By MERI R. KENNEDY Animals to arrive in Garden City Center Join educators from Roger Williams Park Zoo at Garden City Center to learn more about the wild world of animals. Programs will offer opportunities for adult/child pairs to make discoveries
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Join educators from Roger Williams Park Zoo at Garden City Center to learn more about the wild world of animals.
Programs will offer opportunities for adult/child pairs to make discoveries together and will include a lesson, activity and a meet-and-greet with one of the zoo’s ambassador animals.
Sessions are hosted at the Garden City Center Gazebo and are 45 minutes long.
One ticket – which costs $10 – includes admission for one child and their parent or guardian. If you have multiple children attending this event, please purchase another ticket for each child. Spots are limited and registration is required.
The first event will be held Wednesday, July 7, from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.
To register, visit www.eventbrite.com/e/animal-encounters-with-roger-williams-zoo-tickets-161249161583.
Other dates for the summer are July 14, 21 and 28 and Aug, 4 and 11. All times are 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.
Cranston Community Artist’s Bazaar, or CCAB, will host a free outdoor festival on Saturday, July 17, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tate Field at Bain Middle School.
The event will feature more than 150 vendors, food trucks, children’s activities, raffles and more. All funds raised will directly benefit Cranston Public Schools. The rain date is July 18.
For more information, email cranstoncab@gmail.com. There are a few vendor spots left open.
Your favorite summer tradition is back at Garden City Center!
Join in on Wednesday nights in July and August for good tunes, family fun and memories that will last well beyond the dog days of summer as part of the shopping center’s Summer Concert Series.
Garden City will be making these concerts even more exciting than ever, so stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks!
As of now, the schedule includes Funk Night featuring XS BAND on July 21; Tropical Night featuring The Copacetics on July 28; A night on the boardwalk featuring Elton John vs. Billy Joel on Aug. 4; and ’80s night featuring Fast Times on Aug. 11.
As always, the concerts are free of charge. To learn more, follow Garden City Center on Facebook or visit www.gardencitycenter.com.
Artists ages 14 and up, pick up a tiny canvas at any Cranston Public Library branch, then bring it home and let your creativity flow! Using the medium of your choice, create a beautiful work of art to be displayed in our tiny gallery show at Central Library in August.
Artwork and completed entry forms can be dropped off at any Cranston Public Library branch. Entries must be received by July 31.
One canvas per person. Three winners will be chosen by a panel of judges from the library and the Cranston Arts Commission.
For more information, visit www.cranstonlibrary.org.
The St. Mary’s Feast Society will host a kick-off to this year’s festival on Wednesday, July 14, from 6 to 10 p.m.
The event, which will be free, will be held at the Feast Society’s building at 15 Phenix Ave. It will feature entertainment from Lance Mantia’s The Rewind Party. There will be a cash bar and food.
This year’s St. Mary’s Feast from Jule 14-18. The feast’s fireworks display is scheduled for July 18 at 10 p.m.
For more information, visit the St. Mary’s Feast Society Facebook page.
The annual Mayor’s Picnic will be held on Friday, Aug. 20, at Brayton Park from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Transportation will be provided from the Cranston Senior Enrichment Center.
Tickets go on sale July 12 and the cost is $3 per person. Call Lisa at 780-6215 to make your reservation.
NAMI Rhode Island, the local chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, will offer a Family-to-Family course beginning Wednesday, July 14, at 6:30 p.m. This is a free and virtual eight-session educational program for family, significant others and friends of people with mental health conditions. It is a designated evidenced-based program. This means that research shows that the program significantly improves the coping and problem-solving abilities of the people closest to a person with a mental health condition.
NAMI Family-to-Family is taught by trained family members who have “been there” and includes presentations, discussions and interactive exercises. It not only provides information and strategies for taking care of the person you love, but you’ll also find out that you’re not alone. Recovery is a journey, and there is hope.
For more information or to register for this evidence-based program, visit namirhodeisland.org, call (401) 331-3060 or email beth@namirhodeisland.org.
Cranston High School East’s class of 1960 will hold its 61st reunion on Sept. 12, 2021, at the Cranston Country Club. A social hour will begin at noon and dinner with entertainment follows at 1 p.m.
The cost is $50 per person and the deadline to respond is Sept. 1. For details and reservations, contact Dolores DiMeo Carroll at (401) 942-0949 or dolores1120@verizon.net.
Ricky Gagnon, director of the New Hope Art Gallery located in the Cranston Senior Enrichment Center at 1070 Cranston St., has announced the gallery is once again open with a new show coming this fall.
Guests can come to see the current show in their large gallery located on two floors of the center. This show features wonderful art in many styles and media from 50 local, special needs and senior artists. Our current show will run until Oct. 1.
They will feature a new fall show with a scheduled opening on Tuesday Oct. 26, from 4 to 7:30 p.m. Come visit and enjoy the art. Regular gallery hours are Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., except holidays.
Warwick Center for the Arts, located at 3259 Post Road in Warwick, will host its “Altered Paper, Prints & Books” juried exhibit through July 24. Hours are Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The exhibit is free and open to the public. It features works on paper, in two or three dimensions, with an emphasis on three-dimensional art constructed with paper. In this exhibit, artists showcase their interpretation, reflection, and expression of their personal art journey. For further information, visit warwickcfa.org.
The Cranston Public Library will be hosting an Adult Summer Reading Program, “The Art & Science of Reading.”
Read books, attend events, pick up a take-and-make kit, share your reading with the community, and earn raffle tickets for the end-of-summer prize drawing.
For more details, visit www.cranstonlibrary.org/summer-reading-2021.
The dates of the 35th annual Cranston Greek Festival have been announced as Sept. 10-12, 2021. More updates will follow.
The Cranston Public Library invites members of the community to take part in two can’t-miss events with Moth champion storyteller Terry Wolfisch Cole. Both events are free and open to the public. Each event requires separate registration.
“Introduction to Personal Storytelling,” an online program, will be held Tuesday, July 13, from 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Ira Glass of “This American Life” says, “Great stories happen to people who know how to tell them.” Do you want to get better at captivating listeners? Whether you want to tell your story on stage, in a business meeting or college interview, or at the family table, professional storyteller Terry Wolfisch Cole of “Tell Me Another” will teach you everything you need to know to engage any audience. The session will include an opportunity to hear Terry tell a story as well as tips and tricks for effective storytelling.
Then, the program “Personal Storytelling Open Mic” will be held on Thursday, July 15, from 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Wolfisch Cole will host an entertaining evening of true stories told live by the people who lived them. Bring your story to share (no longer than five minutes and appropriate for all ears, please), or just sit back, listen, and enjoy the show.
Participation in the July 13 “Introduction to Personal Storytelling” workshop is not required but is encouraged for “Open Mic” participants.
To register for these events, visit cranstonlibrary.org. For assistance, call (401) 943-9080, ext. 3 or email zach@cranstonlibrary.org The Zoom link will be emailed the day of the events.
Attention all golfers 65 and older – if you are interested in golfing in a mixed league, the Over 65 Golf League, on Mondays at Harbor Lights, 150 Gray St., Warwick, please contact Carol Desforges at Desac63@gmail. Please indicate your name, phone number and email in your message.
To be a member or a spare (sub) in the league, you pay dues which include season play (May- Sept. 13, 2021), playoffs (Sept. 20- Oct. 4), scramble tournament (Oct. 13) and a banquet with distribution of prizes (Oct. 13). The membership dues are $55, or $30 for spares not attending the banquet.
Every Saturday, Garden City Center will present its new fitness series, Garden City SWEAT. Each week, they will be bringing you outdoor group workout classes led by instructors from local fitness community, including CORE Studios and Haven Fitness. They mix it up with different styles and intensities, so there's something for yogis, HIIT-lovers and everything in between.
Plus, a lucky participant in each class will win a $50 gift card to either lululemon or Athleta. Spots are limited. Register and learn more at www.gardencitycenter.com/sweat.
Warwick Center for the Arts, located at 3259 Post Road in Warwick, will offer a two-day Upcycled Book Sculptures workshop on Tuesday and Wednesday, July 13-14, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day.
In this workshop, participants will transform a book into a unique piece of artwork. There are endless possibilities of ideas for repurposing books into something fun and imaginative. A book sculpture can create a special memory or just a fun piece to embellish your home. Students will learn about techniques for altering books, folding pages, and adding embellishments such as collage and color to pages.
The cost is $130 for members and $150 for nonmembers. To learn more or to register, visit www.warwickcfa.org or call (401) 737-0010.
The RSVP Program at Cranston’s Department of Senior Services is seeking volunteers to help to deliver brown bag lunches to seniors in the community, run errands for seniors and transport local homebound seniors to medical appointments.
You must be 55 years of age or older to volunteer and a BCI is required. Mileage reimbursement is given to cover travel costs. AmeriCorps Seniors will also provide insurance protection with three types of coverage – excess accident medical coverage, excess volunteer liability insurance and excess automobile liability insurance.
If you are interested in becoming an RSVP volunteer, contact Karen Porto at (401) 780-6159 for an interview.
Through the Books @ Home program, the Cranston Public Library provides free home delivery of books and other materials to qualifying, homebound residents of Cranston.
It doesn’t matter if you are permanently or temporarily homebound. Books, music and videos are delivered every three weeks at no charge.
For more information about Books @ Home, call the library’s Auburn Branch at (401) 781-6116 or visit www.cranstonlibrary.org/homebound-services.
Were you affected by COVID-19 and having trouble making your mortgage?
The city of Cranston, through the Department of Community Development and in partnership with CCAP, has funds available in the CDBG Emergency Mortgage Payment Program. This program assists low-income Cranston families earning under 80 percent of the median income who are at risk of losing their homes as a direct result of the COVID-19 Pandemic with up to six months of mortgage assistance.
For more information, call CCAP’s Social Services at (401) 467-7013.
The Cranston Hall library is looking for children up to age 5 and their caregivers to attend an outdoor Storytime. If you can join in Monday mornings at 10:30 at the William Hall Library, register through the events calendar on the library’s website, www.cranstonlibrary.org.
The program is designed so participants can practice social distancing, and masks are encouraged. Participants are encouraged to bring blankets or chairs and use umbrellas or sunscreen for sun protection.
The Cranston Public Library will be offering teens in grades six through 12 the chance to sign up for Wonderful Weekend kits. New kits will be announced every other Monday. To register, visit www.ow.ly/8Pfg50EgBG0.
Save the date – CCAP has announced plans to hold its 2021 Chip for Charity golf tournament on Wednesday, Sept. 15, at Harbor Light Golf Club in Warwick. Sponsorships and foursomes are available. For more details, contact CCAP’s Lee Beliveau at (401) 562-8353 or lbeliveau@comcap.org.
As a nonprofit community action program, CCAP needs to raise funds to assist families it serves. A large number of families CCAP serves have lost their jobs, suffered an illness, or experienced a different type of crisis, usually through no fault of their own. Last year, CCAP touched the lives of more than 40,000 people and provided over $1.2 million in uncompensated services.
Chip for Charity, presented by Neighborhood Health and Mutual of America, is CCAP’s largest fundraiser during the year to benefit its programs and services.
Be Kind RI is a new program that connects volunteers to their neighbors across Rhode Island through text alerts to coordinate food deliveries from grocery stores and food pantries. To sign up, go to BeKindRI.org. Volunteers must be 18 or older and undergo our background check. Be Kind RI is open to those in Rhode Island experiencing COVID-19 risk factors, including seniors 65 and older, anyone with underlying health conditions, those in quarantine or isolation, anyone experiencing a lack of childcare, and those who would otherwise experience difficulty in obtaining food. For assistance signing up, call 877-958-8785.
According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, we consider the Dog Days to be the 40 days beginning July 3 and ending August 11. This is soon after the Summer Solstice in late June, which of course also indicates that the worst summer heat will soon set in. (Source: Dog Days of Summer 2021)
To submit your news from the community, email Meri R. Kennedy at CranstonChatter@aol.com. This includes virtual events which should be submitted 2-3 weeks ahead of the event. Photos in jpg format are accepted and news can include community events, promotions, academic news and nonprofit events. Email today and see your news in our column in the Cranston Herald.
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