This weekend is all about that giant rabbit. His name is Harvey and he visits me when no one else is looking. But enough about me. This week, we’ve got daffodil bike rides, edible books, Harry Potter trivia, and, yes, the Easter Bunny. Rhody, let’s rock.
MELVIN SEALS & JGB
Grateful Dead fans, rejoice: B-3 legend Melvin Seals, who played with Jerry Garcia in the Jerry Garcia Band for 18 years, brings the grooves and the JGB to The Met in Pawtucket April 7. $35 advance, $40 door. 1005 Main St. Details here. Learn more about the artists here.
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BOOKS GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT
OK, this needs to be a Netflix show. Rochambeau Library in Providence hosts its 4th Annual Edible Book Festival April 8 from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Stop by to taste a book and vote for the winner. According to the event info, an edible book is “an edible creation that can look like a book, be a pun on the book title, refer to a character, or have something to do with books.” Voting ends at 3:30, with a winner announced soon after. If you entered the contest, tag me in your pics so I can share them with column readers on Insta. Free. 708 Hope St. Details here.
TULIPS GRAND OPENING
It’s officially tiptoe time. Instagram was made for spots like Wicked Tulips Flower Farm. The Rhody-based gem, with three locations in Exeter, Johnston (and Preston, Conn.), had their soft opening in Exeter this week, and announced their Exeter Grand Opening is April 7. (According to the website, Johnston has an estimated opening of April 29, after Exeter closes.) They’re closed Easter Sunday, and open daily next week 10 a.m.-7 p.m., according to their Instagram. Tickets must be purchased online. Adult admission includes 10 pick-your-own tulips ($17-23, varies by day and time.) Ages 5-17 $5, and under 4 free. 400 Hog House Hill Road, Exeter. Details here.
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DAFFODILS DAYS
Meanwhile, Newport’s going daffy. Some 1.3 million daffodils are planted throughout the area, according to Newport in Bloom — and events are scattered throughout April in their monthlong celebration: “Daffodil Days.” On April 8, join the annual Daffodil Ride, a free, gentle 4-mile bike ride through the city. Riders are encouraged to decorate their bikes and don yellow. There’s a prize for the best-decorated bike and “daffiest outfit.” The ride starts at Touro Park at 9:30 a.m., includes a stop at Bellevue House, and ends at Ballard Park, where riders will find some 20,000 daffodils. They note you can also, of course, take your own daffodil bike ride any time. Download the Ride Spot app to follow a self-guided ride or make your own — the daffodils are everywhere. Details here and here.
VERNAL POOL AMPHIBIANS
Canonchet Farm in Narragansett hosts a free guided trail walk and tour of Canonchet Farms’s vernal pools. Meet at the South County Museum parking lot for a tour of Canonchet’s vernal pools, “host to spring-breeding for amphibians, reptiles, and aquatic insects. Get your natural science on. April 8, 1-2:30 p.m. 115 Strathmore St., Narragansett. Details here.
EGG HUNTS AND BUNNY PICS
Easter means egg hunts and photos with the EB. (The Easter Bunny, that is.) Lucky for us, he’ll be spending his big weekend hopping all over Rhode Island. Note that most egg-hunts require online registration to hold your spot, so hop on it. As of this writing there are still spots available for:
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The Easter Bunny visits Roger Williams Zoo April 7 and 8 for “VIP Storytime and Photos” 9:15-9:45 a.m. $25. Details here.
Riverside Egg Hunt, hosted by BridgePointe Christian Church, April 8 from 10 a.m.-noon. According to event billing, the fun includes bounce houses, crafts, games, and an appearance by the Easter Bunny. Details here.
There are also spots for BridgePointe’s egg hunt and fest in Warren, from 10 a.m. to noon. Details here.
Butterfly Farm in Lincoln hosts three hunts, plus local vendors, games, and animals to meet — including the Easter Bunny. Ages 1-4: 10 to 11:30 a.m.; ages 5-8 hunt from noon to 1:30 p.m., and ages 9-12 have a turn from 2 to 3:30 p.m. $5 per child. Info. here.
Preserve Sporting Club and Residencies — aka the home of Rhody’s famous hobbit holes — hosts its annual Easter Egg Roll and Hunt April 9 from 10-11 a.m. According to the billing, an “egg roll” is not a delicious treat but a race where kids “push an egg through the grass with a long-handled spoon.” Plus crafts, an egg hunt, an appearance from the Easter Bunny, prizes and more. $35 non-members. Details here.
Find Bouncy houses, music refreshments, face-painting, egg hunts, giveaways and more at a free event at the John Hope Settlement House in Providence. Details here.
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Faith Hill Farm in East Greenwich hosts egg hunts, food, vendors, and an Easter Bunny meeting on April 8. Hunts at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. $10 per child. Registration and info. here.
The Warwick Mall hosts photos visits with the Easter Bunny through April 8. Details here.
The Richmond Grange hosts a free egg hunt open to the public, with crafts, refreshments and the Easter Bunny. Info. here.
And see where you might brunch or dine here.
SPRINGTIME SCAVENGER HUNT
You might hunt for eggs (not the plastic kind), birds, flowers and more at Norman Bird Sanctuary’s Springtime Scavenger Hunt on April 8 from 10 a.m. to noon. Families can explore their 300 acres to search for signs of spring. Plus story times at 11 and 11:30 a.m. 583 3rd Beach Road, Middletown. Tickets from $5. Details here.
RHODE READS
I’m a lifelong book lover and want to spread the Ocean State literary love. Rhody is so packed with authors and stories, I’ve started a little subsection of this column, Rhode Reads. If you’re a local author or a bookstore hosting a local signing, hit me up and you just might get featured. In this week’s Rhody Reading News…
Ocean House owner/local bestselling author Deborah Goodrich Royce — whose latest novel “Reef Road” was the “Good Morning America” book pick for January — kicks off a new season of her stellar Ocean House Author Series with New York Times bestselling author Lauren Willig April 12 in the resort’s ballroom. Willig was one of a trio of authors who collaborated on last summer’s buzzy beach read “The Lost Summers of Newport.” (If you haven’t read it yet, it’s a fun one.) Her latest historical fiction, “Two Wars and a Wedding,” has a similar vibe. Willig will discuss and sign, plus wine and light bites. $38. 5-7 p.m. 1 Bluff Ave., Watch Hill. Details here and here.
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“SIX”
Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived: The six wives of Henry VIII “take the microphone to remix five hundred years of historical heartbreak into a Euphoric Celebration of 21st century girl power,” according to the billing of this Tony-winning musical headed to PPAC April 11-23. Tickets from $65. 220 Weybosset St. Providence. Get a sense of what to expect here. Learn more here and here.
HARRY POTTER TRIVIA x BEER
Attention Rhody Potterheads: it’s time to reread book three. Providence Brewing Company hosts a Harry trivia night April 13 focused specifically on “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.” Prizes go to the top-performing teams at the end of each round, and grab your Harry glasses and scarf: the best-dressed win prizes. I’m not sure if they’ll have chocolate frogs, but various “local food options” will be available along with brews, according to event info. Free. Check-in 6 p.m.; trivia 6:30 p.m. 10 Sims Ave., unit 110. Details here.
THE RETURN OF FOOD TRUCK FRIDAYS
It’s not really spring in Rhode Island until the wild food trucks migrate back toward their Providence habitat, attracting native Rhode Islanders to their summer feeding grounds. Fact. I’m dancing with glee and spring fever: Food Truck Fridays return to Roger Williams Park April 14.
BYO blanket and lawn chair to Carousel Village to nosh from an array of local food trucks. Find local beer and wine from Trinity Brewhouse, and picnic with live music. This is how we Friday. 5-8 p.m. 1000 Elmwood Ave. Details here.
Until next week, Rhody: Keep rockin.’
Lauren Daley can be reached at ldaley33@gmail.com. Follow her on Twitter @laurendaley1.