Ongoing Blackstone Valley/State
Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park will once again offer its annual winter lecture series discussing the Blackstone Valley’s role as an incubator for revolutionary thought and action. This six-part series, hosted via Zoom, will cover a variety of topics, including labor reform, ethnic religion and politics, the cotton economy and architecture. The final lecture will be offered on Saturday, April 3 at 2 p.m. The lectures are free and open to the public. Registration is required to receive the Zoom link, and can be found at https://bit.ly/RevolutionInTheAir.
Pawtucket
• The Empowerment Factory, in collaboration with the Rhode Island Department of Education, is offering free elementary youth art classes from January
through May. Each participating child will receive a creativity kit to accompany live online classes taught by The Empowerment Team. These fun, free classes combine art, science, and social emotional learning. Starting Jan. 5, all Rhode Island elementary students are eligible to register for up to 2 sessions. Space is limited. Families are encouraged to visit www.empowermentfactory.org/free-art-adventures and sign up for an alert to be notified via email when registration opens.
• Pawtucket Open Market is held every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the historic Hope Artiste Village for a fun shopping experience featuring local farmers, artists and vintage vendors. Sunnyside Food Truck will be serving up tasty meals and snacks all day.
Bellingham
The Easter Bunny is busy preparing for the big day on April 4, so the Bellingham Women of Today will be helping him send personal letters to anyone on your list. The cost is $2 for each letter or three for $5. Send the name and address of a recipient along with your name, phone number and any information you would like added to the letter with check made out to BWOT to BWOT, PO Box 405, Bellingham, Massachusetts 02019 before March 17. Contact us at BWOTevents@hotmail.com and visit us on Facebook.
Uxbridge
St. Mary Parish will be offering “The Search” as part of its Lenten Adult Faith Formation program, which is offered both virtually and in-person. “The Search” is an innovative video series from Augustine Institute that tackles the key questions of the human heart. You are invited to attend the multi-session program to better understand life and death, sorrow and happiness, science and faith and the meaning and purpose of life. These topics and others will be explored with experts from multiple fields of science, medicine, psychology, art and religion. Join the church for what should be a very thought-provoking experience each Monday night from 6:30 to 8 p.m. beginning Feb. 15 and running through March 29. Masks are required and social distancing will be observed for the in-person session. To register for “The Search”or to ask any questions, email thesearch@stmaryuxbridge.org or call the parish office at (508) 278-2226.
March 28
Woonsocket’s Congregation B’nai Israel will offer a free online second night Passover Seder to the Jewish community on March 28 from 6 to 6:30 p.m., conducted by Cantor Jeff Cornblatt. Those who want to join can get a 10-page copy of the Haggadah – the book traditionally used throughout the meal – and the Zoom login information by emailing the synagogue at synagogue@cbi.necoxmail.com. The Seder can also be watched on Facebook at facebook. com/shalom.cbi. Donations are welcome and can be made on the synagogue’s Facebook page at facebook.com/shalom.cbi.
March 31
Local residents interested in contributing to an upcoming Rhode Island PBS documentary are invited to share their answers at a virtual town meeting on Wednesday, March 31 at 6 p.m. Participants are asked to register for the event. “Our Town – Cumberland” will be the next chapter in a local documentary series. The project invites neighbors to become filmmakers, capturing the unique experiences, untold stories, and hidden gems of their community. Each edition of “Our Town” shares the local legends, historic events and neighborly anecdotes of a Rhode Island town and its villages. For more information, visit ripbs.org/our-town. Participants may call project director Jodi Mesolella at (401) 222-3636, ext. 209, or email ourtown@ripbs.org.
April 5
Mayor Donald R. Grebien and the Pawtucket City Council have announced that yard waste collection and street sweeping will begin the week of Monday, April 5, 2021. Residents are asked to place leaf bags out on their normal trash pickup day. Leaves and yard waste must be placed in brown yard waste bags that are available at local hardware stores, or be put in a barrel (33 gallons or less) clearly labeled yard waste in order to be collected. Plastic bags are not allowed to be used for leaves or yard waste. This program does not cover wood from building materials or scrap wood of any kind. Leaf bags should remain separate from all other trash and recycling and cannot be mixed in with regular household trash as the mixed waste bags will not be collected. Leaves and other yard waste, when mixed with household trash, add significantly to the City’s cost of disposal. Please note that parking will be prohibited on your recycling collection days for scheduled street sweeping as cars parked on the streets prevent the sweeper from reaching the curb. Please also keep in mind that cars in front of trash and recycling bins prevent their collection. The leaf and yard waste program runs until December. For more information or if you have any questions, email dpw@pawtucketri.com or call 401728-0500 ext. 233.