Sun Rise Scoops

Bowl-a-Thon for

Defenders of Animals

On July 30, take part in this year’s Bowl-a-Thon to benefit Defenders of Animals at Town Hall Lanes located at 1463 Atwood Ave. in Johnston. The donation fee of $20 per person includes two hours of bowling, a pizza, and a pitcher of soda for each lane. The event will be held from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Cruizin’ for a Cause

Every Thursday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., Cruizin’ for a Cause is held at Denny’s, located at 1448 Atwood Ave. in Johnston. Coming up in July, all proceeds will benefit the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Foundation. There is a $5 donation for each vehicle, and trophies will be awarded. For more information, contact George Arakelian Jr. at Custom Car Stereo at 401-946-0010 or Gary Maddocks at 401-639-0841.

St. Mary’s Feast

set for 111th year

The 111th St. Mary’s Feast will be held on July 20-24 at 15 Phenix Ave. and the surrounding area. There will be a full lineup of musical entertainment, Italian and American food, beverages for sale, and a parade and procession on Sunday at 11 a.m. Fireworks will also be held at dusk on Sunday. Rides and amusements will once again be part of the feast. Hours are Wednesday from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., Thursday from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., Friday from 6 p.m. to midnight, Saturday from 3 p.m. to midnight, and Sunday from noon to 11 p.m. As always, admission and parking is free.

Uncle Tony’s joins senior restaurant program

Uncle Tony’s Pizza & Pasta Restaurants, located at 1455 Oaklawn Ave. in Cranston and 46 Putnam Pike in Johnston, are the newest addition to join the already successful restaurant program for seniors throughout the state. For a suggested donation of $5, a senior obtains a voucher to take to the participating restaurant of their choice in exchange for a variety of meal options provided by that restaurant. The other participating restaurants include all Newport Creamery locations, excluding Barrington, Middletown, and Newport; IHOP Restaurants in both Warwick and Providence; and Pizza J in Providence. Please visit Meals on Wheels main office located at 70 Bath St., Providence, or call Pauline, program director, at 401-351-6700 for more information.

RIPIN to hold

Mulligan’s Island

The Rhode Island Parent Information Network (RIPIN), celebrating 25 years of service, will hold a “Gimme” fundraiser at Mulligan’s Island, located at 1000 New London Ave. in Cranston. The event will be held on Aug. 4 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. For each round of mini-golf purchased, Mulligan’s Island will donate 25 percent to RIPIN.

Mount Pleasant

reunions

Mount Pleasant High School’s class of 1956 will be having a 60th reunion luncheon on Sept. 17 at Twelve Acres in Smithfield. Please contact Dodie Falvo at 401-231-2566 for further details.

Also, Mount Pleasant’s class of 1961 will be holding its 55th reunion on Oct. 8 at 6 p.m. at Twelve Acres. Tickets are $55 per person. Contact Sandra at smfleming2@yahoo.com or 401-792-8778.

Cherry Hill seeking

help with Photoshop

Cherry Hill Manor is looking for a student with Photoshop experience who is building a portfolio and needs community service or work experience hours. This is a volunteer position with flexible hours. If interested, please call Loraine at 401-231-3102, ext. 6385.

Summer Concert

Series announced

Garden City Center in Cranston has announced its Summer Concert Series, which will be held each Wednesday night at the Gazebo in July and August. Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets, and donations of peanut butter and tuna fish are being collected for the food bank each week. All concerts are free of charge and are held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The lineup is as follows:

July 27, World Premiere Band (pop, funk, dance); Aug. 3, Steve Smith and The Nakeds (rhythm and blues); Aug. 10, Down City Band (pop, soul, disco); Aug. 17, Timmy Maia Band (NYC high-energy contemporary)

Computer classes

at the Mohr

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. Schedule an appointment by calling 401-231-4980.

Academic News & Notes

Congratulations to Hayley Beauchemin of Johnston, who was named to the Emmanuel College dean’s list for the spring 2016 semester.

St. Mary School

for alumni

The bells of St. Mary School are calling all alumni for a celebration of 65 years of excellence in Catholic education on Sept. 17. To achieve this, the school is seeking input to compile an up-to-date database in order to contact as many as possible, beginning with the very first graduating class of 1960. Those responding should furnish the following: full name (maiden if applicable), current complete address, phone number indicating land and cell, email address, and graduation year. Submit via one of these methods: email to llepore@stmaryschoolri.org, Facebook (visit St Mary’s School Cranston Alumni), place a form in the collection basket at St. Mary Church in an envelope marked “Alumni,” or mail information to ALUMNI, St. Mary School, 85 Chester Ave., Cranston, RI 02920. It is gratefully appreciated that everyone reading this pass it on and share with other alumni.

Mulligan’s Island

Family Movie Series

Mulligan’s Island is pleased to announce the new family movie series lineup for 2016. All movies are free, open to the public, and shown on a big screen at the Mulligan’s Island Event Center, located at 1000 New London Ave. in Cranston. The center opens an hour prior to show time, and seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Lawn chairs and blankets are allowed, but umbrellas, tents, coolers, food, and drinks are not permitted. Concessions are available.

Mulligan’s Island managing partner Michael Friedman commented: “After the great response we had last year from our initial movie night, we decided to put together a series of the top animated movies for families to enjoy together. We will augment these great movies with other fun activities, food options and special surprises to make it a memorable evening for the whole family.”

The movie series is presented as follows: “Minions,” 7:45 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 7; “Inside Out,” 7:15 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 28; “Frozen,” 7 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 11; “Zootopia,” 6:30 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 25; and a “Surprise Movie Event,” 6:15 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 9.

All movie titles, movie night contests, dates and time are subject to change and are weather dependent.

Feast & Festival

St. Bartholomew Church, located at 297 Laurel Hill Ave. in Providence, will hold its annual Feast & Festival on Friday, Aug. 12 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday, Aug. 13 and Sunday, Aug. 14 from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.  Italian, American, and Spanish foods will be available for purchase. There will be carnival rides and games for kids. Entertainment will be provided Friday by the Vini Ames Duo, Saturday by Gemini Band, and Sunday by DJ Eddie the Fixer. For more information, call 401-944-4466 or visit facebook.com/stbarts1907.

Friends of the

Mohr Public Library

Members of the Friends of the Mohr Public Library plan and run book sales and carry out other fundraising activities to allow the library to increase services and programs. The Friends welcome new members who are willing to provide support through donations, membership dues, or volunteering their time. To find out more, contact them, or call the library director at 401-231-4980 (press 7).

There is an ongoing book sale in the lower level hall across from the meeting room. The Friends also hold larger sales two or three times a year. Great selections at great prices include hard cover and paperback books, fiction and non-fiction, for adults, children, and young adults. Most prices range from 25 cents to $2. The Friends are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, with proceeds from fundraising supporting library programs and services.

Donations of gently used books are appreciated, and can be left at the library’s main desk during library hours. Receipts for tax purposes are available.

Ocean State Toastmasters

Regular meetings of the Ocean State Toastmasters are held on the first and third Tuesdays of each month from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Warwick City Hall, 3275 Post Road. The club is one of some 13,500 in Toastmasters International, a non-profit, educational organization devoted to the development of public speaking and leadership skills. The organization has approximately 280,000 members in 116 countries. Founded in 1963, Ocean State Toastmasters is one of the oldest clubs in Rhode Island. Visit us and see what we’re about! For more information, contact Robert Rogers, vice president of membership, at 401-782-7637 or Robert_Rogers@acm.org.

Coloring for Grownups

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.

Genealogy Group

The Mohr Library Genealogy Group meets on the second Wednesday of each month at 4:30 p.m. The library has yearly subscriptions to Ancestry and also New England Historical Genealogical Society databases (NEHGS) on all library computers. The library also publishes a monthly newsletter outlining upcoming program details and includes tips for searching. Former programs include field trips to the State Archive and Swan Point Cemetery, as well as speakers on cemeteries, medallions found on gravestones, how to search for a particular nationality, and much more.

Meetings are open to all. For more information about the Genealogy Group and to receive the monthly newsletter, contact Grayce at gmoorehead@mohrlibrary.org or call 401-231-4980.

One Act Play Festival

It wouldn’t be summer without Artists’ Exchange’s One Act Play Festival, to be held July 22-Aug. 13 in the intimate Theatre 82 black box in Cranston at 82 Rolfe Square. Community actors will perform 17 original one-act plays written by local and national playwrights whose works were selected from over 1,100 total submissions. The festival is broken down into two unique performance “Waves,” with Wave 1 running July 22-30 and Wave 2 running Aug. 5-13. Both are rated PG-13. Tickets are now on sale for $15 in advance at artists-exchange.org, by phone at 401-490-9475, or in person at Artists’ Exchange, located at 50 Rolfe Square.

Ocean State Toastmasters

Regular meetings of the Ocean State Toastmasters are held on the first and third Tuesdays of each month from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Warwick City Hall, 3275 Post Road. The club is one of some 13,500 in Toastmasters International, a non-profit, educational organization devoted to the development of public speaking and leadership skills. The organization has approximately 280,000 members in 116 countries. Founded in 1963, Ocean State Toastmasters is one of the oldest clubs in Rhode Island. Visit us and see what we’re about! For more information, contact Robert Rogers, vice president of membership, at 782-7637 or Robert_Rogers@acm.org.

RhodyCon

RhodyCon is a fan-run, two-day celebration of Japanese art, history, culture, and pop culture. There will be noted guest speakers hosting educational Japanese cultural and arts panels, video games and a video game tournament, pinball machines and a pinball tournament, an anime music video contest, anime screenings, and other activities, along with Japanese food, snacks, and beverages. The event will be held at Dovetail Auction Gallery, located at 30 Webb St., Unit 2, in Cranston. Hours are noon to 10 p.m. on Saturday, July 30, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, July 31. Registration is $25 in advance online, and $30 at the door. For more information, visit dovetailauctions.com/rhodycon.html.

Did you know?

Popsicles, a popular summer treat, were accidentally invented by an 11-year-old boy in San Francisco in 1905. He left a glass of soda sitting outside, and by the next morning the soda had frozen. He began selling popsicles at an amusement park in New Jersey. In the U.S., cherry is the top flavor. (Source: Summer Fun Facts)

To submit your news from the community, email 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. Email today and see your news in our column in the Johnston Sun Rise! Please include a daytime telephone number in case we require any further information.