Sun Rise Scoops

Annual feast and festival

Bartholomew Church will hold its annual feast and festival Aug. 9 from 5 to 10 p.m., and Aug. 10 and 11 from 3 to 10 p.m. on church grounds, 297 Laurel Hill Ave. The feast will feature Italian, American and Spanish foods, including their famous doughboys. There will be nightly musical entertainment with Gemini Band playing on Sunday beginning at 6 p.m. Amron Family Fun Fare will provide amusement rides and games. Mass in Honor of St. Bartholomew to be held on Sunday, Aug. 1 at 10:30 a.m. with religious procession following. Admission and parking are free. The feast will be held rain or shine. For more information, call 944-4466.

Free summer field trip

The North Central Chamber of Commerce will offer their first free Summer Field Trip at Rhode Island Resource Recovery in Johnston, located at 65 Shun Pike. Take a tour of the materials and recycling facility at the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Center and see what happens to the things we throw away after they leave the curb. All ages are welcome. The field trip will be held on July 23 from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. For more information, contact Kelly Patz at 349-4674.

Save the Date

On Aug. 25 the Johnston Historical Society (JHS) has invited Society members and their families to partake in a picnic. The JHS will provide hamburgers, hot dogs, buns and soda. All else is pot lock, so please bring a dish to share. There will also be badminton, horseshoes and perhaps a raffle. For more information, contact the JHS at 231-3380. The picnic will be held from 4 to 7 p.m.

Summer Reading Program

The statewide Rhode Island Summer Reading Program is supported by the RI Office of Library and Information Services with funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Pawtucket Red Sox, Citizens Bank and Pepsi. Local support includes the Friends of Mohr Library and generous gifts in Memory of Andrew Greene.

How the reading program works: Children from infants to 12 years old can sign up for summer reading throughout the summer starting June 17, and for each chapter book or five books/easy readers kids read or listen to, they will be awarded a raffle ticket and an incentive coupon (free or reduced admission to the Providence Children's Museum, Roger Williams Zoo and other attractions).

Children who complete at least five chapter books or 25 picture books/easy readers will receive a free book, an ice cream party invitation and a Certificate of Completion. Fill out the summer reading registration form and pick up your reading log at the Mohr Library.

The Ice Cream Party (by invitation only) will be held Aug. 15, which will offer ice cream sundaes, free books and certificates to all those who complete the summer reading program.

Statewide Grange picnic

There will be an Old Fashioned Grange Picnic, co-hosted by the Rhode Island State Grange and the Connecticut State Grange, on July 27 at the Washington County Fairgrounds on Route 112 in Richmond. The grounds will open at 10 a.m. with lunch to be served at noon.

Hot dogs and hamburgers will be furnished and RI Grangers are asked to bring sides and salads. Connecticut Grangers are asked to bring hors d'oeuvres, snacks and desserts. This event will also be featuring old-fashioned picnic games, such as horseshoes and softball with free entertainment. Fill your car for a fun day with Grange friends from Rhode Island and Connecticut. You do not have to be a Grange member to attend.

RSVP to Rhode Island State Grange President Steve Logan at 783-3551 or e-mail: SWLogan102@cox.net.

Help needed for Flickers

On Aug. 6, Flickers kicks off its 17th annual Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF) in Providence. This weeklong celebration of independent cinema and film arts is New England's largest film festival and only Academy Award (i.e. "Oscars") qualifying event. Out of the 7,000-plus film festivals worldwide, only 75 share this distinction. In addition to film screenings, the festival will feature the return of the RI Film Forum  a region-wide educational workshop focused on bringing film production to the Ocean State award ceremonies, filmmaker symposia, the annual ScriptBiz Screenwriting Workshop, a walking tour of film locations in Providence, the Kids Eye Film Festival, and networking events. For more information about the festival, visit www.rifilmfest.org.

Flickers is seeking volunteers in all aspects of the festival, including box office, administration, panels, events, screenings, ushering, transportation, tech, travel and hotel, and volunteer management.

Volunteers can sign up for shifts through RIIFF's online volunteer registration system. Flickers truly values its volunteers and will provide them with one free movie ticket for every two volunteer hours.

For more information, visit http://www.film-Festival.org/pdf/VolunteerApplication2013.pdf, and either send your completed form to: toxnguyen@film-festival.org, or mail it to: FLICKERS: Rhode Island International Film Festival, Office: One Avenue of the Arts, Providence, RI, or call 861-4445, or visit www.RIFilmFest.org.

Annual Soccer Camp

The Johnston Parks and Recreation Department, in conjunction with Challenger Sports, will be holding their annual soccer camp July 22-26. Click the following link to register. For more information, call the Recreation Office at 272-3460.

Did You Know?

An educator invented summer vacation. His name was Horace Mann. In 1837, he was elected as Secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Education. Mann used this platform to reform the school system from adding a break and developing uniform training for teachers. (Source: Summer fun facts)

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