Armenian Fest 2014

Coming to Rhodes on the Pawtuxet on Nov. 15 and Nov. 16 will be this year’s Armenian Fest from noon to 9 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 8 p.m. on Sunday. The festival will include an Armenian country store, silent auction, jewelry and handcrafts, Armenian book and tape shop, sandwich shop, falafel, a historical Armenian cultural exhibit, flea market, children’s activities, gift baskets and more. There will be a main raffle with the first-place winner receiving $2,000, second-place winner getting $500 and third-place winner receiving $200.

Spend the afternoons with live Armenian music and food such as homemade Armenian pastries, delicacies and complete chicken kebab, shish kebab, losh kebab and kufta dinners.

The 2014 Armenian Fest is sponsored by St. Vartanantz Armenian Apostolic Church, and admission is free. There will also be valet parking available.

5th MS Holiday Bazaar

The fifth annual MS Holiday Bazaar to support the National Multiple Sclerosis Society in Rhode Island will be held the Scottish Rites Masonic Center, located at 2115 Broad St. in

Cranston, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Nov. 15. Last year’s bazaar attracted more than 300 shoppers and featured 35 vendors selling holiday gifts, jewelry, baskets, baby clothes, greeting cards, gourmet foods, artwork and more. Admission is free, and the event is open to the public. Holiday shoppers are encouraged to attend with their gift lists.

Proceeds help fund programs and services for people with MS. To find out more about the bazaar, contact chapter programs and advocacy manager Meredith Sheehan at meredith.sheehan@nmss.org. For more information, contact Ericka Tavares at 738-8436.

Academic News & Notes

Each year Rhode Island College recognizes student writing to celebrate Writing Week held in October. The First Year Writing Award at RIC is designed to celebrate the writing produced by students enrolled in First Year Writing. It is awarded by the First Year Writing Program in conjunction with The Faculty of Arts and Sciences and the Vice President of Academic Affairs. Students may submit a writing piece completed for their class. Judging is completed during the summer and winners are announced in the fall semester during the Writing Week.

This year, Cranston resident and RIC sophomore Lindsay Ratcliffe was named the 2014 first-place winner for her essay “A Study in Fan Mediated Works.” Her essay will soon be posted online at www.ric.edu/firstyearwriting. In addition to receiving a certificate, she will also be given a cash prize.

International Games Day

On Saturday, Nov. 15, Cranston Public Library will join hundreds of libraries across the country to take part in the global celebration of gaming in libraries known as International Games Day.

Between 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., the Central Library will be presenting a historical arcade of games, suitable for the entire family. Participants will travel from board games to video games, stopping along the way to track their progress through gaming history, participate in Minecraft challenges and more. The journey will end with a chance to play the library’s Xbox360 on the big screen.

The Central Library is located at 140 Sockanosset Cross Road. For more information, visit the library’s teen page at www.cranstonlibrary.org/teens.

International Games Day is an international initiative supported by the American Library Association, the Australian Library and Information Association and Nordic Game Day. For more information on International Games Day, visit http://ilovelibraries.org/gaming.

Mentors sought

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ocean State (BBBSOS) is continuing their drive to recruit male and female mentors for the 200-plus kids who are currently on the waiting list. Boys and girls ages seven to 15 throughout the state of Rhode Island are waiting to be paired with a volunteer for six to eight hours a month for a minimum of a one-year commitment. For information on how you can be a mentor, contact a BBBSOS match support specialist at mentoring@bbbsos.org or 401-921-2434.

BBBSOS will also be holding a collection drive for gently used clothing and small household items. Donations help to raise funds to support mentoring programs. BBBSOS offers convenient free home pick-up of donations and provides a tax receipt. Call 921-2434 or visit www.bbbsos.org to schedule free home pick up, find the nearest drop off location or learn more about the mentoring programs.

Woodridge Church bazaar

Woodridge Church Congregational United Church of Christ, 546 Budlong Road, will host its annual Holiday Bazaar on Nov. 15 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be activities for children. Hourly raffles, penny social, silent auction and grand raffle featuring three great prizes.

A luncheon will be served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the menu includes homemade soup, pizza and meatball and chicken salad sandwiches.

Visitors are asked to bring a canned good to support the Cranston Interfaith Food Pantry. The bazaar is free and open to the public.

November Coffee Connections

Please join the Cranston Chamber of Commerce for their November Coffee Connections Networking Event to be held on Nov. 14 at Whole Foods Market in Garden City. Whole Foods is a mission-driven company that seeks out the finest natural and organic foods available with an unshakeable commitment to sustainable agriculture. Join fellow business professionals at Whole Foods Market for an all-natural networking experience. For more information, contact Stephen Boyle at 785-3780.

Holiday craft fair and luncheon

Oak Lawn Community Baptist Church, located at 229 Wilbur Ave., will hold its Holiday Craft Fair and Luncheon on Nov. 15 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. with a Fireside Luncheon from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

There will be homemade baked goods for sale, a white elephant room, holiday treasures at great prices and a Kids’ Holiday Design n’ Buy Studio where children can create holiday gift bags and then purchase gift items – all $5 and under – to fill them with. Proceeds will benefit Children’s Mission/South Providence Neighborhood Ministries.

For more information, or to reserve a table, call Laura 439-1776 or email scoops777@hotmail.com.

Annual Holiday Bazaar

The Armenian Evangelical Church, located at 180 Oaklawn Ave in Cranston will their annual Holiday Bazaar on Nov. 22 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Meals will be served throughout the event where you can choose from one of their dinners such as losh kebab, kheyma kufta or chicken.

Community shopping event

Ten Thousand Villages, located in Garden City, will be holding a community shopping event to benefit Defenders of Animals on Nov. 19 between the hours of 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Defenders of Animals volunteers will be there on that night and refreshments will be available. A portion of all proceeds will benefit Defenders of Animals with purchases between the selected times.

Did You Know?

Sarah Joseph Hale, an American magazine editor, persuaded Abraham Lincoln to declare Thanksgiving a national holiday. She is also the author of the popular nursery rhyme “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” Abraham Lincoln issued a Thanksgiving Proclamation on Oct. 3, 1863 and officially set aside the last Thursday of November as the national day for Thanksgiving. (Source: November Fun Facts)

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