City’s Christmas Tree Lighting rescheduled

In the wake of this week’s winter storm, Mayor Allan Fung has announced that the city’s annual Christmas Tree Lighting will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 10, at City Hall, 869 Park Ave. The event had originally been scheduled for Dec. 3.

The event begins at 6 p.m. with musical performances, followed by the tree lighting at 6:45 p.m. and Santa’s arrival at 6:50 p.m. There is no cost, and parking is available behind City Hall. For more information, visit cranstonri.com.

Bolts Bazaar

For the third year, the Bolts Bazaar is returning for the holiday season at Cranston High School East, 899 Park Ave. This year’s event, being held on Saturday, Dec. 14, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., will feature more than 50 local vendors as well as raffles, children’s activities and more.

The event is free, and the first 50 guests will receive a free “swag bag” filled with samples, coupons and special offers from local businesses. There will also be a children’s area with activities such as face painting and holiday book reading, and children can be watched in this area while parents shop.

At noon, Santa will be strolling the event to greet guests of all ages. There will additionally be light refreshments and snacks available in the cafeteria.

All proceeds from the event will support Cranston East. For more information, visit the event’s Facebook page, “Bolts Bazaar.”

Christmas meals for seniors

The Cranston Department of Senior Services is seeking community volunteers to deliver Christmas meals to local seniors. Last year, more than 250 seniors received meals through the effort.

Meal deliveries will take place on Monday, Dec. 23, starting at 10 a.m. They will be distributed from the dining room of the Cranston Enrichment Center at 1070 Cranston St.

For more information or to volunteer, contact Karen Porto at 780-6159 or kporto@cranstonri.org. Volunteers are asked to provide their name, address and phone number in a voicemail or email.

Garden City Center Holiday Strolls

Garden City Center will host its annual Holiday Strolls on Friday, Dec. 6, and Saturday, Dec. 7, from 6-8 p.m. The festivities will include strolling carolers, ice carving and of course, Santa Claus. For more information, visit gardencitycenter.com.

Holidays in Pawtuxet Village

Enjoy the holiday season in Pawtuxet Village with several community events.

On Saturday, Dec. 7, a Holiday Stroll – part of the #BuyLocalRI campaign – will be held from noon to 6 p.m. Participating businesses in the village will offer special discounts, refreshments and music.

At 5 p.m., visitors are asked to bring canned goods or other nonperishable food items during a visit with Santa at the Pawtuxet Park Gazebo. There will also be a Christmas carol sing-along with the Pilgrim High School Alumni Chorale.

At 5:30 p.m., the luminarias will be lit around the tree. After a moment of silence, the tree will be lit up. Note: This is the lighting of the small tree close to the parkway and not the large tree next to the Gazebo.

For the tree lighting only, the rain date is Sunday, Dec. 8 at 5:30 p.m. For more information, visit friendsofpawtuxetvillage.org.

‘Make It and Take It’ ornament session

On Saturday, Dec. 7, from noon to 1:30 p.m., the Cranston YMCA will host a children’s “Make It and Take It” ornament session in the conference room of the Pastore Youth Center, 155 Gansett Ave., Cranston.

Space is limited and the cost is $3 per child. Reservations are required by calling 780-6169 or emailing rlynch@cranstonri.org.

Parents are welcome to stay during the event. A parent or adult is required to stay if a child needs one-on-one attention with paint, glue or scissors.

Immediately following the event, participants will spend roughly half an hour decorating the Christmas tree in the lobby and enjoying juice and snacks.

Breakfast with Santa

Join Santa Claus for breakfast on Sunday, Dec. 8, at Newport Creamery in Garden City Center. The free event will begin at 8:30 a.m. and run to 10:30 a.m.

Tree lighting at the Oaklawn Grange

Join in the festivities during the annual Oaklawn Grange tree lighting ceremony, which will be held on Thursday, Dec. 12, at 6 p.m. Included in the fun will be a visit from Santa Claus and horse drawn carriage rides from New Deal Farms through Oaklawn village.

Smile Doll Bazaar

The Cranston Enrichment Center, located at 1070 Cranston St., will host a Smile Doll Bazaar on Thursday, Dec. 5, and Friday, Dec. 6, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. This is a perfect opportunity to purchase many handmade items from members of the senior community in Cranston. There will be afghans, scarf and hat sets, an Elephant table, Smile Dolls and much more. There will also be a 50/50 raffle and basket raffle every day from Dec. 2 to Dec. 6 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The drawing will be held Dec. 6 at 11:30 a.m. in the center’s lunchroom, and entrants do not need to be present to win.

Woodridge Church to honor local artist

On Saturday, Dec. 7, Woodridge Congregational United Church of Christ, 546 Budlong Road, will be hosting a special afternoon event honoring the work of Rhode Island artist Maxwell Mays. The evening will feature a lecture by longtime personal friend Bill Comeau and an opportunity to purchase prints of Mays’s work. The lecture will begin at 2 p.m., followed by an open house. For more information, contact Comeau at RevDrBill1@gmail.net or 419-2848.

Warwick Center for the Arts Winter Sale

The Warwick Center for the Arts Winter Art Sale will be held from Saturday, Dec. 7, through Saturday, Dec. 14, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, at its location at 3259 Post Road in Warwick. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit warwickcfa.org.

CCAP Adopt-a-Family and Giving Tree Programs

The Comprehensive Community Action Program is again organizing its annual Adopt-a-Family Program. Although reports say that the economy has improved, local families continue to struggle. The Adopt-a-Family Program helps hundreds of local families during the holidays.

CCAP makes it easy for members of the community to help families in need in two ways – adopting a family and being provided with their wish list, or making a monetary donation to support a family. A $300 gift will support an entire family, and any amount can make a difference.

All donations are due by Friday, Dec. 12, at CCAP’s location at 311 Doric Ave., Cranston, RI 02910. For more information, contact Joanne Gregory at 562-8333 or jgregory@comcap.org.

Pickleball schedule change

The Cranston Parks and Recreation Department is offering Pickleball at the Pastore Youth Center, located at 155 Gansett Ave. It will be held on Sundays from 4:30-7:30 p.m. starting Dec. 1 and running through March 21. Monday and Wednesday times of noon to 2:15 p.m. will remain unchanged through the winter.

The fee is $3 per person per day. The program is open to Cranston residents and nonresidents. For more information, visit the Parks and Recreation page on the city’s website, cranstonri.com.

Historical Society selling special holiday ornaments

The Cranston Historical Society is starting a new holiday tradition. Each year, it will be creating and selling a Christmas tree ornament celebrating a remarkable aspect of Cranston.

This year’s ornaments depict Sprague Mansion. Proceeds from the sale of the ornaments will support the society’s programs and preservation efforts.

To purchase a limited-edition ornament, visit cranstonhistoricalsociety.org or call the society at 944-9226.

Cranston High School class of 1960 reunion

Cranston High School’s class of 1960 plans to hold its 60th reunion on Sept. 12, 2020, at the Cranston Country Club. The cost will be $50 per person. For more information, contact Joan Farmanian Fratterelli at 349-3922.

Toys and Tunes

Drop by Oak Lawn Branch Library, 230 Wilbur Ave., on Friday mornings from 10-11:30 a.m. this fall for Toys and Tunes, a play time program with music and stories. The program is open to ages 0-5 with a parent/caregiver. Registration is not required. For more information, visit cranstonlibrary.org.

Cookbook Club at the library

The Cranston Public Library’s Cookbook Club is a new book club for adults with a tasty twist. In this club, participants will read a different cookbook each month and come together to share the tasty recipes that lie inside their pages.

For more information or to sign up, contact Corrie at 943-9080, ext. 129, or calves@cranstonlibrary.org.

Delivery of library books

The Cranston Public Library will deliver any item that has a three-week loan period. Patrons never pay a late fee or fine because the library picks up all the materials within that three-week time frame.

Volunteers deliver books in regular or large print, as well as audiobooks, magazines, music CDs and documentary DVDs, to any homebound Cranston resident living in their own home. Due to concerns about chain of custody, the library is unable to deliver to nursing homes or assisted living facilities. To register or to become a volunteer driver, contact Karen McGrath at 781-6116 or karenmcgrath@cranstonlibrary.org.

Caregiver volunteers needed

Volunteers are being sought to provide respite services for homebound seniors. Services include providing companionship, running errands and providing transportation to medical appointments.

If you are interested in becoming an RSVP caregiver volunteer, contact Karen at 780-6159 for an interview. Volunteers must be 55 years of age or older and a BCI check is required. A mileage reimbursement is provided to cover the cost to travel.

St. David’s hall rentals

St. David’s on-the-Hill Episcopal Church, located at 200 Meshanticut Valley Parkway in Cranston, offers affordable rates to rent its upper and lower halls for events of all kinds. For more information, visit stdavidsonthehill.net/hall-rental or contact the church office Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at 942-4368.

Family health services at CCAP

Tired of ineffective yet expensive medical care? Check out Family Health Services at the Comprehensive Community Action Program. CCAP offers affordable, 24/7, professional family health and dentistry services. The experienced staff includes physicians, nurse practitioners and other health care professionals who are caring, compassionate and highly skilled. New patients are welcome. For more information, call 384-6007.

Did you know?

The first known instances of using Christmas trees were in 16th century Germany. A picture from Germany in 1521 shows a tree being paraded through the streets with a man riding a horse behind it. The man is dressed as a bishop, possibly representing St. Nicholas. (Source: December Fun Facts)

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