Have you noticed a new sound?

The sound of the wind blowing through the newly opened leaves and the sound of many arriving migratory birds.
Spring has finally arrived in Bristol and it is certainly welcome.
Keep your eye out for bright orange (w/black) Baltimore Orioles in the flowering fruit trees. They have a very unique call and are easily visible this time of year just before the trees totally leaf out. (Ditto for many colorful warblers that are just arriving.)

Bristol has a new geek guy and computer 'fix-it' business

Twentysomething Josh Luis has just opened a new business in Dr. Wakem's old Vet Clinic building at 190 Mount Hope Ave. He has only been open for one day and is still in the throws of getting set up for customers.

He can be reached via email at:

ricomputerman@gmail.com or new phone at: 401 396 9710 or old phone at: 401 619 1577

He works on PC's as well as Mac's and has all sorts of IT certificates (Mac, Microsoft, CompTIA). Previous to this he was in Newport and worked as an IT guy for a large corporation as well as in his retail shop on Broadway. He is also available for in house/store visits.

Founders of the MET Schools in Providence to start new college with RWU in Providence called College Unbound

Currently, the design of a traditional four-year college mimics that of a typical high school. Students earn a degree based on the number of college credits they accumulate. College Unbound aims to turn that system on its head. Instead of fitting a student’s interests into a set curriculum, College Unbound will design a path of study around a student’s passion, be it marine sciences or art.
http://www.projo.com/news/content/met_college_04-19-09_E8E1AFH_v17.28ef1bd.html

Jamiel's Shoe Store in Warren receives first RI SBA economic stimulus loan

THE FIRST SMALL BUSINESS LOAN provided in Rhode Island through the economic stimulus law has been given to Jamiel’s Shoe World by Coastway Credit Union.  Alan Crisman, Executive Director of the Bristol Warren Enterprise Zone, had everything to do with making this loan a reality.  Thank you Alan!
http://www.pbn.com/stories/41904.html

Composter Bin Sale in Warren

Sustainable Warren and Town of Warren Composter Sale

Reduced Price: The sale price is $40.00, 20% less than the current price for individual sales
at the RIRRC (Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation) and more
than 50% less than at commercial vendors.
Local Pick up: Pick up Day for prepaid orders is Saturday, May 23, 2009, 9:00 am to noon
in the parking lot of Kickemuit Middle School, Child St. (Rte. 103) Warren.
To Order: Make checks payable to Town of Warren. Note Composter Bin Sale on check.
Send checks to: Caroline Wells, Town Planner
Warren Town Hall
514 Main Street
Warren, RI 02885

Questions: Contact Helen Hawkinson, Sustainable Warren Coordinator, at 245-1548 or
e-mail hawkinsons@cox.net
Note: These bins can be seen on the RIRRC website. They are made from black recycled plastic and come in pieces flat in a cardboard box (2' x 3' x 8") needing to be assembled. Assembly is very easy. When assembled they have a secure top and air holes on the sides. The bottom is open to the ground. They are best located in a well drained spot in the shade - but sun is okay. Because the Town of Warren is ordering in bulk, they are at this special discounted $40. price. (they are usually $50) Call Helen for more details if necessary.

Photos: Spelling Bee Audience

Click on the image once to enlarge photo and check out who was in the room! Ditto the photos below.

KEF Bodacious Spelling Bee a huge hit! Wicked Good Team wins with the word C O O L L Y.

Congratulations to the winners, the losers, the participants, the pronouncers, the judges, the food people, the audience and all involved in organizing and sponsoring a very successful event last Friday night at the VFW Hall in Bristol. The Kickemuit Education Foundation (KEF) Spelling Bee Winners were: 

The Wicked Good Team:  Christy Nadalin (captain), Karen Binder and Fred Orwiler (in red shirts above)

Runners up were the Olde China Traders /OCT Wannabees: Marie Byrnes (captain), Chris Byrnes and Anne Byrnes Baily (in yellow shirts above)

To quote from the KEF website: "We are very grateful for this great demonstration of community spirit and support. With teams representing local businesses, community groups, Town leadership, and neighborhoods, we had a great competitive Bee right to the end."
Funds raised from the festivities will support the KEF Enrichment Grants for Education Excellence in the Bristol Warren public schools. This event was filmed by Mike Davis Media and will be on local channels on Full Channel and Cox TV at a future date. Not to be missed!

Farmer's Market to open in Bristol Friday

Starting May 1, this coming Friday, the RI DEM is opening Colt Park Farmer's Market in Bristol. This will be open for the season every Friday from 2 -  6 pm.

In the first few weeks of operation, the market will offer mostly bedding plants, hanging plants, cut flowers, early vegetable crops, honey, and maple syrup. More vendors will join with traditional summer crops as they are harvested.

For a list of other markets and farms in RI go to the following links:

www.rifarmways.org

www.farmfreshri.org

www.rigrown.ri.gov

Sweet Berry Farm in Middletown, Young Family Farm in Little Compton and Freichs Farm in Warren are all open for the season this week.

Busy Days

Ted Hayes has temporarily returned to the Bristol Phoenix newspaper to serve as editor. Welcome back Ted. We have missed you! Scott Pickering will continue to work along side Ted on the Bristol Phoenix as well as the other East Bay Newspapers. In additon, Ted will continue working on the Newport paper.

Bristol Changes

• Ed Cifune, Dad, architect and the chair of the Bristol Historic District Commission (HDC), has recently resigned. He has been on the HDC for a total of 10 years and is looking for a change. Good luck Ed. We will miss you and your thoughtful, knowledgable ways. His replacement must be an architect or a person with a degree in Historic Preservation.

• Word on the street is that the Topside Restaurant is being sold to Dennis Liberatos, current owner of Thames WaterSide Restaurant (Goff's). From what we are told, the sale will not go through until mid-summer. Mr. Liberatos has owned Thames WaterSide for two years.

•Keep an eye out for the opening of the new home accent store called SUE CASA on State Street next to Persimmon Restaurant under the old Hotpoint sign. Take a peek in the window and introduce yourself to Susan O'Donnell, the proprietress. She has some beautiful things!

Third Annual Silver Creek Cleanup on Saturday April 25 from 9 am to noon.

Save Bristol Harbor, in conjunction with the Town of Bristol and the DPW’s “Keep Bristol Clean” program, is conducting its Third Annual Silver Creek Cleanup on Saturday, April 25, 2009. (In the event of rain, the cleanup will be held on May 2, 2009.) Those who are interested in assisting with the Silver Creek cleanup should contact Stan Dimock at 837-5838 or email him at sdimock@savebay.org. Volunteers assisting with the cleanup at Silver Creek should assemble at Thomas Park (directly across Hope Street from the Sip-n-Dip donut shop) at 9AM sharp. Following a brief safety briefing, the volunteers will fan out along the north and south sides of Silver Creek, retrieving whatever trash they encounter along the way. Trash bags, gloves, sunscreen, and bug spray will be provided, as will light refreshments. Volunteers should wear clothing and footwear appropriate for the marshy environment. Last year’s Silver Creek cleanup was a tremendous success. We’re counting on your support again this year as part of the “Keep Bristol Clean” town-wide Earth Day event! The cleanup will run from 9AM to noon.

Sold Out: KEF 1st Annual Spelling Bee at VFW Hall Friday April 24

The Kickemuit Education Foundation (KEF) is having their first ever adult Spelling Bee at the Bristol VFW Hall on Hope Street.

They may have as many as 20 teams competing for the Spelling Championship.

Funds raised from the festivities will support the KEF Enrichment Grants for Educational Excellence in the Bristol Warren public schools.

To sponsor the event or to be placed on the waiting list for tickets, please contact Diana Campbell at 254-1692, Nancy Chace 254-1166 or Lee Ann Freitas at 253-2960.

To learn more about KEF and/or the spelling bee go to: www.kickemuiteducationfoundation.org

Master Gardener Hotline at URI

It's that time of year again and who better to contact with gardening questions than the URI Master Gardener URI Cooperative Extension Center. This is a fabulous service that more people should use.

Call 1 800 448 1011 from 9 am - 2 pm Monday - Thursday

Email: MGgarden@etal.uri.edu

Or visit the website: www.urimga.org

"To forget how to dig the earth and tend the soil is to forget ourselves." Gandhi

Mount Hope Farm to hold worm composting lecture/demo Wednesday April 22

Mount Hope Farm will be hosting the famous worm ladies from Charlestown RI on Wednesday evening April 22 from 7 - 9 pm in the barn. They will discuss and show a method of composting using worms which hastens the breakdown process and turns all your kitchen scraps into a valuable soil supplement for your garden. They will demonstrate with worm bins and red wigglers.

Admission: $15 or $25 a couple

Reservations required: Call 254-1745  x 103

Free Composting Workshop in Warren Tuesday night April 21

The Master Composter & Recycler program is offering several free workshops that will give you all the basic information needed to start and maintain a compost bin. The lecture/workshop is roughly an hour and a half. Come learn about how you could be turning all of your food scraps as well as leaf and yard waste into a valuable soil amendment by composting. Various topics will be discussed in this workshop including; the benefits of composting, the do’s and don’ts, how to build and maintain a compost, as well as composting with worms!

There are only five words to remember when making compost: brown, green, chopped, water and air. Mix brown (dead leaves or straw, for example) with green (grass clippings, vegetable trimmings), chop them up with a lawnmower or shredder and add a little moisture. Toss it all together like a big stir-fry, and that’s it.

Tuesday April 21, 2009
6:30 pm - 8 pm
George Hail Library
560 Main Street
Warren, RI

If you have questions or would like to have a composting workshop in Bristol or another town please contact
Sejal Lanterman at sejal@uri.edu
Sejal is the RI Master Composter and Recycler Program events manager at URI
For more info run your cursor over the blue type below and click: http://www.uri.edu/cels/ceoc/ceoc_programs_mcrp_cwksp.html

Susan Boyle on you tube will make you smile

From a small town near Edinburgh, Scotland, Susan has wanted to perform in front of a large audience since she was 12. Here she is at age 47 doing her thing. Run your cursor over the blue link below and click.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luRmM1J1sfg

Portsmouth High School's new 1.5 megawatt wind turbine will be on PBS TV tonight at 8 pm

Wednesday April 15, 2009
Portsmouth High School's new 1.5 megawatt wind turbine will be on PBS TV tonight at 8 pm.

The turbine is shown on a new PBS TV program called Planet Forward featuring ways to create alternative energy. Students from RWU contributed to the making of this program. To quote from the Planet Forward website:

"The first Planet Forward program will explore the feasibility of moving rapidly away from fossil fuels. Dispensing with the old top-down model of public affairs programming, in which experts expound to voiceless viewers, Planet Forward’s emphasis is bottom-up, with citizens leading and driving the conversation. Seeking to engage a young and diverse audience, Planet Forward is working with several universities and local public television stations to create a groundswell of engagement and local activity. Planet Forward is public affairs for the next generation – think innovation, not pontification."

"Planet Forward is a whole new type of citizen conversation, flowing from web to television and back again. We're bringing together citizens and experts to talk about energy. You submit your viewpoint to the site, and the best submissions have a chance to be featured on the Planet Forward television special. After the show, the discussion moves back to the web site. You can find out more on our About Planet Forward page."

http://www.planetforward.org/pages/about-planet-forward

A "Novel Idea" Bookstore to hold health and wellness event Saturday April 25 from noon to 3pm

A Novel Idea Booksellers invites you to YOU! Day where they will be holding health and wellness sessions throughout the store featuring the following professionals in their field:

Matthew Gagliano - Matthew is the owner of Fitness Together in Barrington http://www.ftbarrington.com/ and he will be demonstrating the latest concepts in exercise science relating to abdominal(core) conditioning. He will also be available for any questions pertaining to weight loss, weight management and exercise.

Jeannette Bessinger - Jeannette is the creator of the Whole Life Nutrition approach http://www.balanceforlifellc.com/ and co-author of the best-selling book. "Healthiest Meals on Earth". Her most recent book is "Simple Food for Busy Families". You can "Ask the Nutritionist" with Jeannette as well as sample tasty favorites from her cookbooks.

Marie Crain - Marie is the owner of Ocean Massage in Bristol and will be providing "mini-massages" to demonstrate her massage skills and describe the many benefits of massage including improved health, stress reduction, sleep improvement and pain control.

Barbara Casey - Barbara is an certified instructor in the "Alexander Technique" which is a method that works to change (movement) habits in our everyday activities. It is a simple and practical method for improving ease and freedom of movement, balance, support and coordination. The technique teaches the use of the appropriate amount of effort for a particular activity, giving you more energy for all your activities.

A "Novel Idea" Ltd. Booksellers
450 Hope Street
Bristol, Rhode Island 02809
Phone: 401-396-9360

Happy White obits

I only met Happy White a few times at RWU in the wing of the library named for her. She was always so grateful to help others become inspired by new ideas and art. Bless her. Below is a link to her obits in todays Providence Journal. She was born in 1916 and was 92 when she died.

Please visit the Notice for Mary "Happy" (Tefft Schwarz) White.

http://www.legacy.com/Link.asp?I=LS000126088013X

Click on the above link or cut and paste the url into your browser's address bar.

Green Landscaping Workshop Saturday morning May 16 from 9 am - noon

Save the Bay (at the new headquarters on the water in Providence) is holding their second annual Green Landscaping Workshop on Saturday May 16 from 9 - noon. Please join them for a morning of gardening tips and excellent buys on everything to get your garden off to a good green start. There will be local experts speaking on a range of topics from Sustainable Lawn Care to Container Gardening to Native Plants and how to use them. The use of excessive lawn and garden fertilizers will be discussed noting their threat to harbor water quality and the shellfishing industry. Last year experts explained simple ways to compost. There will be a garden project table for kids. Rain barrels will also be on sale as well as yard care products and native plants. To reserve a rain barrel in advance, visit www.riwaterlady.com. (Last year there were plenty available that were not reserved.) The rain barrels are recycled olive barrels from Italy and come in several colors. If you have questions, ideas or want to exhibit eco-friendly wares or services contact Marci Cole Ekberg at Save the Bay at 401 272 3540 x 113 or email her at mcole@savebay.org