St. Mary’s Feast

Join in on the 109th annual feast in Honor of La Madonna Della Civita (St. Mary’s Feast in Knightsville) from July 16-20. The feast and carnival will be held daily (evening hours on weekdays and all day on weekend days) with an outdoor Mass and candlelight procession on July 18. On Sunday, July 20, there will be the parade procession after a Mass in Honor of La Madonna Della Civita at 10 a.m. at St. Mary’s Church. Fireworks will be held at 9 p.m. on Sunday. There is no charge to attend St. Mary’s Feast.

Car Wash

The Cranston High School East class of 2017 will hold a car wash on Saturday, July 19 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The cost will be $5. The rain date is scheduled for July 26.

Lt. Jim Pagano Foundation Charity Golf Outing 2014

The memory of Jim Pagano will always be a part of the Cranston community. The Pagano family established the Lt. Jim Pagano Charitable Foundation in memory of Jim Pagano, a 17-year veteran of the Cranston Fire Department who was killed in 2008 at his child’s birthday party. The foundation will raise money to fund character-development programs for children K-12 in academics, athletics, cultural education and physical/behavioral wellness. The concept for the foundation’s mission arose from the need to assist the neighborhood children who witnessed the tragic event on May 18, 2008, with the vast life challenges that ensued.

There will be a Champions Charity Dinner at the Alpine Country Club on Aug. 11, with a cocktail reception at 6 p.m. and dinner at 7 p.m. Dinner will include antipasto stations, pasta stations, carving/entrée stations, dessert and coffee. The evening will also feature live entertainment, silent auction and raffles. Tickets are $50 per person.

Call Lisa Pagano at 401-447-9505 or lisapagano1@verizon.net by Aug. 4 for reservations.

Homeless Animals Day and Candlelight Vigil in Cranston

Barbara Morse Silva of NBC10 will be the emcee at Defenders of Animals’ 20th annual Homeless Animals Day/Candlelight Vigil on Aug. 16 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Governor Sprague Mansion in Cranston. They will be honoring fire and police personnel throughout Rhode Island who have rescued animals. Officers will be receiving plagues from Defenders of Animals. This will be a very special event. It’s free and open to the public. For more information, contact 401-461-1922.

Cranston Chamber of Commerce to host a Taste of Garden City

The Greater Cranston Chamber of Commerce has announced upcoming events. July’s Business After Hours will be held at Brutopia, Cranston’s only micro-brewery, on the 21st. You can sample the different beers, take a tour of the brewery and smokehouse as well as network with your fellow business professionals. And in August, in partnership with Garden City Center, they will present what will be the most delicious networking event of the summer – “A Taste of Garden City.” The event will be held on Aug. 18 outdoors at the Gazebo, and the rain date is Aug. 19.

Project Undercover with Cranston Knights of Columbus

In Rhode Island, 45,000 kids don’t have access to clean, new underwear, socks and diapers. Cranston Knights of Columbus #1738 (est. 1914) will be holding Project Undercover, which provides these necessities to children living in poverty. Bring all brand new and unopened packages of undergarments, socks and diapers to the boxes at the Council Home on Park Avenue.

RI pre-K program

The Cranston-based Comprehensive Community Action Program (CCAP) has been chosen to operate a pre-kindergarten program classroom during the 2014-15 school year. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education chose sites within targeted communities to provide children with access to pre-K education programs. There will be 18 children enrolled in the classroom, and they will be selected through a state-supervised lottery. Children will be assigned to a classroom in their community of residence.

If you have a child who is a Cranston resident and will be four years old by Sept. 1, you may enter their name in a lottery to receive one year of free, high-quality preschool education. You must submit an application no later than Aug. 6 in order to be part of this lottery.

Applications are available now at the Cranston Child Development Center, located at 848 Atwood Ave. in Cranston. For questions or more information, call 401-222-8184 or visit www.ride.ri.gov.

Big Brothers Big Sisters mentor recruitment

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ocean State is continuing its drive to recruit male and female mentors for the approximately 100 children who are currently on the waiting list. Boys and girls ages seven to 15 throughout the state 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 match support specialist at mentoring@bbbsos.org or 401-921-2434.

Open-Air activities scheduled in Pawtuxet Village

The talent is set, and Pawtuxet Park is ready for another season of summer open-air activities sponsored by Friends of Pawtuxet Village. The summer series has begun and is held every Wednesday evening between 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. There is no charge.

The final event of the summer series sponsored by Friends of Pawtuxet Village is the third annual Theater in the Park, featuring The Players of The Barker Playhouse on Aug. 22 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. The theater company will be presenting a review of four to six one-act scenes taken from various Broadway shows, along with two original one-act plays by local actor/writers.

These concerts are hosted by O’Rourke’s Bar & Grille in conjunction with the Pawtuxet Village Merchants Association. For more details, visit www.friendsofpawtuxetvillage.org or email info@friendsofpawtxuetvillage.org.

Academic News & Notes

Congratulations to Katherine Reilly of Cranston, who earned a spot on the dean’s list at Fairfield University in Connecticut.

The following Cranston residents were named to the dean’s list at Salve Regina University in Newport during the spring 2014 semester at Salve Regina University: Olivia Barbero, Justin Burde, Jordan Robison, John King, Stephanie McIntosh, Samantha Antone, Brittany Lyons, Helena Zaharakos and Jenna Ceraldi.

Curry College is proud to announce that Victoria Capezza of Cranston has been named to the dean’s list for the spring 2014 semester.

Did You Know?

“The Dog Days of Summer” refers to the weeks between July 3 and Aug. 11. They are named after the Dog Star (Sirius) in the constellation of Canis Major. (Source: Sumer Fun Facts)

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