Sun Rise Scoops

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By MERI R. KENNEDY

Chinese New Year for

children and families

On Feb. 28, from 11 a.m. to noon, the Marian J. Mohr Memorial Library, located at 1 Memorial Ave., will feature the Phoenix Performing Arts, which will present a Chinese New Year celebration with dance and music. The program is geared for ages five and up. Please register by calling 401-231-4980, ext. 5.

Johnston Historical

Society general meeting

The next general meeting of the Johnston Historical Society will include author Dr. Edward A. Iannuccilli as the speaker. In his talk, “Good Times and Sunday Dinner,” he will tell the story of immigration to this country, featuring anecdotes from his own family and stories in his books. Iannuccilli is the author of “Growing Up Italian,” “Grandfather’s Fig Tree and Other Stories” and “What Ever Happened to Sunday Dinner and Other Stories.” The meeting will be held Feb. 25 at the Johnston Historical Society, located at 101 Putnam Pike in Johnston. For more information, contact Louis McGowan at 401-231-3380. The meeting is free and open to the public.

Harry Potter Club

The Harry Potter Club at the Mohr Library has been reschedule to March 2 at 6:30 p.m. Mix up special potions such as the Secret Snitcher potion and Dragon Poison, embark on a Harry Potter Scavenger Hunt and test your knowledge at Harry Potter Trivia. The program is geared to ages three and up, and registration is required by calling 401-231-4980, ext. 5.

RI Pink Heals

Annual Ball

RI Pink Heals, which is comprised of both male and female members of local fire and police departments in support of women with cancer, will hold its fourth annual Pink Heals Ball on May 1 at the Crowne Plaza Grand Ballroom in Warwick.

The event will begin at 6 p.m. Dinner will be served at 6:45 p.m. with a selection of one of the following: boneless chicken, baked scrod, prime rib or vegetarian.

The dress code is formal/semi-formal with men in Class A uniform or suit and women in gowns or similar attire. The cost is $50 per person ($500 per table) with open seating unless a full table is purchased (tables of 10). Music will be provided by DJ Eric Anthony of Sounds Spectacular DJ Service.

For tickets, please call Matt Medeiros at 401-692-0272 or Chris Seelenbrandt at 401-578-5498, or visit www.ripinktrucks.com by April 24. All proceeds benefit the women battling cancer in Rhode Island and their families.

 

St. Brigid’s Italian

Festival rescheduled

The Social Ministry of St. Brigid’s Church at 1235 Plainfield St. in Johnston has rescheduled its Italian Festival fundraiser in honor of the church’s 100th anniversary. Originally scheduled for Feb. 22, the event has been postponed to Sunday, March 22 at 12:30 p.m. due to the recent unsettled weather. The festival will take place at the church hall on Plainfield Street. Marchetti’s Restaurant in Cranston is donating a five-course Italian dinner, which will include desert and coffee as well as a raffle. Prices are $20 for adults, $12 for those between the ages of six and 12, and no cost for those under age six. Tickets will be sold prior to and after the Saturday 5 p.m. Mass and Sundays after the 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Masses. They can also be obtained by calling 401-944-3645 or 401-944-3945. For those who purchased tickets and find March 22 inconvenient, a refund can be obtained by calling 401-944-6778.

Academic News & Notes

Juliana Johnson from Johnston has been named to the University of Delaware’s dean’s list for the 2014 fall semester.

New England Institute of Technology is pleased to announce the following students who have achieved dean’s list status for the quarter ending Dec. 20, 2014. Congratulations to Johnston residents Ashley Flowers, Natalie Fuller, Matteo Marino, George Melidossian Jr., Luis Natareno, Rafael Pena, Savannah Sousa, Jason Stout and Jared Venticinque.

St. Patrick’s/St. Joseph’s

Celebration

Blessed Sacrament Church in Providence will hold its fifth annual St. Patrick’s/St. Joseph’s Celebration on Sunday, March 15 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Church Hall. The gathering will feature an Irish/Italian buffet, including corned beef/cabbage, meatballs/pasta, salad, coffee and dessert. There will be a cash bar, door prize and raffles. Entertainment will be provided by the Noel Henry Irish Showband. Cost for adults is $30, and for children 12 and under is $10. Advance sales only by March 6. Call 401-751-7575.

100th Anniversary

Fun Day

The Social Ministry of St. Brigid’s Church, 1231 Plainfield St. in Johnston, proudly presents Cosmic Bowling for families and friends on March 21 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., with a check-in time at 1:45 p.m. at the Johnston Town Hall Lanes, 1463 Atwood Ave. in Johnston.

With a donation of $10 per person, participants will enjoy free admission, two hours of duckpin bowling, a shoe rental, cosmic lights, music, a raffle and a pizza party along with chips and soft drinks.

Sale of tickets will begin this week prior to and after the Saturday 5 p.m. Mass and Sundays after the 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Masses. Checks are to be made out to St. Brigid’s Church, and registration can also be made by calling 401-944-6778.

Breaking boards for MS

A special event will take place on March 21 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. at Traditional Martial Arts, located at 1099 Park Ave. Right now, the students are selling breaking boards for $5 a piece, and pledge to break all the boards that they sell. The hope is that each student will sell about 10 boards. The net profits – the boards cost $2 each, so the $3 profit per board – will be donated to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to go towards cutting-edge research on MS and support for those battling the disease.

To make a donation, call the dojo at 401-219-0166. Checks should be made payable to Traditional Martial Arts RI, as they will the cut a check to the MS Society. The day of the event they will also have some raffle baskets, and the profits from that will also be donated.

 

Join the Chamber

Bowling League

The new Central Chamber of Commerce Bowling League began on Feb. 8 at Town Hall Lanes, located at 1463 Atwood Ave. in Johnston. Join them for some laughs and fun, and of course networking. The league will play every Sunday evening at 7 p.m. at Town Hall Lanes. To reserve a spot, call 401-349-4674. Spouses or friends are welcome.

Did You Know?

The Chinese New Year has been celebrated in China for thousands of years. The original story tells of a lion-like monster named Nian that terrorized Chinese villagers. One year, a wise monk advised the villagers to use loud noises along with red paper cutouts hung over their doors to scare Nian away. This worked and the villagers were able to defeat Nian. The day that Nian was defeated became the start of the New Year.

In 1912 the Chinese government moved to the western Gregorian calendar. Because Jan. 1 was now the start of the year, they changed the name of Chinese New Year to the Spring Festival. In 1949, when Mao Zedong founded the People’s Republic of China, he felt the celebration was too religious. As a result, the holiday wasn’t celebrated on mainland China for many years. However, with reforms in the late 1980s, the festival was resumed. Today it is once again the most popular holiday in China. The Chinese New Year was Feb. 19 this year; the Year of the Goat. (Source: February Fun Facts)

To submit your news from the community, e-mail Meri R. Kennedy at SunriseScoops@aol.com. Photos in jpg format are accepted and news can range from community events, promotions, academic news and non-profit events. E-mail today and see your news in our column in the Johnston Sunrise! Please include a daytime telephone number in case we require any further information.

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