Register for Cranston Kids Summer Program

Registration for Cranston Parks & Recreation Kids Summer Programs - The Cranston Parks and Recreation Summer Programs registration for this summer will take place May 4 and May 9 at two different sites. As of May 10, you can register personally at the Parks and Rec Department, located at 1090 Cranston St.

Farmer’s Marketplace opens this weekend

The Pawtuxet Village Farmer's Market will begin the 2017 season next Saturday, May 6, at their site at 60 Rhodes Place, Cranston. The market runs from 9 a.m. until Noon, every Saturday until Oct. 28. They accept cash, credit, debit, SNAP/EBT and WIC vouchers. They also offer a 40 percent bonus on EBT transactions; get healthier vegetables without breaking your food budget!

Need help accessing or getting food?

Everyone needs a little help from time to time. If you, or someone you know, needs nutritional assistance, CCAP’s Food Bank can help.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), 12 percent of Rhode Islanders, 51,000 households, are food insecure, meaning they are often unsure where their next meal will come from due to lack of resources. The most severe conditions associated with hunger are reported by 4.7 percent of our state’s residents, 20,000 households.

Call CCAP today to learn more about CCAP’s Food Bank which is located at 311 Doric Ave. (lower level). Food Bank Hours: Mon - Fri, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and on Wednesdays 4 to 6 p.m. For more information, call 467-7013.

Summer jobs

The Parks and Recreation Department will make summer job applications available in the office and online from now to May 5. Completed applications can be delivered to the Recreation Office, 1090 Cranston Street, 2nd Floor, during normal business hours. Applicants must be 16 years old at the time of employment and be a Cranston resident. Positions available include playground counselor, lifeguard, pool attendant and pool maintenance.

Touch a Truck

The Cranston Rotary will hold a Touch a Truck event in Garden City around the Gazebo on May 7 from 9 a.m. to noon. A $5 donation per family is suggested. All proceeds will benefit the Cranston Area High School Scholarship Program.

Bring your children so they can explore and even climb the inventory of trucks which will include big trucks and vehicles including police, fire, military and more. There will also be face painting and arts and crafts.

Calling Young Gardeners

The Cranston Public Library has announced that it will provide three Learning Gardens to youth and families this summer. Supported by a grant from the New England Grassroots Environment Fund, and donations from the William Hall Library Board of Trustees and the Cranston Public Library Teen Team, gardens at the Central Library, William Hall Library and Oak Lawn Branch will be built throughout the month of May.

The Oak Lawn Branch will welcome two raised bed herb gardens to their property, while the Central Library and William Hall Library will support one vegetable garden each. The gardens will be built by teens and families on separate Saturdays through May, then maintained by teen volunteers throughout the summer.

The raised beds will be built at the following locations and times: Oak Lawn Branch, Saturday, May 6 held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Central Library, Saturday, May 13 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and at the William Hall Library on Saturday, May 20 at 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Helpers and volunteers are encouraged to sport sunscreen and bring water! No sign-up or registration is required to help build the gardens; however, teens interested in signing up to care for the gardens and earn volunteer hours are encouraged to contact the host library location for details and times. (Garden maintenance training will be provided.)

More information, including garden plans and how-to tips are available online at cranstonlibrary.org/learning-gardens.

"Let Freedom Ring"

The West Bay Chorale will be holding their annual Spring Concert on May 7 at 3 p.m. at the Edgewood Congregational Church, 1788 Broad St.  Come and enjoy some Patriotic music along with some American Classics. Admission is adults $12 and children 12 and under are $6. Children 5 and under are free of charge. For more information visit westbaychorale.org.

RI Dream Center 5K Walk/Run

The RI Dream Center will be having a 5K Walk/Run 4 Hope on May 13 at Cranston High School West. Please come out and enjoy a day of family fun while helping those in need in our community. There will be free food, entertainment, paint facing and much more. It is $20 per person. Registration is held from 7 to 8 a.m. with the 5K starting at 8 a.m. Registration includes a free t-shirt and refreshments.

Visit www.ridreamcenter.com/run-4-hope-.html for more details.

Digital Privacy and Security for Teens

The Cranston Public Library is pleased to welcome Internet activist Alison Macrina to the Central Library on May 5 for “Digital Privacy and Security for Teens.”

Teens, have you ever wondered what your school's Wi-Fi network can see when you're connected to it? Does Snapchat really delete messages after they expire? And what do Google and Facebook really know about you, anyway? Stop by the C-Lab from 3 to 5 p.m. to learn the answers to these questions and more, plus strategies to protect yourself from an internet that's anything but private.

Alison Macrina is an Internet activist, the founder of the Library Freedom Project, and a core contributor to the Tor Project. The Central Library is located at 140 Sockanosset Cross Road, Cranston.

At the Senior Center

Take a chance with the Cranston Department of Senior Services’ RSVP Division’s Annual 15 Week Club Fundraiser. Tickets are $15 with 18 chances to win. There will be $25 prize drawn each week for 15 weeks. The Grand Prizes will be drawn on week 15 with the first-place prize of $250; second place prize of $175 and third place prize of $100. Tickets available at the Cranston Senior Enrichment Center, 1070 Cranston St. from 9 am to noon. Proceeds to help the Cranston RSVP Programs.

RIPTA free $5 Fare Cards are available for qualifying seniors, which is good for 10 trips at the .50 fare. You must be a Cranston resident, Age 65 or older and must show your Senior Valid All Day Reduced Fare Bus Pass. They are available at the Center on Fridays from 1:30 to 4 p.m. One $5 Fare card per person per month and for more information call 780-6254.

The Housing Rehabilitation Loan Program will be discussed on May 9 at 10 a.m. with speaker, Fran Falcone, Community Development. This program provides low-interest loans to income eligible Cranston homeowners to assist them in making needed repairs and improvements to their homes and to correct code violations. Typical improvements include roofs, vinyl siding, replacement windows, doors, and gutters. 

Basic Computer Classes will be held on Tuesdays & Thursdays, May 9 to May 25 from 1 to 2 p.m. The fee $25. Now is your time to join the “technology” generation! Never too late to learn something new. Call 780-6216 for more information.

Calcium & Vitamin D will be discussed on May 10 at 10 a.m. with a presentation by the URI SNAP – ED Program. Getting enough calcium and vitamin D is essential to building strong, dense bones when we are young and to keeping them strong as we age.  At this presentation, you will learn about both these nutrients and why they are so important to bone health.

Tai Chi will be offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10 a.m. with a fee of $4 per person. Some of the incredible benefits of Tai Chi are body relaxation, flexibility, and balance to name just a few.  Our Tai Chi Master, Bob Mathieu Jr. has extensive background and training in this ancient Chinese form of meditation and exercise.  Come and join us.  For more information call 780-6216.

Reminiscence Group: “Remembering the Past” will be held on May 12 and June 9 at 9:30 a.m. Join with facilitator Jennifer Kevorkian for this new program at the Center. Reminiscence is “a free-flowing process of thinking and talking about our experiences to reflect on and recapture events of our lifetime.” Are their benefits to reminiscing?  Experts on aging say that our outlook improves when our past is reviewed.  Remembering the past can bring a great deal of satisfaction and fun to everyone.  We all live in the present, yet we continue to carry our ‘past” so join in on the second Friday of each month so you can reminisce a bit. What are the topics…whatever you want…first jobs, favorite games as kids, first TV, places we lived, holiday traditions, where were you when a major event took place; the topics are endless.

The 90-plus Celebration will be held on May 17 at 10 a.m. Are you 90 years or older? Do you know someone who is?  Mayor Allan Fung and the Cranston Senior Enrichment Center will host the annual 90 Celebration. We would like to invite any Cranston resident who has reached the milestone age of 90 years or older.  If you know someone who would like to receive an invitation please call us at 780-6216.

There will be free art classes on May 22 and May 23 from 9 to 11 a.m. provided by The New Hope Art Gallery. The Cranston Department of Senior Services’ RSVP Advisory Board is sponsoring free art classes at the center. Artists with The New Hope Art Gallery will offer these classes. Space is limited!  Register now by calling 780-6000.

Volunteer goat herders needed

Volunteers are needed to watch over the goats as they graze out in the fields. Goat herders are needed to keep the goats safe from potential predators such as coyotes, foxes, and owls and ensure the (very curious) goats do not get their heads stuck in the portable fencing.

Volunteers also need to pet, cuddle and talk with the goats.  They need lots of interaction with people while they are young so that they will be friendly ambassadors to Roger Williams Park visitors.

Walkers are needed to bring the goats to and from their barn at the Botanical Center to their grazing spot each day. The goats wake early and will be ready to get out and graze by 8:30 am and brought back to the Botanical Center by 3 p.m. The goats will be able to walk on a leash.

If you are interested in caring for the newest resident of Roger Williams Park, download and submit the GOAT Volunteer Application by Friday, May 11.

For more information contact Lesley Lambert at Llambert@providenceri.gov.

Did You Know?

According to the early Roman calendar, May was the third month. Later, the ancient Romans used Jan. 1 for the beginning of their year, and May became the fifth month. May has always had 31 days.

Several stories are passed around to show how the month of May was named. The most widely accepted explanation is that it was named for Maia, the Roman goddess of spring and growth. Her name related to a Latin word that means increase or growth. (Source: May Fun Facts)

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