SUMMER IN MISQUAMICUT OFFERS RANGE OF ACTIVITIES
With seven miles of clear ocean and white sand betweenwatch Hill and Weekapaug, you may think of Misquamicut as only a beautiful beach. But the Misquamicut Beach Business Association, The GreaterwesterlyPawcatuck Area Chamber of Commerce and the Town ofwesterly offer fun, family-friendly activities on and off the beach during the summer season.
“The Misquamicut Beach Business Association came on the scene, and got businesses energized,” said Lisa Konicki, executive director of The Greaterwesterly-pawcatuck Area Chamber of Commerce. “They are really trying to make Misquamicut a midweek destination, or a place for an extended stay.”
There’s plenty to do in the coming months. Here’s a sampling:
Misquamicut jams on Monday and sings the blues onwednesdays at Westerly Town Beach, 337 Atlantic Avenue. And it’s all good.
“We get great acts,” said Caswell Cooke, Jr., executive director of the MBA.
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On Monday nights between July 2 and August 22, it’s Monday Night Jams, featuring classic rock and rock-and-roll bands. Cooke said this season features Jeff Slate’s Birds of Paradox, a John Lennon tribute band featuring members of John Lennon’s Plastic Ono Elephant Band and Paul Mccartney & Wings, Riders on the Storm, a Doors tribute band, and Hope Road, a Bob Marley tribute band.
Onwednesday nights in July and August, Blues on the Beach offers a line up including Grammy-nominated Tab Benoit, Roomful of Blues, and Rick Russell and the Cadillac Horns. Admission to both sets of concerts is free, and the bands play rain or shine. Parking in the beach lot is free. For more information, visit www.blues onthebeachri.com, www.misquamicut. org, or call (401) 348-2597.
If you’re looking for a night out without kids around, local bars and restaurants also bring in bands. Find them at the Andrea Hotel, 89 Atlantic Ave., www.andreahotel.com; Atlantic Beach Park, 321-338 Atlantic Ave., www.atlanticbeachpark.com; Sandy’s Lighthouse, 148 Atlantic Ave., (401)-596-1496 and Paddy’s Beach, 159 Atlantic Ave., www.paddysbeach.com.
As the sun sets, enjoy a movie from a beach blanket, or in a car at a beachside drive-in.
The chamber sponsors family-friendly movies, like “Zookeeper” and “Over the Hedge,” projected on a giant screen at Atlantic Beach Park, 321 Atlantic Ave., on Tuesday nights in July and August. Admission and parking are free, and the movie begins at approximately 8:30 p.m. Bring your own beach chairs and blankets. For more information, www.westerlychamber.org.
“The MBA does drive-in movies, projected near the tourism information center,” Cooke said.
That’s also known as thewuskeneau Town Beach, 316 Atlantic Ave., Westerly. The MBA brought in two cargo containers used as a movie screen, and moviegoers sit in their cars, with their radios tuned to a station that feeds in the audio. Movies run Thursday evenings in July and August, beginning at approximately 9 p.m. Admission is $8 a carload. This year’s schedule has not been set at press time, but last year’s offerings included Jaws and Caddyshack. The schedule will be updated at www.misquamicut.org.
Get moving with the Tom Mccoy Family Fun Run Series, sponsored by thewesterly Track Club. Each Wednesday evening between June 13 and August 22, beginning at 6 p.m., the club hosts a children’s fun run, followed by a one miler and and a 5K. The runs step off from Pleasant View Inn, 65 Atlantic Ave., and are free of charge. For more information, www.westerlytrackclub.org, or call (401) 447-1879. For those who prefer to paddle, The Purple Ape, 17Winnapaug Road, offers coconut kayak and paddle boat races every Tuesday in July and August. Registration begins at 4 p.m. and the races begin at 5 p.m. inwinnapaug Pond. The races are free. Prefer to watch? The Purple Ape also offers Hermit Crab Races onwednesday nights.
“People cheer, and sometimes they go home with their hermit crab,” Konicki said. “There’s a huge crowd cheering them on.”
Check out vintage wheels at the Classic Car Cruise Nights at the Windjammer East Parking Lot, 321 Atlantic Ave., (www.atlanticbeachpark. com) featuring WBLQ-AM’S JJ Macdade. Owners of pre-1980 cars are welcome to showcase their vehicles. The event is free and is presented every Thursday, May 17 to Sept. 27, beginning at 5:30 p.m.