised as a recreation of one specific orchestra or period. \nInstead\, those names provide the musical coordinates. \nThis Music Was Made for Dancing\nBig-band jazz eventually became something people often encountered in concert halls\, jazz festivals and record collections. \nThat can obscure its original function. \nPeople danced to it. \nSwing developed alongside an enormous social-dance culture\, and the relationship between dancers and musicians influenced the music itself. \nThe rhythm had to move. \nTempos mattered. \nArrangements needed momentum. \nA packed dance floor wasn’t a distraction from the orchestra. It was evidence that the orchestra was doing its job. \nThat’s why the UNITED’s “come listen\, dance and donate” description is more than a catchy invitation. \nDancing puts this music back into something resembling its original environment. \nNobody has to dance\, of course. \nBut the opportunity is there for anyone who hears a Basie-style rhythm section and finds sitting still increasingly difficult. \nThe Benefit Looks Forward While the Music Looks Back\nThe most important part of the concert may be what happens after the final note. \nProceeds from the 2026 event benefit the UNITED Music School\, along with music programs in the Westerly and New London public schools. \nThat gives the evening a nice symmetry. \nProfessional and experienced regional musicians are performing music with roots stretching back nearly a century to help younger musicians get access to instruments\, instruction and school music programs now. \nThe UNITED Music School operates as part of the theater’s broader educational mission\, offering music instruction and performance opportunities from its downtown Westerly campus. \nSupporting public-school programs extends the impact beyond the theater itself. \nAnd notably\, the beneficiaries cross the state line. \nWesterly is in Rhode Island. \nNew London is in Connecticut. \nMusic doesn’t care much about the border. \nThe UNITED Is an Appropriate Home for It\nThe setting also carries its own musical history. \nThe UNITED originally opened as a vaudeville theater in 1926\, placing its beginnings just before the big-band era exploded nationally. \nAfter decades as a movie theater and a long period of closure\, the building was extensively redeveloped and reopened in 2021 as a multidisciplinary arts center. \nToday it combines cinemas\, live-performance spaces and a music school under one roof. \nSunday’s concert brings all of those strands together particularly well. \nIt’s a live performance of music rooted in the first half of the 20th century\, presented inside a restored 1920s theater\, raising money to teach musicians who will carry music into the future. \nTwo Hours\, Three Bands and a Lot of Horns\nThere are easier ways to raise money. \nYou can hold a raffle. \nYou can sell baked goods. \nOr you can put three swing bands onstage\, assemble dozens of musicians\, clear some room for dancing and let Count Basie\, Glenn Miller\, Benny Goodman and Sinatra provide the inspiration. \nThe Swing Band Benefit Concert has chosen the latter. \nFor anyone who loves the sound of a full horn section\, Sunday evening should provide plenty of it. \nAnd every ticket helps make sure another generation gets the chance to learn how to make some noise of its own. \nDetails\nEvent: Swing Band Benefit Concert\nDate: Sunday\, September 20\, 2026\nTime: 5–7 p.m.\nLocation: UNITED Theatre\, Black Box Auditorium\nAddress: 5 Canal Street\, Westerly\, RI 02891\nPerformers: Time and Changes Jazz Orchestra\, As Time Goes By and Sean Nelson Jazz Orchestra\nMusic: Big band\, swing and jazz\, including selections associated with Frank Sinatra\, Benny Goodman\, Glenn Miller and Count Basie\nAdult Tickets: $22\nUnder 18: $12\nBeneficiaries: UNITED Music School and music programs in the Westerly and New London public schools\nDancing: Encouraged\nPhone: 401-388-8208\nEmail: info@unitedtheatre.org\nAccessibility: The UNITED’s cinemas are wheelchair accessible. The theater recommends contacting the box office before purchasing live-performance tickets to discuss the best accessible seating location. Assistive listening devices are also available.\nTicket Policy: UNITED event tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nTo purchase tickets\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \n  \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/swing-band-benefit-concert-brings-three-big-bands-and-a-dance-floor-to-the-united/
LOCATION:United Theatre\, 5 Canal Street\, Westerly\, RI\, 02891\, United States
CATEGORIES:United Theater
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260920T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260920T153000
DTSTAMP:20260908T005412Z
CREATED:20260908T005412Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260908T005412Z
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SUMMARY:Almost\, Maine at the Granite Theatre
DESCRIPTION:Almost\, Maine at the Granite Theatre opens Friday\, September 11\, for a two-week run of John Cariani’s romantic comedy about love found\, lost and occasionally turned upside down beneath the northern lights. \nThe Granite Theatre production runs September 11–20 in downtown Westerly\, with 7:30 p.m. performances on Thursdays\, Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sunday matinees. Tickets are $30–$35. \nRather than following one couple through a conventional love story\, Almost\, Maine tells nine interconnected stories about the residents of a tiny fictional community in northern Maine. During the course of one cold Friday night\, relationships begin\, end\, stumble and take some wonderfully strange turns. \nWelcome to Almost\nAlmost isn’t technically a town. \nIn Cariani’s fictional geography\, it’s an unorganized community so far north in Maine that it’s almost in Canada. On a clear winter night\, with the aurora borealis overhead\, its residents experience a series of encounters that revolve around falling in love\, falling out of it or discovering that what they thought they understood about another person wasn’t quite right. \nThe structure is closer to a collection of short stories performed on stage than a traditional beginning-to-end narrative. \nMost of the scenes involve just two characters\, with different residents moving in and out of focus as the evening progresses. The stories stand on their own\, but the shared place\, time and themes gradually turn them into a portrait of one small community. \nCariani also gives the play a touch of magical realism. \nEmotions sometimes become physical things. Characters carry the consequences of love in ways that couldn’t happen in the real world\, yet the feelings behind those moments remain recognizable. That lets Almost\, Maine move quickly between comedy\, absurdity\, heartbreak and tenderness without becoming a conventional romantic comedy. \nA Play That Almost Disappeared\nThe story behind Almost\, Maine is nearly as unlikely as some of the stories inside it. \nJohn Cariani developed the play at the Cape Cod Theatre Project in 2002. It received its world premiere at Portland Stage Company in Maine in 2004\, where it broke box-office records. \nBy then\, Cariani was already familiar to Broadway audiences as an actor. He earned a Tony Award nomination for playing Motel the tailor in the 2004 Broadway revival of Fiddler on the Roof and had appeared on television in Law & Order. \nAlmost\, Maine reached New York next\, opening Off-Broadway at the Daryl Roth Theatre in January 2006. \nThat production lasted only about a month. \nOrdinarily\, that might have been the end of the story. Instead\, after the play was published and became available to other theaters\, something unexpected happened. \nSmall professional theaters began producing it. Then community theaters picked it up. Colleges and high schools followed. \nAnd they kept doing it. \nFrom Short Off-Broadway Run to Thousands of Productions\nToday\, Almost\, Maine has become one of the most frequently produced contemporary American plays. \nThe play’s official site reports that more than 6\,000 theater companies in the United States have staged it\, along with more than 100 international companies. It has also repeatedly ranked among the most-produced plays in North American high schools. \nPart of the appeal is built into Cariani’s unusual structure. \nWith largely self-contained two-person scenes\, directors can distribute substantial material among an ensemble rather than building an entire production around one or two leading roles. Each vignette gives its actors a complete little story to develop. \nAudiences get something different from that structure\, too. One scene may land as broad comedy while the next turns unexpectedly bittersweet. Not every relationship works out\, and the title itself becomes something of a running idea. \nThings in Almost are frequently close. \nAlmost a town. Almost Canada. Almost together. Almost over someone. Almost happy. \nBut not quite. \nJohn Cariani Wrote About the Maine He Knew\nThe fictional setting wasn’t chosen at random. \nCariani grew up in Presque Isle in Aroostook County\, the enormous and sparsely populated region at the northern end of Maine. He has said those years shaped his affection for the landscape\, language and people that eventually found their way into Almost\, Maine. \nThe setting is intentionally remote. The cold matters. The darkness matters. So does the northern sky. \nAgainst that isolation\, the small interactions between people become bigger. A conversation on a bench\, an unexpected visitor at the door or an encounter between two neighbors can become the most important thing happening for miles. \nCariani eventually returned to the world he created in another form. In 2022\, he adapted Almost\, Maine into a novel\, expanding the interconnected stories and characters beyond what audiences see on stage. \nBut the theatrical version remains the work that made Almost into a place thousands of actors and audiences have visited. \nInside Westerly’s Historic Granite Theatre\nThe setting for this production has its own story. \nGranite Theatre occupies a restored Greek Revival building at 1 Granite Street in downtown Westerly. Long before actors performed there\, the building was a church. \nThe congregation that became the Broad Street Christian Church was organized in 1843\, and the building was completed in 1849. Its prominent classical façade and columns remain part of one of downtown Westerly’s distinctive historic structures. \nThe building eventually found a second life as a performance space\, reopening as the Granite Theatre in 2000. \nToday\, Renaissance City Theatre operates the Granite as a nonprofit theater\, presenting plays\, musicals\, family productions\, educational programs and special events throughout the year. \nIt’s also an intimate room. With roughly 140 seats\, the audience is close to the performers rather than watching from the distance of a large regional theater. That should suit a play built around small conversations and two-person encounters particularly well. \nOpening Night Begins a Seven-Performance Run\nAlmost\, Maine opens at 7:30 p.m. Friday\, September 11. \nA second evening performance follows Saturday\, September 12\, before the first Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. September 13. \nThe production returns the following Thursday and continues through Sunday\, September 20\, for seven performances in all: \n\nFriday\, September 11 at 7:30 p.m.\nSaturday\, September 12 at 7:30 p.m.\nSunday\, September 13 at 2 p.m.\nThursday\, September 17 at 7:30 p.m.\nFriday\, September 18 at 7:30 p.m.\nSaturday\, September 19 at 7:30 p.m.\nSunday\, September 20 at 2 p.m.\n\nTickets range from $30 to $35. \nAccessibility at the Granite\nBecause the Granite occupies a historic 19th-century building\, accessibility comes with some limitations. \nThe theater performance space itself is wheelchair accessible\, but the Granite notes that its lobby and restrooms are not fully accessible. \nA small number of accessible parking spaces are available behind the building and need to be reserved. The theater recommends that anyone who needs accessible parking or has mobility concerns call ahead rather than relying on availability when arriving for a performance. \nDetails\nEvent: Almost\, Maine\nPlaywright: John Cariani\nOpening Night: Friday\, September 11\, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.\nRun: September 11–20\, 2026\nEvening Performances: 7:30 p.m.\nSunday Matinees: 2 p.m.\nNumber of Performances: Seven\nGenre: Romantic comedy\nVenue: Granite Theatre\nAddress: 1 Granite Street\, Westerly\, RI 02891\nTickets: $30–$35\nBox Office: 401-596-2341\nAccessibility: Theater space is wheelchair accessible; lobby and restrooms are not fully accessible\nAccessible Parking: Limited spaces are available and should be reserved in advance \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nTo purchase tickets\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/almost-maine-at-the-granite-theatre/2026-09-20/
LOCATION:The Granite Theater\, 1 Granite Street\, Westerly\, RI\, 02891\, United States
CATEGORIES:The Granite Street Theater
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Almost-Maine-at-the-Granite-Theatre.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260919T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260919T210000
DTSTAMP:20260908T005412Z
CREATED:20260908T005412Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260908T005412Z
UID:10007513-1789846200-1789851600@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Almost\, Maine at the Granite Theatre
DESCRIPTION:Almost\, Maine at the Granite Theatre opens Friday\, September 11\, for a two-week run of John Cariani’s romantic comedy about love found\, lost and occasionally turned upside down beneath the northern lights. \nThe Granite Theatre production runs September 11–20 in downtown Westerly\, with 7:30 p.m. performances on Thursdays\, Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sunday matinees. Tickets are $30–$35. \nRather than following one couple through a conventional love story\, Almost\, Maine tells nine interconnected stories about the residents of a tiny fictional community in northern Maine. During the course of one cold Friday night\, relationships begin\, end\, stumble and take some wonderfully strange turns. \nWelcome to Almost\nAlmost isn’t technically a town. \nIn Cariani’s fictional geography\, it’s an unorganized community so far north in Maine that it’s almost in Canada. On a clear winter night\, with the aurora borealis overhead\, its residents experience a series of encounters that revolve around falling in love\, falling out of it or discovering that what they thought they understood about another person wasn’t quite right. \nThe structure is closer to a collection of short stories performed on stage than a traditional beginning-to-end narrative. \nMost of the scenes involve just two characters\, with different residents moving in and out of focus as the evening progresses. The stories stand on their own\, but the shared place\, time and themes gradually turn them into a portrait of one small community. \nCariani also gives the play a touch of magical realism. \nEmotions sometimes become physical things. Characters carry the consequences of love in ways that couldn’t happen in the real world\, yet the feelings behind those moments remain recognizable. That lets Almost\, Maine move quickly between comedy\, absurdity\, heartbreak and tenderness without becoming a conventional romantic comedy. \nA Play That Almost Disappeared\nThe story behind Almost\, Maine is nearly as unlikely as some of the stories inside it. \nJohn Cariani developed the play at the Cape Cod Theatre Project in 2002. It received its world premiere at Portland Stage Company in Maine in 2004\, where it broke box-office records. \nBy then\, Cariani was already familiar to Broadway audiences as an actor. He earned a Tony Award nomination for playing Motel the tailor in the 2004 Broadway revival of Fiddler on the Roof and had appeared on television in Law & Order. \nAlmost\, Maine reached New York next\, opening Off-Broadway at the Daryl Roth Theatre in January 2006. \nThat production lasted only about a month. \nOrdinarily\, that might have been the end of the story. Instead\, after the play was published and became available to other theaters\, something unexpected happened. \nSmall professional theaters began producing it. Then community theaters picked it up. Colleges and high schools followed. \nAnd they kept doing it. \nFrom Short Off-Broadway Run to Thousands of Productions\nToday\, Almost\, Maine has become one of the most frequently produced contemporary American plays. \nThe play’s official site reports that more than 6\,000 theater companies in the United States have staged it\, along with more than 100 international companies. It has also repeatedly ranked among the most-produced plays in North American high schools. \nPart of the appeal is built into Cariani’s unusual structure. \nWith largely self-contained two-person scenes\, directors can distribute substantial material among an ensemble rather than building an entire production around one or two leading roles. Each vignette gives its actors a complete little story to develop. \nAudiences get something different from that structure\, too. One scene may land as broad comedy while the next turns unexpectedly bittersweet. Not every relationship works out\, and the title itself becomes something of a running idea. \nThings in Almost are frequently close. \nAlmost a town. Almost Canada. Almost together. Almost over someone. Almost happy. \nBut not quite. \nJohn Cariani Wrote About the Maine He Knew\nThe fictional setting wasn’t chosen at random. \nCariani grew up in Presque Isle in Aroostook County\, the enormous and sparsely populated region at the northern end of Maine. He has said those years shaped his affection for the landscape\, language and people that eventually found their way into Almost\, Maine. \nThe setting is intentionally remote. The cold matters. The darkness matters. So does the northern sky. \nAgainst that isolation\, the small interactions between people become bigger. A conversation on a bench\, an unexpected visitor at the door or an encounter between two neighbors can become the most important thing happening for miles. \nCariani eventually returned to the world he created in another form. In 2022\, he adapted Almost\, Maine into a novel\, expanding the interconnected stories and characters beyond what audiences see on stage. \nBut the theatrical version remains the work that made Almost into a place thousands of actors and audiences have visited. \nInside Westerly’s Historic Granite Theatre\nThe setting for this production has its own story. \nGranite Theatre occupies a restored Greek Revival building at 1 Granite Street in downtown Westerly. Long before actors performed there\, the building was a church. \nThe congregation that became the Broad Street Christian Church was organized in 1843\, and the building was completed in 1849. Its prominent classical façade and columns remain part of one of downtown Westerly’s distinctive historic structures. \nThe building eventually found a second life as a performance space\, reopening as the Granite Theatre in 2000. \nToday\, Renaissance City Theatre operates the Granite as a nonprofit theater\, presenting plays\, musicals\, family productions\, educational programs and special events throughout the year. \nIt’s also an intimate room. With roughly 140 seats\, the audience is close to the performers rather than watching from the distance of a large regional theater. That should suit a play built around small conversations and two-person encounters particularly well. \nOpening Night Begins a Seven-Performance Run\nAlmost\, Maine opens at 7:30 p.m. Friday\, September 11. \nA second evening performance follows Saturday\, September 12\, before the first Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. September 13. \nThe production returns the following Thursday and continues through Sunday\, September 20\, for seven performances in all: \n\nFriday\, September 11 at 7:30 p.m.\nSaturday\, September 12 at 7:30 p.m.\nSunday\, September 13 at 2 p.m.\nThursday\, September 17 at 7:30 p.m.\nFriday\, September 18 at 7:30 p.m.\nSaturday\, September 19 at 7:30 p.m.\nSunday\, September 20 at 2 p.m.\n\nTickets range from $30 to $35. \nAccessibility at the Granite\nBecause the Granite occupies a historic 19th-century building\, accessibility comes with some limitations. \nThe theater performance space itself is wheelchair accessible\, but the Granite notes that its lobby and restrooms are not fully accessible. \nA small number of accessible parking spaces are available behind the building and need to be reserved. The theater recommends that anyone who needs accessible parking or has mobility concerns call ahead rather than relying on availability when arriving for a performance. \nDetails\nEvent: Almost\, Maine\nPlaywright: John Cariani\nOpening Night: Friday\, September 11\, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.\nRun: September 11–20\, 2026\nEvening Performances: 7:30 p.m.\nSunday Matinees: 2 p.m.\nNumber of Performances: Seven\nGenre: Romantic comedy\nVenue: Granite Theatre\nAddress: 1 Granite Street\, Westerly\, RI 02891\nTickets: $30–$35\nBox Office: 401-596-2341\nAccessibility: Theater space is wheelchair accessible; lobby and restrooms are not fully accessible\nAccessible Parking: Limited spaces are available and should be reserved in advance \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nTo purchase tickets\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/almost-maine-at-the-granite-theatre/2026-09-19/
LOCATION:The Granite Theater\, 1 Granite Street\, Westerly\, RI\, 02891\, United States
CATEGORIES:The Granite Street Theater
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260919T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260919T230000
DTSTAMP:20260913T232936Z
CREATED:20260913T232936Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260913T232936Z
UID:10007595-1789844400-1789858800@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:WAAG Exhibition Brings Westerly’s Alternative Art Community Together at Studio 39A
DESCRIPTION:WAAG Exhibition brings more than 20 members of the Westerly Alternative Artists Guild together Saturday\, September 19\, for an evening gallery exhibition and art market at Studio 39A in Westerly. \nThe show runs from 7 to 11 p.m. at the grassroots arts and music space at 39A Beach Street. The format combines an exhibition with a market\, giving visitors a chance not only to see work by members of the newly organized guild but also to buy directly from participating artists. \nAdmission is particularly straightforward: \nBring a donation for the Westerly Animal Shelter. \nWAAG Is Creating a Place for Artists Who Don’t Always Fit the Traditional Gallery Mold\nThe Westerly Alternative Artists Guild\, or WAAG\, is a relatively new addition to Westerly’s growing arts community. \nAnd “alternative” is important to understanding what the group is trying to build. \nRather than defining art narrowly around traditional painting\, sculpture or the kind of work usually selected for a conventional fine-art gallery\, WAAG is assembling a community around artists working outside those boundaries. \nThe guild’s identity embraces the independent\, experimental\, DIY and sometimes unconventional side of making art. \nThat makes Friday’s exhibition as much an introduction to the organization as an art show. \nMore than 20 WAAG members are expected to participate. \nWith that many artists sharing one room\, visitors should expect variety rather than a single curatorial theme or medium. \nThis Is Both an Exhibition and a Market\nThe poster makes an important distinction: \n“A gallery & market art show.” \nThat means the evening isn’t designed solely around finished pieces hanging on a wall. \nArtists will have work available to browse and purchase\, turning Studio 39A into something closer to a temporary alternative-art marketplace. \nFor emerging artists\, that direct connection can matter. \nTraditional galleries generally select artists\, curate exhibitions and take a commission when work sells. Markets and artist-run shows can remove some of those barriers\, allowing creators to meet the people looking at their work and sell directly to them. \nFor visitors\, it also means this isn’t necessarily an event where you’re expected to quietly circle the room with your hands behind your back. \nTalk to the artists. \nAsk what they make. \nAnd if something grabs you\, find out whether you can take it home. \nStudio 39A Is a Natural Home for It\nStudio 39A is an all-ages\, grassroots art and music space at 39A Beach Street in Westerly. \nThe venue has become part of the area’s independent creative scene by providing a room for the kinds of artists and musicians who don’t necessarily have an obvious home elsewhere. \nThat includes intimate concerts and alternative music\, but Studio 39A isn’t simply a small music venue. \nIt operates as a community-driven cultural space. \nThat’s an important distinction for an event like this. \nWesterly already has established arts institutions\, galleries and performance spaces. Studio 39A occupies a different part of that ecosystem: smaller\, independent\, informal and intentionally accessible. \nWAAG fits naturally into that environment. \nWesterly’s Art Scene Is Bigger Than It Looks\nOne of the interesting things about this show is the larger arts community developing around it. \nWesterly has a surprising concentration of creative spaces within a relatively small area. \nThe long-established Artists’ Cooperative Gallery of Westerly operates as an artist-owned nonprofit gallery. The Hoxie Gallery presents exhibitions inside Westerly Library. Independent studios and shops have spread through downtown\, while the Westerly Arts Crawl has helped connect artists with businesses and the public. \nStudio 39A and WAAG represent another layer. \nThey’re not replacing those traditional institutions. \nThey’re creating an entry point for artists who may be younger\, emerging\, self-taught\, experimental or simply uninterested in fitting their work into conventional categories. \nA healthy local arts scene has room for both. \nThe DIY Poster Tells You Something About the Show\nYou don’t need much explanation of WAAG’s aesthetic after looking at the poster. \nHand lettering. \nUneven blocks of black ink. \nA roughly drawn eye. \nAlmost everything appears deliberately handmade rather than digitally polished. \nIt’s closer to a punk-show flyer or photocopied zine than a conventional gallery invitation. \nThat visual language has a long history in independent art and music scenes. \nBefore anyone could build a slick social graphic on a phone\, underground bands\, artists and promoters made flyers with markers\, typewriters\, scissors\, photocopiers and whatever else was available. \nThe imperfections became part of the identity. \nWAAG’s poster carries that same DIY spirit. \nIt doesn’t look like an invitation to an institutional gallery opening because this isn’t trying to be one. \nMore Than 20 Artists Means You Probably Won’t Know What You’re Walking Into\nThat’s arguably the best reason to go. \nA tightly curated solo exhibition gives you a deep look at one artist. \nThis is the opposite. \nWith 20-plus WAAG members participating\, the point is discovery. \nThe currently available public announcement does not provide a complete roster of every exhibiting artist or a piece-by-piece catalog\, and that’s information worth leaving open rather than guessing from social-media accounts associated with the organization. \nWhat is confirmed is the scale: more than 20 members of the guild\, a combination of gallery exhibition and art market\, and four hours to explore it. \nThe organizers are also encouraging visitors to follow @waag39a for updates as the show approaches\, so additional artist introductions may appear before Friday. \nAn Art Show for People Who Don’t Think They’re Art-Show People\nAlternative community shows can do something larger institutions sometimes struggle with. \nThey can lower the psychological barrier to walking through the door. \nYou don’t need to understand art history. \nYou don’t need to know whether something qualifies as expressionism\, assemblage\, lowbrow art or anything else. \nYou don’t even have to like everything. \nIn fact\, with more than 20 independent artists showing work\, you almost certainly won’t. \nThat’s part of the fun. \nFind the strange thing. \nFind the funny thing. \nFind the thing you don’t understand. \nFind the artist whose work makes you stop for another 30 seconds when everything else gets five. \nAnd if you’re someone making art at home who has never thought of yourself as the sort of person who belongs in a guild or gallery\, pay attention to the people exhibiting. \nThat may be the larger point of WAAG. \nA Four-Hour Snapshot of Westerly’s Alternative Art Scene\nWesterly has no shortage of polished cultural institutions. \nThis is something else. \nOne night. \nOne grassroots studio. \nMore than 20 artists. \nArtwork for sale. \nA handmade flyer that looks like it was designed specifically to make a graphic designer nervous. \nAnd admission that helps the WARM Center. \nFor WAAG\, the exhibition is a chance to put a relatively new artistic community in one room and show Westerly what its members have been making. \nFor everyone else\, it’s an opportunity to see what happens when the artists who don’t necessarily fit neatly into the established boxes decide to build their own box. \nThen cover it with art. \nDetails\nEvent: WAAG Exhibition: A Group Show\nDate: Saturday\, September 19\, 2026\nTime: 7–11 p.m.\nVenue: Studio 39A\nAddress: 39A Beach Street\, Unit 1\, Westerly\, RI 02891\nOrganizer: Westerly Alternative Artists Guild (WAAG)\nArtists: More than 20 WAAG members\nFormat: Group gallery exhibition and art market\nArtwork for Sale: Yes; the event is promoted as both a gallery and market show\nAdmission: Donation for the WARM Center\nAll Ages: Studio 39A operates as an all-ages community arts space\nUpdates: Follow @waag39a on Instagram for additional exhibition information and artist announcements \n  \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/waag-exhibition-brings-westerlys-alternative-art-community-together-at-studio-39a/
LOCATION:Studio 39A\, 39A Beach St Unit 1\, Westerly\, RI\, 02891\, United States
CATEGORIES:Studio 30A
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/WAAG-Exhibition-Brings-Westerlys-Alternative-Art-Community-Together-at-Studio-39A.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260919T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260919T120000
DTSTAMP:20260917T191159Z
CREATED:20260915T002435Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260917T191159Z
UID:10007604-1789812000-1789819200@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Westerly Performing Arts Tour Takes Young Performers Behind the Scenes at Three Downtown Arts Institutions
DESCRIPTION:The Westerly Performing Arts Tour gives young singers\, musicians and actors something they don’t normally get from sitting in the audience: a look behind the curtain at three of Westerly’s major performing arts organizations and a chance to find out how they can become part of them. \nThe guided walking tour begins beneath the marquee at The UNITED Theatre at 10 a.m. Saturday\, September 19\, before heading through downtown to the Granite Theatre and George Kent Performance Hall\, home of The Chorus of Westerly. \nOver roughly 90 minutes\, participants will meet artists and educators\, explore performance spaces\, learn about training programs and discover opportunities to sing\, act\, play an instrument or otherwise become involved in Westerly’s performing arts community. \nFor a young person who knows they want to perform but doesn’t know where to begin\, that’s really the point of the morning. \nThree Stops\, Three Different Ways Onto a Stage\nThe tour isn’t simply a walk through three interesting buildings. \nEach stop represents a different part of the performing arts. \nAt The UNITED\, the focus includes music education and the many ways musicians can develop their skills. \nAt the Granite Theatre\, participants actually step onto the stage while learning about acting\, theatrical training and performance. \nAt The Chorus of Westerly\, the tour moves into vocal and ensemble training inside Kent Hall. \nTogether\, the three organizations offer a surprisingly broad introduction to what’s available to a young performer within a relatively small section of downtown Westerly. \nAnd participants will hear directly from the people who teach and create the work rather than simply picking up three brochures. \nIt Starts Under The UNITED Marquee\nThe first meeting point is one of downtown Westerly’s most recognizable landmarks: the marquee at The UNITED Theatre at 5 Canal Street. \nFrom there\, participants head behind the scenes. \nThe UNITED today is considerably more than a movie theater. \nIts modern arts complex contains a 750-capacity flexible performance space\, three cinemas\, an event and gallery space and a dedicated music school. \nThe building hosts concerts\, theater\, dance\, comedy\, films\, lectures and other programming while maintaining an increasingly substantial educational operation. \nYoung visitors on Saturday’s tour will get a closer look at that educational side. \nThe UNITED Music School Is a Working Training Center\nThe UNITED Music School offers instruction and performance opportunities across a range of instruments\, ages and ability levels. \nThe idea isn’t simply to teach someone how to play scales in a practice room. \nStudents can develop through lessons and ensembles while being conneGcted to an active performing arts organization where musicians are regularly rehearsing\, recording and appearing onstage. \nThe UNITED also extends its education programs beyond traditional instrumental instruction. \nIts broader arts programming has included songwriting\, voice\, photography\, video\, visual arts\, film and podcasting\, along with after-school programming for local students. \nThe tour gives prospective students a chance to see where that work happens and ask the people involved what participating actually looks like. \nThe Building Has Been Training Entertainers for a Century\, in a Way\nThere’s another reason the UNITED is an appropriate place to begin. \nIn 1926\, the original United Theatre opened as a vaudeville house. \nThat means the building turns 100 years old in 2026. \nVaudeville theaters were variety houses. A single bill could contain singers\, dancers\, comedians\, musicians\, novelty performers and other acts. \nThe United later became a movie theater before closing in 1986. \nDecades later\, a major redevelopment joined the historic theater with the neighboring Montgomery Ward building. Following an extensive renovation\, the new UNITED reopened in July 2021 as a multipurpose arts center. \nA building that once presented performers now both presents them and helps train the next generation. \nSaturday’s tour makes that connection unusually literal. \nThen the Tour Heads Through Wilcox Park\nFrom The UNITED\, the group walks through Wilcox Park toward the Granite Theatre. \nThat makes the event a genuine downtown arts tour rather than three disconnected building visits. \nThe park itself is one of the features that makes this possible. \nWesterly’s compact downtown puts theaters\, music spaces\, restaurants\, shops and historic buildings within walking distance of one another\, with Wilcox Park sitting near the center of it all. \nFor young participants\, the walk also demonstrates something that’s easy to overlook when visiting one venue at a time: \nThese organizations are neighbors. \nThey’re part of the same arts community. \nAt the Granite\, Young Performers Get to Step Onto the Stage\nThe second major stop is the Granite Theatre at 1 Granite Street. \nHere\, participants will step onto the stage and hear how theatrical training reaches beyond memorizing lines and learning where to stand. \nThe Granite specifically emphasizes the ways theater can develop confidence\, communication skills and personal growth. \nThose benefits matter even for children who never intend to become professional actors. \nGetting onstage requires speaking clearly. \nActors have to listen to one another. \nThey need to collaborate\, remember instructions\, adapt when something unexpected happens and become comfortable communicating in front of other people. \nA theatrical production is also intensely collaborative. \nThe person delivering the line may be the one the audience sees\, but performances depend on directors\, designers\, technicians\, stage managers and many others working together. \nFor a child interested in theater but uncertain about being the center of attention\, there are plenty of ways into that world. \nThe Granite Has Been Expanding Its Youth Programs\nThe Granite’s mission specifically combines entertainment and education\, and the theater has been developing dedicated programming for younger performers. \nIts Youth Theatre Program has included theatrical training\, summer camps and staged productions for young actors. \nRecent youth programming has been designed for participants roughly 8 to 18 years old\, giving children and teenagers the opportunity to work toward an actual performance rather than treating theater solely as a classroom exercise. \nSaturday’s stop gives prospective young actors and their families a chance to see the space before deciding whether that kind of program feels right for them. \nThat can be much more useful than trying to make the decision from a website. \nThe Granite’s Stage Is Inside an 1849 Church\nThe building itself has already spent more than 175 years gathering people together. \nThe Greek Revival structure was purchased for $200 in 1843 and became the Christian Chapel in Westerly. \nThe building was completed in 1849 and later became the Broad Street Christian Church. \nIts basic historic character survived remarkably well\, although the steeple required remodeling after being damaged during the Hurricane of 1938. \nThe building eventually found an entirely different purpose. \nIn 2000\, it reopened as the Granite Theatre. \nThe former church sanctuary became an intimate performance venue where actors now perform only a short distance from the audience. \nFor a young performer stepping onto its stage Saturday morning\, it’s worth looking around. \nThat’s not a purpose-built modern auditorium. \nIt’s another piece of Westerly history that the arts helped preserve. \nThe Final Stop Is Kent Hall\nThe walking tour continues to 119 High Street\, where another former church has become one of Westerly’s major performance spaces. \nGeorge Kent Performance Hall is home to The Chorus of Westerly. \nThe organization uses Kent Hall for rehearsals\, classes\, concerts and educational programs throughout the year. \nFor young singers\, this portion of the tour may be particularly useful because The Chorus of Westerly has made children’s musical education part of its identity from the beginning. \nParticipants will learn how singers develop musicianship\, vocal technique and ensemble skills\, and how children can progress into serious choral performance even without arriving with years of previous training. \nYou Don’t Need to Arrive Already Knowing How to Sing in a Chorus\nThe Chorus of Westerly explicitly says that children don’t need previous voice lessons\, formal music classes or other musical training to begin its children’s program. \nTeaching them is part of the job. \nIts children’s program is designed for young people approximately ages 8 through 18 and uses multiple levels so developing singers can be placed appropriately. \nEach young singer receives at least two hours of rehearsal per week. \nAnd this isn’t a children’s choir that exists entirely apart from the organization’s major performances. \nOne of The Chorus of Westerly’s founding principles was giving children and teenagers the opportunity to sing challenging music alongside adults in serious performance settings. \nYoung singers have long participated in the organization’s main symphonic and Pops programming. \nThat makes the Kent Hall stop less about asking\, “Can my child already do this?” \nIt’s about discovering how they can learn. \nThe Chorus Has Built a Program That Can Last a Lifetime\nThe children’s program is only one piece of The Chorus of Westerly. \nThere is an auditioned Symphonic Chorus for adults. \nThere are also non-auditioned programs designed to make group singing accessible to people with different experience levels and at different stages of life. \nThe organization has developed a Foundations Chorus\, Threshold Singers and an Encore Choir for older adults\, among other educational and outreach programs. \nThat creates an unusual continuum. \nSomeone can begin singing at Kent Hall as a child and remain involved in choral music well into adulthood. \nThe organization isn’t simply producing concerts. \nIt’s trying to create singers. \nKent Hall Has Heard Some Extraordinary Music\nThe room the young performers will visit has hosted considerably more than local rehearsals. \nThe Chorus of Westerly first performed there in 1968. \nOver the decades\, Kent Hall has welcomed internationally known musicians and ensembles including Yo-Yo Ma\, Pete Seeger\, Rudolf Serkin\, The King’s Singers\, Chanticleer\, The Tallis Scholars\, the Choir of King’s College Cambridge and the Vienna Boys’ Choir. \nIts history predates all of them. \nConstruction of the building began in 1886 as Westerly’s first Roman Catholic church\, Immaculate Conception. \nThe Chorus eventually acquired the building and undertook years of restoration and renovation. \nIn 2004–05\, a nearly $2 million project added an office wing and backstage access. Later work addressed the roof\, bell tower\, HVAC systems\, rehearsal spaces and lower level. \nToday it’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places. \nSo Saturday’s young singers will be standing in a room with some stories to tell. \nThe Tour Is Really About Finding Your Door In\nA child saying “I like music” doesn’t necessarily know what comes next. \nDo I need lessons? \nCan I join a band? \nWhat if I’ve never acted before? \nDo I have to audition? \nWhat happens at an audition? \nCan I sing in a chorus if I can’t read music? \nWhat if I want to work in theater but don’t want to act? \nThose questions can make arts organizations seem more intimidating from the outside than they actually are. \nThe Westerly Performing Arts Tour removes some of that barrier by putting families directly in the spaces and introducing them to the people who can answer those questions. \nThere’s no requirement that a participant emerge from Saturday morning having chosen an artistic career. \nFinding something they’d like to try is enough. \nParents Need to Come Along With Younger Participants\nThe tour is designed for young performers\, but participants under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. \nThat makes sense for another reason. \nParents are usually the ones who need answers about schedules\, commitments\, auditions\, costs and transportation before a child can join a program. \nInstead of a young person coming home excited about something and trying to explain it\, parent and child can hear the information together. \nThe UNITED asks participants to reserve a spot in advance. \nThe tour begins at the UNITED marquee at 10 a.m. The UNITED describes the guided experience as approximately 90 minutes\, while the Chamber calendar blocks out 10 a.m. to noon\, so families would be wise to keep the full two-hour window available. \nThree Institutions\, One Arts Community\nThe most interesting part of the Westerly Performing Arts Tour may not be any single stop. \nIt’s the fact that all three stops exist so close together. \nWithin one morning\, a young person can explore a century-old theater reborn as a modern music and arts center\, stand on the stage of an 1849 church transformed into a community theater and visit an 1880s church that became home to a nationally recognized choral organization. \nThey’re different institutions with different histories and specialties. \nBut they’re doing versions of the same thing. \nThey’re taking people who want to create something and giving them a place to begin. \nOn September 19\, they’re opening those doors together. \nDetails\nEvent: The Westerly Performing Arts Tour\nDate: Saturday\, September 19\, 2026\nStart Time: 10 a.m.\nCalendar Window: 10 a.m.–noon\nGuided Tour Length: Approximately 90 minutes\nStarting Point: The UNITED Theatre marquee/front entrance\nStarting Address: 5 Canal Street\, Westerly\, RI 02891\nStops: The UNITED Theatre and Music School\, Granite Theatre and George Kent Performance Hall/The Chorus of Westerly\nAudience: Young performers and families interested in local performing arts opportunities\nUnder 18: Must be accompanied by an adult\nActivities: Behind-the-scenes theater visit\, music school introduction\, Granite Theatre stage visit\, choral education introduction and conversations with artists and educators\nWalking: The tour travels between downtown locations\, including a walk through Wilcox Park\nRegistration: Advance reservation is requested\nContact: The UNITED Theatre\, 401-388-8208 \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nTo reserve your spot\, click the Event Registration link below. \n  \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/westerly-performing-arts-tour-takes-young-performers-behind-the-scenes-at-three-downtown-arts-institutions/
LOCATION:United Theatre\, 5 Canal Street\, Westerly\, RI\, 02891\, United States
CATEGORIES:United Theater
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260918T173000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260918T210000
DTSTAMP:20260921T030607Z
CREATED:20260914T013818Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260921T030607Z
UID:10007599-1789752600-1789765200@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Raise a Pint to the Revolution Recreates the Night Westerly Chose the American Cause
DESCRIPTION:Raise a Pint to the Revolution will take Westerly back exactly 250 years on Friday\, September 18\, recreating a pivotal 1776 town meeting before shifting the celebration to Grey Sail Brewing for period music\, beer\, ale\, rum\, and a decidedly less serious round of Colonists-versus-Redcoats games. \nThis isn’t a generic Revolutionary War reenactment scheduled to coincide with America’s 250th anniversary. \nThe date is the point. \nOn September 18\, 1776\, Westerly men gathered and signed a declaration pledging allegiance to the newly independent American states. Contemporary town history records that 50 men enlisted in the Revolutionary forces after signing what was known as the Declaration or Test Act. \nOn September 18\, 2026\, Westerly will hold the meeting again. \nThe Evening Begins With the Meeting\, Not the Beer\nOrganizers are dividing the event into two parts: The Meeting and The Celebration. \nThe first is a period reenactment of the actual town event that took place 250 years earlier. \nActors portraying figures from Revolutionary-era Westerly will recreate the gathering and the decision facing local residents in 1776. \nVisitors won’t necessarily remain spectators. \nThe event invites modern-day “colonists” to sign their own allegiance to America before heading back for a pint. \nThe reenactment gives Raise a Pint to the Revolution something many semiquincentennial events can’t claim. \nWesterly isn’t simply commemorating something that happened somewhere in America during the Revolution. \nIt’s reenacting something that happened in Westerly\, on the same calendar date\, a quarter of a millennium later. \nWesterly Had Already Been Choosing Sides\nThe September 1776 gathering didn’t come out of nowhere. \nWesterly’s break with British policy had been developing for years. \nThe town’s own historical record notes that on February 2\, 1774\, local freemen met and adopted resolutions condemning oppressive measures imposed by Great Britain\, particularly the tax on tea. \nWesterly’s 1919 history even characterized the episode as the town’s own “tea party.” \nBy then\, resistance to British authority was spreading throughout Rhode Island. \nAnd Westerly had a particularly important connection to the emerging national movement through one of the most prominent political figures in colonial Rhode Island. \nSamuel Ward Took Westerly to the Continental Congress\nSamuel Ward was born in Newport but became closely identified with Westerly after settling there. \nHe served as governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations and became an outspoken opponent of British taxation. \nIn 1774\, Rhode Island sent Ward and Stephen Hopkins to Philadelphia as delegates to the First Continental Congress. \nWard continued serving in the Continental Congress as the colonies moved toward independence. \nHe died in Philadelphia on March 25\, 1776\, only a few months before the Declaration of Independence was adopted. \nBut his family remained deeply connected to the war. \nHis son\, Samuel Ward Jr.\, served in the Continental Army\, becoming a captain in 1775 and major in 1776. He later served as an aide-de-camp to General George Washington and eventually became a lieutenant colonel. \nFor Westerly residents gathering in September 1776\, the Revolution wasn’t distant news arriving from Philadelphia. \nPeople from their own community were already part of it. \nSeptember 18\, 1776 Was a Dangerous Time to Pick a Side\nIt’s easy to look backward from 2026 and imagine American independence as inevitable. \nIt wasn’t. \nWhen Westerly’s men gathered on September 18\, the Declaration of Independence was barely two months old. \nAnd militarily\, things weren’t going particularly well. \nBritish forces had inflicted a major defeat on Washington’s army in the Battle of Long Island in late August. American forces withdrew from New York City in September\, and the British occupied the city. \nJust two days before Westerly’s meeting\, American and British troops had fought at Harlem Heights. \nWashington was still reporting on that engagement to the Continental Congress on September 18. \nSo the men gathering in Westerly weren’t signing onto a revolution whose outcome they knew. \nThey were choosing allegiance while the new nation was fighting for survival. \nThat makes the date considerably more interesting than simply saying Westerly supported independence. \nThey were committing themselves while the result was very much undecided. \nFifty Men Signed and Enlisted\nWesterly’s historical record describes what followed succinctly. \nOn September 18\, 1776\, 50 men enlisted in the Revolutionary forces after signing the Declaration or Test Act. \nThat was a significant commitment for a small colonial town. \nBy 1777\, Westerly’s population stood at only 1\,812 people. \nBy 1781\, the town had enrolled four companies of militia in addition to its quota serving in Continental battalions. \nA history prepared for Westerly’s 250th anniversary in 1919 estimated that the combined military commitment ultimately absorbed about one-fifth of the town’s population. \nThe Revolution was not an abstract political debate here. \nIt took people out of homes\, farms and businesses and put them into military service. \nRaise a Pint to the Revolution is built around the moment that commitment became formal. \nThen Comes the Party\nOnce Westerly has reenacted its revolutionary pledge\, the evening becomes considerably less solemn. \nThe celebration takes place at Grey Sail Brewing\, where organizers promise live period music\, beer\, ale and rum along with what they describe as “fuel for the Revolution.” \nThere will also be Colonist and Red Coat games. \nThe result should land somewhere between living history and a colonial tavern night. \nThat seems appropriate. \nTaverns were important gathering places in 18th-century America\, serving not merely as drinking establishments but as social centers where travelers exchanged news\, residents debated politics and communities conducted business. \nBeer\, ale\, cider\, punch and rum were thoroughly embedded in colonial social life. \nSo while nobody should mistake a modern craft brewery for an 18th-century tavern\, finishing a Revolutionary reenactment over a drink isn’t as historically incongruous as it might sound. \nRum Has a Particularly Good Claim to the Glass\nBeer gets top billing in the event’s title\, but rum may have the stronger Revolutionary-era New England credentials. \nThe triangular Atlantic trade made rum an important part of the colonial economy. \nNew England distilleries turned imported Caribbean molasses into enormous quantities of rum\, which became one of the region’s characteristic spirits. \nRhode Island was particularly involved in the colonial rum trade. \nThat history makes Grey Sail an unusually appropriate modern host. \nThe Westerly brewery shares its Canal Street property with South County Distillers\, giving the celebration access to both brewing and distilling traditions. \nThe drinks have changed considerably since 1776. \nThe idea of gathering together over them hasn’t. \nGrey Sail Has Its Own Westerly History\nGrey Sail Brewing is much younger than the event it is commemorating\, but its home has a history of its own. \nThe brewery opened in Westerly in 2011\, brewing its first batch of Flagship Ale on November 11 of that year. \nIts production facility occupies a brick industrial building at 63 Canal Street that was constructed near the end of the 1920s for the Westerly Macaroni Factory. \nThe building later served other commercial uses before Grey Sail transformed it into a brewery. \nNext door\, the Grey Sail Taproom and courtyard have developed into a gathering place for live music\, markets and community events. \nFor September 18\, the brewery becomes Westerly’s temporary Revolutionary tavern. \nThe Babcock-Smith House Connects the Celebration to 1776\nOne of the event sponsors is the Babcock-Smith House Museum\, and its connection to Revolutionary Westerly runs particularly deep. \nThe museum centers on the historic home of Dr. Joshua Babcock\, one of colonial Westerly’s most significant residents. \nThe Georgian house dates to around 1734\, putting it squarely within the world being recreated during Raise a Pint to the Revolution. \nBabcock was a physician\, public official and prominent citizen whose life stretched across Westerly’s transition from British colony to American town. \nHe was also Westerly’s first postmaster. \nThe town’s first post office was established in 1776\, the same year as the meeting being commemorated. \nIts first-year receipts totaled the wonderfully precise sum of one pound\, three shillings and eight pence. \nBefore that\, Westerly’s nearest post office had been in New London. \nToday the Babcock-Smith House preserves both that colonial history and another enormous chapter of Westerly’s story through its exhibits devoted to the local granite industry. \nThree Westerly Organizations Are Behind the Night\nRaise a Pint to the Revolution is sponsored by the Westerly 250th Commission\, Westerly Historical Society and Babcock-Smith House Museum. \nThat combination helps explain why the event goes beyond costumes and colonial-themed drinking. \nThe historical organizations have an actual local event to reconstruct. \nThe Westerly 250th effort\, meanwhile\, places it within the much larger America 250 commemoration marking the 250th anniversary of the United States. \nRhode Island is observing the anniversary through RI 250\, with events taking place throughout the state. \nBut September 18 gives Westerly something unusually specific to commemorate. \nExactly 250 years earlier\, townspeople were deciding what allegiance meant in a country that was only weeks old. \nYour $10 Ticket Buys More Than a Pint\nThe ticket covers participation in the commemorative event rather than functioning as a prepaid bar tab. Alcohol purchases should be expected to follow Grey Sail’s normal service rules\, including age and identification requirements. \nThe evening is scheduled from 5:30 to 9 p.m.\, with the recreated meeting beginning at 6:30 p.m. \nThat leaves time to arrive\, settle in and get oriented before Westerly turns the clock back to 1776. \nThe Best Part Is Knowing How the Story Ends\nThe people at the original meeting didn’t have that luxury. \nThey couldn’t know that Washington would survive 1776. \nThey couldn’t know about Saratoga. \nThey couldn’t know France would enter the war. \nThey couldn’t know Cornwallis would surrender at Yorktown. \nThey couldn’t know there would someday be a United States celebrating its 250th birthday. \nAnd they certainly couldn’t know that 250 years to the day after their meeting\, another group of Westerly residents would gather on Canal Street\, raise glasses and reenact their decision. \nWe know what happened next. \nFor one evening\, Westerly gets to return to the moment when they didn’t. \nDetails\nEvent: Raise a Pint to the Revolution\nDate: Friday\, September 18\, 2026\nTime: 5:30–9 p.m.\nReenacted Meeting: 6:30 p.m.\nLocation: Grey Sail Brewing\nAddress: 63 Canal Street\, Westerly\, RI 02891\nOccasion: 250th anniversary of Westerly’s September 18\, 1776 Revolutionary-era meeting and pledge\nThe Meeting: Period reenactment of the historic Westerly town event with actors portraying Revolutionary-era figures\nAudience Participation: Guests will have an opportunity to sign an allegiance to America\nThe Celebration: Live period music\, beer\, ale\, rum and Colonist-versus-Redcoat games\nTickets: $10 base ticket price; online processing fees may apply\nFood & Drink: Available as part of the evening’s celebration; alcoholic beverages are subject to normal age and identification requirements\nSponsors: Westerly 250th Commission\, Westerly Historical Society and Babcock-Smith House Museum\nHistorical Date: September 18\, 1776\, exactly 250 years before the event\nHistorical Significance: Westerly history records that 50 men enlisted in the Revolutionary forces after signing the Declaration or Test Act on that date \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nTo purchase tickets\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \n  \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/raise-a-pint-to-the-revolution-recreates-the-night-westerly-chose-the-american-cause/
LOCATION:Grey Sail Brewing of Rhode Island\, 63 Canal St\, Westerly\, RI\, 02891\, United States
CATEGORIES:Grey Sail Brewing of Rhode Island
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260917T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260917T210000
DTSTAMP:20260908T005412Z
CREATED:20260908T005412Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260908T005412Z
UID:10007511-1789673400-1789678800@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Almost\, Maine at the Granite Theatre
DESCRIPTION:Almost\, Maine at the Granite Theatre opens Friday\, September 11\, for a two-week run of John Cariani’s romantic comedy about love found\, lost and occasionally turned upside down beneath the northern lights. \nThe Granite Theatre production runs September 11–20 in downtown Westerly\, with 7:30 p.m. performances on Thursdays\, Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sunday matinees. Tickets are $30–$35. \nRather than following one couple through a conventional love story\, Almost\, Maine tells nine interconnected stories about the residents of a tiny fictional community in northern Maine. During the course of one cold Friday night\, relationships begin\, end\, stumble and take some wonderfully strange turns. \nWelcome to Almost\nAlmost isn’t technically a town. \nIn Cariani’s fictional geography\, it’s an unorganized community so far north in Maine that it’s almost in Canada. On a clear winter night\, with the aurora borealis overhead\, its residents experience a series of encounters that revolve around falling in love\, falling out of it or discovering that what they thought they understood about another person wasn’t quite right. \nThe structure is closer to a collection of short stories performed on stage than a traditional beginning-to-end narrative. \nMost of the scenes involve just two characters\, with different residents moving in and out of focus as the evening progresses. The stories stand on their own\, but the shared place\, time and themes gradually turn them into a portrait of one small community. \nCariani also gives the play a touch of magical realism. \nEmotions sometimes become physical things. Characters carry the consequences of love in ways that couldn’t happen in the real world\, yet the feelings behind those moments remain recognizable. That lets Almost\, Maine move quickly between comedy\, absurdity\, heartbreak and tenderness without becoming a conventional romantic comedy. \nA Play That Almost Disappeared\nThe story behind Almost\, Maine is nearly as unlikely as some of the stories inside it. \nJohn Cariani developed the play at the Cape Cod Theatre Project in 2002. It received its world premiere at Portland Stage Company in Maine in 2004\, where it broke box-office records. \nBy then\, Cariani was already familiar to Broadway audiences as an actor. He earned a Tony Award nomination for playing Motel the tailor in the 2004 Broadway revival of Fiddler on the Roof and had appeared on television in Law & Order. \nAlmost\, Maine reached New York next\, opening Off-Broadway at the Daryl Roth Theatre in January 2006. \nThat production lasted only about a month. \nOrdinarily\, that might have been the end of the story. Instead\, after the play was published and became available to other theaters\, something unexpected happened. \nSmall professional theaters began producing it. Then community theaters picked it up. Colleges and high schools followed. \nAnd they kept doing it. \nFrom Short Off-Broadway Run to Thousands of Productions\nToday\, Almost\, Maine has become one of the most frequently produced contemporary American plays. \nThe play’s official site reports that more than 6\,000 theater companies in the United States have staged it\, along with more than 100 international companies. It has also repeatedly ranked among the most-produced plays in North American high schools. \nPart of the appeal is built into Cariani’s unusual structure. \nWith largely self-contained two-person scenes\, directors can distribute substantial material among an ensemble rather than building an entire production around one or two leading roles. Each vignette gives its actors a complete little story to develop. \nAudiences get something different from that structure\, too. One scene may land as broad comedy while the next turns unexpectedly bittersweet. Not every relationship works out\, and the title itself becomes something of a running idea. \nThings in Almost are frequently close. \nAlmost a town. Almost Canada. Almost together. Almost over someone. Almost happy. \nBut not quite. \nJohn Cariani Wrote About the Maine He Knew\nThe fictional setting wasn’t chosen at random. \nCariani grew up in Presque Isle in Aroostook County\, the enormous and sparsely populated region at the northern end of Maine. He has said those years shaped his affection for the landscape\, language and people that eventually found their way into Almost\, Maine. \nThe setting is intentionally remote. The cold matters. The darkness matters. So does the northern sky. \nAgainst that isolation\, the small interactions between people become bigger. A conversation on a bench\, an unexpected visitor at the door or an encounter between two neighbors can become the most important thing happening for miles. \nCariani eventually returned to the world he created in another form. In 2022\, he adapted Almost\, Maine into a novel\, expanding the interconnected stories and characters beyond what audiences see on stage. \nBut the theatrical version remains the work that made Almost into a place thousands of actors and audiences have visited. \nInside Westerly’s Historic Granite Theatre\nThe setting for this production has its own story. \nGranite Theatre occupies a restored Greek Revival building at 1 Granite Street in downtown Westerly. Long before actors performed there\, the building was a church. \nThe congregation that became the Broad Street Christian Church was organized in 1843\, and the building was completed in 1849. Its prominent classical façade and columns remain part of one of downtown Westerly’s distinctive historic structures. \nThe building eventually found a second life as a performance space\, reopening as the Granite Theatre in 2000. \nToday\, Renaissance City Theatre operates the Granite as a nonprofit theater\, presenting plays\, musicals\, family productions\, educational programs and special events throughout the year. \nIt’s also an intimate room. With roughly 140 seats\, the audience is close to the performers rather than watching from the distance of a large regional theater. That should suit a play built around small conversations and two-person encounters particularly well. \nOpening Night Begins a Seven-Performance Run\nAlmost\, Maine opens at 7:30 p.m. Friday\, September 11. \nA second evening performance follows Saturday\, September 12\, before the first Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. September 13. \nThe production returns the following Thursday and continues through Sunday\, September 20\, for seven performances in all: \n\nFriday\, September 11 at 7:30 p.m.\nSaturday\, September 12 at 7:30 p.m.\nSunday\, September 13 at 2 p.m.\nThursday\, September 17 at 7:30 p.m.\nFriday\, September 18 at 7:30 p.m.\nSaturday\, September 19 at 7:30 p.m.\nSunday\, September 20 at 2 p.m.\n\nTickets range from $30 to $35. \nAccessibility at the Granite\nBecause the Granite occupies a historic 19th-century building\, accessibility comes with some limitations. \nThe theater performance space itself is wheelchair accessible\, but the Granite notes that its lobby and restrooms are not fully accessible. \nA small number of accessible parking spaces are available behind the building and need to be reserved. The theater recommends that anyone who needs accessible parking or has mobility concerns call ahead rather than relying on availability when arriving for a performance. \nDetails\nEvent: Almost\, Maine\nPlaywright: John Cariani\nOpening Night: Friday\, September 11\, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.\nRun: September 11–20\, 2026\nEvening Performances: 7:30 p.m.\nSunday Matinees: 2 p.m.\nNumber of Performances: Seven\nGenre: Romantic comedy\nVenue: Granite Theatre\nAddress: 1 Granite Street\, Westerly\, RI 02891\nTickets: $30–$35\nBox Office: 401-596-2341\nAccessibility: Theater space is wheelchair accessible; lobby and restrooms are not fully accessible\nAccessible Parking: Limited spaces are available and should be reserved in advance \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nTo purchase tickets\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/almost-maine-at-the-granite-theatre/2026-09-17/
LOCATION:The Granite Theater\, 1 Granite Street\, Westerly\, RI\, 02891\, United States
CATEGORIES:The Granite Street Theater
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Almost-Maine-at-the-Granite-Theatre.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260916T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260916T203000
DTSTAMP:20260621T021216Z
CREATED:20260621T012345Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260621T021216Z
UID:10006072-1789583400-1789590600@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Downtown Westerly Walk or Run 5K
DESCRIPTION:Downtown Westerly Walk or Run 5K gives participants a chance to stay active\, meet new people\, and explore the heart of downtown Westerly in a fun and welcoming group setting. Held on Wednesday evenings throughout the summer\, the event encourages walkers and runners of all experience levels to get outside and enjoy the community. \nRather than a competitive race\, the weekly gathering focuses on fitness\, social connection\, and enjoying the local area. Participants can choose to walk or run the 5K route\, making it accessible to everyone from seasoned runners to those simply looking for an enjoyable midweek outing. \nWhether you’re training for a larger race\, looking to add some movement to your week\, or hoping to connect with fellow outdoor enthusiasts\, Downtown Westerly Walk or Run 5K offers a free and friendly way to spend a summer evening. \nEvent Details \nWhen: Every Wednesday \nTime: 6:30 p.m. \nLocation: One Of One Athletics Club\n26 High Street\nWesterly\, RI \nDistance: 5K \nAdmission: Free \nHighlights \n\nWalk or run at your own pace\nWeekly community event\nExplore downtown Westerly\nOpen to all fitness levels\nMeet fellow walkers and runners\n\n  \n 
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/downtown-westerly-walk-or-run-5k/2026-09-16/
LOCATION:One of One Athletics Club\, 26 High Street\, Westerly\, RI\, 02891\, United States
CATEGORIES:One of One Athletics Club
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Downtown-Westerly-Walk-or-Run-5k-Wednesdays-at-630-pm.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260913T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260913T153000
DTSTAMP:20260908T005412Z
CREATED:20260908T005412Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260908T005412Z
UID:10007510-1789308000-1789313400@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Almost\, Maine at the Granite Theatre
DESCRIPTION:Almost\, Maine at the Granite Theatre opens Friday\, September 11\, for a two-week run of John Cariani’s romantic comedy about love found\, lost and occasionally turned upside down beneath the northern lights. \nThe Granite Theatre production runs September 11–20 in downtown Westerly\, with 7:30 p.m. performances on Thursdays\, Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sunday matinees. Tickets are $30–$35. \nRather than following one couple through a conventional love story\, Almost\, Maine tells nine interconnected stories about the residents of a tiny fictional community in northern Maine. During the course of one cold Friday night\, relationships begin\, end\, stumble and take some wonderfully strange turns. \nWelcome to Almost\nAlmost isn’t technically a town. \nIn Cariani’s fictional geography\, it’s an unorganized community so far north in Maine that it’s almost in Canada. On a clear winter night\, with the aurora borealis overhead\, its residents experience a series of encounters that revolve around falling in love\, falling out of it or discovering that what they thought they understood about another person wasn’t quite right. \nThe structure is closer to a collection of short stories performed on stage than a traditional beginning-to-end narrative. \nMost of the scenes involve just two characters\, with different residents moving in and out of focus as the evening progresses. The stories stand on their own\, but the shared place\, time and themes gradually turn them into a portrait of one small community. \nCariani also gives the play a touch of magical realism. \nEmotions sometimes become physical things. Characters carry the consequences of love in ways that couldn’t happen in the real world\, yet the feelings behind those moments remain recognizable. That lets Almost\, Maine move quickly between comedy\, absurdity\, heartbreak and tenderness without becoming a conventional romantic comedy. \nA Play That Almost Disappeared\nThe story behind Almost\, Maine is nearly as unlikely as some of the stories inside it. \nJohn Cariani developed the play at the Cape Cod Theatre Project in 2002. It received its world premiere at Portland Stage Company in Maine in 2004\, where it broke box-office records. \nBy then\, Cariani was already familiar to Broadway audiences as an actor. He earned a Tony Award nomination for playing Motel the tailor in the 2004 Broadway revival of Fiddler on the Roof and had appeared on television in Law & Order. \nAlmost\, Maine reached New York next\, opening Off-Broadway at the Daryl Roth Theatre in January 2006. \nThat production lasted only about a month. \nOrdinarily\, that might have been the end of the story. Instead\, after the play was published and became available to other theaters\, something unexpected happened. \nSmall professional theaters began producing it. Then community theaters picked it up. Colleges and high schools followed. \nAnd they kept doing it. \nFrom Short Off-Broadway Run to Thousands of Productions\nToday\, Almost\, Maine has become one of the most frequently produced contemporary American plays. \nThe play’s official site reports that more than 6\,000 theater companies in the United States have staged it\, along with more than 100 international companies. It has also repeatedly ranked among the most-produced plays in North American high schools. \nPart of the appeal is built into Cariani’s unusual structure. \nWith largely self-contained two-person scenes\, directors can distribute substantial material among an ensemble rather than building an entire production around one or two leading roles. Each vignette gives its actors a complete little story to develop. \nAudiences get something different from that structure\, too. One scene may land as broad comedy while the next turns unexpectedly bittersweet. Not every relationship works out\, and the title itself becomes something of a running idea. \nThings in Almost are frequently close. \nAlmost a town. Almost Canada. Almost together. Almost over someone. Almost happy. \nBut not quite. \nJohn Cariani Wrote About the Maine He Knew\nThe fictional setting wasn’t chosen at random. \nCariani grew up in Presque Isle in Aroostook County\, the enormous and sparsely populated region at the northern end of Maine. He has said those years shaped his affection for the landscape\, language and people that eventually found their way into Almost\, Maine. \nThe setting is intentionally remote. The cold matters. The darkness matters. So does the northern sky. \nAgainst that isolation\, the small interactions between people become bigger. A conversation on a bench\, an unexpected visitor at the door or an encounter between two neighbors can become the most important thing happening for miles. \nCariani eventually returned to the world he created in another form. In 2022\, he adapted Almost\, Maine into a novel\, expanding the interconnected stories and characters beyond what audiences see on stage. \nBut the theatrical version remains the work that made Almost into a place thousands of actors and audiences have visited. \nInside Westerly’s Historic Granite Theatre\nThe setting for this production has its own story. \nGranite Theatre occupies a restored Greek Revival building at 1 Granite Street in downtown Westerly. Long before actors performed there\, the building was a church. \nThe congregation that became the Broad Street Christian Church was organized in 1843\, and the building was completed in 1849. Its prominent classical façade and columns remain part of one of downtown Westerly’s distinctive historic structures. \nThe building eventually found a second life as a performance space\, reopening as the Granite Theatre in 2000. \nToday\, Renaissance City Theatre operates the Granite as a nonprofit theater\, presenting plays\, musicals\, family productions\, educational programs and special events throughout the year. \nIt’s also an intimate room. With roughly 140 seats\, the audience is close to the performers rather than watching from the distance of a large regional theater. That should suit a play built around small conversations and two-person encounters particularly well. \nOpening Night Begins a Seven-Performance Run\nAlmost\, Maine opens at 7:30 p.m. Friday\, September 11. \nA second evening performance follows Saturday\, September 12\, before the first Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. September 13. \nThe production returns the following Thursday and continues through Sunday\, September 20\, for seven performances in all: \n\nFriday\, September 11 at 7:30 p.m.\nSaturday\, September 12 at 7:30 p.m.\nSunday\, September 13 at 2 p.m.\nThursday\, September 17 at 7:30 p.m.\nFriday\, September 18 at 7:30 p.m.\nSaturday\, September 19 at 7:30 p.m.\nSunday\, September 20 at 2 p.m.\n\nTickets range from $30 to $35. \nAccessibility at the Granite\nBecause the Granite occupies a historic 19th-century building\, accessibility comes with some limitations. \nThe theater performance space itself is wheelchair accessible\, but the Granite notes that its lobby and restrooms are not fully accessible. \nA small number of accessible parking spaces are available behind the building and need to be reserved. The theater recommends that anyone who needs accessible parking or has mobility concerns call ahead rather than relying on availability when arriving for a performance. \nDetails\nEvent: Almost\, Maine\nPlaywright: John Cariani\nOpening Night: Friday\, September 11\, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.\nRun: September 11–20\, 2026\nEvening Performances: 7:30 p.m.\nSunday Matinees: 2 p.m.\nNumber of Performances: Seven\nGenre: Romantic comedy\nVenue: Granite Theatre\nAddress: 1 Granite Street\, Westerly\, RI 02891\nTickets: $30–$35\nBox Office: 401-596-2341\nAccessibility: Theater space is wheelchair accessible; lobby and restrooms are not fully accessible\nAccessible Parking: Limited spaces are available and should be reserved in advance \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nTo purchase tickets\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/almost-maine-at-the-granite-theatre/2026-09-13/
LOCATION:The Granite Theater\, 1 Granite Street\, Westerly\, RI\, 02891\, United States
CATEGORIES:The Granite Street Theater
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Almost-Maine-at-the-Granite-Theatre.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260912T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260912T210000
DTSTAMP:20260908T005412Z
CREATED:20260908T005412Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260908T005412Z
UID:10007509-1789241400-1789246800@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Almost\, Maine at the Granite Theatre
DESCRIPTION:Almost\, Maine at the Granite Theatre opens Friday\, September 11\, for a two-week run of John Cariani’s romantic comedy about love found\, lost and occasionally turned upside down beneath the northern lights. \nThe Granite Theatre production runs September 11–20 in downtown Westerly\, with 7:30 p.m. performances on Thursdays\, Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sunday matinees. Tickets are $30–$35. \nRather than following one couple through a conventional love story\, Almost\, Maine tells nine interconnected stories about the residents of a tiny fictional community in northern Maine. During the course of one cold Friday night\, relationships begin\, end\, stumble and take some wonderfully strange turns. \nWelcome to Almost\nAlmost isn’t technically a town. \nIn Cariani’s fictional geography\, it’s an unorganized community so far north in Maine that it’s almost in Canada. On a clear winter night\, with the aurora borealis overhead\, its residents experience a series of encounters that revolve around falling in love\, falling out of it or discovering that what they thought they understood about another person wasn’t quite right. \nThe structure is closer to a collection of short stories performed on stage than a traditional beginning-to-end narrative. \nMost of the scenes involve just two characters\, with different residents moving in and out of focus as the evening progresses. The stories stand on their own\, but the shared place\, time and themes gradually turn them into a portrait of one small community. \nCariani also gives the play a touch of magical realism. \nEmotions sometimes become physical things. Characters carry the consequences of love in ways that couldn’t happen in the real world\, yet the feelings behind those moments remain recognizable. That lets Almost\, Maine move quickly between comedy\, absurdity\, heartbreak and tenderness without becoming a conventional romantic comedy. \nA Play That Almost Disappeared\nThe story behind Almost\, Maine is nearly as unlikely as some of the stories inside it. \nJohn Cariani developed the play at the Cape Cod Theatre Project in 2002. It received its world premiere at Portland Stage Company in Maine in 2004\, where it broke box-office records. \nBy then\, Cariani was already familiar to Broadway audiences as an actor. He earned a Tony Award nomination for playing Motel the tailor in the 2004 Broadway revival of Fiddler on the Roof and had appeared on television in Law & Order. \nAlmost\, Maine reached New York next\, opening Off-Broadway at the Daryl Roth Theatre in January 2006. \nThat production lasted only about a month. \nOrdinarily\, that might have been the end of the story. Instead\, after the play was published and became available to other theaters\, something unexpected happened. \nSmall professional theaters began producing it. Then community theaters picked it up. Colleges and high schools followed. \nAnd they kept doing it. \nFrom Short Off-Broadway Run to Thousands of Productions\nToday\, Almost\, Maine has become one of the most frequently produced contemporary American plays. \nThe play’s official site reports that more than 6\,000 theater companies in the United States have staged it\, along with more than 100 international companies. It has also repeatedly ranked among the most-produced plays in North American high schools. \nPart of the appeal is built into Cariani’s unusual structure. \nWith largely self-contained two-person scenes\, directors can distribute substantial material among an ensemble rather than building an entire production around one or two leading roles. Each vignette gives its actors a complete little story to develop. \nAudiences get something different from that structure\, too. One scene may land as broad comedy while the next turns unexpectedly bittersweet. Not every relationship works out\, and the title itself becomes something of a running idea. \nThings in Almost are frequently close. \nAlmost a town. Almost Canada. Almost together. Almost over someone. Almost happy. \nBut not quite. \nJohn Cariani Wrote About the Maine He Knew\nThe fictional setting wasn’t chosen at random. \nCariani grew up in Presque Isle in Aroostook County\, the enormous and sparsely populated region at the northern end of Maine. He has said those years shaped his affection for the landscape\, language and people that eventually found their way into Almost\, Maine. \nThe setting is intentionally remote. The cold matters. The darkness matters. So does the northern sky. \nAgainst that isolation\, the small interactions between people become bigger. A conversation on a bench\, an unexpected visitor at the door or an encounter between two neighbors can become the most important thing happening for miles. \nCariani eventually returned to the world he created in another form. In 2022\, he adapted Almost\, Maine into a novel\, expanding the interconnected stories and characters beyond what audiences see on stage. \nBut the theatrical version remains the work that made Almost into a place thousands of actors and audiences have visited. \nInside Westerly’s Historic Granite Theatre\nThe setting for this production has its own story. \nGranite Theatre occupies a restored Greek Revival building at 1 Granite Street in downtown Westerly. Long before actors performed there\, the building was a church. \nThe congregation that became the Broad Street Christian Church was organized in 1843\, and the building was completed in 1849. Its prominent classical façade and columns remain part of one of downtown Westerly’s distinctive historic structures. \nThe building eventually found a second life as a performance space\, reopening as the Granite Theatre in 2000. \nToday\, Renaissance City Theatre operates the Granite as a nonprofit theater\, presenting plays\, musicals\, family productions\, educational programs and special events throughout the year. \nIt’s also an intimate room. With roughly 140 seats\, the audience is close to the performers rather than watching from the distance of a large regional theater. That should suit a play built around small conversations and two-person encounters particularly well. \nOpening Night Begins a Seven-Performance Run\nAlmost\, Maine opens at 7:30 p.m. Friday\, September 11. \nA second evening performance follows Saturday\, September 12\, before the first Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. September 13. \nThe production returns the following Thursday and continues through Sunday\, September 20\, for seven performances in all: \n\nFriday\, September 11 at 7:30 p.m.\nSaturday\, September 12 at 7:30 p.m.\nSunday\, September 13 at 2 p.m.\nThursday\, September 17 at 7:30 p.m.\nFriday\, September 18 at 7:30 p.m.\nSaturday\, September 19 at 7:30 p.m.\nSunday\, September 20 at 2 p.m.\n\nTickets range from $30 to $35. \nAccessibility at the Granite\nBecause the Granite occupies a historic 19th-century building\, accessibility comes with some limitations. \nThe theater performance space itself is wheelchair accessible\, but the Granite notes that its lobby and restrooms are not fully accessible. \nA small number of accessible parking spaces are available behind the building and need to be reserved. The theater recommends that anyone who needs accessible parking or has mobility concerns call ahead rather than relying on availability when arriving for a performance. \nDetails\nEvent: Almost\, Maine\nPlaywright: John Cariani\nOpening Night: Friday\, September 11\, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.\nRun: September 11–20\, 2026\nEvening Performances: 7:30 p.m.\nSunday Matinees: 2 p.m.\nNumber of Performances: Seven\nGenre: Romantic comedy\nVenue: Granite Theatre\nAddress: 1 Granite Street\, Westerly\, RI 02891\nTickets: $30–$35\nBox Office: 401-596-2341\nAccessibility: Theater space is wheelchair accessible; lobby and restrooms are not fully accessible\nAccessible Parking: Limited spaces are available and should be reserved in advance \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nTo purchase tickets\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/almost-maine-at-the-granite-theatre/2026-09-12/
LOCATION:The Granite Theater\, 1 Granite Street\, Westerly\, RI\, 02891\, United States
CATEGORIES:The Granite Street Theater
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Almost-Maine-at-the-Granite-Theatre.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260912T153000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260912T193000
DTSTAMP:20260817T215904Z
CREATED:20260817T215904Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260817T215904Z
UID:10007214-1789227000-1789241400@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Westerly Land Trust Farm Dinner Celebrates Local Food at Barlow Nature Preserve
DESCRIPTION:[The dinner is sold out\, but you can register on a waitlist by clicking the Event Ticketing link at the bottom of the page] \nWesterly Land Trust Farm Dinner returns to Barlow Nature Preserve on Saturday\, September 12\, bringing guests together for an outdoor meal built around locally grown food and the land that produced it. \nThe annual dinner begins at 3:30 p.m. at the 80-acre preserve on Westerly Bradford Road. This isn’t simply dinner with a pretty farm as the backdrop. The location is part of the story. \nBarlow Nature Preserve has become a working example of the Westerly Land Trust’s efforts to connect conservation\, sustainable agriculture and the community. The property is home to Frontier Farm and Echo Rock Flowers\, and ingredients grown locally will make their way onto the dinner table. \nThis year’s meal will be prepared by husband-and-wife chefs Johan Jensen and Abbey Hemmann\, the team behind Whitecrest Eatery and Backdoor Kitchen. \nFrom Preserved Land to Working Farm\nThe story of Barlow Nature Preserve begins well before the first dinner table is set. \nThe 80-acre property became the Eleanor F. & Edward W. Barlow Nature Preserve following a bequest from Eleanor Barlow in 2018. The land contains an unusually diverse combination of agricultural fields\, upland forest and extensive freshwater wetlands and sits beside Rhode Island’s 111-acre Newton Swamp Management Area. \nRather than simply preserve the property and leave it untouched\, the Westerly Land Trust saw an opportunity. \nThe organization decided to make Barlow its headquarters while also returning part of the property to active agriculture. The existing farmhouse was renovated into office space in 2019\, and young local farmers were invited onto the land to begin rebuilding its agricultural life. \nToday\, that work can be seen in the fields surrounding the Farm Dinner. \nFarming With Conservation in Mind\nOnly about five acres of the 80-acre preserve are suitable for farming\, according to reporting by ecoRI News. That farmland is now used by Frontier Farm and Echo Rock Flowers\, which employ regenerative growing practices. \nFrontier Farm moved to Barlow in 2019 and developed a 2.5-acre commercial farm there. The farm grows vegetables\, fruits and herbs without synthetic chemicals or fertilizers and uses regenerative and no-till methods whenever possible. \nThat’s particularly important at Barlow because of what’s beyond the cultivated fields. \nThe property contains extensive freshwater wetlands adjoining Newton Swamp. Protecting soil and limiting agricultural runoff were important considerations when farming was reintroduced. The Land Trust worked with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service on irrigation and water infrastructure while its farmers committed to environmentally responsible soil-management practices. \nIn other words\, the vegetables growing here aren’t separate from the Land Trust’s conservation work. They’re part of it. \nThe Farms Behind the Dinner\nGuests at the Farm Dinner will be eating in the same landscape where food and flowers are being grown throughout the season. \nFrontier Farm focuses on sustainably grown produce\, while Echo Rock Flowers fills another part of the property with locally grown cut flowers. \nThe two farms also operate the seasonal Barlow Farm Stand\, selling produce and flowers grown on the preserve along with products from other area farms. For 2026\, the stand operates on an honor system and accepts cash and Venmo. \nThe Land Trust has increasingly used Barlow as a place where people can experience agriculture rather than simply read about it. Its Farm Squad children’s program\, for example\, introduces kids to planting\, pollinators\, soil health\, harvesting\, composting and farm biodiversity right on the property. \nThat makes the Farm Dinner something of a culmination of the growing season: people gathering around a table on land they’ve watched produce food throughout the summer. \nDinner by Whitecrest Eatery and Backdoor Kitchen\nFor the 2026 Farm Dinner\, Westerly Land Trust has invited chefs Johan Jensen and Abbey Hemmann to prepare the menu. \nThe husband-and-wife team is behind Whitecrest Eatery and Backdoor Kitchen and will create the meal around local ingredients. \nJensen is known for globally influenced cooking and an approach that puts flavor ahead of unnecessary formality. Hemmann brings an equally important ingredient to the evening: hospitality. \nThe result should fit the setting particularly well. This isn’t intended to feel like a restaurant dining room transplanted into a field. The idea is to gather around a table with neighbors\, eat food connected to the surrounding landscape and celebrate the people preserving and working that land. \nMore Than 80 Acres to Protect\nBarlow represents only one piece of a much larger conservation effort. \nThe Westerly Land Trust\, established in 1987\, now protects more than 1\,900 acres of forests\, wetlands\, grasslands and agricultural fields throughout Westerly. Its properties are used not only for conservation but also for public recreation\, environmental education and community programs. \nThe Farm Dinner celebrates that work while helping connect the people supporting conservation with the places being protected. \nAnd Barlow is particularly suited to telling that story because visitors can see several pieces of it at once: cultivated fields\, working farmers\, woods\, wetlands and trails all occupying the same protected landscape. \nExplore Barlow Nature Preserve\nThe dinner might also introduce some guests to a preserve worth returning to another day. \nBarlow Nature Preserve has two separate trail systems\, with routes through woods and along the agricultural portions of the property. \nOne trail area overlooks the hayfield and working farm\, with several trees identified by species. Another runs near Newton Swamp\, offering a more wooded walk with wetland and marsh views. \nVisitors heading toward the farm stand will also find a Little Free Library devoted to nature books. There’s even a hidden compartment on the back containing seeds visitors can take home. \nIt’s a small detail\, but it captures what Barlow has become: not simply land saved from development\, but land being actively used to get people interested in farming\, nature and conservation. \nEvent Details\nEvent: Westerly Land Trust Farm Dinner\nDate: Saturday\, September 12\, 2026\nTime: 3:30–7:30 p.m.\nLocation: Barlow Nature Preserve\nAddress: 449 Westerly Bradford Road\, Westerly\, RI\nChefs: Johan Jensen and Abbey Hemmann\nFeaturing: A locally sourced dinner celebrating Westerly’s farms and conserved land \nMore information is available at the Event Website link at the bottom of the page. \nYou can register to be put on a waitlist by clicking the Event Ticketing link below. \n  \n 
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/westerly-land-trust-farm-dinner-celebrates-local-food-at-barlow-nature-preserve/
LOCATION:Barlow Nature Preserve\, 449 Westerly Bradford Road\, Westerly\, RI\, 02891\, United States
CATEGORIES:Barlow Nature Preserve
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Westerly-Land-Trust-Farm-Dinner-Celebrates-Local-Food-at-Barlow-Nature-Preserve.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260912T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260912T150000
DTSTAMP:20260915T022633Z
CREATED:20260910T183522Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260915T022633Z
UID:10007544-1789210800-1789225200@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:4th Annual Misquamicut Kite Festival
DESCRIPTION:4th Annual Misquamicut Kite Festival fills the sky above Wuskenau Town Beach with color Saturday\, September 12\, as the free family festival returns to the Westerly shoreline from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. \nPresented by the Misquamicut Business Association\, the annual event is open to everyone\, whether you’re bringing a favorite kite from home\, picking up a children’s kite kit at the beach or simply coming to watch. \nThere’s also a little friendly competition involved. \nOrganizers will award a $100 prize for the Best in Show kite\, creating plenty of incentive to bring something more ambitious than the old plastic diamond kite that’s been sitting in the garage. \nBut competition isn’t really the point. \nThe invitation from organizers is simpler: bring your creativity\, bring the family and help fill the sky above Misquamicut with color. \nFour Years of Kites Over Misquamicut\nThe Misquamicut Kite Festival is still a relatively young tradition. \nThe Misquamicut Business Association launched the event in 2023\, and it has returned to Wuskenau Town Beach each September since. \nThe second annual festival was held in 2024. \nThe third followed on September 6\, 2025. \nNow the festival returns for its fourth year on September 12\, 2026\, retaining the same four-hour format from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. \nThere’s an appealing simplicity to the concept. \nNo tickets. \nNo complicated schedule. \nNo need to know anything about kite flying before arriving. \nJust a beach\, the Atlantic wind and as many kites as people can get into the air. \nBring a Kite or Pick Up a Kids Kite Kit\nFamilies don’t necessarily need to arrive equipped. \nKids kite kits will be available on site\, giving younger visitors an opportunity to get into the air even if they don’t already own a kite. \nThose who do have one are encouraged to bring it. \nThat leaves plenty of room for everything from inexpensive children’s kites to homemade creations and the more elaborate designs that will compete for Best in Show. \nThe festival’s $100 prize provides a reason for experienced kite builders and creative families to put some effort into their entry. \nAnd a kite festival has an advantage over many competitions. \nEven the entries that don’t win become part of the show. \nWhy the Beach Is Such a Good Place to Fly\nAnyone who tried to fly a kite in a backyard as a child probably remembers the frustrating part. \nRun. \nWatch it rise. \nWatch it stall. \nRun faster. \nWatch it crash. \nTry again. \nThe beach removes some of those problems. \nOceanfront locations tend to offer more consistent wind because there are fewer buildings\, trees and other obstructions disrupting the airflow. \nWuskenau Town Beach opens directly onto the Atlantic\, providing the combination kite flyers want: a large open area and coastal wind. \nThat doesn’t guarantee perfect conditions. Wind speed and direction still matter\, and a very windy day can actually make flying more difficult. \nBut when conditions cooperate\, a beach can turn kite flying from an exercise in sprinting into something much more satisfying. \nGet the kite above the turbulent air close to the ground and let the wind do the work. \nThere’s More Going On Up There Than String and Wind\nA kite stays in the sky through the same basic aerodynamic forces involved in aircraft flight. \nWind moves across the kite’s surface and produces lift. \nThe kite string provides tension\, while gravity and drag pull in other directions. The kite’s shape\, angle to the wind\, tail and bridle help keep those competing forces balanced. \nChange one thing and the kite behaves differently. \nA tail isn’t merely decorative\, for example. It can add drag and stability\, helping prevent some kite designs from spinning or diving. \nThat’s why homemade kite building can quickly become an accidental science experiment for kids. \nChange the shape. \nMove the bridle. \nAdd a tail. \nRemove some weight. \nTry again. \nThe immediate feedback is difficult to miss. \nEither it flies or it doesn’t. \nKite Flying Is Much Older Than the American Beach Vacation\nThe idea of putting something on the end of a string and sending it into the sky goes back thousands of years. \nKites are generally believed to have originated in ancient China\, where suitable materials such as silk and bamboo allowed builders to create lightweight structures capable of flight. \nThey eventually spread through Asia and into other parts of the world. \nAnd kites weren’t always toys. \nOver the centuries\, people used them for military signaling\, measuring distances\, scientific experiments and meteorological observations. \nOne of the most famous American experiments came in 1752\, when Benjamin Franklin used a kite during his investigations into electricity and lightning. \nMore than a century later\, experiments with kites helped researchers understand aerodynamics during the period leading toward powered flight. \nBy the time beach communities like Misquamicut developed into popular vacation destinations\, kites had become firmly established as recreational objects. \nIt’s hard to imagine a more natural pairing. \nWuskenau Is the Town Beach Beside Misquamicut State Beach\nVisitors who haven’t heard the name Wuskenau Town Beach may still know exactly where it is. \nThe Westerly-owned beach sits at 311 Atlantic Avenue\, immediately beside Misquamicut State Beach. \nIt’s also sometimes called New Town Beach locally. \nThe location provides direct access to the broad sandy shoreline that has made Misquamicut one of Rhode Island’s best-known beach communities. \nWuskenau is a simpler facility than the larger state beach next door\, but that’s not much of a drawback for a kite festival. \nThe attraction Saturday is overhead. \nMisquamicut Has Been Reinventing the Beach Season\nThe festival also fits a larger effort by the Misquamicut Business Association to make the beach community more than a July-and-August destination. \nThe association organizes events throughout the year\, including the Misquamicut Springfest\, FallFest\, Drive-In Movies and other community programming. \nThe Kite Festival arrives at an interesting point on the calendar. \nBy September 12\, the peak summer vacation season is winding down. Schools are back in session. The crowds of midsummer have begun to thin. \nBut southeastern Connecticut and southwestern Rhode Island still have weeks of potentially beautiful coastal weather ahead. \nThe ocean doesn’t disappear after Labor Day. \nNeither does the beach. \nA free Saturday kite festival gives families a reason to come back. \nA Good Kite Can Be Almost Anything\nFor people thinking about entering the Best in Show competition\, kite design has moved far beyond the familiar diamond. \nThere are delta kites. \nBox kites. \nParafoils. \nCellular kites. \nDragons. \nAnimals. \nGeometric designs. \nAnd enormous inflatable creations that can turn a kite festival into something resembling an airborne parade. \nSome designs are engineered primarily for performance. \nOthers are essentially flying artwork. \nThe festival hasn’t announced restrictive design categories for its Best in Show competition\, leaving plenty of room for imagination. \nThat makes the contest accessible to kids as well as serious hobbyists. \nA technically sophisticated kite might be impressive. \nSo might something completely ridiculous that actually flies. \nYou Don’t Need a Kite to Enjoy This One\nThat’s another advantage of the Misquamicut Kite Festival. \nSpectators get essentially the same view as participants. \nThe entire sky becomes the display. \nFamilies can walk the beach\, watch the different designs go up\, see which creations stay aloft and which require a little more persuasion\, and take in an early September afternoon beside the Atlantic. \nAdmission is free. \nThe festival runs for four hours. \nAnd there’s no obligation to participate. \nBut considering kids kite kits will be available at the beach\, staying strictly on the spectator side may prove difficult for families with younger children. \nDetails\nEvent: 4th Annual Misquamicut Kite Festival\nDate: Saturday\, September 12\, 2026\nTime: 11 a.m.–3 p.m.\nLocation: Wuskenau Town Beach\nAddress: 311 Atlantic Avenue\, Westerly\, RI 02891\nAdmission: Free\nAges: All ages\nParticipation: Open to everyone\nKites: Bring your own kite; kids kite kits will also be available on site\nCompetition: Best in Show Kite\nPrize: $100\nPresented By: Misquamicut Business Association\nSetting: Outdoors on the beach\nWeather: Kite flying and outdoor activities are weather-dependent\nParking: Wuskenau Town Beach has town-operated parking lots along Atlantic Avenue; check current Town of Westerly parking requirements before arriving\nEvent Contact: Misquamicut Business Association\, 401-322-1026 \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/4th-annual-misquamicut-kite-festival/
LOCATION:Wuskenau Town Beach\, 311 Atlantic Ave\, Westerly\, RI\, 02891\, United States
CATEGORIES:Wuskenau Town Beach
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260912T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260912T140000
DTSTAMP:20260908T220743Z
CREATED:20260908T220743Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260908T220743Z
UID:10007524-1789210800-1789221600@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Free School Supply Shop at Westerly Library
DESCRIPTION:Free School Supply Shop at Westerly Library gives local students a chance to stock their backpacks without spending a dollar as the new school year gets underway. Westerly Library & Wilcox Park is turning its Pop-Up at Coy into a temporary school-supply store from Tuesday\, September 8\, through Saturday\, September 12\, with everything in the shop available free to students. \nFamilies can find backpacks\, calculators\, folders\, lunchboxes\, notebooks\, markers\, pencils\, pens\, rulers and other donated supplies. There is no purchase involved and no admission charge. The idea is simple: take the school supplies a student needs. \nThe shop runs from 3 to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday\, 1 to 5 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. \nA Community School-Supply Drive Becomes a Free Store\nThe shelves at the Free School Supply Shop were filled by the community before students ever walked through the door. \nWesterly Library began collecting new and gently used school supplies on August 3\, placing donation bins near its entrances and inviting residents to contribute through September 8. \nThe library’s suggested donations covered many of the expenses families encounter at the beginning of a school year: backpacks and lunchboxes\, calculators and rulers\, folders and notebooks\, along with everyday supplies such as pencils\, pens and markers. \nInstead of simply distributing prepacked bags\, the library has taken a different approach. \nThe donations become inventory for a temporary shop where students can look through the available supplies and choose what they need. \nThat distinction may seem small\, but it gives students and families some control over what they take home. A teenager who needs a calculator and notebooks isn’t necessarily looking for the same supplies as an elementary school student who needs markers\, pencils and a lunchbox. \nThe library describes the shop as offering a variety of supplies free to any student. \nFive Days to Stop In\nThe Free School Supply Shop isn’t limited to a single afternoon. \nWesterly Library is opening it across five days with different hours to give families several opportunities to visit: \n\nTuesday\, September 8: 3–7 p.m.\nWednesday\, September 9: 3–7 p.m.\nThursday\, September 10: 3–7 p.m.\nFriday\, September 11: 1–5 p.m.\nSaturday\, September 12: 11 a.m.–2 p.m.\n\nThat means families who can’t make an after-school weekday visit still have Friday afternoon and Saturday options. \nBecause the shop consists of donated items\, selection will naturally depend on what the community contributed and what remains when a family visits. Anyone hoping for the widest selection should consider stopping in earlier in the week. \nThe Pop-Up at Coy Was Built for Ideas Like This\nThe school-supply shop isn’t taking over a conventional meeting room. \nIt’s happening in The Pop-Up at Coy\, a small storefront-like space immediately inside the front of Westerly Library. \nThe room has had quite a few lives. \nIt originally served as the library’s reception office and was once the office of Sallie Coy\, who joined the organization in 1911 and became the longest-serving librarian and library director in its history. Coy remained director until retiring in 1960. \nOver the years\, the space also served as the circulation desk and the Friends Bookstore. A 2017 renovation transformed it into a café. \nIts latest incarnation deliberately moves away from having one permanent purpose. \nWesterly Library now uses The Pop-Up at Coy as a temporary activation space where local organizations\, small businesses\, nonprofits\, community resources and other projects can set up for limited periods. The library describes the concept as a way to give visitors opportunities to see\, experience and learn about different community offerings. \nFor five days in September\, its purpose couldn’t be much more practical: shelves of free supplies for students heading back to class. \nMore Than Books at Westerly Library\nThe school-supply project also fits the broader role Westerly Library has carved out for itself. \nThe library is operated by the private nonprofit Memorial and Library Association\, which was established in 1892 to commemorate local volunteer soldiers and sailors who served in the Civil War. \nWesterly Library opened in 1894 with about 5\,000 volumes. The original building included considerably more than books\, with a gymnasium\, bowling alley\, art gallery\, museum and meeting space for the Grand Army of the Republic. \nMore than 130 years later\, the idea of a library as a community space remains. \nToday’s collection contains more than 287\,000 items\, while the building also houses public computers\, meeting and programming spaces\, youth areas\, a Makerspace\, the Hoxie Gallery and local history collections. \nPrograms range from children’s storytimes and craft sessions to technology instruction\, support groups\, book clubs and community-resource programs. \nThe Free School Supply Shop belongs to the latter category. It doesn’t require a class\, lecture or workshop to be useful. It takes something families need and makes it available in a familiar public place. \nAnd There’s a 15-Acre Park Outside\nA trip to the school-supply shop can also include some time outdoors. \nWesterly Library shares its downtown property with Wilcox Park\, a 15-acre Victorian strolling park and arboretum. \nThe original park land was donated in 1898 by Harriet Wilcox in memory of her husband\, Stephen Wilcox\, the local industrialist and inventor who had earlier donated the land for the library and $25\,000 toward its construction. \nHarriet envisioned a park that could be enjoyed by the working people of Westerly and neighboring Pawcatuck. \nLandscape architect Warren H. Manning\, who had worked with Frederick Law Olmsted and later became a founding member of the American Society of Landscape Architects\, designed the park while incorporating much of the site’s existing vegetation. \nToday\, Wilcox Park contains 159 different tree species and 43 cultivars\, including seven recognized Rhode Island Champion Trees. \nSo a stop for notebooks and pencils doesn’t necessarily have to be an errand in and out of a building. The park is directly outside and remains open from dawn until 9 p.m. \nFree Really Does Mean Free\nThere isn’t a complicated eligibility requirement buried in the description. \nWesterly Library says the supplies are available free to any student. \nThere is no admission charge listed\, no registration requirement and no requirement that families purchase anything else. The library’s event is categorized for families\, adults\, teens\, tweens and children\, reflecting the fact that school-supply needs don’t end after elementary school. \nFor families buying supplies for multiple children\, or for anyone facing an unexpectedly expensive back-to-school list\, even a few notebooks\, folders\, pens or a calculator can take something off the bill. \nAnd because the inventory came from donations\, the Free School Supply Shop turns one family’s extra backpack or unused package of pencils directly into something another student can use. \nThat’s community programming at its simplest. \nDetails\nEvent: Free School Supply Shop\nDates: Tuesday\, September 8–Saturday\, September 12\, 2026\nTuesday–Thursday Hours: 3–7 p.m.\nFriday Hours: 1–5 p.m.\nSaturday Hours: 11 a.m.–2 p.m.\nAdmission: Free\nWho Can Participate: School supplies are available free to any student\nRegistration: No registration listed\nAvailable Supplies: Donated school supplies may include backpacks\, calculators\, folders\, lunchboxes\, markers\, notebooks\, pencils\, pens and rulers; selection depends on availability\nLocation: The Pop-Up at Coy\, Westerly Library & Wilcox Park\nAddress: 44 Broad Street\, Westerly\, RI 02891\nPhone: 401-596-2877\nLibrary Hours: Monday–Thursday 9 a.m.–8 p.m.; Friday 9 a.m.–6 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m.–4 p.m.; closed Sunday\nWilcox Park Hours: Daily from dawn–9 p.m. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/free-school-supply-shop-at-westerly-library/2026-09-12/
LOCATION:Westerly Library & Wilcox Park\, 44 Broad Street\, Westerly\, RI\, 02891\, United States
CATEGORIES:Westerly Library & Wilcox Park
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260911T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260911T213000
DTSTAMP:20260910T034128Z
CREATED:20260910T034127Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260910T034128Z
UID:10007536-1789155000-1789162200@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Simply the Best – Tina Turner Tribute
DESCRIPTION:Simply the Best – Tina Turner Tribute brings the music\, energy\, and sheer force of Tina Turner’s stage presence to downtown Westerly on Friday\, September 11\, with Jenn Cristy and a live band taking over the UNITED’s Black Box Auditorium. \nThe 7:30 p.m. concert isn’t designed as a Tina Turner impersonation. Cristy isn’t trying to convince the audience that Turner has somehow walked onto the stage. The production describes itself as a celebration\, built around the songs and the explosive live-performance style that made Turner one of rock music’s defining performers. \nThat means Proud Mary\, River Deep – Mountain High\, What’s Love Got to Do with It and The Best\, along with music spanning Turner’s career in rock\, soul\, R&B and pop. \nAnd Cristy brings a considerably deeper musical résumé to the job than simply being able to sing the songs. \nJenn Cristy Toured and Recorded With John Mellencamp\nBefore creating a nationally touring Tina Turner tribute\, Jenn Cristy spent part of her career onstage and in the studio with another Rock & Roll Hall of Famer. \nCristy toured and recorded with John Mellencamp as a backing vocalist and multi-instrumentalist. \nHer credits on Mellencamp’s 2001 album Cuttin’ Heads are unusually extensive. She played flute\, percussion\, piano\, organ and violin in addition to singing background vocals. The album also included musicians Steve Jordan and Willie Weeks and guest vocal appearances by Chuck D\, India.Arie and Trisha Yearwood. \nCristy’s work with Mellencamp took her onto national television as well\, with appearances that included Today\, Late Show with David Letterman\, Good Morning America and Larry King Live. \nShe eventually established her own career as a singer-songwriter and touring performer\, working across rock\, pop and soul and developing projects through Bloomington\, Indiana-based One Pulse Entertainment. \nThat versatility turns out to be particularly useful when the artist you’re celebrating is Tina Turner. \nThis Isn’t a Look-Alike Show\nThe distinction Cristy makes about Simply the Best is worth noting. \nIt’s not an impersonation. \nTribute shows can take several forms. Some attempt to reproduce a performer visually as closely as possible\, right down to costumes\, mannerisms and physical resemblance. Others concentrate almost entirely on recreating the original recordings. \nCristy’s show takes a third approach. \nShe’s interested in recreating what it felt like to watch Tina Turner perform. \nThat means the voice matters\, but so do movement\, personality\, interaction with the audience and the sense that the person at the center of the stage is having as much fun as everyone watching. \nCristy has said she has long felt a kinship with Turner’s music and performing style. \nIt’s easy to understand the attraction. \nBoth are singers who don’t stand still behind a microphone. \nTina Turner Was Built for the Stage\nThere are artists whose definitive work lives on records. \nTina Turner was different. \nThe records mattered\, but the stage completed them. \nHer voice could be gritty\, soulful\, vulnerable or ferocious. Then there was the physical performance: the dancing\, the hair\, the miniskirts\, the heels and the seemingly inexhaustible ability to command an arena. \nTurner didn’t simply sing rock music. \nShe performed it with an intensity that helped redefine what a female rock frontperson could look and sound like. \nThe Rock & Roll Hall of Fame describes her as an artist who shattered barriers for Black women in rock while raising the standard for generations of lead singers who followed. \nThat influence reaches from Janis Joplin and the rock performers of Turner’s early career through Prince\, Beyoncé\, Janet Jackson\, Rihanna and generations of artists who came afterward. \nCristy’s challenge Friday night isn’t simply hitting Turner’s notes. \nIt’s finding some of that electricity. \nBefore Tina Turner\, There Was Anna Mae Bullock\nThe story began far from an arena stage. \nTina Turner was born Anna Mae Bullock in Brownsville\, Tennessee\, in 1939 and grew up in the rural South. \nHer musical career began after she encountered Ike Turner’s Kings of Rhythm in St. Louis. Eventually she joined the act\, adopted the name Tina Turner and became the focal point of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. \nBy the 1960s\, the revue had developed a reputation as a formidable live act. \nThen came one of the great recordings of the era. \nRiver Deep – Mountain High Was Too Big to Fail\, Until It Did\nProducer Phil Spector saw something in Tina Turner that went beyond the revue. \nIn 1966\, he put her voice at the center of River Deep – Mountain High\, constructing one of the grandest examples of his famous Wall of Sound production technique around her. \nToday\, the recording is regarded as a landmark. \nAt the time\, America largely ignored it. \nThe single performed much better in Britain than in the United States\, where it failed to become the enormous hit Spector expected. \nTurner’s performance\, however\, was undeniable. \nShe had a voice capable of standing in front of an almost absurdly dense production and not disappearing inside it. \nDecades later\, River Deep – Mountain High remains part of the repertoire Cristy brings to the stage. \nAnd it represents an important part of Turner’s story. \nShe could sing over almost anything. \nThen Came Proud Mary\nIke & Tina Turner released their version of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Proud Mary in 1971. \nThey didn’t simply cover it. \nThey rebuilt it. \nThe arrangement famously begins slowly before exploding into the fast second half that became inseparable from Tina Turner. \nIt was a major hit and earned the duo a Grammy. \nMore than half a century later\, it’s almost impossible to imagine a Tina Turner tribute that doesn’t include it. \nThe song also captures why a live tribute to Turner works differently from a conventional greatest-hits show. \nEveryone knows what’s coming. \nThe audience knows the tempo is going to change. \nThey know the performance is about to take off. \nAnd they wait for it anyway. \nLeaving Ike Turner Meant Starting Over\nBehind the success was an abusive marriage that Turner later described publicly in painful detail. \nShe left Ike Turner in 1976. \nThe separation brought personal freedom but didn’t immediately bring career security. Turner had to rebuild. \nFor several years she performed wherever she could\, including television appearances and smaller venues\, while the music business increasingly treated her as a performer whose biggest years were behind her. \nShe was a Black woman entering her 40s in an industry particularly unforgiving of women as they aged. \nThen Tina Turner pulled off one of the most extraordinary second acts in popular music. \nPrivate Dancer Changed Everything at 44\nTurner released Private Dancer in 1984. \nShe was 44 years old. \nThe album transformed her from a veteran performer fighting to maintain a career into an international superstar. \nBetter Be Good to Me became a hit. \nThe Mark Knopfler-written Private Dancer became one of her signature recordings. \nBut the song that changed everything was What’s Love Got to Do with It. \nIt reached No. 1 in the United States and became Turner’s biggest hit. \nAt an age when the music industry routinely considered female pop stars past their commercial peak\, Turner was suddenly bigger than she had ever been. \nThe song earned three Grammy Awards\, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year. \nThe comeback wasn’t nostalgia. \nIt was a new peak. \nMTV Met Its Match\nTurner’s timing was perfect in another way. \nMTV had arrived in 1981 and was transforming popular music into an increasingly visual medium. \nTurner was made for it. \nShe didn’t have to invent a camera-friendly stage personality. She’d been developing one for decades. \nVideos for songs from the Private Dancer era introduced her to an audience that may have had little memory of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. \nHer look became instantly identifiable. \nHer movement became part of the songs. \nAnd her voice worked just as well against the polished synthesizers and arena-rock production of the 1980s as it had against soul and R&B arrangements two decades earlier. \nShe had reinvented herself without ceasing to sound like Tina Turner. \nWe Don’t Need Another Hero and The Best Kept It Going\nThe comeback didn’t stop with one album. \nTurner starred as Aunty Entity opposite Mel Gibson in 1985’s Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome and recorded We Don’t Need Another Hero (Thunderdome) for the soundtrack. \nThen\, in 1989\, she released Foreign Affair. \nThat album included The Best. \nThe song wasn’t originally hers. Bonnie Tyler had recorded it first. \nBut Tina Turner took possession of it so thoroughly that most people now associate the song with her. \nIts enormous chorus\, Turner’s vocal delivery and its natural fit with an arena crowd transformed it into another signature song. \nIt also gave Cristy’s tribute its obvious name. \nAn Eight-Piece Band Recreates the Music Live\nSimply the Best isn’t built around backing tracks and a singer. \nThe touring production uses a full eight-piece live band\, allowing the arrangements to retain the punch that Turner’s music needs. \nThat’s particularly important because the catalog covers several musical eras. \nRiver Deep – Mountain High comes from the densely orchestrated soul production of the 1960s. \nProud Mary moves from slow-burning soul into full-speed rock and R&B. \nWhat’s Love Got to Do with It belongs unmistakably to the polished pop production of 1984. \nPrivate Dancer is moodier. \nWe Don’t Need Another Hero is cinematic. \nThe Best is built for an arena. \nCristy’s touring materials also reveal a broader repertoire including Nutbush City Limits\, Let’s Stay Together\, I Can’t Stand the Rain\, Better Be Good to Me and Private Dancer. \nThe show even reaches beyond Turner’s own recordings for an eclectic selection of additional favorites. \nThe common denominator isn’t one musical genre. \nIt’s energy. \nTurner’s Career Ultimately Lasted More Than 50 Years\nTina Turner eventually became one of those rare artists whose life story became almost as culturally familiar as the songs. \nShe sold out stadiums around the world. \nShe wrote autobiographies. \nAngela Bassett portrayed her in the 1993 film What’s Love Got to Do with It. \nHer story became the stage production Tina: The Tina Turner Musical. \nThe documentary Tina revisited both her career and the complicated reality of repeatedly being asked to relive the most painful period of her life. \nAnd the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inducted her twice. \nIke & Tina Turner entered together in 1991. \nThirty years later\, Tina Turner was inducted again as a solo performer in 2021. \nShe died in Switzerland in 2023 at age 83. \nBy then\, the comeback that once seemed so improbable had become only one chapter in a career spanning more than half a century. \nThe UNITED Makes This One Intimate\nFriday’s Westerly performance isn’t happening in a giant arena. \nIt’s in the UNITED’s Black Box Auditorium. \nThe show is fully seated\, which makes this a more intimate version of a production that tours nationally. \nThat could work particularly well for Cristy’s approach. \nTurner’s concerts were famous for scale\, but her stage presence depended on connecting with an audience. In a smaller room\, there’s nowhere for the performer to hide and considerably less distance between the front row and the band. \nCristy has spent years touring as a performer in her own right. \nShe isn’t trying to become Tina Turner for two hours. \nShe’s taking what Turner left behind and putting it back where much of it made the most sense in the first place. \nOn a stage. \nWith a band. \nAnd with Proud Mary waiting to speed up. \nDetails\nEvent: Simply the Best – Tina Turner Tribute\nDate: Friday\, September 11\, 2026\nTime: 7:30 p.m.\nRunning Time: Approximately 120 minutes\nPerformer: Jenn Cristy\nProduction: Simply the Best: A Tribute to the Music of Tina Turner\nMusic: Rock / soul / R&B / pop\nBand: Full live band\nVenue: UNITED Black Box Auditorium\nAddress: 5 Canal Street\, Westerly\, RI 02891\nSeating: Fully seated performance\nTicket Policy: Tickets are non-refundable and non-exchangeable\nAccessibility: The UNITED is wheelchair accessible; the theater recommends contacting the box office before purchasing tickets if accessible seating is needed\nBox Office: 401-388-8208\nParking: Street and public-lot parking is available in downtown Westerly \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nTo purchase tickets\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \n  \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/simply-the-best-tina-turner-tribute/
LOCATION:United Theatre\, 5 Canal Street\, Westerly\, RI\, 02891\, United States
CATEGORIES:United Theater
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