Trash and recycling pickup delay

Due to the snowstorm on Monday, Feb. 9, trash and recycling pickups will be delayed one day for the remainder of the week. Waste Management did not do any trash or recycling pickups on Monday. For the remainder of the week, normal Monday pickup will be on Tuesday, Tuesday pickup will be on Wednesday, Wednesday pickup will be on Thursday, Thursday pickup will be on Friday, and Friday pickup will be on Saturday.

Bring Your Own Improv

“Bring Your Own Improv,” an award-winning interactive improv show based in Warwick, will be performed in the Park View Middle School auditorium from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 12. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. The cost of admission is $3 for adults and $2 for children. The show is open to the public, and all ages are welcome. The show is sponsored by the Parent-Teachers of Park View, and ticket sales help support the school. The snow date for the performance is Feb. 26. Park View is located at 25 Park View Boulevard. For more information, email cheryl1257@gmail.com or visit www.bringyourownimprov.com.

Mid-Winter Steak Fry

The Knights of Columbus Council #1738 will host its Mid-Winter Steak Fry on Saturday, Feb. 21, starting at 6 p.m. at 1047 Park Ave. in Cranston. Tickets are $5 per person and can be purchased in advance, with a deadline of Feb. 17. For more information, call 401-944-9700.

Child restraint systems and installations

The Cranston Police Department has safekids.org certified child restraint technicians who will help you with your child’s car seat. Every Tuesday and Thursday between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. at Cranston police headquarters on Garfield Avenue, this service is offered free of charge to anyone who would like help installing their new car seat or reinstalling their current one to ensure that it is done properly. If you are interested, please contact the department’s Traffic Division at 401-942-2211 on the morning of the specific day that you wish to attend and confirm that the service is available.

For all Bain alumni

Please spread word and save the date! There will be a gathering of Bain alumni from all years at 6:30 p.m. March 27 at the Knights of Columbus hall on Park Avenue. Tickets are $25 per person, with more details to come. Meanwhile, the principal is asking for any pictures alumni have from their Bain years. A slide show is being created for the event. Please send any pictures you would like to share to jchanremka@cpsed.net. Stay tuned to Cranston Chatter for more information.

Century 21 adopts Operation Stand Down

Century 21 Realty Associates has voted to adopt Operation Stand Down Rhode Island as its charity for the year 2015. Each agent will donate a portion of their commission and the company will match that donation. All funds will be saved in a “Charity Account.” At a function toward the end of the year, Century 21 Realty Associates will present all funds collected to Operation Stand Down.

Founded in 1993, Operation Stand Down has grown to become Rhode Island’s innovative and leading non-profit organization dedicated to the mission of ending homelessness among veterans in our communities.

Cranston Public Library closed Presidents Day

All Cranston Public Library locations will be closed on Feb. 16 in observance of Presidents Day. All library locations will resume regular hours on Tuesday, Feb. 17.

How to Plan Your Wedding

The Warwick Public Library, located at 600 Sandy Lane in Warwick, will host “How to Plan Your Wedding: A Talk by Deborah Faith” from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 19. Let a professional show you how to create the wedding of your dreams. Find out how to organize a wedding that reflects your taste and style. Learn about themes, how to include loved ones and family, and how to pick a venue and vendor that fits your budget. Bring your planning binder for a fun and informative class. Deborah Faith is a Rhode Island-based wedding planner and nondenominational minister who has helped hundreds of couples arrange fantastic weddings. This event is free and open to all. For more information or to sign up, visit www.warwicklibrary.org.

Langevin announces 2015 high school art competition

For the 15th consecutive year, U.S. Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI) is hosting the Rhode Island Second Congressional District High School Art Competition. High school students who reside in the Second District are eligible to compete for a grand prize trip to Washington, D.C., a scholarship offer and the honor of having their work hang in the U.S. Capitol for one year beginning in June.

Every high school-aged student who lives in the Second District can submit one piece of art, which can fall into any of the following seven categories: paintings, drawings, collages, prints, mixed media, computer-generated art and photography. Submission guidelines can be found on Langevin’s website at Langevin.House.gov/serving-you/art-competition.

“We have so many passionate young artists in Rhode Island, and I look forward to seeing what they come up with for this year’s competition,” said Langevin, who has hosted an art competition each year since he took office. “We had a record number of submissions last year and I am hoping to attract even more students this time around. The arts are an important part of a well-rounded curriculum and I hope this opportunity helps students to improve their craft.”

Entries will be showcased at an awards ceremony at the Warwick Mall for all participating students, their families, teachers and school officials, on Sunday, April 12.

Participants must submit entries no later than 5 p.m. on Friday, March 27. Artwork will be accepted Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., at the Congressman’s District Office at 300 Centerville Road, Suite 200 South, Warwick, RI 02886. Students or art teachers with questions or concerns can contact Johanna Rodriguez via email at Johanna.Rodriguez@mail.house.gov or by phone at 401-732-9400.

Academic News & Notes

Congratulations to the following Cranston residents who have been named to the dean’s list for the fall 2014 semester at the University of Vermont: Sally Butler (psychological science), Mary Petronio (global studies) and Benjamin Cohen (anthropology).

Victor Phou of Cranston was recently recognized for achieving academic distinction at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Phou, majoring in civil engineering, was named to the dean’s list for the fall 2014 semester.

Recognizing outstanding student academic achievement, Assumption College has named more than 500 students to the undergraduate dean’s list for the fall 2014 semester. To earn a spot on the dean’s list, Assumption students must achieve a grade point average of 3.5 for a five-class, 15-credit semester. Congratulations to the following Cranston residents who earned that distinction: Lauren DelGrande, Megan Levesque, Carmino Riccio and Alaina Short.

Making the dean’s list at Worcester Polytechnic Institute were Cranston residents Jillian Proulx, a junior majoring in architectural engineering; Darien Khea, a senior majoring in mechanical engineering; and Joseph Heng, a sophomore majoring in chemical engineering.

Congratulations to the following Cranston residents making the dean’s list for fall 2014 at Coastal Carolina University: Lia Mallardo, a junior majoring in early childhood education; and Anthony Meo, a senior majoring in interdisciplinary studies.

Kyle Gallagher has made the dean’s list at Southern New Hampshire University for the fall 2014 semester.

Lauren Capezza of Cranston excelled during the fall 2014 semester, achieving a GPA of at least 3.5 to earn a spot on the dean’s list at Hofstra University in New York.

Congratulations to Christina Stephens of Cranston, who has been named to the dean’s list at The Catholic University of America’s School of Arts and Sciences for the fall 2014 semester. Stephens, a 2013 graduate of La Salle Academy, is a psychology major. She is the daughter of Scott and Donna Stephens.

Cookies and community

Members of the Rhode Island Jewish community will gather at the Phyllis Siperstein Tamarisk Assisted Living Residence at 3 Shalom Drive in Warwick on Sunday, Feb. 15 from 1:30 p.m. through 4 p.m. for Purim Mitzvah Day. 

The purpose is to bake more than 500 hamentashen – cookies, recognizable by their triangular shape, stuffed with poppy seed or fruit filling – with the goal of delivering the baked goods to friends and neighbors throughout the state. This act is meant to ensure that everyone has enough food to enjoy the traditional Purim feast. It is also seen as an opportunity to strengthen relationships among people.

“Because of its overwhelming success, Purim Mitzvah Day has become one of our most popular activities, drawing dozens of volunteers of every age and ability,” said Susan Adler, director of Jewish Eldercare of Rhode Island, a program of Jewish Seniors Agency.

In addition to baking, other activities will include decorating mishloach manot bags, a costume parade through the facility, and stories read by the Tamarisk residents to young children.

Purim is a festive Jewish holiday that commemorates a time when the Jewish people living in Persia were saved from extermination. This year, Purim is celebrated on Thursday, March 5 (beginning at sunset on March 4). Purim Mitzvah Day was started as a way to increase awareness and create a greater sense of community while helping others. It provides an opportunity for different generations to work collaboratively while performing a mitzvah, a term that literally means “commandment” and is the general term for a good deed or act of kindness.

This event is sponsored by the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island, the Phyllis Siperstein Tamarisk Assisted Living Residence, Jewish Seniors Agency and University of Rhode Island Hillel. For more information, contact Michelle Cicchitelli at mcicchitelli@jewishallianceri.org or 401-421-4111, ext. 178.

Did You Know?

More than 36 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate are sold for Valentine’s Day each year. On average, men shell out $130 each on candy, cards, jewelry, flowers and dates, which is more than double what women commit to spending. About 8 billion candy hearts will be produced this year; that’s enough candy to stretch from Rome, Italy to Valentine, Ariz., 20 times and back again. About 1 billion Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged in U.S. each year. That’s the largest seasonal card-sending occasion of the year, next to Christmas. (Source: Valentine Fun Facts)

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