Just in time for Valentine's Day, the Projo reports that a "ten-foot phallic snow sculpture" in South Kingstown has been getting some of the neighbors hot and bothered. The police came multiple times – though we think they might have been faking those last couple – to the home off Middlebridge Road where the sculpture was erected, but decided that they weren't at liberty to touch the owner's private... property. Though the person responsible claims the sculpture will last for days, we think that just leaving it exposed like that will lead to softening and significant shrinkage. Anway, here's a photo... you know you want to look:
By now you may have heard that Winter Storm Nemo is bearing down on New England and preparing to drop anywhere from 1-265 inches (give or take) of powder in the Northeast, and possibly anything from a few flurries to a catastrophic blizzard of biblical proportions around the region, including New York, New Jersey, DC, Miami, Atlanta, Albuquerque, the US Virgin Islands, Belize, Hawaii (the island of Oahu only), New South Wales, Isengard and The Shire. Here is the latest Storm Tracker XL5000 DopplerMaster Radar Luxury Edition III satellite photo of Nemo's approach:
Always concerned for the wellbeing of our readers, we've compiled a list of the following snow preparedness tips so you can be ready for The Wrath of Nemo:
-Stock up on milk and bread.
-While you're at the market, might as well pick up other food that you might need to eat an actual meal instead of subsisting off milk and bread like a Dickensian street urchin.
-Hold up the entire damn line at Stop & Shop like there's no one else waiting while you look for that expired coupon for milk and/or bread.
-Act like it has never snowed before. Ever.
-Call a parent, grandparent or older relative so they can remind you how this is nothing compared to the Blizzard of '78.
-Start live-Tweeting the storm now so that your hash tag wins. #snowedin #statingtheobvious #didImentionitssnowing? #catchinguponHomeland
-Post a Facebook update encouraging everyone to stay safe and warm. Seriously. Do it now. Do you want your friends to die a horrible, freezing, snowbound death? You've got to warn them!
-Gather the supplies you'll need if there's an extended power outage: candles, flashlights, warm blankets, non-perishable food, booze, satellite phone, animal pelts, whale blubber, a trashcan to throw through the front window of whatever store you're planning to loot.
-In the event of both a parking ban and a power outage, set your car on fire to stay warm and avoid costly parking …More
Don’t fall into a winter biking slump! Providence Bicycle offers free indoor training classes each Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 7:00pm throughout February at its Branch Avenue location. If you don’t want to haul your bike back and forth, the shop will even store and set up your bike and trainer each session for free. If you don’t have a bike trainer, you can rent one for $5.00 per class. 725 Branch Avenue. 331-6610, providencebicycle.com
Hoping to become a better, less injured runner? Sign up for the next RUNstrong class series, a collaboration between Rhode Runner and Foundation Performance Sports Medicine. Class meets every Tuesday at 6pm from February 5 - March 12. RUNstrong is a 55-minute circuit style strengthening class that will utilize only your body, a foam roller, and an elastic band. Sign up for one class or for the whole series. Rhode Runner, 657 North Main Street. 831-6346, rhoderunner.netMore
The Olive Tap, Providence’s second olive oil joint, is now open in Wayland Square. They offer a wide array of extra virgin olive oil, infused olive oils, a variety of balsamic and red wine vinegars alongside pieces to bread to sop it all up. And in addition to the dipping treats, they also feature artwork for sale, a broad menu of spices, culinary sauces, marinades, tapenades and jams. Check them out on Facebook as “The Olive Tap Providence.”
Wickenden Street boasts a new fusion of art festival and farmers’ market at Small Circle. It is a community marketplace of 100% locally made products featuring over 100 artisans and their mix of photography, jewelry, blown glass, textiles and woodworking. Small Circle was founded on both environmentally friendly and socially conscious principles while simultaneously stimulating the local economy.
Follow The Rhode Island Library Report, an online public journalism project, as it explores the role libraries play in our current lives and how they will fit into our future. This completely volunteer based project covers the range of services our libraries provide through economic hardships and technical challenges as we move forward in these digitizing times. Read about those who work so hard to keep our libraries alive and those who are benefited from this resource.More
In other Federal Hill news, the former gas station at the corner of Broadway and Courtland may just be reborn. cluck! (399 Broadway) will be a retail shop for urban farmers and gardeners. Whether you’re growing vegetables in a community garden plot, raising chickens or bees in your backyard, canning your own produce or making cheese, cluck! will be able to provide you with the products, materials, expertise and service you need. Owner Drake Patten promises the property will go from “an abandoned gas station to an oasis of green. Asphalt will be replaced with trees, raised beds and unusual planters growing vegetables and herbs.” There’s just one little snag: she needs a zoning variance to open the property for retail use, instead of strictly residential or office use as it is currently zoned. There has been some resistance from at least one local property owner, but Patten has been doing her due diligence, keeping the neighbors informed (as at a December 5 open house) and rallying supporters. If all goes according to plan, cluck! will be open for business on March 15.More
Can't get to the polls this election year? Not to worry because Zipcar has the affordable solution for you and your fellow car-less concerned citizens. On November 6, if you are a Zipcar member and book a reservation from 5am-9pm you can enjoy a 50% discount on the hourly rate. With over 50 vehicles and 20 lots throughout the Greater Providence area, including downtown spots like Brown and RISD, there's no excuse not to get out to the polls.
Zipcar has emphasized their belief that "everyone should vote" by teaming up with Rock the Vote, an organization at the collision of pop-culture and politics that inspires young people to vote. You can join the movement by registering to vote at Zipcar's Facebook page. Visit their regional office at 65 Eddy Street in Providence, find them on the web, or call 401-234-1480 for more info.More
Give a coat, get a coffee – it's that simple!
The 5th Annual Coats for Coffee drive to benefit the Boys and Girls Clubs of Providence kicks off this Monday at all Seven Stars Bakery locations. Bring a gently used kids or adult coat to either Providence (820 Hope St. or 342 Broadway) or Rumford (20 Newman Ave.) Seven Stars between October 22-November 4 and you'll receive a free small coffee. To help kickstart things, on the first day only they will also throw in a free baked good. All coats will be cleaned by Courtesy Cleaners before donation. You can also drop your coats directly at one of their locations and receive a voucher for your free coffee. Over the past four years Coats for Coffee has donated hundreds of badly needed coats to children and families in need during the chilly winter months. Help us reach this year's goal of over 500 coats this year and you're guaranteed to feel warm all over.More
If you haven’t seen the rosy-colored State House recently, then here’s a newsflash: it’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and in recognition of this, CORE: Center of Real Energy will be offering a series of Pilates for Pink classes. These one-week-only workouts begin on Monday, October 15 and run through Saturday, October 20. CORE is partnering with Shape magazine to raise money for The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, a non-profit organization and one of the pioneers in breast cancer research. So, if the rainy autumn weather has you feeling blue, boost your spirits with a workout that will benefit your body and mind. All classes are $20, and some require pre-registration, which can be done right on their website. Won’t be able to make it to a class but still want to contribute? CORE will also be accepting check donations at their original studio on Angell Street in Wayland Square and their newly opened location on Governor Street. With 100% of the profits from these special classes going directly to breast cancer research, you can feel even better knowing that your ab-ripping Pilates workout contributed to women’s health everywhere.More
With Halloween looming, Providence will again be celebrating one of its own creators of horror during the annual H.P. Lovecraft Walking Tour and film series. The tour, hosted by the Rhode Island Historical Society in conjunction with the Rhode Island International Horror Film Festival, will highlight the famous horror and fantasy author's “Providence stories,” written between 1924 and 1935. The tour will cover the site of his former home, as well as numerous locations around the city mentioned in pieces such as The Haunter of the Dark, The Shunned House, and The Case of Charles Dexter Ward.
The tour begins at 1pm on Sunday, October 28 , departing from the John Brown House at 52 Power Street, and will last for 90 minutes. Tickets cost $18 per person and can be purchased in advance by calling the RIIFF offices at 401-861-4455 or online. Those who attend will be treated to two premiere films inspired by the writing of Lovecraft: Shadow of the Unnamable and The Thing on the Doorstep, immediately following the tour at 2:30. The screenings will be held at the Providence Public Library Theatre, 150 Empire Street. Tickets for the film screening only will be available to the public at the door.More