On Thursday, May 26, there will be a free concert at the Mohr Library featuring Lloyd Kaplan’s Aristocats at 6:30 p.m. The group has been together for almost 20 years, and plays songs from the Great American Songbook in a swing/jazz style. Featured are Nat Piccirilly (guitar and banjo), Bob Petteruti (upright bass), Joseph Holtzman (drums), Lloyd Kaplan (clarinet, saxophone, and vocals), and George Leonard (vocals).
A Memorial Day service will be held at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 28, at Johnston Memorial Park’s Outdoor Bandstand. The program includes a bell ringing to honor 42 men killed in action in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. For more information, visit johnstonrec.com.
Registration is open for the Johnston Parks and Recreation Department’s 2016 Youth Tennis Summer Session. Sessions at Johnston Memorial Park will run from June 27 to July 1, or July 11 to July 15. Sessions for ages nine to 12 run are held at 8 a.m. or 6 p.m., and for ages five to eight at 9 a.m. or 5 p.m. The cost is $40 per player.
The Johnston Parks and Recreation Department’s 2016 Summer Day Camp begins Wednesday, July 6, and ends on Wednesday, Aug. 17. There is no bus transportation. Camp hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Registration ends o0n June 27. Those interested may register at the recreation office between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and between 8:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on Saturdays. Age divisions are 6-7, 8-9, and 10-12. A $75 non-refundable deposit is required to hold each spot. The cost of one child for six weeks is $650, or $225 per week. For two-plus children, the cost is $875 for six weeks or $300 per week. Daily registration is available at a cost of $55 per child. For more information, visit johnstonrec.com.
The Johnston Parks and Recreation Department will host a basketball clinic for boys and girls currently in second and third grade. The seven-week clinic begins July 12, and will be held every Tuesday from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the Ferri Middle School gymnasium. Registration is $55 per player, with the cost including a T-shirt. Those interested may register at the recreation office. For more information, visit johnstonrec.com.
Registration is under way for the Johnston Parks and Recreation Department’s 2016 Youth Soccer program. Early registration ends June 30. The league runs from mid-August through the end of October. All registrations made after Aug. 1 will be held and the child will be placed on a team as needed. Registration for the four-year-old clinic is $65 per child and $50 for each additional sibling. Registration for u6-u14 is $80 per child and $65 for each additional sibling. Add $5 for registrations after June 30. Registrations end Aug. 1. There will be an additional $5 per registration after Aug. 1. The price includes a replica MLS jersey, socks (clinic only), and insurance. Sponsors and volunteer coaches are needed. For more information, visit johnstonrec.com.
John A. Pezzullo, MD, FACR, has been inducted as a Fellow in the American College of Radiology (ACR). The induction took place at a formal convocation ceremony earlier this month. Pezzullo, of Johnston, is clinical associate professor of radiology at Brown’s Alpert School of Medicine and staff radiologist at Rhode Island Hospital, both in Providence, and president of Rhode Island Medical Imaging in East Providence. He is a member of the ACR and received his medical degree from the Brown-Dartmouth Medical Program.
St. Brigid’s Church, celebrating its 100th anniversary, will be holding a yard sale, rain or shine, in the church hall at 1231 Plainfield St. in Johnston two Saturdays, June 4 and June 11, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Clothing, toys, books, pictures, home essentials, crafting molds, jewelry, and numerous other items will be reasonably priced for a quick sale. Admission is free, and all are welcome.
The Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce will hold its annual Beer & Wine Tasting on Thursday, June 23, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Kirkbrae Country Club, 197 Old River Road in Lincoln. Call the Chamber at 401-334-1000 for more information. Tickets are $40 per person, and sponsorships are available for $500.
The Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce will host its June “Eggs and Issues Breakfast” with Community College of Rhode Island President Dr. Meghan Hughes on June 8 from 7:45 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. The event will be held at the Kirkbrae Country Club, located at 197 Old River Road in Lincoln. Spend the morning learning about Hughes and her strategic, creative initiatives to develop innovative programs at CCRI. Pre-registration is $20 per person. Walk in registration is $30 per person, and for non-members the price is $40 per person. For more information or to register, call the Chamber at 401-334-1000.
The Mohr Library in Johnston is a sponsoring site of the Northstar Basic Computer Skills Certificate program. Make an appointment to take a Northstar assessment. Pass with an 85 percent or better and earn a certificate in one or all test areas. Ask a librarian about earning this valuable credential today. Librarians will also try to get help for any basic problems you have using computers. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 401-231-4980. The library is located at 1 Memorial Ave. in Johnston.
Congratulations to Arianna Conte of Johnston, who was named to Emerson College’s dean’s list for the spring 2016 semester. Conte is majoring in political communication.
Tri-Town Community Action Agency CEO Joseph DeSantis has announced that the agency’s Head Start program is recruiting new students for spots at its four local sites.
“We’re continuing our efforts to identify more children who can benefit from this high-quality early education program,” DeSantis explained. “Since we recruit on a rolling basis, parents should take this opportunity to start the application process.”
Head Start is a free program for children from families who meet federal income guidelines – a family of three with annual income of $20,160 would qualify, for example – or other qualifications.
“Aside from wages, we screen families for homelessness, recent loss of residence, Supplemental Security Income, and other factors that may still qualify their children for Head Start,” explained Family and Community Outreach Specialist Barbara Chadwick. “Even if someone thinks they may not qualify under the income guidelines, I always encourage them to call us so that we can do a full review of their circumstances.”
Tri-Town runs Head Start centers at its main office, 1126 Hartford Ave., Johnston; 79 Waterman Ave. and 2204 Mineral Spring Ave. in North Providence; and 185 Main St. in Burrillville. All centers are accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children and rated by the Bright Stars Quality Rating and Improvement System, Chadwick noted.
In addition to the host communities, the local program also serves North Smithfield, Foster, Glocester, and Scituate.
Currently, Tri-Town has an enrollment target of 134 preschool students in Head Start and 58 children from birth to 5 and expectant mothers in the Early Head Start program, Chadwick explained.
To start the application process, contact Tri-Town Community Action Head Start at 401-519-1979 or Barbara Chadwick at bchadwick@tri-town.org. More information, including the Parents Handbook and annual report, is available on the Tri-Town website, tri-town.org.
“The Professor and the Madman,” a tale of murder, insanity, and the making of the Oxford English dictionary by Simon Winchester, will be featured at the Mohr Library on June 13 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. and/or June 14 from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. The shocking story of the single greatest contributor to the first Oxford English Dictionary in 1857 reveals that the man who contributed 10,000 definitions to the book was in fact a patient in an asylum for the criminally insane. For more information, call 401-231-4980, ext. 213.
On Saturday, June 4, the annual Hope for the Homeless Motorcycle Ride to benefit the Rhode Island Dream Center will be held, with a rain date of June 5. The ride begins at Thirsty Beaver, 288 Atwood Ave. in Cranston, and ends at the establishment’s Smithfield location at 45 Cedar Swamp Road.
Registration is from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at $20 per person donation. Pre-registration before June 1 is $15 per person.
There will be music, raffles, prizes, and more following the ride. For more information, call the Dream Center at 401-241-5120. Registration includes a free ride T-shirt and food.
Every Monday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Mohr Library, you may enjoy a therapeutic, relaxing, and enjoyable evening through adult coloring. Many choices of designs including stylized drawings, florals, and mandalas, with 100 beautiful markers and 100 colored pencils to choose from. Come early or late. The program is free. The Marian J. Mohr Memorial Library is located at 1 Memorial Ave., Johnston.
Cranston resident Everett McCurdy is bringing the world to Rhode Island, one international teenager at a time. McCurdy is an area representative of the ASSE International Student Exchange Program, whose primary goal is to contribute to international understanding by enabling foreign students to learn through active participation in family, school, and community life.
McCurdy will be interviewing families in the area to host exceptional high school students from Europe, Asia, the Americas, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the Middle East, and Scandinavia. Again this year, the ASSE Program is proud to also include students from the republics of the former Soviet Union on its roster. These students stay with volunteer host families for one academic school year and arrive with insurance and their own spending money.
For more information, contact Everett McCurdy at 401-481-2533 or visit host.asse.com.
The Johnston High School class of 1967 has scheduled its 50th reunion for Friday and Saturday, June 16-17. A social gathering is planned on the Friday, with the reunion itself the following evening. Further details are to be announced. The event’s organizers are seeking help in locating friends and classmates Anyone in touch with, or with information about, and class members is asked to contact Donald Iafrate at iafdon@cox.net or 13 Ivanhoe St., Johnston, RI 02919.
The Johnston High class of 1971 has scheduled its 45th class reunion on Sunday, July 17. The event will be held at the outdoor pavilion at Twelve Acres in Smithfield. Class members are encouraged to join the Facebook group “Johnston Senior High School Class of 1971” for reunion updates, classmates’ news, and photos. Invitations were recently distributed. Classmates who haven’t received one can contact reunion planner Harold J. Hemberger at harold@thesleepster.com.
On Saturday, Aug. 13, beginning at noon, there will be a joint class reunion for the Cranston High School East classes of 1966 and 1981 at the Masonic Youth Center, 116 Long St., Warwick. There is no fee. Bring your own food and beverages. They will be celebrating their 50th and 35th year reunion, respectively. The events are for classmates and invited guests only. Richard Carlson is serving as the class administrator for 1966 and Glenn Carlson for 1981. Richard may be reached at 401-744-8635, or you may contact Greg Oden at 401-965-0983. Glenn may be reached at 401-641-8251. For further details, visit classreport.org.
Even though numerous communities had been independently celebrating Memorial Day for years, the federal government declared Waterloo, N.Y., the official birthplace of Memorial Day. Waterloo first celebrated the holiday on May 5, 1866. (Source: Memorial Day Fun Facts)
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