September Bulky Waste Program

During the month of September, the Department of Public Works will pick up bulky waste, free of charge.

Residents must call Waste Management at 1-800-972-4545 to schedule a free bulky waste pickup. Phone calls for the program will be accepted starting Aug. 28 and ending Sept. 22 for pickups starting on Sept. 1. Pickups are limited to one scheduled trip with up to three items per residential unit. Bulky waste does not include mattresses, construction debris, TV's or electronic goods, white goods or any household trash/garbage bags that would fit into the City provided 65-gallon care of overflow bags.

For more information, contact Waste Management at 1-800-972-4545.

5th Annual Taste of Garden City

The Cranston Chamber of Commerce’s 5th Annual Taste of Garden City Center will be held Sept. 6 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Garden City Shopping Center Gazebo. Proceeds of this year’s event will benefit the Cranston Chamber of Commerce and the Cranston Community Action Program.

Enjoy a relaxed evening as you go from table to table sampling the various food offerings of the restaurants located in Garden City while listening to Broadway show tunes and Jazz classics throughout the evening.

This year’s music will feature the Canary Diamonds, a mother daughter duo, Elaine Sullivan and Jeannie Evans are back to entertain and they will bring their special flavor to Broadway Showstoppers and singing jazz standards to audiences throughout New England. This year they are accompanied by pianist/vocalist Yvonne Monnett and special guest vocalist Emily Moses Jacobs.

Register and pay early since attendance is limited to the first 300 people. Contact Stephen Boyle at 785-3780 or sboyle@cranstonchamber.com.

Eric Medeiros Memorial Foundation at Spain Restaurant

There will be a fundraiser for the Eric Medeiros Memorial Foundation at Spain Restaurant (second floor) on Sept. 5 at 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $40 per person. There will be passed hor d’oeuvres, fabulous buffet, desserts and a cash bar. Also included will be a raffle. All proceeds to benefit CCAP food pantry and Brain Injury Association of RI.

Founded by Anna Casador, Eric's mom and the Founder President/CEO of the Eric Medeiros Memorial Foundation. She began the Foundation in memory of her son Eric who tragically died in a car accident.

Casador is currently the 2017 National Elite Woman of Service and she will soon start her second reign with the title of Mrs. Knightsville.

Tickets can purchase online at event page: www.eventbrite.com. They accept all major credit card payments.

BASICS looking for sponsors

The BASICS program is back again and ready for another amazing year. There new location is at 1985 Broad Street in Cranston and they are waiting to welcome children for music, art, yoga, and more.

As a non-profit, they rely on donations and sponsorships to help keep the arts affordable for students. Approximately one-third of the participating students receive either full or partial scholarships, and they do not to want to turn students away. They have several sponsorship options to choose from, to fit the needs of individuals and corporations at every level.

Sponsorships have many benefits. You will be featured on their website and at the headquarters. Your company name or logo will be seen on the shirt all the BASICS students wear, every time they perform. You can advertise on their Facebook page, too! And with many new events and programs coming this year, there will be more and more opportunities for exposure for your business.

Are you a corporation or an individual who wants to make a difference for local children? Sign up for a sponsorship for the 2017-18 season, and be part of BASICS! Contact them at basics.cranston@live.com to receive a sponsorship application or check out their website at www.basics-ri.com for more information.

Night Under the Stars

The Phyllis Siperstein Tamarisk Assisted Living Residence invites you to join in on Sept. 3 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. for A Night Under the Stars with the Reggie Centracchio Quintet. This is free so bring your friends and family. Feel free to bring your own refreshments, lawn chairs and blankets. For more information about this event please contact Susan Adler at 732-0037. Tamarisk is located at 3 Shalom Drive in Warwick.

"Kids, Cops, and Classrooms" now underway

The Cranston Police Department is joining other members of Rhode Island Law Enforcement, the Rhode Island Police Chiefs’ Association, and Rhode Island Department of Attorney General Peter Kilmartin, as well as area corporate sponsors in collecting donations of backpacks and school supplies for children who are clients of the Cranston COZ, Crossroads Rhode Island, Children’s Friend, Project Night Vision, the Center for Southeast Asians, the Hispanic Ministers’ Association, Family Service of Rhode Island, the Multi-Service Center for All, the African Alliance, Mount Hope Neighborhood Association, and the Chad Brown Alumni Association. The school supplies are for students from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. This is the ninth year that this effort has been undertaken.

The goal of “Kids, Cops, & Classrooms” is to help relieve the burden parents experience when they prepare their children to return to school. Due to budgetary restrictions in the state’s cities and towns, families are being asked to provide more of their own school supplies as well as other supplies for use by the entire class. Another goal of this event is to show children that police officers are their friends and are in the community to help them. Rhode Island law enforcement has a long and wonderful history of helping families, especially children.

If interested, please drop off donations at the Cranston Police Headquarters c/o the Office of Community Outreach (Captain Vincent McAteer). They will be accepting donations until Aug. 30. The Cranston Police Department looks forward to hosting a similar effort during the Christmas holiday season.

Getting ready for FOOS

The 10th Annual Fall Out of Summer Festival in Cranston, presented free of charge by the Artists’ Exchange, Theater 82 and Character’s Café, will be held on Rolfe Sq. on Sept. 17. Fun and family-friendly event featuring live music and theater, artisans, art activities and contests and more. Are you a Musician? Do you know a Musician? Artists' Exchange is looking for Musicians for the 10th Annual Fall Out of Summer Festival. Call, email or stop in for more information: 490-9475 or info@artists-exchange.org.

At the Senior Center

Michael A. Traficante Enrichment Center the former Cranston Senior Enrichment Center is located at 1070 Cranston St. For any additional information on the following programs, please call 780-6000.

Laugh Yoga will be held on Sept. 5 at 10 a.m. This popular class will leave you energized and at the same time relaxed. It will be an hour of fun and laughter. Come and try it…bring a friend!  You will be amazed how “catchy” it is.

Utility Trouble? Come to the Senior Center on Sept. 5 at 10 a.m. for a program sponsored by the George Wiley Center. Are you behind on your utilities, facing shut off or having a difficult time with a payment plan that you can’t afford?   Do you know if you are eligible for the Average Monthly Payment Plan?  For more information on assistance with gas and electric bills don’t miss this informative presentation.

Diabetes Support Group called “Hot Topics & Diabetes” will meet on Sept. 6 at 10 a.m. with facilitator: CVS Pharmacist Mario Casinelli.

Painting for Beginners – an eight-week session will begin on Sept. 6 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Using acrylic paint, students who have taken a drawing class, or have basic drawing background are invited to take this class.  Although the class is for the beginner, those students having a background in painting at any level are welcome.  For more information and to register call Kathi at 780-6216. There is a fee of $3 per session.

Creating an Estate Plan, presented by Tom Minuto, will be held on Sept. 7 at 10 a.m. Did you know that most Americans – some 64 percent - do not even have a will? Creating a good estate plan is a lot like getting into better shape.  It is a must for everyone young and old.  What does an estate plan include?  And how do we go about putting one together?

Reminiscence Group will meet on Sept. 8 at 9:30 a.m. with facilitator: Jennifer Kevorkian. We all live in the present, yet we still carry our “past” selves with us throughout our lives. Join in on the second Friday of each month to reminisce.

The Arthritis Foundation Walk With Ease Program orientation will be held on Sept. 18 at 10 a.m. and the program begins on Sept. 25 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 9:30 a.m. at the Cranston High School West Track. Need relief from arthritis pain or just want to be active? This walking program can teach you how to safely make physical activity part of your everyday life.  Great fun walking with others three mornings a week. Meet at the track or take Transvan from the center. To register call 780-6000.

55 No Limits TV – the cable show featuring segments on better living as well as services and activities available at the Center.  It can be viewed on Cox Cable (Channel 18) or Verizon (Channel 30).  55 No Limits TV is aired every week – Mondays at 4 p.m., Tuesdays at noon, Fridays at 8 p.m. and Saturdays at noon.

“Improve Your Health for a Better Self” - The secret to feeling better and living longer…staying active! Check out the varied exercise classes offered at the Center:  Chair Exercises, Aerobics, Laugh Yoga, Let Your Yoga Dance, Tai Chi, Yoga, Making Fitness Easy, Zumba and then, of course, there is Ballroom Dancing and Line Dancing.  For more information call 780-6000. 

2017 Senior Games - “Fitness for the Body & Mind” will begin with Opening Ceremonies at the Center on Sept. 23 at 9 a.m. Join in for a week of fun and sport!  The Senior Games provide seniors 55 and older, throughout the state and beyond, the opportunity to compete in events including billiards, bocce, bowling, golf, horseshoes, and much more. Registration fee $20 which includes continental breakfast, lunch buffet, and an awards banquet.  Call 401-780-6000 to register. Golf will be held Sept. 19, 20 and 21at the Cranston Country Club. Registration fee $75 which includes 18 holes of golf, golf cart, sleeve of golf balls, continental breakfast, lunch – grilled hot dogs, banquet immediately following golf.  Call 780-6220 to sign up. For more information or to print a registration form visit the City of Cranston’s website, www.cranstonri.com.

Ocean State Toastmasters to meet

Ocean State Toastmasters will hold its next meeting and Club Speech Contest on Sept. 5 from 7 to 9 p.m. at Warwick City Hall, 3275 Post Road. Regular meetings are held on the first and third Tuesdays of each month. The club is one of some 13,500 in Toastmasters International, a nonprofit, educational organization devoted to the development of public speaking and leadership skills. The organization has approximately 280,000 members in 116 countries.Founded in 1963, Ocean State Toastmasters is one of the oldest clubs in Rhode Island.

For more information, contact Merrill Winoker, Vice President of Membership, at 688-4741 or merrillwinoker@icloud.com.

Bain’s Grade 6 Hot Dog Roast

Bain Middle School will hold a Hot Dog Roast for incoming students at the school on Aug. 30 at 5:45 p.m. in the back-parking lot. All Bain Grade 6 students and families are invited.

Did You Know?

Even though Thomas Jefferson was all for free public education, and tried to promote it, only America’s wealthy were able to get an elementary school education until the 1840s when Horace Mann and Henry Barnard and other reformers tried to get tax-funded schools. They did this because they thought that if they had schools paid for by taxes, more people would attend, and this spread of education would help produce better citizens, unite the societies, and prevent much crime and poverty. (Source: Back to School Fun Facts)

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