Cranston Hall of Fame

The 29th induction ceremony for the Cranston Hall of Fame will be held Friday, Oct. 25 at the Alpine Country Club, located at 251 Pippin Orchard Road, Cranston.

This year’s inductees are Michael Chalek, David Schiappa, Meri Kennedy, Steven Maurano and the late Leonard D’Errico. Tickets cost $40 and must be purchased in advance.
For tickets or more information, contact Deborah Greifer at dgreifer@aol.com.

‘Screenagers’ to be shown at church

The Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation, located at 175 Oaklawn Ave. in Cranston, will host screenings of the movie “Screenagers” on Thursday, Sept. 26, and Friday, Sept. 27. Both screenings will run from 6:45-8:30 p.m. Tickets cost $5 and may be purchased at annunciationri.eventcombo.com.

The documentary film focuses on growing up in the digital age and the effects of “screen time” on teenagers. The film is not being shown in theaters or released on DVD, and is only being played at select venues.

For more information, visit annunciationri.org.

Soil testing at farmers market

Fall is the best time to plant grass seed for next year. The soil is still warm from months of summer sun. This combination of warm soil, moderate day temperatures and cool evenings encourages fast germination and establishment of newly sown grass seed. To make sure your newly planted lawn gets the most nutrients from your soil, a soil pH test should be performed as well.

On Friday, Sept. 27, and Friday, Oct. 25, bring soil samples to the Goddard State Park Farmers Market, located at 345 Ives Road in Warwick. University of Rhode Island Master Gardeners will be at the market from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and can provide pH results and soil texture analysis as well as provide recommendations for the gradual improvement of your soil’s pH and health.

For instructions on taking a soil sample or information on other testing locations, visit uri.edu/mastergardener/soil-testing-service.

Friends of the Poor Walk/Run

On Sunday, Sept. 29, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul will hold its 12th annual Friends of the Poor Walk/Run in Garden City Center, beginning at 10 a.m.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is a nonprofit volunteer organization providing person-to-person service to Rhode Islanders in need, offering material assistance, friendship, and dignity to all. Join in for music, food, and family fun, and don’t forget to bring toiletry and clothing donations to help local friends in need.
For more information or to register, visit svdpri.org/event/fopw2019.

Thunderbolt Marching Band Invitational

The Thunderbolt Marching Band Invitational, hosted by the Cranston East Alumni Music Association, will be held on Saturday, Oct. 12, at the Cranston Stadium from 4-8 p.m.

The event will feature seven of New England’s best high school marching bands, including Cranston East, Portsmouth and Westerly from Rhode Island and Dartmouth, Dennis-Yarmouth, Somerset Berkley and Blackstone-Millville from Massachusetts. The Thunderbolts will be performing their 2019 field show, “Pathways.”

The event will also feature food and a 50-50 raffle. Tickets cost $10 for adults and $8 for students and seniors. Children under 5 will be admitted at no cost. Gates open at 4 p.m. and the show begins at 5 p.m.

City to mark Hispanic Heritage Month

A celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month will be held Thursday, Oct. 3, at Cranston City Hall, located at 869 Park Ave.

The City Council in August adopted a resolution joining the national observance of Sept. 15-Oct. 15 Hispanic Heritage Month, and the event at City Hall will include an exhibition of work from Latino artists, a Latino-inspired poetry slam and performances from local folkloric groups.

For more information, visit the event’s page on Facebook, titled “Join Us: City of Cranston Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month.”

Pickleball this fall

The Cranston Parks and Recreation Department will be offering Pickleball at the Pastore Youth Center, located at 155 Gansett Ave., starting this fall. Games will be played Mondays and Wednesdays, noon to 2 p.m., from Sept. 30 to March 23, and Saturdays, 8 -11 a.m., from Oct. 5 to Nov. 16. If there is demand, additional time on Sunday afternoon/evening can be added once this session ends.

The fee is $3 per person per day. The program is open to Cranston residents and nonresidents. Three courts will be available to accommodate people of all skill levels.

For more information, visit the Parks and Recreation page on the city’s website, cranstonri.com.

Caregiver Support Group

The Cranston Enrichment Center, located at 1070 Cranston St., will hold a Caregiver Support Group meeting on the fourth Wednesday of each month from 1:15-2:15 p.m., beginning Wednesday, Sept. 25. Learn productive strategies for dealing with conflicts or tensions and seek out other caregivers. For more information, call 780-6253.

Bulky waste pickup

During the month of September, the city’s Department of Public Works offers residents an opportunity to have bulky waste items picked up free of charge, with certain restrictions.

Residents must call Waste Management at 800-972-4545 to schedule a free bulky waste pickup. Pickups are limited to one scheduled trip with up to three items per residential unit. Bulky waste does not include mattresses, construction debris, TVs or electronic goods, white goods or any household trash/garbage bags that would fit into a city-provided 65-gallon trash cart or overflow bags.

For more information, visit the city’s website, cranstonri.com.

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.

New theater program

The Cranston Parks and Recreation Department, in partnership with Living Arts Theater, will be offering an eight-week acting class for students in grades two through 10 at all experience levels. Through these process-based classes, students will learn acting techniques and build scene study and improv skills, as well as building ensemble-based collaboration skills.

The classes will be taught by the Living Art Summer Theater teaching artists and will culminate with an acting showcase for friends and families in Pastore Youth Center’s acting classroom.

The fall session will run on Saturdays at the Pastore Youth Center from Oct. 19 through Dec. 14. There will be no class on Nov. 30. Sessions run from 9 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. for grades two through five and from 10:30 a.m. to noon for grades six through 10.

The cost of the class is $110. There is a strict limit of 10 participants for each class. Once a class is filled, we will accept people on a wait list.

To register, please return the form on Parks and Recreation Department’s page on the city’s website, cranstonri.com, along with a check made payable to “City of Cranston” to the Parks and Recreation Department.

Youth basketball program

Registration is open for the Saturday Morning Basketball Program, which runs Saturday mornings from Nov. 23 through March 14.

This is an instructional program designed to teach the fundamentals of basketball. It is not a league and no teams will be formed.

The program will be held at the following times and locations:

Pastore Youth Center: grades one and two, 9-10 a.m.; kindergarten through grade one, 10:30-11:45 a.m.

Western Hills Middle School: grades three through five, 9-10:30 a.m.; grades six through eight, 10:30 a.m. to noon.

Park View Middle School: grades three through five, 8-9:30 a.m.; grade six, 9:30-11 a.m.

The registration fee is $25 per child. Registration forms are available for download on the Parks and Recreation Department’s page on the city’s website, cranstonri.com. Forms may be returned to the department’s office at the Pastore Youth Center.

Culinary training class

The Community Kitchen based at the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, 200 Niantic Ave., Providence, is now accepting applications for its next 14-week culinary training class that begins at the end of September 2019. The course runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.

This job-training program is intended for low-income, unemployed and underemployed adults. Learn kitchen, cooking, and safety skills (including ServSafe training) from experienced chef instructors. Practice your new skills at an internship in the local community. Get assistance with resumes, interviewing and your job search.

For more information and to apply, visit rifoodbank.org.

Free Jazz Concerts in Garden City

Celebrate the weekend with Garden City Center’s Free Jazz Concerts on Friday nights. Enjoy dinner at Bistro 22 or Applebee’s Grill & Bar, bring chairs and listen to the smooth sounds of jazz.

All concerts are held 6 to 8 p.m. in the courtyard. The schedule concludes with the Classic Five Quintet on Sept. 27. There are no rain dates.

For more information, visit gardencitycenter.com.

Zumbathon to celebrate the life of Mariella Major

The Cranston YMCA, located at 1225 Park Ave., will hold a Zumbathon charity event to celebrate the life of Mariella Major on Friday, Sept. 27, from 6-8 p.m.

Mariella was a beloved Zumba instructor at the Cranston YMCA. She fought a long, hard battle with cancer and sadly passed away at a young age. The YMCA was a huge part of her life, and she spent countless hours there making memories with the members.

All proceeds from Zumbathon event will support special projects at the Cranston YMCA that were near and dear to Major’s heart. This year’s project will focus on renovations the Kids Care/Babysitting Room.

To purchase tickets, visit the Cranston YMCA Welcome Center, call the branch at 943-0444 or go to YZumba.org.

Defenders of Animals yard sale

Defenders of Animals will hold its annual Community Yard Sale at the Edgewood Congregational Church, located at 1788 Broad St. in Cranston, on Saturday, Sept. 28, from 8 a.m. to noon.

Bowl For Kids’ Sake

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Rhode Island will host the fourth annual Bowl For Kids’ Sake event on Saturday, Sept. 28, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Lang’s Bowlarama, 225 Niantic Ave., Cranston. Participants are encouraged to register teams of five to participate in a private bowling party and raise donations from family, friends and colleagues leading up to the event with a fundraising goal of $100.

The fundraiser is being presented in part by MetLife Auto & Home, Savers and the Wireless Zone Foundation for Giving. Cindy and Anthony Capobianco are mentors and longtime supporters of BBBSRI, recognized in 2018 as Big Couple of the Year.

To participate in Bowl For Kids’ Sake, or to learn more about BBBSRI and the role that mentoring plays in the community, visit bigsri.org, email mentoring@bigsri.org or call 921-2434, ext. 101.

11th Holly Charette Motorcycle Run

The 11th annual Holly Charette Motorcycle Run will be held on Sunday, Sept. 29.

The ride will begin at the post office on Rolfe Square in Cranston and travel along scenic roads to the Rhode Island Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Exeter to honor Charette. The ride will then continue to Narragansett Town Beach before returning to the Crowne Plaza in Warwick for a dinner, raffles and the presentations of this year’s college scholarship recipients.

Charette, who joined the U.S. Marine Corps after Sept. 11, 2001, was 21 when her convoy was struck by a suicide bomber in Iraq in 2005. She was the first female Marine to lose her life during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

All proceeds from the event will benefit the Lance Cpl. Holly Charette Scholarship fund. This nonprofit organization was started in 2006 to remember and honor Charette. Each year, a student from Cranston High School East and Coventry High School receives a college scholarship in Charette’s name.

Registration begins at 8 a.m. and kickstands go up at 10 a.m. Tickets cost $30 a person and includes the ride, a T-shirt and dinner.
To purchase tickets, contact Ray Charette at 347-9619, Regina Roberts at 615-9265 or Ed Roberts at 623-1164.

Cranston East class of 1974 reunion

Cranston High School East’s class of 1974 will hold its 45th reunion on Friday, Oct. 4, at the Alpine Country Club, 251 Pippin Orchard Road, Cranston, beginning at 6 p.m. The cost is $65 per person, which includes a dinner buffet.

Checks should be payable to Denise Beauvais, 301 Oaklawn Ave., #205, Cranston, RI 02920. For more information, contact Sherry Caliri Ferdinandi at sherryferdinandicpa@gmail.com or 965-8700.

Cookbook Club at the library

The Cranston Public Library is excited to announce its new book club. 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 October, the club will be sampling recipes from “Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking” by Marcella Hazan. The October meeting will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 9, from 5:30-7 p.m. at the Central Library, located at 140 Sockanosset Cross Road.

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

Pilgrim High School class of 2009 reunion

The class of 2009 from Pilgrim High School in Warwick will celebrate its 10-year reunion on Saturday, Oct. 12, from 6-10 p.m. at Chelo’s Waterfront Bar & Grille, 1 Masthead Drive, Warwick.

Tickets cost $25 per person and must be purchased before Oct. 6 to guarantee entrance. Attendees are welcomed to bring a guest with the purchase of a separate ticket.

Tickets can be purchased at eventbrite.com. For more information, visit the class Facebook page or contact Jennifer Rawson (Kennedy) at jrkennedy81930 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Cranston Public Library’s Central Library, located at 140 Sockanosset Cross Road.

Attendees will have the opportunity to receive a free, private consultations with highly qualified professionals. In addition to one-on-one consultations, there will be workshops on a variety of financial topics throughout the day.

One-on-one consultations and workshops are free and attendees will be seen on a first come, first served basis. No registration is required.
For more information, visit cranstonlibrary.org.

Mt. Pleasant High School 60th reunion

The class of 1959 from Mt. Pleasant High School will hold its 60th reunion on Saturday, Oct. 19, from 1-5 p.m. at Cucina Rustica, located at 555 Atwood Ave. in Cranston. For more information, email MarjeCatanzaro@gmail.com.

St. Xavier class of 1969 reunion

St. Xavier Academy’s class of 1969 will celebrate its 50th reunion on Sunday, Oct. 20. Classes who graduated in years ending in 9 and 4 will be honored as well. A Mass will be held at 11 a.m. at St. Timothy Church in Warwick followed by lunch at Quidnessett Country Club in North Kingstown. All graduates are invited to attend. For additional information, call Margaret Mathias at 232-9006.

Chopstick Auction

The annual Chopstick Auction at Kelley Gazzerro VFW Post 2812, located at 1418 Plainfield Pike in Cranston, will be held on Sunday, Oct. 20, from 12-4 p.m. For a cost of $20, attendees will be able to participate in more than 100 raffles. Proceeds will benefit nonprofit community organizations.

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.

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?

Fall colors are caused by the amount of sugar in leaves. The redder in the leaf, the more sugar that leaf is storing. That is why Maple trees are so vibrant. Evergreens don’t change because their leaves have a thick wax covering that protects the chlorophyll (green) in the leaves. (Source: Fall 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 include 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.