Block party on Rock Street in Fall River; Chris Smither comes to Narrows: Things To Do

“What do you want to do?”

If you need an answer to this age-old question for making plans, we’ve got you covered.

In Things To Do, we take a look at, well, things to do, happening every week in the Greater Fall River area and around the SouthCoast.

From weekdays to weekends, there’s always plenty going on.

And we’re not only taking a look at what’s happening this week, we’re also giving you a heads-up for events that are coming soon.

This week, we’ve got some special concerts at the Narrows Center for the Arts. Plus, we've got historical talks, Greater Fall River RE-CREATION's Community Block Party, Taunton's Downtown Art Jam, and choral and classical music.

So when someone asks you what you want to do, you’ve got your plans ready to go.

Here are Things To Do around Fall River, the SouthCoast, and beyond this week:

Chris Smither will be performing at the Narrows Center for the Arts, 16 Anawan St., Fall River, on May 17, 2024.
Chris Smither will be performing at the Narrows Center for the Arts, 16 Anawan St., Fall River, on May 17, 2024.

Folk blues artist Chris Smither at the Narrows

Folk blues artist Chris Smither will be performing at the Narrows Center for the Arts, 16 Anawan St., Fall River, on Friday, May 17, at 8 p.m.

Special guest Peter Mulvey will open the show.

Smither’s newest album, “All About The Bones,” was released on May 3 through Signature Sounds.

Doors open at 7 p.m.

Chris Smither will be performing at the Narrows Center for the Arts, 16 Anawan St., Fall River, on May 17, 2024.
Chris Smither will be performing at the Narrows Center for the Arts, 16 Anawan St., Fall River, on May 17, 2024.

Tickets are $43 in advance, and $45 on the day of the show.

Find tickets online at https://tinyurl.com/brm7t7n5.

Greater Fall River RE-CREATION Community Block Party

Greater Fall River RE-CREATION will hold its third annual Community Block Party on Saturday, May 18, from noon to 3 p.m., at 45 Rock St., Fall River.

This event, which is free for the entire community, is sponsored by the Massachusetts Department of Health's Gun Violence Prevention Program.

Planned features include a rock wall, face-painting, temporary tattoos, spray paint art, caricatures, and resource tables.

Plus there will be free food, refreshments, and a DJ.

Rock Street will be closed to guarantee the safety of those who attend.

The Rotch-Jones-Duff House & Garden Museum, 396 County St., New Bedford.
The Rotch-Jones-Duff House & Garden Museum, 396 County St., New Bedford.

'The Birds of Dog’ author talk at Rotch-Jones-Duff House & Garden Museum

Science journalist and author Ann Parson will give an illustrated talk about her new book, “The Birds of Dog: An Historical Novel Based on Mostly True Events,” at The Rotch-Jones-Duff House & Garden Museum, 396 County St., New Bedford.

This event will be held on Wednesday, May 15, beginning at 5:30 p.m., with Parsons presenting on the sagas and milestones in her book, which is a tale of love and science.

The evening will begin with a reception on the tented patio, with the talk starting at 6 p.m.

Copies of the book will be available for purchase.

This event is free and open to the public, but reservations are requested.

To make a reservation, contact Hilary Fortin at [email protected], call 508-997-1401, or visit rjdmuseum.org.

Shemekia Copeland to perform at Narrows Center for the Arts

Awarding-winning blues and soul performer Shemekia Copeland returns to the Narrows Center for the Arts, 16 Anawan St., Fall River, on Thursday, May 16, from 8 to 10 p.m.

Doors open at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $43 in advance, and $45 on the day of the show.

Find tickets online at https://tinyurl.com/5fm4s6ba.

Black Heritage Society scholars on African-heritage political identity in Newport

Rhode Island Black Heritage Society scholars Theresa Guzmán Stokes and Keith Stokes will give a presentation on how people in Newport’s African-heritage community helped lay the foundations for abolition, emancipation and the Civil Rights Movement.

“Am I Not a Man and a Woman: The Rise of African Heritage Political Identity in Gilded Age Rhode Island” will be presented on Thursday, May 16, at 6 p.m. at Rosecliff, 548 Bellevue Ave., Newport. This presentation will also be available via Zoom.

The lecture is the second of three being presented this spring by The Preservation Society of Newport County in collaboration with the RIBHS, a partnership that also produced the current exhibition at Rosecliff, “Gilded Age Newport in Color.”

For more information and to register, visit https://tinyurl.com/5n8je2hm.

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New Bedford Symphony Orchestra presents ‘The Way of Passion’

On Saturday, May 18, the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra presents “The Way of Passion,” at 7:30 p.m., in the Bronspiegel Auditorium at New Bedford High School, 230 Hathaway Blvd.

Under the direction of Music Director Yaniv Dinur, the orchestra will perform works by Sergei Prokofiev and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

Armenian-American pianist Sergei Babayan joins the NBSO for the first time for this concert.

There will be no pre-concert talk for this event, but plan to arrive early for special activities.

Tickets are $20, $50, and $65, with $10 student tickets (available at the box office only with student ID).

Purchase tickets by calling 508-994-2900 or online at nbsymphony.org.

Free parking is available in the lots near the entrance to the auditorium.

There will be a free, open rehearsal on May 18, from 4 to 6:30 p.m. in the auditorium. Seating is general admission, with no RSVP or tickets required. This is a working rehearsal, and pieces may not be played in their entirety. A 20-minute break is usually held between 5 and 5:30 p.m.

Aubrie Shaw, 10, left, and Shealyn Hughes, 8, right, sip some cool drinks and show off their artwork at the second annual Downtown Art Jam on Taunton Green on Saturday, May 21, 2022.
Aubrie Shaw, 10, left, and Shealyn Hughes, 8, right, sip some cool drinks and show off their artwork at the second annual Downtown Art Jam on Taunton Green on Saturday, May 21, 2022.

Fourth annual Downtown Art Jam in Taunton

The Downtown Taunton Foundation and Trescott Street Gallery, along with their partners at Real Art Studios and Abi-Saad Print & Design, will present the fourth annual Downtown Art Jam in Taunton.

It will be held in downtown Taunton on Saturday, May 18, from noon to 4 p.m. The rain date is Sunday, May 19.

This event is free, and open to the public.

There will be live music, dancing, painting, drawing, artist exhibits, artist and craft vendors, food, a wine and beer tent, a short film showcase, sidewalk chalk, and more.

Downtown Taunton Foundation programs are supported in part by grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Taunton Cultural Council, and by members and sponsorships.

For a complete list of sites, as well as information on free parking, visit www.artjamtaunton.org.

South Coast Community Chorale spring concerts

The South Coast Community Chorale presents their spring concerts, “Memories Through Music and Photos” on Saturday, May 18, and Sunday, May 19.

Saturday’s concert will be presented at 7:30 p.m. at St. Thomas More Church, 386 Luther Ave., Somerset.

Sunday’s concert will be at 3 p.m. at First Baptist Church of Fall River, 228 N. Main St.

SCCC will feature Schubert’s “Mass in A-Flat,” Broadway favorites from Cole Porter’s “Anything Goes,” as well as the musical “Camelot,” and a musical medley from “Grease.”

They will also be honoring the military by singing the “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” and highlighting each branch of the military by singing “Salute to the Armed Forces.”

Tickets are $18 in advance and $20 at the door. Seniors and students get $3 off either price. Veterans will be able to attend for free.

For more information, and to find tickets, visit sccchorale.com.

Have a community event or activity you’d like to see featured? Send us an email at  [email protected] or [email protected].

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Things To Do: Concerts at Narrows Center, Fall River block party