Cercle Laurier Scholarship Winners 2016

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Congrats To the 2016 Cercle Laurier Scholarship Recepients!!

Sabrina Abramek, Jacob Mowry, Casey Aridano, & Lauren Rampenthal...

.also pictured President Paul Lussier & Scholarship Committee member Mark Carson

Foster Town Council July 28, 2016

Special Financial Meeting July 26 2016

Power Plant Poses Threat to Area’s Wildlife, Recreational Uses

Power Plant Poses Threat to Area’s Wildlife, Recreational Uses: BURRILLVILLE, R.I. — Bill Eccleston grew up here, spending his childhood
fishing, hiking, camping and learning to hunt. He still snowshoes here in
the winter, and today, just as he did as a kid, he marvels at the area’s
collection of towering pines, amazing network of brooks and steams, and
fabulous freshwater recreational opportunities.

Picnic in the Park event at White Mill Park

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Ingredients

• 24 medium to large strawberries
• 8 ounce light cream cheese
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 
  
• 

1. Remove the tops of all the strawberries and and cut out a cone shape from inside the middle of each strawberry with a paring knife - a little well to be filled with cream cheese mixture.
2. Mix together the cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla extract with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Fill a ziploc bag with the cream cheese mixture (filling it into one of the corners). Twist the top of the bag and snip the corner of the bag with the filling.
3. Squeeze filling into each strawberry and sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

The 10 Safest Cities in Rhode Island — 2016

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

From its vibrant capital city to its stunning coastline, Rhode Island knows how to pack a lot into a small package. The Ocean State may be the smallest in the country, but that doesn’t mean Rhode Island doesn’t go big when it comes to keeping its residents safe. The ten Rhode Island cities that made our list do their state proud, honoring its long tradition of protecting the rights and lives of everyone who calls this spirited state home.
Every one of the cities on our list had fewer than 15 violent crimes, and half of them limited property crime to under 100 total incidents. Among all 10 of our safest cities, there were zero counts of murder and only three robberies reported in the FBI’s most recent crime statistics. Sixty percent of our cities experienced no incidents of arson and they each reported fewer than 10 motor vehicle thefts. Civic responsibility and community pride are evident in Rhode Island’s safest cities. In fact, eight of those being recognized this year made our list for the second year in a row, and Glocester and Scituate held on to the top two spots once again.
Whether it’s protecting their love of coffee milk or preserving civic liberties for generations to come, these 10 cities leave no doubt that Rhode Islanders take freedom and personal safety seriously. Find out if your city is on our list and then make sure you’re doing everything you can to help keep your Rhode Island home and community safe. Check out our extensive Rhode Island Safety Directory for resources about home security, crime prevention, and neighborhood safety.

How We Chose the Safest Cities in Rhode Island

To identify the 10 safest cities in Rhode Island, we reviewed the most recent FBI Crime Report statistics from 2014, along with population data. We eliminated all cities with fewer than 5,000 residents as well as any cities that failed to submit a complete crime report to the FBI.
If your city made the list, share the news by embedding the “Rhode Island Safest Cities” badge on your site. Click here to get the code, then just copy and paste.
From there, we evaluated the remaining cities. We narrowed it down based on the number of reported violent crimes (aggravated assault, murder, rape, and robbery) and property crimes (burglary, arson, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft) in each city. To further level the playing field, we calculated the likelihood of these crimes occurring out of 1,000 people in each city.
Learn more about how we rank our Safest Cities reports.
You can also see how the cities ranked in the past with the 2014 Safest Cities in Rhode Island report here.

1. Glocester 

Previous rank: 1
Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.40
Property Crimes per 1,000: 4.44

2. Scituate

Previous rank: 2
Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.29 
Property Crimes per 1,000: 5.14

3. Jamestown ↑

Previous rank: 5
Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.36 
Property Crimes per 1,000: 8.71

4. Burrillville

Previous rank: 4
Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.86 
Property Crimes per 1,000: 8.33

5. South Kingstown ↑

Previous rank: 6
Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.46 
Property Crimes per 1,000: 9.11

Gazebo Park Available in North Smithfield

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Gazebo Park

The Town of North Smithfield Garden Club, under the direction of Mrs. Jo-Ann Mcgee, would like to offer "Gazebo Park" for weddings, photos and small gatherings.    

More Information Contact: 

Jo-Ann McGee @ 401-767-6889 or jomcgee@cox.net   

The NS Garden Club welcomes new members that are interested in volunteering to help maintain the town gardens. The contact information would be the same. 

North Smithfield Summer in the Park Series

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Polka Paul Rocks the Common Today !

Call 1-508-294-1512 for a CD or to book the Polka Paul Traveling Show

I knew Paul when he had hair !

Paul Belanger host of the very popular Polka Paul radio program on WNRI 1380AM every Sunday at 11:00 am took his traveling polka show live to North Smithfield today to another huge cast of music enthusiasts.

Performer, Logan

When we talked at the studio earlier on my program we were discussing the 100% chance of rain and Paul said no way is it going to rain on my parade ! Blue Bird Sky's !

You can purchase one of the many CD'S Paul is on or book his entertainment show by calling 1-508-297-1512. Paul is looking forward to returning again next year in the Summer Series on the Common

Green Dragon Comics Rocks !

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Register to win this stand up poster too !

Green Dragon next seating a Two -Headed Sealed is 6:00pm and sign up at 5:30pm today

Sunday July 17th another single sealed seating with sign-up at 12:30pm for a start of 1:00pm

MTG -Release Eldritch Moon      Please support Local Business and Local Tax Payers


Green Dragon Comics, 401 Putnam Pike Rt.44 Harmony. RI   401-949-2076
   At the Harmony Market Place

One smart business woman right here !

Green Dragon Comics will be Hosting Today !

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Green Dragon is hosting 3 pre-releases for Eldritch Moon!!!!!
- Each event is $25.00 per person

The Events are as follows
Saturday July 16th
Sealed
sign ups at 12:30pm
Start at 1pm

Two-Headed Sealed (teams of 2)
sign ups at 5:30pm
Start at 6pm...

Sunday July 17th
Sealed
sign ups at 12:30 pm
Start at 1pm

For every event you enter into you a chance to win the promo cardboard cut-out of Avacyn for shadows over Innistrad!
- pre signups are welcome for each event
- We will have food and drink, door prizes,
and of course prize support

Call 401-949-2076 for more info!

PROVIDENCE-NEWPORT FERRY SERVICE CONTINUES ITS SUCCESSFUL DEBUT; SELLS OVER 5,000 TICKETS

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Service gains national attention; adds online ticketing and larger Providence shuttle bus

The Providence-Newport ferry service continues to prove popular with Rhode Islanders and visitors alike, and has sold more than 5,000 tickets in its first 12 days, providing passengers a unique and convenient transportation option to one of Rhode Island's most popular summer destinations. Additionally, RIDOT's ferry operator, Seastreak, has indicated that roughly 30 percent of sales are from out-of-state. Following its debut on the Fourth of July weekend, in which all of the morning trips to Newport were sold out, ridership remained high on sunny midweek days last week and this week with one weekday sellout out on July 6 and more than a half dozen trips that were close to capacity. And nearly 600 people took the ferry this past weekend despite inclement weather. "We are excited at the success of the ferry in just its first couple of weeks," Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) Director Peter Alviti Jr. said. "It shows that visitors are looking for an alternative and easier way to travel between the two cities that lets them enjoy beautiful Narragansett Bay while avoiding traffic and parking challenges." The ferry service has also garnered national attention, in coverage of news stories following its inaugural weekend and recently on the Weather Channel. The station highlighted Providence during its "Weekend Recharge" segment on affordable destinations, prominently mentioning the new ferry service and the ease of traveling between Providence and Newport. To make it easier to plan trips to Newport or Providence on the new ferry, RIDOT announced it is now offering online ticketing and reservation services. Those wishing to take the ferry can visit www.dot.ri.gov/ferry to purchase tickets for round trip or one-way tickets. Tickets also can be bought by calling 1-800-BOAT-RIDE or at the ferry landings at either India Point Park in Providence or Perrotti Park in Newport. RIDOT, in partnership with the R.I. Public Transit Authority, has upgraded its free Providence city shuttle to a larger-capacity trolley-style bus, which operates between the ferry, Providence Station, the Rhode Island Convention Center and Kennedy Plaza. The seasonal ferry service runs seven days a week through September 5, with three round-trip excursions weekdays (Monday to Thursday), and four scheduled trips each Friday through Sunday. Fares are $10 for adults each way, and $5 for children, seniors, and those with disabilities. The trip time is one hour. Free, secure parking is available at the Providence landing. The vessel, named the Ocean State, holds a maximum of 149 passengers and also includes bar service. Pets are welcome, and passengers can take their bikes on the ferry for free, but space is limited. The new service is a pilot program, which will run through Labor Day. RIDOT will evaluate the ridership at the end of the season to determine the future expansion of the ferry service.

Special Financial Town Meeting July 12, 2016 Re: Elderly Tax Freeze & Bu...

WEEKLY ADVISORY: MOSQUITO SAMPLES TEST NEGATIVE FOR WEST NILE/EEE

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

PROVIDENCE – The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) today announced 133 mosquito samples from 33 traps set on Monday, June 27, 2016 have tested negative for both West Nile Virus (WNV) and Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE). 

 

Personal protection is the first line of defense against mosquitoes that may carry WNV, EEE, or other diseases – and the most effective way to avoid infection.  Throughout the summer season, the public is encouraged to:

 

·         Eliminate mosquito breeding grounds from yards by removing anything that holds standing water, such as old tires, buckets, junk and debris.  Just one cup of standing water can produce hundreds of mosquitoes. 

·         Clean gutters so they drain correctly.

·         Make sure swimming pools are treated with chlorine, pumps are running properly, and any water that collects on pool covers is removed.

·         Avoid mosquito bites by using screens on windows and doors, covering up at dawn and dusk, and putting mosquito netting over playpens and baby carriages when they are outside. Use mosquito repellent, but with no more than 30 percent DEET. Do not use repellent on infants.

Mosquitoes are trapped weekly by DEM and tested at the Rhode Island State Health Laboratories. DEM issues weekly advisories on test results from late June through September, with additional reports as necessary. Test results are pending for the 36 traps set on July 5 and will be included in next week’s announcement.  Typically positive mosquito test results will trigger additional trapping to assess risk.

 

Visit www.health.ri.gov for additional mosquito prevention tips and for local data.  For more information about DEM divisions and programs, visit www.dem.ri.gov.  Follow us on Twitter (@RhodeIslandDEM) and/or Facebook at www.facebook.com/RhodeIslandDEM for timely updates.

Auto insurance rates climbing for Rhode Island drivers

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Providence

Thousands of Rhode Island drivers will see their auto insurance bills increase between 6 and 9 percent, on average, in the coming months, as premiums rise at the fastest pace in more than five years.
Insurance companies and industry officials blame the surge on lower gas prices and an improving economy, which has put more drivers on the road — and in turn has increased the number of accidents, including fender-benders and collisions during the record snowfall in 2015.

   Nationally, consumers spent 6.6 percent more in May on auto insurance, the largest one-year increase since 2003.

  As cars have become more sophisticated, equipped with cameras and sensors, the cost of repairing them has climbed, along with health care expenses for injured drivers and passengers, insurance executives say.
  The uptick in driving was seen in US Department of Transportation figures released last week, which showed the estimated miles traveled in 2015 increased by 3.5 percent from the previous year.

     And after declining for most of the last decade, traffic fatalities were up 7.7 percent last year.

Meanwhile, the estimated average payout for a bodily injury claim rose by 32 percent between 2005 and 2013, to $15,500, according to the most recent data from the Insurance Research Council, an industry group in Pennsylvania.

 Some of the steepest increases are at companies that have relatively small shares of the Rhode Island market, but they still cover tens of thousands of motorists. Texas-based United Services Automobile Association, or USAA, has been raising rates on its more than 20,000 Rhode Island drivers by an average of 8 percent since May, the insurer’s first increase in eight years.

But before consumers switch companies to avoid a rate increase they should make sure they can get comparable coverage and discounts, such as accident forgiveness, particularly if they have young drivers on their policies, Scott Simpson of Simpson Insurance, Pascoag, RI  401-568-0681 said.

“Consumers saved a lot of money with some of these companies with their low rates. Now it will be interesting to see if they shop around,”

Foster Police Station Building Committee Meeting July 7, 2016

White Horse Tavern

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

White Horse Tavern

The White Horse Tavern in Newport, R.I., was built by Frances Brinley in 1652, but it didn't become a tavern until 1683 when William Mayes bought the property and enlarged it into a tavern. And it wasn't named White Horse until1730.

The tavern was a hangout for Tories in the early days of the Revolution and housed British soldiers leading up to the Battle of Rhode Island. Among its more colorful owners was William Mayes Jr., a Rhode Island pirate.

Today you can not only visit the White Horse, you can still get a meal and a drink there. For more information, visit the Tavern's website here.

Worcester horseshoe company still in the game

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

There is nothing hot these days about horseshoes. Unless you’re here, far back in the factory of the St. Pierre Manufacturing Corporation, where workers still heat steel to a glowing 2,500 degrees and stamp out tons of iconic pitching horseshoes that are as much a part of Americana as backyard barbecues and Fourth of July fireworks.
According to Peter St. Pierre, the family-owned company remains as the last-standing mass manufacturer of pitching horseshoes in the United States.

“It’s a business that has evolved, but slowly,’’ said St. Pierre, the company’s vice president of finance, whose grandfather Henry moved from Vermont to Worcester to make a business in tire chains and horseshoes in the 1920s. “Here we are, 90 years later, and we’re still making horseshoes.’’
 In the early 70's when we operated George A. Barber Auto Supplies in Harrisville, RI we stocked St. Pierre American Made Tire Chains and binders and I can still remember growing up when every vehicle had a set of winter chains before chemicals were introduced to treat the roads.

Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff

The St. Pierre Manufacturing Corporation in Worcester is the only company remaining in the country that produces horseshoes.

Chances are you’ll be throwing a St. Pierre-made model if your Fourth of July weekend plans include a game of horseshoes. In a state where manufacturing has all but surrendered to high tech, think tanks, and uber whatever, the third-generation family operation remains the little factory that could, knocking out horseshoes much like the game is played, one shoe at a time.
A smattering of boutique shoe makers also exist in the United States and cater almost exclusively to upper-end tournament pitchers, including professional players. St. Pierre, though, stands alone in that it produces hundreds of thousands of shoes per year, the bulk of the business pegged around recreational players who throw in backyards, at company outings, family picnics, and, rumor has it, behind the odd barroom and firehouse.
When horseshoes had their US heyday, in the mid-20th century, players at Southie’s L Street bathhouse were said to be so big in number that they sometimes impeded the path of wannabe swimmers. Which way to the beach? Look, pal, just steer wide of the horseshoe stakes (standard setting, 40 feet apart), and don’t be stepping on Murph’s ringer!
In recent decades, St. Pierre shoes have been a staple on the racks of Dick’s Sporting Goods (the company’s No. 1 customer) and similar big-box stores throughout the country. Walmart once was a big St. Pierre customer, but these days, according to Peter St. Pierre, the mammoth retailer offers only Chinese-made shoes in its stores.
A touch of irony there, America’s No. 1 brick-and-mortar retailer relying on the People’s Republic of China for a game thought to be distinctly American.
“China’s our biggest competitor,’’ noted Peter St. Pierre, whose father (Edward) and uncle (Henry) co-own the company, while another uncle (Richard) is a vice president. “We like to think our shoe is better. We use forged steel. Chinese companies use a casting method that is less expensive, has air pockets, and is not nearly as strong. Our horseshoes don’t break.’’
Roots of the game trace back to ancient Greece and Rome, so the idea of our backyard recreation being uniquely American may not be entirely accurate. But hey, it’s horseshoes, and close counts — and probably has for millennia in the pitching game. The Greek game of quoits, many sports historians believe, was what ultimately gave us horseshoes.
President George H.W. Bush, a pretty good baseball player in his Yale days, has been a horseshoe devotee for much of his life. During his presidency, electronic and print media often showed images of the smiling Bush pitching shoes, be it at the White House, Kennebunkport, or wherever the spirit of slinging moved him.
“Bush’s Horseshoe Hobby Rings Up Sales,’’ read a Washington Post headline, Aug. 13, 1989. Indeed, the Pitcher in Chief was good for horseshoe biz. According to Ed St. Pierre, the Worcester company showed a bump in sales of some 20 percent during Bush’s stay on Pennsylvania Avenue.
“We were getting constant calls from the media back then . . . newspapers, magazines, from everywhere,’’ recalled Ed St. Pierre. “Someone called nearly every day to do a story. It became exhausting.’’
St. Pierre produces three brands of shoes, including its original model, the “Royal,” which dates to the company’s founding days. It also makes a better “American” model as well as its top-of-the line “Eagle,” marketed more to the serious or tournament player.
Specifications vary, but pitching horseshoes generally are just under 8 inches long and weigh approximately 2 pounds, 10 ounces. By and large, they are significantly larger and heavier than the shoes worn by horses, be they of the racing or barnyard variety, although players often refer to the sport as barnyard golf. A set includes two stakes and four shoes, pairs separated by color.
“A simple game, and everyone can do it,’’ said Chuck White, 70, who has played the game for more than 20 years. “You can be young, old, middle-aged, it really doesn’t matter. You can be out there because you like to compete, or just for fun . . . whatever you make of it.’’
White, who often plays at the Shrewsbury Sportsmen’s Club, consulted with St. Pierre in the design of its “Eagle” model. Like many of his friends, including the likes of Ray Bedard, White squeezes in as many games as possible, travels with his wife to play in tournaments, and tries to play year-round. New England weather, especially in the winter, can make that a challenge. But some avid players seek shelter in indoor pits, such as those at the Valley Springs Sportsman’s Club in Thompson, Conn.
“Do you play golf?’’ Bedard asked a recent visitor to Thompson, where he and friends meet nearly every Thursday night to play inside Valley Springs’ cozy red barn for a couple of hours. “Horseshoes is the same kind of game . . . you know, self-abuse.’’
Bedard, 66, is one of the more accomplished players and horseshoe advocates in New England. He was crowned the men’s senior champion two years ago when the national championships were held in Hamburg, N.Y., just south of Buffalo. That’s another thing about horseshoes, its big events don’t make it to large cities.
“They play tournaments in places like Spearfish, S.D.,’’ said Ed St. Pierre, who journeyed on company business to Spearfish for a world championship in the 1980s. “Land at the airport and go 100 miles into the hills and you’re in Spearfish.’’
“Yep,’’ noted Peter St. Pierre, “it’s never going to be in downtown Manhattan.’’
In Thompson, which also has an outdoor throwing area, the barn houses three pits, players carefully watering and grooming the thick bed of clay that surrounds each of the six stakes. The lighting is minimal, the laughs many. On one recent night, the field included five men, one woman, with all scores dutifully recorded, yet no one much concerned about math or bragging rights.
“This place is a godsend for a lot of us,’’ said Bedard, who is from nearby Webster, Mass., looking around the homey but well-worn barn. “Not a lot of places you can play or practice, year-round.’’
“Come on, Joanne!’’ hollered Joanne Phillips, disgusted that one of her ringers hasn’t, well, rung. “You’ve got to be kidding me.’’
Joanne and husband Lee, who took up the game before her, both throw Imperial model shoes. Of the six players in Thompson on a recent evening, only Kevin Germain, 61 and a longtime employee of National Grid, used a St. Pierre-made (“American’’) shoe.
“No matter what the shoe,’’ said Germain, cautioning a spectator to stay alert in the barn, “you’ve got to keep your eyes open in here. I’ve seen shoes hit the pin, go 15 feet straight up in the air — not something you want to get hit with.’’
The shoe-making business hits its peak, according to Peter St. Pierre, at the start of the calendar year, when retailers want orders filled for the upcoming spring and summer seasons. It’s that time of year when the company’s aged, hulking forge presses are humming and clanking, punching out the shoes that ultimately will be flung across the Lower 48 and beyond.
Steel rods, cut to precise length, are first heated at the side of the press, sparks spitting out as the steel warms to a near-molten 2,500 degrees. The press operator, with hands protected, then moves the red-hot steel into position on the press and each rod is stamped twice — first to form the shape of the shoe, then to add the St. Pierre name and shoe brand.
It is all done one shoe at a time, fed from hand to machine. Still glowing red, the finished shoe drops unceremoniously to the factory floor, where it cools and eventually is ferried along to be finished and painted.
In the nearly a century that St. Pierre has knocked out millions upon millions of shoes, America’s recreational games have come and gone, with many of today’s games constructed with carbon and plastic.
But here in Central Mass., the honorable horseshoe, the master of our Fourth of July holiday, remains ever in the thick of the game. Source: Kevin Paul Dupont Globe Staff

Camp reels in enthusiastic kids at Rocky Point, Rhode Island

DREAM CASTERS: Mayor Scott Avedisian joined Janet Coit of the DEM, Steve Medeiros of the RISAA, John Howell of The Rocky Point Foundation, Andrew Barspach, 9, of the Purple Team, and Dasani Stewart, 11, of the Orange Team for a symbolic cast at the shoreline to open the camp Tuesday.

Warwick Beacon photos

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

“My mom was looking up a website because I like fishing, and she found this camp,” Christopher Melise said Tuesday morning against a backdrop of Narragansett Bay. “I wanna catch a sea bass.”
Christopher of Cranston is 9 years old and one of many members of the Red Group gathered at Rocky Point for a new fishing camp. Organized by the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association (RISAA) and endorsed by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM), the camp aims to teach children, ages 7 to 14 the basics of onshore and offshore fishing.
The camp was set up in a field of grass, once the site of the park’s salt-water pool, so the campers were already close to the water. Tables were set up under a tent, where the children were organized into orange, green, purple and red teams and anxious to start the day.
“There’s nothing like teaching kids the proper way to have fun catching fish,” said Rich Hittinger, first vice president for the RISAA. Hittinger also pointed out that RISAA was able to pay for the entire camp, a cost of about $7,000.
Coming to a close today, the boys and girls of the camp will have had a chance to take classes and participate in hands-on learning experiences. The groups will be assigned certain classes in certain time slots throughout the day. “Fishing Basics” teaches the differences between rods, reels, jigs, lures and more. The kids will be taught fish biology and how to tie knots. They will even take turns learning both shore fishing and boat fishing. They’ll spend a half-day bottom fishing off Warwick Neck and half a day trolling in Greenwich Bay. Second vice president Dave Monti said that the association partnered with the Brewers Greenwich Bay Marina in Warwick Cove that donated dockage to the fishing camp. Eight members have provided their boats so as to get the kids on the water and fishing. Monti said 25 kids get bused down from their location in Rocky Point to the marina in the morning, and the other 25 will go out in the afternoon.
“In one of our very first events here [soon after the park opened in 2014],” said Janet Coit, director of the DEM, “Steve [Medeiros, president of the RISAA] said to me, ‘I’ve been looking for a place to hold a fishing camp. Why not right here?’ and I said to him, ‘Absolutely.’”
The idea started two years ago, according to Monti, when he, Medeiros, and Hittinger formed part of a committee to answer the question: “Wouldn’t it be great to have a fishing camp?” The objective was education about fishing, and ultimately, the committee was able to focus their idea onto the education of children.
Coit and Avedisian saw more to the camp than just fishing. For them, it was an introduction of a Rocky Point experience to another generation.
“Every time you connect with someone in nature, they will become an advocate for preservation,” said Coit.
The City of Warwick played a big part in the preservation of the park when it acquired 41 acres of shoreline from the bankruptcy court appointed receiver, the Small Business Administration (SBA), in 2013. “When we saw the original plans for 495 condominiums, we had to do something,” Mayor Scott Avedisian said of the plans of more than one developer considering purchase of the former amusement park. “And with 39 miles of coastline [in Warwick], you’re never more than five minutes away from the beach.”
So what made this place the right spot to hold a fishing camp in the first place? Janet Coit had some ideas.
“People who remember the amusement park come back here and feel it all again,” she said. “And a new generation will experience this differently, as a beautiful, natural area.”
So, while past generations will gather in the park to visit old memories, the newer generations will gather here to create new ones.
“This is exactly what public parks are for,” said Coit.
Dave Monti said there were 50 children registered to participate. Originally, organizers planned on 40, but there was such a high demand that the RISAA made room for more. He said that with the amount of applications, they could have easily had 100 children.
Monti said that originally, the RISAA remained local in their recruitment, immediately partnering with the Boys & Girls Club of Oakland Beach, since they were so close. Next, he wrote in his column for the Warwick Beacon to advertise the camp, and finally, to reach a broader audience, wrote a column for the Providence Journal. While most of the children are local, one came from as far as Missouri to visit his grandparents who had learned about the camp. Some are new to fishing and excited to learn the ins and outs of the practice, and others are more experienced, like 14-year-old Hayden Kearney, who’s father owns a saltwater fishing boat. One thing they all have in common: they want to catch fish.
“I just wanna catch a plain big fish,” said 14-year-old Matthew Banspach of Warwick. “As big as this table.”