Cranston Chatter

By MERI R. KENNEDY
Posted 6/26/19

By MERI R. KENNEDY New Hope Art Gallery shows The spring show at New Hope Art Gallery, located at the Cranston Enrichment Center at 1070 Cranston St., runs through Friday, July 5. Regular gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.,

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New Hope Art Gallery shows

The spring show at New Hope Art Gallery, located at the Cranston Enrichment Center at 1070 Cranston St., runs through Friday, July 5. Regular gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., except holidays.

The gallery’s summer show opens with a reception to be held from 4-7:30 p.m. on July 30. An open call for summer show entries will be held Monday, July 8, through Wednesday, July 10, between the hours of 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. each day.

The entry fee is $10 per artist for up to five ready-to-hang pieces. There are no commissions on sales. New artists are welcome to show, and returning artists can pick up art from the spring show at the same time.

Author to visit Central Library

Cranston Public Library’s Central Library, 140 Sockanosset Cross Road, will welcome author Juliet Grames on Saturday, June 29, from 3-4 p.m.

Meet the author and learn about the colorful, memorable Italians and Italian Americans who populate her debut novel, “The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna.” Called “sharp and richly satisfying” by Publishers Weekly, the book “explores not just the immigrant experience but the stages of a woman’s life,” depicting the “story of an ‘ordinary’ woman who is anything but.”

This event is free and open to the public, and copies of the book will be for sale. For more information, visit cranstonlibrary.org.

Trip to Foxwoods

The Cranston Senior Guild is planning a July 24 trip to Foxwoods. The cost is $27 per person, which included roundtrip transportation on a deluxe motor coach bus, a free buffet or $10 food coupon to any of the casino’s restaurants, and $10 in bonus slot play (subject to change).

The bus to Foxwoods will depart from the Rhode Island Mall near the Burlington location at 9:15 a.m. and return at 3:15 p.m. Payment must be received by July 6, and those interested in joining the trip are advised to reserve a spot early. For more information, call Sunny at 785-0748.

Dementia Friendly Community Series

The Cranston Enrichment Center, located at 1070 Cranston St., will host a Dementia Friendly Community Series on Tuesdays at 1:30 p.m. in the weeks ahead. The series will explore the faces of memory loss.

“Memory Loss: The Basics” will be held on July 9, followed by “Medically Caused Dementia” on July 23. “Dementia & Hearing Loss” will be held Aug. 6, and the series concludes with “A Caregiver’s Journey” on Aug. 20. Support for the Dementia Friendly Community Series is provided by a grant from Tufts Health Plan Foundation.

For more information, visit cranstonseniorcenter.com.

Summer concerts at William Hall Library

The lineup has been announced for this year’s free summer concert series at the William Hall Library, 1825 Broad St., Cranston.

Concerts will be held on Thursday nights from 6:30-8 p.m. Acoustic Drive performs on July 11, followed by The Neo Retro Band on July 18, Nightlife Orchestra on July 25, Cee Cee and the Riders on Aug. 1 and John Connor and the Irish Express on Aug. 8.

Additionally, William Hall Library will host free “Concerts for Kids and Kids at Heart” on Tuesdays from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Billy Harley will perform on July 9 and the Toe Jam Puppet Band will perform July 30.

Attendees are advised to bring a blanket or chairs for use on the library’s lawn. For additional information, visit cranstonlibrary.org or contact Adrienne Gallo Girard at 781-2450 or hall@cranstonlibrary.org.

14th One Act Play Festival at Artists’ Exchange

Artists’ Exchange’s One Act Play Festival returns next month for its 14th season.

The festival runs from July 11-27 at Theatre 82, 82 Rolfe Square, Cranston. It will feature 10 original one-act plays written by local, regional, and national playwrights and performed by an ensemble of 27 actors of all ages, abilities and acting experience.

Performances will be held Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $15 in advance and $20 at the door. A beer and wine cash bar will be available before and during the show.

The festival’s directors are Jessica Chace, Tom Chace, Lauren Annicelli and Rhiannon Annin, with original music by Parker Chace and lighting design by Alexander Sprague.

The 2019 plays and their authors are “Game Changer” by Kay Ellen Bullard of Lincoln; “Top Shelf Tolstoy” by Maximillian Gill of Sunnyside, New York; “Up in the Air” by Ben Jolivet of Providence; “FOMO” by Rhea MacCallum of Downey, California; “/ärt/” by Steven G. Martin of Lafayette, Indiana; “When I Grow Up, I Want to Be a Christmas Tree” by Rich Orloff of New York City; “Family by Numbers” by Arianna Rose of Miami Beach, Florida; “Putt-Putt” by George Sapio of Spencer, New York; “The Stand” by Caity-Shea Violette of Boston; and “The Monster Under the Bed” by Joseph Vitale of Denville, New Jersey.

For more information, call 490-9475 or visit artists-exchange.org.

Free hearing aid contest

Beltone New England will celebrate the Fourth of July by giving away a pair of hearing aids to one lucky winner to make their holiday special.

The contest has begun and will end on July 12. The public is invited to submit an online nomination of 200 words or more stating why they believe their nominee is deserving of winning a free pair of hearing aids. Entries are being accepted at beltonene.com/giveaway.

“We are excited to select a deserving Fourth of July winner to change their life for the better,” said Michael Andreozzi, CEO of Beltone New England.

Beltone has eight locations covering the entire state and its corporate headquarters is located in Warwick.

The contest winner will be notified by July 31 and announced on Beltone’s Facebook page at a later date. The hearing aids selected as the prize will be based on the results of a complete hearing evaluation of the winner.

Community Builders Grant Program

OneCranston, an initiative of the Comprehensive Community Action Program, has announced the launch the second annual Community Builders Grant Program.

Through the program, OneCranston seeks to identify and partner with residents interested in bringing neighbors together to complete projects that improve their communities. Grants can fund a variety of neighborhood-based activities, including neighborhood cleanups, beautification projects, cultural events or celebrations, enhancement or creation of public spaces, and school improvements.

Grants of up to $1,000 are available. Applications must be submitted no later than July 12. To apply, visit comcap.org.

Baseball writer, historian to speak at Sprague Mansion

On Tuesday, July 16, the Cranston Historical Society will host baseball writer and historian Steven Krasner at 7 p.m. at the Governor Sprague Mansion, located at 1351 Cranston St.

Krasner, a Cranston native, will discuss the history of local and regional baseball teams. For many years, he covered the Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots as a sportswriter for the Providence Journal and then as a freelancer for ESPN Boston. long the way, he began writing children’s books, some of which have a baseball theme.

For more information, call 944-9226 or visit cranstonhistoricalsociety.org.

Large print books, audiobooks for children at library

The Cranston Public Library recently unveiled its new collection of large print books and audiobooks for children.

The collection, purchased with funds from the Joseph B. Merrick Fund at the Rhode Island Foundation and housed at the Central and William Hall branches, consists of over 50 popular titles.

Large print and audio books are shown to be beneficial for readers who struggle with traditional print, including those with low vision, emerging readers, new English readers, and those who have conditions like dyslexia.

William Hall children’s librarian Elise Petrarca became aware of the demand for large print youth materials through a patron. The patron was looking for large print children’s books for her third-grade daughter, who has dyslexia. They were having trouble finding books that were of interest to her daughter, as many were intended for younger children or were not current.

Petrarca was able to find collections at other libraries to borrow from, but felt that Cranston, being such a large system, should have a large print children’s collection of its own.

She wrote up a proposal for Merrick Fund support to cover the purchase of two starter collections – one for Central, one for William Hall, with about 25 books each. Included in the collection are older core titles as well as new titles and a few series like “Wimpy Kid,” “Harry Potter,” “Land of Stories” and Percy Jackson books.

In addition to the print books, the library also purchased complimentary audiobooks and playaways with a legislative grant from House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello.

The materials will be available to library users across Rhode Island because of the Library of Rhode Island delivery service and Ocean State Libraries, which facilities resource sharing among Rhode Island libraries.

For more information, visit cranstonlibrary.org.

Craft Bash at Artists’ Exchange

The Artists’ Exchange, 50 Rolfe Square, Cranston, invites families to take part in free Crash Bash events on the last Saturday of every month. The expressive arts can work as a tool for strengthening students’ skills in all disciplines by offering alternative ways to think about core subjects.

Craft Bash is free and open to all ages and abilities. For more information, call 490-9475 or visit artists-exchange.org.

CCAP Chip for Charity tournament

The Comprehensive Community Action Program will host its fifth annual Chip for Charity Golf Tournament & Million Dollar Hole-in-One Contest on Thursday, Sept. 12, at Habor Lights in Warwick.

The event is CCAP’s largest fundraiser to support its programs and services. To register or for more information on sponsorship opportunities, contact Lee Beliveau at 562-8353 or lbeliveau@comcap.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. 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.

Reusable bag program to boost CCAP Food Bank

CCAP’s Food Bank has been selected to be a part of the Shaw’s supermarket “Give Back Where It Counts” reusable bag program, which is designed to make it easy for customers to contribute to their local community while supporting the environment. For the month of May, each time a reusable “Give Back Where It Counts” bag is purchased at the Shaw’s located at 8 Chapel View Blvd. in Cranston, $1 will be donated to CCAP's Food Bank, unless otherwise directed by the customer through the giving tag.

Philharmonic Youth Wind Ensemble auditions

The Rhode Island Philharmonic Youth Wind Ensemble is currently hosting auditions for students in grades seven through 12 for two groups – the Wind Ensemble, directed by John Knasas, and the Symphonic Winds, directed by Dr. David Neves.

Both directors are nationally recognized music educators and conductors, and provide a joyful, uplifting, All-State quality musical experience every week.

The Philharmonic Youth Wind Ensemble, part of the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra and Music School program, performs three concerts during the school year. Its members are recognized as being among the best players in Rhode Island.

For more information, contact manager Chelsea Anderson at canderson@riphil.org or Neves at dneves@ri-philharmonic.org.

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?

With July just around the corner and plans being made for Fourth of July celebrations, here are some historical events from July in years past: U.S. postage stamps went on sale for the first time in (1847); taxes begin to be withheld from paychecks (1943); ZIP codes go into use (1963); “The Lawrence Welk Show” premieres on television. (1955); baseball great Joe DiMaggio hits his first grand slam (1937); the bikini makes its debut at a Paris fashion show (1946).

Stay tune for more July Fun Facts! (Source: July Fun Facts)

To submit your news from the community, email Meri R. Kennedy at CranstonChatter@aol.com. Photos in jpg format are accepted and news can range from community events, promotions, academic news and nonprofit events. Email today and see your news in our column in the Cranston Herald. Please include a daytime telephone number in case we require any further information. Be sure to check out our website at cranstononline.com.

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