Whether your toes are in the sand, on the porch, or propped up at your desk pretending you’re somewhere else, today’s National Wiggle Your Toes Day is as good an excuse as any to pause for a few minutes. Settle in for a Rhode Island scoop finally getting its national due, a coffee run worth crossing the state line for, and a hometown filmmaker returning to a familiar screen. The weekend can wait another paragraph. For now, get comfortable and see what’s been happening close to home.

Business Insider has named Gray’s Ice Cream the most iconic ice cream shop in Rhode Island, recognizing more than a century of homemade scoops, loyal regulars, and East Bay summer tradition. The national nod may be new, but locals have been making the case since 1923. Read more online.

Providence native Matthew James Thompson makes his feature debut with Handle With Care, a warm, wry romantic comedy about divorce, unopened wedding gifts, and the unexpected connections that follow. The film premieres August 8 at the Avon Cinema during the Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival, bringing Thompson’s New York-set story back to the theater he knew growing up. Read more online.

Presented by Viva Fall River

Fall River has long made a name for itself with Portuguese food, waterfront views, and a deep industrial past. Now, its coffee scene is giving visitors another reason to pay attention.

Viva Fall River’s Coffee Lover’s Guide, created especially for Hey Rhody readers, rounds up the locally owned cafes, artisan coffee shops, neighborhood bakeries, and gathering spaces shaping the city’s growing coffee culture. Some have been part of the community for years. Others are newer arrivals already earning their regulars.

The guide doesn’t stop at what to order. It helps readers figure out what comes next, pairing coffee destinations with nearby shops, historic neighborhoods, local restaurants, and time along the waterfront. It feels less like a directory and more like a well-informed friend pointing out where to start.

That personal approach runs through everything Viva Fall River does. Each year, the destination initiative promotes hundreds of events, spotlights dozens of locally owned businesses, and shares original stories about the people and places giving Fall River its character. Its team gives neighborhood favorites and family-run businesses the same care it brings to major festivals, cultural events, and familiar landmarks.

Those stories aren’t only good trip-planning material. They encourage visitors to walk through the doors of local shops, restaurants, and cafes, helping support the small businesses and community organizations that keep Fall River interesting.

The Coffee Lover’s Guide is one way into a city that may still have a few surprises left, even for those who’ve lived nearby for years. Viva Fall River also publishes free monthly event guides, maintains a year-round calendar, and offers curated itineraries and self-guided audio walking tours. Explore the exclusive Coffee Lover’s Guide to Fall River, and learn more about Fall River’s year-round offerings at VivaFallRiver.com. Come for the coffee, then let the city make its case.

The Great Gatsby arrives at the Providence Performing Arts Center November 3–8 with glittering costumes, sweeping sets, and a jazz- and pop-infused score built to make Fitzgerald’s familiar tragedy feel larger than life. Beneath the champagne and choreography, the musical keeps its focus on the same dangerous promise that has powered the story for generations: the belief that enough money, spectacle, and determination can bring the past back. Read more online.

FeedRI’s inaugural Field to Fork Farmers Market brings 16 Rhode Island farms together with 16 local chefs and culinary partners for an evening of small bites inside Johnson & Wales University’s rarely opened Culinary Arts Museum. Proceeds support Feed the Future, the organization’s growing network of school food pantries serving students and families across the state. Read more online.