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April vacation at the Providence Children’s Museum

gcpvd —  April 10, 2013 — Leave a comment

fleecyfriends

Fleecy Friends: Kids meet goats, lambs, ponies and bunnies on April 15.

April Vacation Activities at Providence Children’s Museum

Monday, April 15 – Friday, April 19

Providence Children’s Museum is open for April school vacation, daily from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM and Friday, April 19 until 8:00 PM, with special programs and performances all week long.

Fleecy Friends
Monday, April 15 • 1:00 – 3:00 PM
Families meet baby goats and lambs, take a pony ride, pet a bunny, and see how fleece is spun into yarn. Recommended for ages 2 and up.

Imagination Playground
Tuesday, April 16 • 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Using big blue foam blocks, wheels, spools and tubes, kids construct castles and cities, create artful sculptures, design whimsical creatures, and much more – the possibilities are endless.

Animal Experiences
Wednesday, April 17 • 1:00 – 3:00 PM
Families meet an awesome assortment of live animals! Children have close encounters with furry friends, slithering snakes and other incredible creatures and learn fascinating facts about them from animal expert Dave Marchetti of Animal Experiences. Recommended for ages 3 and up.

Pumpernickel Puppets
Thursday, April 18 • 1:00 & 2:00 PM
The Pumpernickel Puppets present a colorful cast of characters and invite audience participation in playful performances of “Peter Rabbit.” Shows at 1:00 & 2:00 PM; recommended for ages 3 and up.

Imagination Playground
Friday, April 19 • 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Using big blue foam blocks, wheels, spools and tubes, kids construct castles and cities, create artful sculptures, design whimsical creatures, and much more – the possibilities are endless.

MetLife Family Friday
ALSO Friday, April 19 • 5:00 – 8:00 PM
Providence Children’s Museum is open free of charge from 5:00 – 8:00 PM for “MetLife Family Friday – Free at Five!,” sponsored by MetLife Foundation. Stay out late and splash, play, explore and discover!

School vacation programs and performances are free with Museum admission of $9.00 per person; always free for Museum members. For more information, visit ChildrenMuseum.org

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The Providence Athenaeum SALON: “Curating the City: Temporary Installations, Permanent Impressions” – April 5, 2013

gcpvd —  April 4, 2013 — 1 Comment

anthenaem

Photo from The Providence Athenaeum

Friday, April 5th, 5pm-7pm, The Providence Athenaeum presents the weekly SALON: “Curating the City: Temporary Installations, Permanent Impressions” series, part 2: “Parades and Papier-Mache,” with Union Studio Architecture & Community Design Partner Doug Kallfelz in conversation with Diana Johnson, independent art consultant and 195 Commission member, and Buff Chace, Managing General Partner of Cornish Associates, partner in the Greater Kennedy Plaza partnership.

Two areas of our city are currently the focus of planners and prognosticators. Both Kennedy Plaza and the Jewelry District seem full of promise, but are stuck in a holding pattern. While we wait for the longed-for influx of “cranes and cash,” is there a more temporary or seasonal approach to enriching these districts? Join Kallfelz, Johnson, and Chace for a discussion of what the near future might look like.

The Salon takes place at the Providence Athenaeum, 251 Benefit Street in Providence; entrance is at ground floor-level door at the corner of Benefit and College Streets. Free and open to the public. More at providenceathenaeum.org.

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Providence Children’s Museum: “What Happened to Recess?”

gcpvd —  March 20, 2013 — Leave a comment

What Happened to Recess?

Providence Children’s Museum and Providence Athenaeum Present Second of Three Conversations about Children’s Play

Children's MuseumProvidence Children’s Museum, the Providence Athenaeum and Kidoinfo present “Speaking of Play,” a series of panel discussions about the critical importance of self-directed play for children’s healthy growth and development. The second conversation – What Happened to Recess? – takes place Tuesday, April 2 from 7:00 – 8:30 PM at the Athenaeum (251 Benefit Street in Providence) and is free and open to the public.

Recess is crucial for kids, resulting in better attention span, improved classroom behavior, and important opportunities for free play, creativity and interaction with other children – yet it is increasingly limited or withheld. Join the great recess debate in a conversation moderated by Janice O’Donnell, Executive Director of Providence Children’s Museum. Panelists are Alicia Bell, Elementary art teacher and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School parent; Dr. Lauren Greve, Psychologist and Vartan Gregorian Elementary School parent; and Phyllis Penhallow, URI Lecturer and Chariho Elementary School parent.

Audience members will learn about important research in support of recess, hear about panelists’ recess efforts in their public schools, and receive tools and resources for advocating for recess in their schools and communities.

The final conversation in the Speaking of Play series – Play & Risk: How Safe is Too Safe? – will be held at the Athenaeum on Tuesday, May 7 from 7:00 – 8:30 PM. RSVPs for both events are welcome to Lindsay Shaw, lshaw@provath.org or (401) 421-6970 ext. 17. Click here to download a flyer for the series.pdf

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St. Joseph’s Day celebration at Providence City Hall today

gcpvd —  March 19, 2013 — Leave a comment

zeppole

Photo from LaSalle Bakery

Mayor Taveras to Host Annual St. Joseph’s Day Celebration at Providence City Hall

Providence Mayor Angel Taveras will host the annual St. Joseph’s Day Celebration at Providence City Hall this afternoon. General Secretary and Treasurer of the Laborers’ International Union of North America, Armand Sabitoni, will be the honorary guest speaker at this year’s celebration on the second and third floors of City Hall. There will be traditional Italian musical performances by Bill Moretti and Domenic DePasquale and Rev. Dean Perri of the Catholic Diocese of Providence will deliver an invocation.

WHO: Providence Mayor Angel Taveras; Armand Sabitoni; Reverend Dean Perri
WHAT: Annual St. Joseph’s Day Celebration at Providence City Hall
WHEN: Tuesday, March 19, 2013, 1-1:30 pm
WHERE: Second and third floors, Providence City Hall

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Events at the Skating Center as they wrap up the season

gcpvd —  March 15, 2013 — Leave a comment

skating center

It may be freezing outside, but spring is on the way and that means the Skating Center will be closing down the ice soon.

The Providence Rink at The Bank of America City Center Offers Last Chance of The Season to Catch Some Ice

An extra week to enjoy outdoor ice-skating in downtown Providence! Special events to celebrate the end of the season!

PROVIDENCE – Providence residents and visitors alike can savor the final days of winter by skating outside at the Bank of America City Center at the end of its 14th season. The season ends Sunday, March 24th, completing the 18-week season of ice-skating that was enjoyed by more than 50,000 skaters.

  • Special Weekday Hours Monday, March 18 to Friday, March 22: 4pm to 10pm
  • Saturday, March 23 and Sunday, March 24 hours: 11am to 10pm

Special events for the last two weeks of the season:

  • Thursday, March 14th: Art in Ice ice-sculpting feature from 6pm to 9pm.
  • Friday, March 15: High School Night special 7pm to 10pm.
  • Saturday, March 16th: Girl Scout cookies for sale!
  • Sunday, March 17th: St. Patrick’s Day celebration with City Girl Cupcake 12pm to 4pm
  • Monday, March 18th: New weekday hours from 4pm to 10pm
  • Saturday, March 23rd: Open 11 to 10pm
  • Sunday, March 24th: Open 11am to 10pm. Closing Day

With the end of the ice skating season drawing to a close, The Providence Rink at the Bank of America City Center will transform into a premier programming and event center from April to October! The Providence Rink is a perfect location to host all types of summer programming and events with over 14,000 square feet of space available in the heart of downtown. Event applications are still being accepted for the upcoming 2013 summer and fall season.

Coming soon! The Providence Rink will unveil a new website at ProvidenceRink.com that will provide the complete year-round programming and event schedule and offerings.

For additional information until our new website is up, please visit ProvidenceSkating.com or call 401.331.5544.

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St. Patrick’s Day celebration at Providence City Hall today

gcpvd —  March 15, 2013 — Leave a comment

city-hall-green

Mayor Taveras to Host Annual St. Patrick’s Day Celebration at Providence City Hall

Providence Mayor Angel Taveras will host the annual St. Patrick’s Day Celebration at Providence City Hall this afternoon. Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin will be the honorary guest speaker at this year’s formal celebration on the second and third floors of City Hall. City Hall will be filled with traditional musical and dance performances by the Providence Police Department Pipes and Drums and the Goulding School of Irish Dance. Rev. Timothy Reilly of the Catholic Diocese of Providence will deliver a blessing and invocation and Mayor Taveras will present a Mayoral Citation to the Providence St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee.

WHO: Providence Mayor Angel Taveras; Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin; Reverend Timothy Reilly
WHAT: Annual St. Patrick’s Day Celebration at Providence City Hall
WHEN: Friday, March 15, 2013, 1-1:30 pm
WHERE: 2nd floor, Providence City Hall

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providence geeks

Providence Geeks – March 13, 2013

gcpvd —  March 11, 2013 — Leave a comment

Wednesday, March 13th, 5:30 – 8pm
AS220, 115 Empire Street, Providence, RI
FREE (buy your own food and drink – it’s cheap)
RSVP at Facebook

logoThe March Geek Dinner will feature a particularly exciting, inspiring story of a local teacher turned entrepreneur.

In 2004, elementary school computer teacher, Alan Tortolani, frustrated with the lack of good educational games for kids, started making his own.

Over the past decade Alan has grown Providence-based ABCya.com into an award-winning educational juggernaut with over 175 online games and several best-selling mobile apps. He has bootstrapped ABCya.com to significant profitability with over 1 million app downloads to date and nearly 100 million visits totalling over 1 billion pageviews annually.

At the March Geek Dinner on Wednesday, Alan will tell the ABCya.com story, demo some of its games, and give a sneak peek into where he’s taking this online educational empire next.

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Providence Community Library “Great Checkout” Fundraiser

gcpvd —  February 26, 2013 — Leave a comment

2ndgrcheckout

Friday, March 22, 2013 • 7PM to 10PM
Rochambeau Library, 708 Hope Street, Providence

What’s happening
delicious hors d’oeuvres, refreshing cocktails, fine conversation, and a raffle of “living books”

Ticket prices: $125 Patron • $75 Reader
Each ticket includes one entry in the Living Book Raffle.

Yes, you can check out a “living book” at PCL!
Modeled on the newest concept in library services — borrowing people with your library card — the raffle at The Great Checkout will allow library supporters to “check out” real life experiences with well-known Rhode Island entertainers, scientists, elected officials, historians, artists, and other fascinating people. It’s an easy and fun way to learn — with a Living Book!

Buy tickets or enter the raffle.

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SNA-2013-Annual-Meeting

I will be on a discussion panel tonight at the Summit Neighborhood Association’s Annual Meeting where we will be discussing the future of Providence.

7pm at the Summit Commons, 99 Hillside Avenue.

Posted by Jef Nickerson on February 25, 2013 In Events , , ,
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Series of public meetings coming up to look at RIPTA COA

gcpvd —  February 18, 2013 — 14 Comments

East Side Trolley Tunnel

RIPTA bus entering tunnel at Thayer Street. Photo (cc) Sean_Marshall

RIPTA has been performing a Comprehensive Operational Analysis of the transportation system over recent months and is no preparing to present their findings to the public at a series of meetings starting Februrary 25th.

RIPTA to Host Community Meetings to Present Potential Changes to Bus System

February 18, 2013

The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) is urging the public to provide feedback on how to improve transit services in Rhode Island. As part of a statewide review of transit services called a Comprehensive Operational Analysis (COA), RIPTA staff is hoping to hear from both users and non-users of the system.

“As part of this study, RIPTA has been working to identify the strengths and weaknesses of our bus system, and to determine where we might redirect resources to better serve our customers and attract more riders to our network,” according to Mark Therrien, AGM of Planning at RIPTA. “Public input is a critical part of this process as our goal is to put service where it would best serve the people of our state.”

The study has undertaken a detailed review process to identify where people live and work, how each bus route is performing today, and where changes might possibly be made to better serve riders. Ideas under consideration can be found on the Projects page of RIPTA’s website. Members of the public can go online to review and provide comment on two alternative service scenarios, letting RIPTA know which ideas they like best. Each scenario is designed to work within RIPTA’s existing budget, and the intent is to direct transit resources where they would be most effective. Community meetings taking place February 25th through March 6th are another opportunity to learn more about proposed changes and for the public to provide input on what might work best for them.

Public input has been a key part of the COA. In August and September, RIPTA surveyed nearly 10,000 users of the bus system in order to better understand where people need to travel, and what type of services they desire. Throughout the fall, over 700 people posted comments on RIPTA’s website, providing feedback on detailed evaluations of each bus route. RIPTA staff will submit specific final recommendations for improving the statewide transit network based on comments collected from the public.

“With the public’s help, RIPTA can better design our statewide transit network to support our passengers and attract more riders,” said Mayor Avedisian, RIPTA Board Chairman. “We expect the results of this study will make our service easier to use, faster and more convenient for our customers.”

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