East Side Monthly January 2014

January 2014

a reel celebration

The Avon marks 75 star-struck years A Globetrotting New Year’s Resolution pg 21

Behind the Masks of the Living Statues pg 37

Best Wishes for a Happy and Healthy

2014

Our 85th Year!

Myra Braverman daniel Byrnes stephanie Markoff cohen sue erkkinen carl Feldman rodger gaglione roxanne gordon

Kristin green thom Hammond chris Healy Michaela Hermann lise Holst Bob Kumins Kathryn lawrence Michael Young

Helen Macdonald John Mccann linda Mittleman suzanne Prescott luca sawada colleen sullivan Betsy Walsh

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Contents January 2014

This Month 13 Cinematic Success The Avon celebrates its 75th anniversary

18 The Archeology of College Hill Brown offers a class that digs up history

21 New Year’s Resolutions An East Sider shares his success story

13 Every Month 4 Letters/Editorial 6 Other Side 9 Community News Photography: Jonathan Beller

39 Calendar

33 Education

46 East of Elmgrove

Your resource for dining out

All the info on January events

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. elementary school’s new principal

27 Movies

34 Finance

Capsule reviews on the latest cinematic openings

29 On the Menu

30 Dining Guide

On the Cover:

The pros and cons of active versus passive investing

The Wintertime Farmers Market continues to expand

37 Art

Our writer’s favorite 2013 columns

Behind the WaterFire gargoyle masks

Misty Movement oil on linen 24x30

by Anthony Tomaselli www.anthonytomaselli.com

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January 2014 East Side Monthly

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1070 Main Street, Suite 302 Pawtucket RI 02860 tel: 305-3391 | fax: 305-3392 esm@providenceonline.com www.eastsidemonthly.com Publishers Barry Fain Richard Fleischer John Howell

Editorial

Publishing Director Jeanette St. Pierre

Multitasking is in Order Starting a little earlier than normal, it appears that Rhode Island’s favorite time of year, election season, has begun in earnest. Already four candidates have announced their intentions to run for governor… and several more are considering it. The decision of Mayor Taveras to make a gubernatorial run himself now opens up his office and five candidates have stepped forward here as well. Similarly, candidates are popping up to run for all the state offices as well.

What has been pleasantly surprising this time around however, is the quality of the people actually seeking positions. Most seem to be from slightly outside the political inner circle. The governor’s race for example, pits a popular state treasurer who took on the pension issue despite great odds

against a popular Providence mayor who has done incredibly well with his Category five inherited problems.

Against them will be a successful mayor of Cranston and a political outsider who is determined to cut government waste and has put up his own money to do it. And more candidates are expected to emerge as the year rolls on.

All of this would be encouraging were it not for the fact that no one seems to be able to find solutions to dealing with the elephant in the room… there are simply not enough jobs to go around in Rhode Island. That said, we look forward to some lively debates among some bright and committed people who seem to want to do a good job.

As we await the discussions, we would like to offer one plea to at least one of the candidates. Providence was clearly

Managing Editor Barry Fain

crippled when the former mayor decided he wanted to go to Washington and, it could be argued, turned his attention and that of his staff to his hotly-contested election rather than focusing on the pressing needs of a city in trouble.

Many of the hard decisions the current mayor has made certainly could have at least been initiated by his predecessor.

While we like much, perhaps most, of what Mayor Taveras has been able to achieve, we would hope that he is prepared to multitask and not allow much of the hard work that has been accomplished on his watch to be eroded by insufficient attention.

The current state of the city remains fragile at best and while there are some positive signs emerging, the full attention of the current staff will be critical if it is to continue.

City Editor Steve Triedman Executive Editor Julie Tremaine Associate Editor Grace Lentini Editorial Assistant Dale Rappaneau Special Projects Manager John Taraborelli Digital Manager Samantha Pezza Art Director Karli Hendrickson Assistant Art Director Meghan H. Follett Advertising Design Director Layheang Meas Graphic Designer Veatsna Sok Account Managers Louann DiMuccio-Darwich, Ann Gallagher, Nicole Greenspun, Kristine Mangan, Dan Schwartz, Elizabeth Riel, Kimberly Tingle Classified Advertising Sue Howarth

Letters Thanks for Breaking the Story To the Editor: Thank you for the cover story in September about why the pipes are being buried on the East Side [“Paving the Way,” September 2013]. I did not realize all the reasons for the construction until a grocery store check out woman at the Whole Foods on Waterman told me about this and your article on the subject. Now I know all the nuisances are worth it and will help our beautiful bay a lot. I’m now sharing that info.

Ellen Goodman Editor’s note: Thanks for your help in spreading the word.

Finally Being Heard To the Editor: Thank you so much for your excellent

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East Side Monthly January 2014

review of my book. It was “just right,” and I am so grateful. I’ve posted it on Facebook. Finally, a review in a Providence paper! It was worth waiting for.

Constance Gee

An Unfair Ticket To the Editor: I know you’ve been covering the Combined Sewer Overflow construction in great detail, so I thought you might be interested in this tidbit: This week, my street (4th street) is undergoing the big dig. After having been rudely awakened by a cop banging on my door at 7:30 in the morning on Veteran’s Day, informing us that we had to move our cars to Highland for the day – due not only to the fact

that construction would be occupying the street, but also to the fact that our driveway was the designated staging area for surveying equipment, spare pipes and castoff construction worker clothes – I elected to leave my car on Highland overnight (with my duly purchased overnight parking sticker). Today, while my driveway was occupied for the entire day by an asphalt rolling truck that the construction crew elected to park there, I received a parking ticket for overtime parking. Of course the ticket offers the option to plead not guilty, but I really don’t have time to go contest a ticket I received because construction workers and cops constructively evicted me from my own driveway.

Mikaila Mariel Lemonik Arthur

Contributing Writers Bob Cipriano, Michael Clark, Mary K. Connor, Jill Davidson, Mike Fink, Don Fowler, Elyena de Goguel, David Goldstein, Betsey Purinton, Elizabeth Rau, Dan Schwartz, Erin Swanson Interns Anita Baffoni, Courtney Melo, Alexa Pacheco, Paige Snyder Contributing Photographers Amy Amerantes, Stacey Doyle, Tiffany Medrano, Dan Schwartz Contributing Illustrators Maret Paetznick, Eloise Narrigan Calendar announcements and news releases should be submitted by the 1st of the preceding month. We reserve the right to omit and edit items. Letters to the editor are welcome. We will not print unsigned letters without exceptional circumstances. East Side Monthly is not responsible for typographical errors. Corrections will be run at discretion of editor.

Copyright ©2014 by East Side Monthly.

All rights reserved. Printed by Gannett Offset.

New Year. New Ideas.

New 10 to Watch.

Join

Providence Monthly for the first great party of the new year A celebration of our 10 to Watch, and a benefit for Project Night Vision

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Other Side by Barry Fain

Locked Away A century-old East Side business closes its doors

Their departure was in many ways synonymous with the way they modestly conducted their business over the past century. Last month, the American Safe and Lock Company at 117 North Main Street, a few doors away from Mill’s Tavern (or as we say in Rhode Islandese diagonally across the street from where Fains Carpets used to be) quietly closed their doors after 100 years in business. Owned by the Wolferseder family, for generations they helped people who locked themselves out of their houses, needed keys or safes, or quite frankly had any questions at all about any aspect of home security. The understated sign in their window, hand lettered of course, says it all: To our valued customers: Thank you very much for your business over the years. February 1913 - November 2013. ‘Tis always sad when another well-respected piece of Providence lore flickers out. By the way, as an affirmation that we really are the “two degrees of separation” state, it should be noted that the senior Mr. Wolferseder is the grandfather of Rhode Island Olympic swimming star Elizabeth Beisel.

They Dun Swell!

Referencing a ProJo letter to the editor as well as our October cover story [“A Golden Anniversary,” October 2013], one of our readers wanted to make sure we don’t forget to acknowledge the seven original incorporators of the Trinity Rep in 1963. Lest you’ve forgotten, or perhaps are a more recent arrival to Providence, here they are: Milton Stanzler (a lawyer with a vision), Norman Tillis (a local businessman), Barbara Orson (a New York actress who had recently moved to Rhode Island), Professor James O. Barnhill (director of Brown’s theatre department), Betsy Argo (operator of a summer theatre in the old Johnson Hummocks restaurantnow Cheaters), Robert Kaplan (who

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East Side Monthly January 2014

conducted the orchestras and choruses of many community theatre productions) and lawyer Lawrence Y. Goldberg. We are a fortunate community to have had their vision and commitment.

Simply Amazing

As we go to press, her fate remains unclear. But kudos to Amy Diaz, a native of Providence and loyal Classical High School alumna, for making it to the final four in the national TV show “The Amazing Race.” Should she and her boyfriend Jason Case of Attleboro win it, she will join the Pious brothers as Rhode Island winners of the million dollars first prize in the competition (they won in 2010).

We would also be remiss if we didn’t mention that several years back, Amy was named as one of the ten most eligible bachelorettes in Providence by our sister publication Providence Monthly. Sorry guys, but we did our best to tell you she was a catch. If you chose not to listen, it’s on you.

Gentlemen, Start your Engines

There are certainly many ways to celebrate the beginning of the New Year around here. There are New Year’s parties to be sure. First Night or Bright Light or whatever it’s called. Polar Bear Plunges. But in a state where politics remain the true blood sport, the new year also marks the official opportunity to declare one’s candidacy for office. This year promises to be a lively one as several candidates have already declared themselves for office and others will officially do so later this month; Providence itself will be especially busy, as five candidates have already stepped forward to fill the vacancy that will be created by Mayor Taveras’s decision to seek higher office himself. Announced so far: Democrats Lorne Adrain, Brett Smiley, Jorge Elorza with Michael Solomon about to follow suit

The American Safe and Lock Company closes its doors after 100 years

as well as Republican Dan Harrop.

John Lombardi and of course former mayor Buddy Cianci are rumored to at least be interested. (We’re not so sure.) 2014 promises to be a lively new year for the political junkies among us and we’ll do our best to keep it informative and perhaps even entertaining for you.

Neither Wind or Rain or Snow Can Stop...

This time we’re talking about the determination of our local farmers. In case you’ve forgotten them amidst the rush of holiday shopping, Farm Fresh, the creative marketing arm of our local farm communities, has moved their Wintertime Market indoors for the next few months. Every Saturday (from 9am-1pm) and Wednesday (from 4-7pm), fresh produce and spices from our local farms will be on sale at Hope Artiste Village on Main Street in Pawtucket just over the Providence line. They’ll be joined

by other creative entrepreneurs who will add more produce, baked goods and the like. Definitely worth checking them all out for what is a delightful excuse to come in out of the cold.

Downton Abbey offers previews in Cranston

While the show may not be everyone’s cup of tea, the rarified charms of Downton Abbey, the popular PPS series, seems to have a rabidly loyal fan base. We’re not sure exactly what will be offered, but there will be a showing of the first episode of 2014 season four before it airs nationally, on January 4 at the Park Theatre in Cranston. We understand there will also be a pre-screening party to boot.

For more details on what to expect, go to parktheatreri.com or call their box office at 467-7275. Since the Park Theatre is basically on one level, we assume this Downton Abbey won’t have special upstairs or downstairs seatings.

Photography: Barry Fain

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Community News Community News is a space that East Side Monthly makes available to community organizations free of charge. The content does not necessarily reflect the views of the editors of this publication.

Summit

by Kerry Kohring Summit Neighborhood Association Phone Number: 489-7078 Website: www.SummitNeighbors.org Email: sna@sna.providence.ri.us Mailing Address: SNA, PO Box 41092, Providence, RI 02940 Best wishes for a healthy and happy new year!

City Planner Explains Zoning Review A city government representative told local residents attending the Summit Neighborhood Association’s board of directors’ monthly meeting in November that Providence is currently engaged in a total overhaul of its zoning ordinance in an effort to “craft regulations to guide the markets in a way that is beneficial to the city.”

Robert Azar, director of current planning for the Department of Planning and Development, said the major thrust of the reorganization is to “recognize what we have and preserve it.”

He said there is “a great opportunity for the community” to try to keep the things it has and enhance them by using zoning tools to carry out the vision of the City’s Comprehensive Plan.

Azar projected that the final document would be completely reorganized with consistent terminology and voice, clearing out archaic sections on measurements and temporary use. He said there would be better design guidelines to preserve traditional concepts, but would not rule on esthetics, which are subjective. Commercial districts, including Hope Street, should have design regulations that don’t put undue pressure on developers, such as continuing to demand a set number of off-street parking spaces for a certain amount of floor space, he said, adding that zoning should encourage pedestrian activity and biking. He said houses shouldn’t be lost to parking, but that adapting parking rules would be subject to further discussion as the process continues.

The planning director also said the new zoning would support linking public transportation to land use and develop North Main Street as a rapid-transit

corridor. “Zoning should be in tune with transportation policies,” Azar said, and “we want to encourage residential with transit” use.

The proposed ordinance must be approved by the City Council with public input and all “clients” must come together, he said, predicting that a comprehensive proposal would be ready later this year.

Further information and a link to the technical review are available on the SNA website.

Snow Shoveling Program Digging In The SNA program matching snow-shoveling volunteers with elderly or handicapped members of the community needing assistance is up and running.

Anyone willing to help or in need of help can contact SNA through the listserv or the website.

Christmas Caroling in the Neighborhood With the help of The Miriam Hospital and Hope Street restaurants, the SNA this year took over organizing volunteers to go through Summit on December 22 singing the songs of the season. As of this writing, details were still being worked out, but the full story should be on the website. Everyone is invited to participate next year in the caroling and other celebrations of our neighborhood’s cultural diversity.

Printed Newsletter Scheduled for Distribution The familiar green-paper newsletter covering what’s happening in Summit is planned to be on the streets later this month or early next month.

Look for it to arrive on your doorstep delivered by an army of volunteers. If you would like to join that dedicated bunch, contact SNA through the listserv, website, snail-mail or telephone.

Candidates’ Views to be Presented In this election year, SNA is looking to cooperate with other organizations in offering residents opportunities to meet and question candidates for public office. It has been said that people get the government they deserve, so take every chance to become an informed and active voter.

Residents Invited to Directors Meetings The board of directors convenes at 7pm on the third Monday of every month in the cafeteria of Summit Commons, 99 Hillside Ave. The meetings are open and neighborhood residents are encouraged to attend. Minutes of all board meetings

are posted on the SNA website under “Meetings and Agendas.”

other parks in Providence are doing, check out www.Providenceparks.org.

Brown Street Blackstone Park Parks

by Wendy Nilsson

by Jane Peterson

Friends of Brown Street Park Phone Number: 454-8712 Website: www.friendsofbrownstreetpark.org Email: wendy@friendsofbrownstreetpark.org Mailing Address: 30 Pratt Street, Providence, RI 02906

Blackstone Parks Phone Number: 270-3014 Website: www.blackstoneparksconservancy.org Mailing Address: P.O. Box 603141, Providence, RI 02906

Events this Month Save the date for Second Annual Earthday Spring Cleaning Providence 2014, April 26th at Brown Street Park and parks and other sites all over Providence. Time TBA Winter is a really good time to get involved with Friends of Brown Street Park. Check out how many people, organizations and businesses it takes to put on a Halloween event. We hope you are inspired to help out or donate for the 2014 season. Email us.

For the seventh year in a row, I am blown away by your dedication to Brown Street Park. It is so wonderful to work with old and new fiends to bring this event to our community. Despite the eventual showers, the crowds came, the children were ridiculously adorable and the vibe was electric.

The set up was flawless… the last minute appearance of exactly the right amount of volunteers, the wonderful sounds of Lindsay Meehan’s Music for Children… and for however briefly Yamulkasaki Klezmer band played, all was perfect. It was wonderful to see some of our older children move from being participants to being volunteers (Maddie, Alex, Bear, all of you…). To the parents and friends who jumped in to help, thank you. It was wonderful to have the addition of the Gordon School, Southside Community Land Trust Garlic workshop, Lindsay Meehan and more. We hope you all save the date for next year.

Please contact wendy@friendsofbrownstreetpark.org to find out how you can donate or get involved in Brown Street Park or visit www.friendsofbrownstreetpark.org. Check the website for cancellations and updates for classes and events. To find out what

What Are We Doing Here?

This is the question on everyone’s lips one freezing morning in the wooded Blackstone Park Conservation District.

“Why can’t we meet indoors?” We’re joking, of course, because we are here for a reason. And here – with the last leaves clinging to the trees near the end of the one of the brightest autumns in memory – is not such a bad place to be.

A group of Blackstone Parks Conservancy (BPC) board and education committee members have come to the woods to hear what Janis Nepshinsky, Visitor Services Manager of the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) in Rhode Island, has to say about how to make the Park more inviting and to capture visitors’ attention. Janis is providing backup for a new federal and state funded program designed to assist park support groups like ours in our mission of stewardship, especially in conservation and education. It’s called the Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnership Project.

We start at the kiosk. Is it in a good place? What should be on it? Janis likes its location tucked at the edge of the woodland opposite East Orchard Street and suggests that FWS could build a rack at the bottom for brochures. Then, moving onto a trail, we start to talk about informational signs. How many should there be and where should they be placed? How detailed should they be?

“You need to figure out who your audience is,” says Janis.

Also present is April Alix, the freshly hired coordinator of the new program, which so far is only funded for one year.

April is already known to the BPC as an effective Audubon and Providence After-School Alliance teacher. After working in the Park with middle school students nearly every week for several years, she knows this 45-acre woodland overlooking the Seekonk River in a way

January 2014 East Side Monthly

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Community News few people do.

Part of the Fish and Wildlife Service mission is to expand and inform children’s contact with nature, and this is important to the Conservancy as well.

Urban children in particular have far less exposure to nature than their parents and grandparents did. It would be difficult to overestimate the importance of this exposure not only for the future of the environment but also for children’s physical and mental health.

April’s job as liaison between park support groups, schools and the Providence Department for Parks and Recreation sounds a little vague at first.

But given how much the Partnership for Providence Parks coordinated by Wendy Nilsson has accomplished in less than two years, the potential for intelligent coordination of resources is clear. By providing access to a wide range of information and to grants, the partnership has generated considerable interest in our parks while helping friends’ groups develop their capacity to care for them.

With her science training and her energy, April could make a difference to the Conservancy and the other park groups that emphasize conservation.

Ideas for taking advantage of the new services quickly spring to mind. For instance, Moses Brown teacher Tara Tsakaklides, who with Conservancy help has launched stormwater studies in her AP Science classes, would like to know what April and her students learned while testing water quality in the Blackstone ponds. By using the same kind of water testing kits, Tara suggests that her students could build on the information base that is already there and add to it each year.

What if, with the Conservancy’s help, several local schools could build a record of observations of water quality in Hockey and York ponds over time?

That would enable this part of Providence to plug into statewide efforts to track pollution and temperature in freshwater bodies and estuaries.

In these times when money is tight and the natural world is increasingly stressed by habitat loss and storms, we can strengthen programs by sharing resources and avoiding duplication.

Multi-year study of other areas in addition to water quality, such as wildlife or soil, could greatly help guide management of the parks. If other schools were interested in such a plan, the urban refuge project and the Conservancy together could help facilitate the necessary connections.

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East Side Monthly January 2014

Kindly send your East Side Market receipts to the address above.

College Hill

by Allison Spooner College Hill Neighborhood Association Phone Number: 633-5230 Website: www.collegehillna.com Email: chna@collegehillna.com Mailing Address: CHNA, P.O. Box 2442, Providence, RI 02906 CHNA Annual Meeting Thanks We had so much support to make the CHNA Annual Meeting a great success.

Our many thanks to the Governor Henry Lippitt House for hosting our event, Bonnie Nickerson, the Director of LongRange Planning from the Providence Department of Planning and Development, for a very informative presentation on RE:Zoning Providence, and to Kartabar and Paragon for sponsoring the delicious refreshments. The CHNA Board was so pleased to present community awards to Cheryl Simmons for her crime awareness advocacy and leadership and to Barry Fain for his years of commitment as a CHNA Board member and contributions on many issues throughout the years.

We also thank all of our guests who attended our Annual Meeting event. What a terrific end to 2013.

The Governor Henry Lippitt House Museum The CHNA Board members sincerely appreciate the opportunity to hold our monthly board meetings at the Lippitt House Museum. It is truly inspiring to work in the incredibly beautiful historic treasure in our neighborhood that is well maintained by Preserve Rhode Island. To show our appreciation for the support and efforts of Carrie Taylor, the Director of the Lippitt House Museum, and Dave Wrenn, the Lippitt House Administrator, the CHNA Board has made a contribution to the Lippitt House Museum through Preserve Rhode Island. If you haven’t taken a guided tour or attended a special event, visit preserveri. org for all information on the Lippitt House Museum.

Don’t Forget to Plow the Snow Winter has arrived. As the flakes fall, we would like to remind home and business owners to please take out those snow shovels in a timely manner and plow the sidewalks. It can be treacherous to navigate unplowed terrain and harder

to shovel the snow the deeper it gets.

We will also be working with the City departments to ensure that the roads are managed to provide for vehicles to have consistent clearance. We will have additional snow updates as winter makes its way through.

Building Standards Since September, CHNA has been working with neighbors, the Providence Housing Court and the Historic District Commission to address the long-standing neglected state of 130 Congdon Street. This concerted effort has resulted in a forward movement to have the work of the exterior completed at long last.

CHNA will continue to monitor the progress of 130 Congdon Street throughout the New Year and other neglected properties in the College Hill neighborhood.

CHNA Membership Dues are Due A reminder to our members that CHNA dues are due this month. The calendar year marks the due date. To become a new CHNA member (or renew), for only $20 per year, visit our website, www.collegehillna.com and click “Join CHNA.” Checks may be made out to CHNA Attn: Treasurer, Box 2442, Providence, RI 02906. Be sure to include your email and mailing address.

More on the CHNA Website Visit www.collegehillna.com for additional updates on special use permits, crime activity, local resources, events and neighborhood activities.

Wayland Square

by David Kolsky Neighborhood Discussion Group at Books on the Square Website: groups.yahoo.com/group/waylandsquare Next Meetings 7 to 8:45pm Wednesday, January 22 and Wednesday, February 26, Books on the Square, 471 Angell Street at Elmgrove, next to CVS. Free and open to all.

(At this writing, it’s just possible that we may also meet earlier in January to hear more details about the zoning revision process described in this page’s columns last November. Check our website or the bookstore window.)

Comina is Staying In November’s East Side Monthly (two months ago), I reported that Comina, the furniture store on Wayland Avenue near Medway Street, was planning to move out of Wayland Square after 20 years in Providence.

When combined with Pow! Science’s recent retreat back to its main store in Wakefield, I feared that this might start or signal an emptying-out of Medway & Wayland to produce a disheartening ring of vacant storefronts like what we saw around Angell & Wayland five to eight years ago.

I’m now happy to report that Comina has reached a mutually satisfactory arrangement with its landlord and plans to remain on the Square for good.

More Information Check our Yahoo! Group’s public message board (above) to stay abreast of current local events and issues. Or join the group to receive regular announcements by e-mail, including select notices of neighborhood meetings, civic affairs and cultural events.

Fox Point

by John Rousseau Fox Point Neighborhood Association Phone Number: 270-7121 Website: www.fpna.net Email: fpna@cox.net Mailing Address: P.O. Box 603177, Providence, RI 02906 Events This Month FPNA Board Meeting, 7pm, Monday, January 13 in the Community Room at the Vartan Gregorian Bath House Community Room, 455 Wickenden Street.

Superior Court Supports 2006 FPNA Suit The City of Providence has won an injunction and a hefty fine has been levied against the owners of 54-56 Gano Street, who have been operating an illegal parking lot at the location since August 2006.

At that time, FPNA opposed and won a ruling in the Superior Court of Providence against the property owners, Stephen Puelo Jr., and Michelle Boutin Puelo that disallowed such use and remanded the matter to the Zoning Board of Review. The owners ignored that ruling and continued to operate the parking lot despite the Department of Inspection and Standards issuing violation notices in

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FPNA Launches Monument Fund Drive FPNA Vice President Daisy Schnepel reported at the October board meeting that there was a $500 pledge from a member to help fund the restoration and replacement of the 1906 plaques to the Roger Williams Landing Monument on Gano Street. The Board voted to start a Plaques Restoration Fund; feature it in the next membership mail-out and publicity and actively pursue grants from other sources.

“This monument, which sits on what may be the City’s and State’s most

historical piece of property, is referenced and is visible from the site of an historical marker that FPNA will be installing on the shoreline in Gano Park,” she explained. Unfortunately, the monument has no plaques or explanation of its significance because the Parks Department removed them for safekeeping in 2007, only to have three of the five plaques stolen or “misplaced.”

“We’ve received numerous responses to a membership e-mail, indicating a strong interest in the proposed project,” she added. Committee Chair John Rousseau said there are many necessary steps in the project, including pursuing assistance from the Parks Department to search their archives for designs and other sources for photos of the missing plaques; getting price estimates for producing plaques; overseeing production; pursuing funding initiatives and grants through historical organizations, the City, State and Federal Governments and other sources; and writing grants, as it may take several sources to get enough funding.

The board was elated by FPNA member Juliana Anderson, who attended the meeting and volunteered to join the committee. “Until now, we’ve been a committee of one and we’re encouraged by the interest of the membership,” Rousseau said. Anderson agreed to pursue Bob McMahon’s pledge at a membership meeting to assign someone to search the Parks Department archives for designs and photos of the plaques.

FPNA has repeatedly asked elected and governmental officials for help with funding on the monument’s restoration. “It’s an expensive project to re-cast the plaques, so we’re asking for everyone’s ideas and assistance on this project.”

“Sen. Gayle Goldin has sent our FPNA contact information to the person in charge of senate legislative grants,” Rousseau said. “I’ve filled out the form so that FPNA will now get notices of any applicable legislative grants.” He added that he also is working on an e-mail of thanks to Senator Goldin with a cc to other possible grant sources. “So far, we have received little encouragement from anyone in City Government, which is disappointing,” he added.

If you would be interested in contributing or joining FPNA’s Plaques Restoration Fund, contact fpna@cox.net or call 401/270-7121. FPNA is a 501-C-3 organization, meaning all contributions are tax-deductible.

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E AS

October 2007, November 2007, March 2007, January 2012 and June 2012.

The Court also allowed the City to levy a fine of up to $500 per day since the previous court ruling against the defendents, pursuant to Section 806 of the Providence Zoning Ordinance.

The whole matter re-surfaced after seven years when Jim Hummel’s Hummel Report Investigation, entitled “Where is the City,” aired in November.

In the report, www.hummelreport.org/ two.html , FPNA Vice President Daisy Schnepel said the association opposed the parking lot because it was adjacent to the then-proposed I-195 Gano Street entrance ramp, which would cause increased traffic congestion and accidents. “We felt very strongly that the Gano and Wickenden Street entrances were gateways to Providence and gateways to our community,” she added. “The spacing was bad.”

Jeff Likens, director of the Inspection and Standards Department, defended the City’s lack of enforcement of such a clear violation by saying it could possibly be a result of the number of violation cases his office handles. “My research is a little difficult in that this is old enough that the majority of people involved back then are no longer with the department.” Likens could not tell Hummel if the City had collected any fines for repeated violation citations. The City’s Law Department got involved two weeks after Hummel began asking questions about the case.

Schnepel said that the property offers many possibilites for being a plus to the emerging greenway along the Seekonk River, but not as a parking lot. “It’s right next door to the Gano I-195 entrance ramp and close to the exit ramp. This area, which will become a nexus of bikeways into the city when the Washington Bridge and the Blackstone bikeways connect to India Point Park, deserves more beautification, she emphasized.

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East Side Monthly January 2014

75

yea

AS potl ight on t he A von Cine ma

rs

Story by Molly Lederer Photos by Jonathan Beller

75 Years Young A Spotlight on the Avon Cinema

By Molly Lederer

Yo u

ng

“Cinema should make you forget you are sitting in a theatre,” director Roman Polanski declared. But then, Polanski had yet to see a film at the Avon Cinema. From the neon marquee to the art deco lobby, red velvet seats, and dramatic curtain over the screen, the theatre itself is part of the joy. Add some smiling staff, a bucket of buttered popcorn and a roomful of enthusiastic moviegoers, and a world of enchantment awaits you. All that before the lights dim and the film begins.

Given the Avon’s lineup of independent and foreign films handpicked “for the discerning movie lover,” you still may forget where you are once the opening credits start rolling. Though, the communal experience of giggling and gasping in the dark is half the fun of seeing things at a theatre. As the Avon Cinema celebrates its 75th anniversary, the time is ripe to step away from the TV, DVDs, Hulu, Netflix and what’s-its in your living room and wax sentimental over this single-screen, neighborhood art house.

“When you come into the Avon, you’re walking into a time capsule,” suggests Richard Dulgarian, whose family has owned the theatre for three generations. “I’m not saying nothing has ever changed, but basically it’s the way it would have looked back in 1938. We don’t introduce things that would be in conflict with the building.”

Accordingly, at the Avon, there is no track lighting. There aren’t even plastic wastebaskets. Swing music plays softly between shows. Narrow spotlights on the walls create atmospheric shadows. The marquee letters get changed manually, one at a time. The corn is popped fresh daily.

The butter is real. Other retro touches include $2 bills and 50-cent pieces for change, and sweet snipes like “Let’s All Go to the Lobby,” a ‘50s concessions ad that runs before the trailer reel. While the ticket prices have gone up a bit since 1938, when you could catch a matinee for a quarter, they remain more reasonable than most.

Another famous director, Alfred Hitchcock, once proposed that, “The length of a film should be directly related to the endurance of the human bladder.” Barring that, the Avon pipes the soundtrack directly into the powder rooms — so, if you must excuse yourself from the film, you won’t miss much. When sad movies play, the staff stocks extra tissues by the doors to the lobby. Considerations like these add to the appeal.

Dulgarian hopes that it’s a place wherein “you walk through the doors and you can feel what maybe our parents and grandparents felt, during the golden age of Hollywood, when people would go to the cinema for their entertainment and their education.”

D

ulgarian’s grandfather Krikor came to America “with pennies in his pocket” during the time of the Armenian Genocide. He lived with his family on Glendale Street and ran a successful haberdashery on North Main. He saw potential in an old, unoccupied building, a silent film theatre called the Toy on Thayer Street, and decided to buy and renovate it as a

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place to showcase European films. The opening day ad proclaimed, “The insistent demand of cultured cinema goers has finally culminated in the erection of A NEW DELUXE THEATRE… Dedicated to the exclusive showing of unusual pictures.”

The Avon held its first screening, The Life and Loves of Beethoven, in February of ’38. Of the many movie theatres in Providence at the time, most were downtown, and the Avon’s East Side location served it well. Eventually Krikor Dulgarian’s son Earl, a businessman who owned the now defunct (and sorely missed) College Hill Bookstore on Thayer, took over. The European films shown then were considered racier than their American counterparts. So Earl’s son Richard didn’t get a chance to see a film at the Avon himself until he turned 18.

Both Krikor and Earl Dulgarian hired management companies to handle the dayto-day operations of the Avon. But Richard Dulgarian was always fascinated by the place, and asked his father for a part-time job there while attending Rhode Island College. He started as a doorman, ripping tickets, and gradually took on responsibilities like assistant managing and advertising, sharing the work with his brother Kenneth and learning the business from top to bottom.

When the Blizzard of ’78 hit, the Avon retained power. So Kenneth Dulgarian kept the heat on, popped extra corn and allowed stranded patrons and neighbors to spend the night. The next day, Richard Dulgarian walked over from his apartment across town. He’d never run the old carbon arc projectors before, but had a general sense of their functioning — and in the unplanned absence of projectionists that week, he learned by doing. He recalls wishing that the film there at the time, McCabe and Mrs. Miller, didn’t involve a character freezing to death in the snow.

K

enneth and Richard Dulgarian co-own the Avon now, with the latter in charge of daily business. “I do think I have the world’s best job,” Richard Dulgarian admits. “Every week or two, there’s a new film with a new cast, a new idea, a new concept. So there’s always that excitement.” He also appreciates that the customers arrive in good moods (it’s the movies, not the DMV), and that the staff is pleasant and passionate about the arts. He thinks there’s nothing like a crowded theatre in which you could hear a pin drop, and loves how an audience can help you tune in to the emotional content of a movie scene. Sometimes, late at night, he’ll pop some corn and settle in for a private screening of Casablanca or The Wizard of Oz. Since opening, the Avon’s programming has shifted from a focus on European films to classic films in repertory (“That lasted a long time, and then some idiot invented the VCR,” Dulgarian jokes) and on to the first-run foreign and independent films shown today. Dulgarian credits a big part of the theatre’s longevity to film booker George Mansour of Boston, who has selected the lineup for over 40 years. Dulgarian points out how often Mansour seems to intuit Academy Award winners, and how well he predicts which films will do best at which theatres. He notes, “He’s very good at spotting a film that has artistic merit, has the ability to draw a crowd and would play well at the Avon.”

With the exception of a lobby restoration back in ’88, the biggest change to the Avon has been the recent, pricey transition to a digital projection system.

With most film studios no longer producing 35-mm prints, the options were to make the switch or close (the sad fate of some other art houses around the country). But Dulgarian has retained the original carbon arc projectors for showing archive films. He’s also adding a satellite dish to broadcast the National Theatre Live presentation of the play Coriolanus, in real time from London, on January 30 at 2pm. Other National Theatre Live engagements include a broadcast of Hamlet January 16 at 7pm and a reprise of Coriolanus on January 30 at 7pm.

K

eeping the Avon open is a labor of love for Dulgarian, who admits that the single-screen model doesn’t work terrifically well financially. He feels grateful that the community continues to support it, and hopes that the films shown there — and the discussions they provoke — provide an important service. He asks his staff

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not to hurry patrons out when the curtain closes after a show, allowing them instead the time and space to linger a few moments, digesting it and talking about it. He explains, “To me, that’s part of the movie. Thinking about what you’ve seen.”

Loyal Avon fans abound. Don Fowler and his wife, for example, began frequenting it back in the theatre’s double feature days. A regular ESM contributor, Fowler has reviewed movies for the Warwick Beacon and Cranston Herald since 1977. He notes, “When the lineup evolved to mostly foreign and independent films, the Avon became my ‘busman’s holiday’ from the terrible action movies and teenage coming-of-

age stuff that I had to endure at the multiplexes.”

Fowler continues, “Today, with the Avon showing the best of the foreign and independent films, winners of prestigious film festivals, the intimate movie house has become my refuge. The staff is friendly, the audience is more sophisticated and the snack bar has the best popcorn in the state.” Another thing Fowler enjoys? “People actually clap at the end of an especially good film, and the sidewalk in front of the theatre is usually filled with people discussing the film.”

“The Avon has always been a warm beacon of oldschool welcome and charm on an otherwise sometimes intimidating and jostling Thayer Street,” thinks Susan Leach DeBlasio, a longtime patron and East Side resident. “It’s a place where you feel equally comfortable catching a movie with friends… or going by yourself. You’ll always bump into someone (maybe even some well-known famous or ‘infamous’ RI figure) you know under that great marquee. And the popcorn is worth ducking into the lobby for even if you are not able to stay for the show! Just classic.”

Gerald A. DeLuca, once a director of the former Italian Film Society of RI, has been going to the Avon since the late 1940s. His parents, both from Italy, first brought him along to see the Italian opera films. He recalls, “Though they always scheduled an eclectic group of foreign and domestic films, many of the films they would show at that time were of interest to Italians in the Providence area.”

DeLuca cites many highlights from his Avon patronage over the years — films of artistic and cultural import, both first-run and revival, not generally shown elsewhere in the state. His fondest memory is seeing The Bicycle Thief there; other standouts include Nights of Cabiria, Diabolique, L’Avventura, Jules and Jim, and the Academy Award-winning Marty. The theatre had no concession stand back then, and he recalls popping into Rexall Drugstore next door (now Andreas Restaurant) for snacks.

DeLuca also remembers, “There were lots of naughty movies with Brigitte Bardot that I used to go to. When I was a seminarian at Our Lady of Providence, we were warned by the rector not to go to the Avon, because they showed movies condemned by the Legion of Decency. That didn’t deter us! We knew it was Rhode Island’s best movie house.”

T

Co-owner Richard Dulgarian

aylor Umphenour projected films at the Avon for close to a decade, starting while an undergrad at RISD, until the transition to digital equipment rendered the projectionist’s role obsolete. In the process, he saw scores of midnight show classics like Some Like It Hot, 2001: A Space Odyssey and Rear Window, as well as contemporary works like Bowling for Columbine, The Royal Tenenbaums and Brokeback Mountain. He notes, “I got to run these films multiple times a week and study them closely. It was like taking an extended and comprehensive film history, cinematography and editing class all rolled into one. I started to notice storytelling patterns common among certain film genres, figured out where certain plot points would fall, what reels the major reversals would happen in and how much time was spent telling certain parts of the story.

I found the experience fascinating.”

Umphenour continues, “The magic of the Avon’s booth was unique in that much of the original equipment from when the theatre first opened was there and remained fully operational for decades. I spent long nights up in that booth just thinking about the amount of cinematic history that had reeled its way through those projectors. They still had the lever that was once used to switch the system from running film sound to disc sound, a feature used in the early days to set silent films to non-synchronized music sent on records.”

Filmmaker Raber Umphenour also projected at the Avon for nearly ten years. He even married his wife Jenni there, in a ceremony preceded by a private screening. (Three weddings have been held at the Avon thus far, with more in the works.) He suggests, “If you think of the 75 years the Avon Cinema has been open — and continuously running — and how many thousands and thousands of people have been there over the years, you realize what a special treasure it is for Providence. I hope it’s there for another 75 years to come!”

G

illy Cantor worked at the Avon from 2001-2005, while a student at Brown University and for a year after graduating. In addition to fond memories of the Sunday matinee shift’s weekly attempt to complete the NY Times crossword puzzle, Cantor remembers researching the Avon itself for ProvidenceArchitecture.org. She learned that, when the building originally opened in 1915, it was the first theatre on the East Side. And she discovered a mysterious period between then and 1937, when Krikor Dulgarian purchased it, with reports suggesting an amateur theatre, a gymnasium with a pool and/or a garage may have been housed in the space.

Cantor also recalls a rather loud promotional tshirt that Avon staff wore during the long 2003 run of Lost in Translation. “I was working so much at that time that my friends began associating me with that shirt. One of my housemates even made me a shirt for secret santa that year that said ‘Lost in the Avon.’

That sort of sounds like a bad memory, but really it’s not. It reminds me that so much of my Providence identity is linked to the Avon, and how I met the best people there and got to watch some amazing movies and eat choice popcorn for so many years. I imagine a lot of East Siders feel that way, and they didn’t even have to wear that t-shirt.”

As you may have gleaned already, I am an Avon devotee myself. Growing up on the East Side, it seemed that every fridge in every kitchen had the upcoming Avon schedule pinned to it. It was a theatre I could walk to, cozy in the winter, air conditioned in the summer and always a treat to visit. Working at the Avon was my first job in high school, and one I held with glee for years afterward. In addition to learning the secret to the best popcorn (I can’t tell you), the Avon made me a cinephile. The English Patient showed me in lush, romantic colors why film is best viewed on the big screen. Everyone Says I Love You introduced me to Woody Allen, and taught me how much a laughing audience can enrich a movie.

In a song written for the 1982 movie musical of Annie (not an “Avon”-type film, but indulge me), the character Grace sings “Let’s Go to the Movies.” One lyric reminds me of the Avon, and why its 75th anniversary is such cause for celebration: “Sitting in the darkness, what a world to see!” Thanks for 75 years of brave new worlds, Avon Cinema. As someone by the name of Rick Blaine once said, “Here’s looking at you, kid.”

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Digging Up the Past Brown uncovers the archaeology of College Hill

By Michael Clark t’s a Monday afternoon in

late September, and it’s the first day of excavations for an undergraduate course at Brown University called Archaeology of College Hill. A group of students carefully scrape away dirt from two pits on the Quiet Green looking for remnants of the house of the school’s first president, James Manning.

It’s tedious work. Using trowels, students meticulously scrape away layers of dirt and deposit it in white five gallon buckets. The dirt is then dumped into a sifter, a wood contraption with a screen at the top.

The students scrape and sift, all under the watchful eye of their professor, Linda Gosner, a graduate student from Arizona, and their teaching assistant, Andrew Dufton, an energetic fellow wearing a shirt with the words “I’d rather be cockfighting” plastered on the front.

Gosner, who spent the summer excavating a coptic hermitage in Egypt, says that the goal of the class is to precisely locate Manning’s house. “There’s a plaque on the fence at the Quiet Green that says the president’s house is located ‘near this location.’ We want to change that.” It is hoped that excavations will solve the mystery, a fitting task for Brown’s 250th Anniversary celebrations, which start in January.

The process of scraping and sifting goes on for 15 minutes or so. The 12 students crack jokes to break the monotony: “What’s our policy on worms?” But soon enough, a bottle cap appears in the sifter. Then a coin appears in one of the pits. Next to the coin students place a photographic scale and a trowel with the tip facing north and snap a photo.

A few more coins turn up. A square button is found in the sifter. A piece of ceramic is found, an artifact Dufton refers to as potential ‘material culture.’ A key turns up. They find a pen marked Hotel Concorde St. Lazare. Each is dutifully bagged and marked with the date, pit number and the context, a distinct layer of soil with similar characteristics. Most of the finds are coming from the trench referred to as Quiet Green 3, which is thought to be the one overlaying the first president’s house. The other trench, referred to as Quiet Green 4, is thought to overlay a path leading to the house.

T

he class known as the Archaeology of College Hill was dreamed up by graduate students about seven years ago. Since then, teams of undergraduate archaeology students have excavated at various locations of historical importance on College Hill. Artifacts are catalogued and displayed in Rhode Island

Professor Alcock, Andy Dufton and Catherine Teitz looking to see if sifting revealed anything exciting.

Hall, the home of the archaeology department. Classes generally blog about their exploits, posting daily excavation reports, photos of findings and final reports. In 2007, students dug at the First Baptist Church. The September 24, 2007 entry indicates that students “continue to puzzle over three square features” found in one pit.

In 2008 and 2009, students dug at the John Brown House. One student wrote a fascinatingly detailed study on a plastic coffee lid from McDonalds. The lid was eventually included in the final exhibition at the John Brown House in a panel entitled “Coffee Culture,” which is accompanied by a brief description: “Rhode Islanders love their coffee! All of these coffee artifacts were excavated from the John Brown House lawn.”

Excavations moved to campus in 2012. Students performed excavations at the Hope College Dormitory. This year, they moved to what once was the heart of the original campus: the Quiet Green, so called because it’s mainly quiet these days, since the bulk of the action now happens on the Main Green.

The first building was University Hall.

Built in 1770, it was sited to look out over the city of Providence to the west.

The campus was composed primarily of University Hall, Rhode Island Hall, Hope College and Manning Hall, and the Quiet Green was essentially the school’s front lawn. But all of this changed. Raymond Rhinehart, in a wonderful piece on Brown’s architectural history in the September/October 2013 issue of Brown Alumni Magazine, writes: As Providence expanded up what was now called College Hill, and as the city became a great industrial center, Brown gradually turned in on itself as a place apart. Walls and gates went up; the center of the campus was no longer the lawn in front of University Hall but the emerging College Green on the other side.

It was on the Quiet Green where the house of the school’s first president,

James Manning, sat. A contemporary depiction of the house indicates an almost pastoral scene: the house, made of clapboard, rests among what appears to be small plots of crops, and in the background rises University Hall, a smooth, sloping green lawn between it and the house. A plaque on the fence at the western terminus of the Quiet Green marks the general location of the house, which stood until 1840, when it was demolished.

T

his year’s Archaeology of College Hill class began with a ground penetrating radar survey of the Quiet Green, the results indicating a subsurface rectilinear anomaly in an area northwest of University Hall, the general location where Manning’s house stood. The results of this survey were used to locate two 6’ by 6’ excavation pits, one thought to intersect with the house’s foundation, the other with a footpath linking the house and Prospect Street.

Excavations were completed November 4. Students then moved indoors for lab analyses of objects. Students will put on an exhibition of the findings at the end of the semester. After this, the artifacts will be displayed with all of the other artifacts found by previous Archaeology of College Hill classes, in the basement of Rhode Island Hall.

There are some interesting finds.

In Quiet Green 4, the students found what appears to be a potential indication of an old, long forgotten pathway, perhaps the one leading from the house to the street. Most notably perhaps was the discovery of a large skeleton key, in Quiet Green 3, a find documented on the class’s Facebook page: “Top find so far this afternoon - a giant key!” Unfortunately, however, indications of a house foundation were not found, so it would appear that the mystery of the exact location of James Manning’s house lives on. It’s a bittersweet result: the mystery remains, as does the reason for future digs.

Photo (bottom): Linda Gosner

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United Way of Rhode Island thanks these companies for LIVING UNITED and improving our communities!

This list represents generous corporate and employee giving in Rhode Island throughout our 2012-2013 annual campaign.

COMMUNITY INVESTORS Corporate/Employee Gifts $500,000 or more Bank of America, Inc.* Citizens Bank, Citizens Bank Foundation* FM Global*

COMMUNITY PHILANTHROPISTS Corporate/Employee Gifts $200,000 – $499,999 Gilbane Inc.* Hasbro, Inc.* Lifespan: Bradley Hospital Lifespan The Miriam Hospital Newport Hospital Rhode Island Hospital/ Hasbro Children’s Hospital MetLife/MetLife Auto and Home* National Grid* Teknor Apex Company* The Washington Trust Company*

COMMUNITY BENEFACTORS Corporate/Employee Gifts $100,000 – $199,999 Amica Mutual Insurance Company Amica Life Insurance Company*

Bank Rhode Island* Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island* CVS Caremark: CVS Caremark Corporation The CVS Caremark Charitable Trust* Electric Boat - Quonset* Johnson & Wales University* The Providence Journal Company* Textron, Inc.* UPS*

COMMUNITY SUPPORTERS Corporate/Employee Gifts $50,000 – $99,999 A & H Manufacturing Company* Adler Pollock & Sheehan P.C.* AIPSO* A.T. Cross Company BankNewport* Brown University* Butler Hospital Coastway Community Bank* Dimeo Construction Company* Edwards Wildman Palmer LLP Electric Boat - Groton GTECH Corporation* McLaughlin & Moran, Inc.* Nordson EFD, LLC* Professional Planning Group The Stop & Shop Companies Webster Bank*

Thank you and congratulations to The Washington Trust Company our 2012-2013 Corporate Award winner!

CORPORATE AND EMPLOYEE CAMPAIGNS: Corporate/Employee Gifts$1,000 – $49,999 A.J. Oster LLC AAA Southern New England* Abbott Laboratories Adoption Rhode Island Advanced Building Concepts Aetna AFSCME Local 2872 Agfa HealthCare AIDS Care Ocean State/FACTS Allstate Giving Campaign* Amalgamated Transit Union Division 618 American Express Company American Mathematical Society American Postal Workers Union/Local 387 American Red Cross, RI Chapter Ameriprise Financial AMETEK SCP, Inc.* Amgen Foundation* Amgen, Inc. Ann & Hope, Inc. Anvil International, Inc. Aon Risk Services Northeast, Inc.* The ARC of Blackstone Valley Ashaway Line & Twine Mfg. Co.* Astro-Med, Inc.* AT & T Autocrat, Inc. Automatic Data Processing, Inc.* Avery-Smith Insurance, Inc. Bannister House, Inc. Barrington Public School Department Batchelor, Frechette, McCrory, Michael & Co. Beacon Mutual Insurance Company Benny’s, Inc.* Best Buy - Warwick Blacher Brothers, Inc.* Blish & Cavanagh BNY Mellon* Boys & Girls Clubs of Warwick Brave River Solutions Bristol/Warren School Department Broker Services Marketing Group Brown/Fox Point Early Childhood Education Center, Inc. Bryant University Burns & Levinson LLP C & J Jewelry Co., Inc. Cameron & Mittleman

Capital Power LP* Capital Properties, Inc.* Carousel Industries* Cavanagh Company CB Richard Ellis CBIZ Tofias CDR Maguire Central Falls School Department Centreville Savings Bank Chace Ruttenberg & Freedman Chariho Regional School Department Child & Family Services of Newport County Children’s Friend & Servic City of Central Falls City of Cranston City of East Providence City of Newport City of Pawtucket City of Providence City of Warwick City of Woonsocket Coastal Medical, Inc.* Cogens Printing Services* Collette Vacations Combined Federal Campaign CompuClaim, Inc. The Conference Exchange Constellation Energy Construction and General Laborers’ Local Union 271 Contenti Supply Company, Inc.* Cooley Group Corcoran, Peckham, Hayes & Galvin, PC Corrigan Financial, Inc. Coventry Housing Authority Coventry Public Schools Cox Communications* Cranston Print Works Company Cranston Public Schools Crossroads Rhode Island Cumberland School Department The Damon Company Davol Inc.* Day One Dell, Inc.* Delta Dental of Rhode Island* Dominion Resources* Dorcas International Institute of RI

Duffy & Shanley, Inc. E. H. Ashley & Company* East Providence School Department Eaton Corporation, Fluid Conveyance Division Embrace Home Loans* EMC Insurance Companies* Endurance Wealth Management Enterprise Holdings* Ernst & Young Family Resources Community Action Family Service of Rhode Island Federal Hill House Association FedEx* FedEx Ground Fellowship Health Resources, Inc. Ferland Corporation* FGX International Flagstar Bank Foster Foward The Foundry Associates, LP Foxwoods Resort Casino Frank Olean Center, Inc. FUJIFILM Electronic Materials U.S.A., Inc. Fuller Packaging Company GE Gencorp Insurance Group General Cable Genesis Center Getchell & Son, Inc. Goodwill Industries of Rhode Island\ Vocational Resources Gordon R. Archibald, Inc. Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce H. Carr & Sons, Inc. H. V. Collins Company* Healthcentric Advisors Herff Jones* Hewlett Packard* Hexagon Metrology, Inc.* Highlander Charter School Hinckley Allen & Snyder The Hinckley Company Hindley Manufacturing Company Hodges Badge Company, Inc.* Home & Hospice Care of Rhode Island Homefront Health Care Honda of America Mfg., Inc. Hotel Viking HSBC - North America Hunter Insurance IBEW Local 99 IBM Corporation* IKON Office Solutions, Inc. INSCO Group Institute for Labor Studies & Research International Manufacturing Services, Inc.* International Packaging Corporation* J. F. Allen & Son, Inc. James L. Maher Center Jay Packaging Group, Inc.* jcpenney Jewelers Board of Trade Jewish Family Service John Hancock John R. Hess Company, Inc.* Johnston Public Schools Kearflex Engineering Co., Inc. Kenney Manufacturing Company* Keough Kirby Associates, Inc. Key Container Corporation KKM, Inc. KPMG LLP KVH Industries Lefkowitz, Garfinkel, Champi & DeRienzo, P.C. Liberty Mutual Insurance Company* Lincoln Financial Group Lincoln School Department Linear Title and Closing LISC Lockheed Martin Tactical Systems Maritime Systems and Sensors Louis Berger & Associates, Inc. Macy’s* Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. Maxson Automatic Machinery Co. McLaughlin Research Corporation* McLeod Optical Company Mediware Information Systems

Change is happening because of you. Thank you!

PM_Dec_full-page_ad.indd 1

Meeting Street Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island Meridien Financial Group, Inc. Microfibres, Inc. Microsoft Giving Campaign Monro Muffler/Brake & Service The Moore Company* MorganStanley SmithBarney* Morrison Mahoney LLP Mullen Scorpio & Cerilli Multi-Wall Packaging An ITW Company* Natco Products Corporation National Education Association, Rhode Island Nationwide Insurance* Nautic Partners, LLC NBC-10 Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island New England Paper Tube Co., Inc.* New England Trane Service New York Life Foundation The Newport Daily News Newport Harbor Corporation* Newport Marriott Hotel Newport Tent Company NewportFed Nixon Peabody LLP Nordstrom* Nortek, Inc.* North Kingstown School Department North Providence School Department Northrop Grumman Northwestern Mutual Financial Network Ocean State Community Resources OfficeMax Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope O’Neal Steel, Inc. Pablo Cabrera CPA, LLC Pannone Lopes Devereaux & West LLC PARI Independent Living Center parsonsKellogg* Partridge, Snow & Hahn Pawtucket Credit Union* Pawtucket Red Sox Pawtucket School Department Paychex The People’s Credit Union* Pepsi Cola Bottling Group Peter Pan Bus Lines Providence Division Pfizer, Inc.* Piccerelli, Gilstein & Company, LLP Portsmouth Abbey School Portsmouth School Department Proability Providence Braid Company Providence Mutual Fire Insurance Company* Providence Performing Arts Center Providence Plan Providence Public Library Providence School Department The Prudential Foundation Purvis Systems, Inc. Raytheon Company Naval & Maritime Integrated Systems Rhode Island Airport Corporation Rhode Island Blood Center Rhode Island Carpenters Local Union 94 Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless Rhode Island Credit Union Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals Rhode Island Housing Rhode Island Laborers’ District Council Rhode Island Monthly* Rhode Island Public Transit Authority Rhode Island School of Design RI Coalition Against Domestic Violence RI Kids Count RI Legal Services, Inc. RI PBS RI State Association of Fire Fighters Rite-Solutions, Inc.* Riverwood Mental Health Services Robinson & Cole LLP Robinson Green Beretta Corp.

Roger Williams University Rose & Kiernan Royal Diversified Products

SAIC Enterprise Solutions Division Saint Antoine Residence Salve Regina University Sansiveri, Kimball & Co., L.L.P. Sayer, Regan, Thayer & Flanagan Schneider Electric* Schonning Insurance Agency SEA CORP* Sensata Technologies* Shaw’s Supermarkets Shove Insurance, Inc. South County Hospital South Shore Center Sovereign Bank* St. George’s School Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. Starkweather & Shepley Insurance Brokerage, Inc.* State Employees Charitable Appeal Steiker, Fischer, Edwards & Greenapple PC SWEET, LLC Taco/The White Family Foundation* Target* TD Bank\TD Charitable Foundation* Team, Inc.* Toray Plastics (America), Inc.* Town of Bristol Town of Burrillville Town of East Greenwich Town of Lincoln Town of Narragansett Town of North Kingstown Town of North Providence Town of South Kingstown Town of Westerly Travelers TRI-MACK Plastics Manufacturing Corporation Truex, Inc. Twin River* UBS Financial, Inc. UNFI United Airlines Foundation United Food & Commercial Workers Union 328 United Way of Rhode Island UnitedHealthcare* University Emergency Medicine Foundation University Medicine Foundation, Inc. URS Verizon Vision 3 Architects, Inc.* Visiting Nurse Services of Newport & Bristol Counties W.E. Jackson Company Wachovia Securities Walgreens - Corporate Offices Wal-Mart* Ward Fisher & Company LLP Warwick Public Schools and Warwick Teachers Union Washington County Coalition for Children Wellington Management Company, LLP Wells Fargo Community Support Campaign West Warwick School Department Westbay Community Action, Inc. Westerly Community Credit Union Whittet-Higgins Company Windmoeller & Hoelscher Corporation* Women & Infants’ Hospital of Rhode Island Wood River Health Services, Inc. The Xerox Corporation Yarlas, Kaplan, Santilli & Moran, Ltd. YMCA of Greater Providence YMCA of Pawtucket, Inc. * These companies made corporate gifts of $1,000 or more.

www.LIVEUNITEDri.org 11/25/13 3:40 PM

A Resolution to Run From city solicitior to South African marathoner

by Barry Fain East Side resident Jeff Padwa fulfils his New Year’s resolution to run an ultra-marathon in South Africa

As January settles in, many of us turn our attention towards New Year’s resolutions. But while the desire for self-improvement is close to universal, the actual chances for success remain pitifully low, about 12% according to some internet sources.

East Side resident Jeff Padwa is an attorney who currently serves as the solicitor for the City of Providence.

About this time last year, Jeff found himself featured in a column by ProJo political writer Ed Fitzpatrick… not for his legal work or for any of his specific political views… but rather for his New Year’s resolution. Turns out he was approaching his 50th birthday and was thinking big. So to help him reach his more modest goal of losing 30 pounds, his New Year’s resolution was to enter one of the world’s most grueling physical challenges, competing in the annual South African Comrades two-day ultra-marathon. Billed as the oldest and one of the most difficult ultra competition of its kind, the event attracts thousands of participants from around the world. Mind you, this is not something Jeff had ever tried before. But what the hell, he reasoned, you only turn 50 once.

Lest you think Jeff was a seasoned professional ultra-runner, months of work went into his preparation.

Though he had run in traditional marathons before, he admits he was just your average two to three times

a week runner who’d regularly jog up and down the Boulevard. “Over time I began dividing up my run into half mile sections and time myself as I gained speed. Then I shifted to full loops around the boulevard sometimes up to seven or eight loops as we got closer to the competition.

Later I moved over to Lincoln Woods for even longer jaunts.”

The race itself is a killer, a 56-mile run from the City Hall of Durban to central cricket oval in Pietermaritzburg.

Because the race is held in June, the weather can be searingly hot as well.

To even qualify, you must have run a marathon in under five hours and you must also hit time goals at five points along the route lest you be disqualified during the race. But unlike some races, this one isn’t just about competition. It was first organized in 1921 by a South African veteran to honor his fallen comrades who died during World War I and has been held annually ever since.

Approximately 20,000 participants begin the run and are given 12 hours to finish the two-day event. And organizers mean it when they limit the race to 12 hours, because at 12 hours, one second, the course is closed. As a result there is a built in support system for the runners as the crowds of onlookers and fellow participants all cheer them on to cross the finish time before shutdown time. About half of the field does.

This past June, Jeff went off to

Durban to see how he’d measure up.

He did just fine and finished in a little over 10 hours, He also used the race opportunity to raise over $20,000 for the Ronald McDonald House here in Providence. The race, he says, turned out to be “the adventure of a lifetime.”

He went on to describe how many who participate in the race unabashedly describe their lives as “beforeComrades” and “after-Comrades.”

So what’s on tap for this year’s New Year’s resolution or was it once and done for our city solicitor? Jeff still believes setting goals is good. “This year I plan to participate in the Chicago Marathon in September… and I want to do it averaging seven minutes and twenty seconds per mile. In fact I started training December 1 so I gained a month on the New Year,” he laughs. But he admits the real challenge was that initial all-in commitment to celebrate his big birthday by doing something special.

Does he have any advice for us mere mortals who seek out more pedestrian New Year’s resolutions? “Seek out something that is of interest or importance to you personally but think big.

Then share your goal with your friends so they stay on your case to help you achieve it and not give up” Sounds like good advice to us.

Though a pledge to drink a little less wine or eat a lot more vegetables also sounds a lot more doable.

The Haruki Family wishes you the best in 2014!

Gift Cards Available HARUKI EAST

172 Wayland Ave Providence / 223-0332 HARUKI EXPRESS 112 Waterman St Providence / 421-0754

HARUKI CRANSTON 1210 Oaklawn Ave Cranston / 463-8338

WWW.HARUKISUSHI.COM

January 2014 East Side Monthly

21

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22

East Side Monthly January 2014

Spotlight

by Dan Schwartz

The Alliance JCC A full fledged fitness center

Membership...It’s more than just fitness!

It’s an open door to a variety of outstanding social, cultural, and educational activities that celebrate family, foster health and well-being, embrace tradition, and expand cultural horizons.

All are welcome at the Alliance JCC! 401 Elmgrove Avenue | Providence, RI 02906 401.421.4111 | jewishallianceri.org

gotweink? do.

Over 10,000 color combinations for any printing occasion.

102 Waterman Street, Providence, RI 02906 • 401.421.5160 • fax: 401.272.0686 www.allegraprovidence.com Allegra Print & Imaging in Providence is independently owned and operated.

Walk into the gym entrance at The Alliance JCC and you are greeted with plenty of options for exercise: machines in the fitness area, a full scale gymnasium for sports and a four lane heated pool for swimming. Beyond these elements stand the expert staff, there to encourage you on your path toward becoming stronger. Carlene Barth, director of Health, Fitness & Aquatics, is extremely proud of her crew: “I have a former U.S. Track & Field coach, who also did Olympic level weight lifting,” she says. “Another trainer is getting his nutritionist certification, and our new aquatics program director holds degrees in kinesiology and exercise science.”

Many of the top notch staff have been here for years, where at other gyms you often see a higher turnover. The emphasis at The Alliance JCC is overall improvement of health, no matter your age or ability. Start the year off right with one of their membership programs. Select from three and six month memberships, or sign up for twelve months by January 1 and receive one extra month for free. There are student and senior discounts, plus couples and family group packages. “We are trying to impart our knowledge and enthusiasm for fitness,” Carlene says. “Here, it is a way of life – so you can live better.”

The best part of joining is that there’s something for everybody: the fitness center has group classes, treadmills and aerobic machines, plus a full weight room. The gymnasium hosts sports of all varieties, like pickup basketball during lunch or after work, as well as youth organized sports. You can enjoy lap swimming in the pool and classes like aqua Zumba. Visit their website under the Alliance JCC tab to see the full scope of exercise programs available. Andrew Mattera, one of the trainers specializing in nutrition, has teamed up with chef Georgina to talk to parents about preparing healthy meals. There certainly is a dream team of support here.

The Alliance JCC is open to everyone, Jewish and non-Jewish. Stop in to meet the family and discuss how to become a member. You and your family will feel great in 2014!

The Alliance JCC 401 Elmgrove Avenue, Providence 421-4111 / www.jewishallianceri.org

HOT/COLD TABLES An Impressive Selection of Foods DELI Breakfast Sandwiches Panini Special Wraps GROCERIES Organic Foods Snacks & Cheeses CATERING • CANDY/NUTS 205 Meeting St. Providence • 400-3607 173 Weybosset St. Providence • 536-9000 gourmetheaven.com

Getting back on your feet after surgery is a lot easier when you have someone to show you how.

Golden Crest Nursing Centre

Complete post-surgery rehab serviCes

Experience Counts

100 Smithfield Road, North Providence • 401.353.1710 GoldenCrestNursingCentre.com January 2014 East Side Monthly

23

Spotlight Tomasso Auto Swedish Motors

Tip of the Month With the winter season around the corner, be sure to have the antifreeze levels checked before frigid weather arrives.

by Dan Schwartz

special advertising section

We service and repair ALL foreign and domestic models • ASE Certified • RI inspection and repair station #27b Mon-Fri 8am-5pm

Tomasso Auto Swedish Motors Winter tips for a safe vehicle

729 East Avenue • 401-723-1111 (Top of the East Side, next door to Rite Aid)

We Understand Your Desires - Friday 10-6, 10-4.

fine clothiers

clubchair.com

200 South Main St. Providence 401.453.0025 • www.marcalleninc.com • theclubchair.com Tuesday–Friday 10-6 and Saturday 10-4 • Mondays by appt.

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Help is Just Around tHe Corner!

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Two Convenient Locations Aquatic Therapy (Cranston) Chronic Pain Conditions Orthopedic & Neurological Conditions Post-Surgical Care Sports Injuries Rehabilitation of the Spine

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Northeast Chiropractic Dr. ThomaS moriSon, ChiropraCTiC phySiCian

401-861-1300 • 187 Waterman Street • www.wickedgoodposture.com 24

East Side Monthly January 2014

Frigid temps and snow cover will soon be upon us. Now is a great time to stop into Tomasso Auto Swedish Motors to have your car winterized so it will perform at its best (and be safer, to boot). Business co-owner Susan Cole says that your tire conditions are very important. “You have to keep the tread up and check the pressure, which gets weather-affected,” she explains. “Low tire pressure also means you are using more fuel.”

The simple act of letting your car warm up before leaving is crucial for the longevity of your car. John, a technician, discusses this, “Warm up time may vary, but the vehicle should be at operating temperature before you move it.

When it’s cold out, oil and transmission fluids are thicker, which means that they aren’t getting to the small areas between the parts.”

Having solid wiper blades is also important, and you should never use them as the primary method of removing snow or ice off your windshield. John explains, “The wiper arms are built to remove water, not five pounds of snow.

When it tries to clear heavy weight, it will struggle and can break the motor.”

Also, if the rubber blades are stuck to your car, or there is frozen jagged ice on the windshield, you may tear or pit the blade.

After heavy snowfall, you need to remove snow that covers both license plates (police will pull you over), lights and the roof of your car. Sudden stops will propel snow onto your windshield from the roof, and fast driving on the highway can dislodge snow and impact the vehicle behind you. And of course, remove snow off all your windows entirely (don’t tank it!). Your window wiper fluid should also be winter grade.

Susan also reminds readers to not use your emergency brake during freezing weather, if possible. “We sometimes see cars come in where the emergency brake cable is frozen,” she mentions. And keep an eye out for potholes to help protect your car’s suspension. Keeping these tips in mind, plus a good preventative maintenance check at Swedish Motors, will ensure your car will thrive during the winter months.

Tomasso Auto Swedish Motors

729 East Avenue, Pawtucket (just over the line) 723-1111 / www.swedishmotorsri.com

Spotlight

by Dan Schwartz

Empire Loan

Beautiful Pre-Owned Jewelry

‘Tis the season to help others

437-8421 • 1271 North Main Street, Providence 273-7050 • 358 Broad Street, Providence

T.F. Morra Tree Care, Inc.

Ornamental and Shade Tree Specialists

• fine hand pruning • tree preservation • hazard tree removal • tree evaluation & diagnosis • shade and specimen tree planting 401-331-8527 • www.TFMorra.com

Graphic Innovations

“If you can feed

somebody, then you’ve done something good,” Jeff Keithline, co-owner of Empire Loan, says. One of the best organizations that helps get food directly to families in need is the Rhode Island Community Food Bank. Empire Loan, and their sister business Empire Guitars, carry monetary donation cans for this worthy cause in their stores. Empire also gives direct support to the Food Bank through the Empire Loan Charitable Foundation. “People have had a tough run in this state,” Jeff explains. “If you stood here and watched my customer base, day-in and day-out, you’d see some people who need money today to put food on the table. We want to urge everyone with any extra money to please help.”

Canned good donations are terrific, but with a cash donation the Rhode Island Food Bank can purchase food in bulk deals from large suppliers. “You take it for granted when you look at society at-large that things are improving,” Jeff mentions. “For a lot of people though, it’s not coming back fast enough. While this holiday season is about being with our loved ones, it is also about caring for other families.” He went on to say that laughter may be the best medicine, and music is food for the soul, but nothing compares to having adequate amounts of real food on a daily basis. And the demand is higher now than it has ever been, so please help the Rhode Island Community Food Bank if you can. Their center is located off Route 10 in Cranston and you can visit www.rifoodbank.org for further details on how to help.

If you are still looking for a last minute gift for a loved one (or yourself), Empire Loan is offering specials on their pre-owned jewelry in both Providence locations. There are holiday specials in the their guitar shop at the North Main street location, with discounts on Yamaha beginner and intermediate guitars, accessories, pedals and everything else a guitarist could need. Empire Loan is also your place for safe short-term loans of any amount with their pawnbroking services. Jeff and his staff would like to wish everybody a happy holiday season.

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William Raveis The Largest Family-Owned Real Estate Company in the Northeast

r 2013

Photography: Dan Schwartz

1271 North Main Street, Providence / 437-8421 358 Broad Street, Providence / 273-7050 www.empireloan.com / www.empireguitarsri.com

The Top Producing Real Estate Team of William Raveis Rhode Island

Read something you like?

Have your business profiled in the Spotlight advertising section!

Decembe

Empire Loan and Empire Guitars

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Call Dan at 305-3391 for details.

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January 2014 East Side Monthly

25

get healthy | stay fit | live better

J-Fitness at the Alliance JCC

Our team of health & wellness professionals are committed to providing fitness for everyBODY - people of all ages and abilities - in a friendly and approachable environment.

At J-Fitness, you have access to: • Indoor heated pool • Certified Personal Trainers • Cardio machines • American Red Cross Learnto-Swim program • Free-weight area

• • • • •

Appointments available for Travel Medicine

East sidE UrgEnt CarE The Right Care, Right Now

Pre-arrangements are a thoughtful and prudent decision that may help to ease your loved one’s anxieties.

• Accommodations for all faiths, traditions and wishes.

• All-in-one options for calling hours, service and reception.

• Newly remodeled throughout

• Reception room • Easy access from I-195 • Ample free parking • Over 125 years of reputation for excellence

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DSC_8101.JPG

401 Elmgrove Avenue | Providence, RI | 401.421.4111

It’s never too early to plan ahead

From Right to Left: David Ramos NP, Jason Xynellis PA, Frederick Crisafulli MD, Christine Cassel PA, Christoph Sahar MD Colds & Flu • Minor Trauma • Sprains & Strains • X-Ray/Labs Available Workman’s Comp Exams • Immunization • DOT, School, and Sports Physicals

Fit Forever classes for Seniors Spinning™ Zumba™ Yoga Pilates mat classes and so much more!

Visit our new website: jewishallianceri.org

Same Day and Evening Appointments 331-8555

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DSC_8098.jpg

A full-service fitness center in the heart of the East Side

East sidE Primary CarE

1195 North Main Street, Providence • 401.861.3782 Mon-Fri: 9am to 8pm • Sat & Sun: 9am to 4pm

Who Says You Can’t Have It All? ACCEPT the CHALLENGE SEE things DIFFERENTLY Get Your HANDS Dirty FIND Your VOICE MAKE Some NOISE MAKE Something BETTER Fit in by STANDING OUT www.providencecountryday.org/admissions/accept-the-challenge

Parent & Student OPEN HOUSE Wednesday, January 15 • 9:00 am - 12:00 pm

401.331.4592 • 401.421.9887 230 WATERMAN AVE., WAYLAND SQUARE • PROVIDENCE WWW.MONAHANDRABBLESHERMAN.COM • EMAIL: MKDSFH@AOL.COM

26

East Side Monthly January 2014

college prep | arts | athletics summer programs | grades 6-12 | co-ed 660 Waterman Avenue | East Providence, RI 401.438.5170 | www.providencecountryday.org

Movies

by Bob Cipriano

Catching Fire, Frozen and 12 Years a Slave Potent mixes of psychology, righteousness and romance Screen adventure can be

a grand affair when the derring-do mixes with just the right amount of psychology, righteousness and romance. This mix, seldom cooked up properly, has been prepared with panache on three different burners this month, using special effects, animation and high drama.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire surpasses every element of the franchise’s first installment. This secondof-four movies (the profit savvy producers will split Suzanne Collins’s third and final book into two movies) finds Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) moving from hero to legend among the districts of Panem, the totalitarian state built on North America’s remains after a cataclysmic war.

Katniss’s staged guest appearances in Panem’s other districts, following her victory in the previous year’s games, inspire revolutionary spirit rather than the envy and hope the people in charge need to maintain their power. This rankles President Snow (Donald Sutherland, in a bigger, smarter part this time) and his new henchman (Phillip Seymour Hoffman, splendidly devious) to the degree that they decide to eliminate Katniss and everything she stands for. For this year’s games, they will require previous game winners to compete against and kill each other. And they stack the deck against Katniss.

The new game takes place on a simulated island where Katniss and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) make allies and fight those allied against them, along with poisonous fog, screeching monkeys and some really creepy birds that mimic loved ones, as if they were under torture.

Like so many middle sections of movie franchises, Catching Fire is a movielength teaser for what’s coming next. But it manages to be much less sentimental than the first, clarifying Katniss’s character and allowing Jennifer Lawrence to stretch her acting chops enough to bring out the necessary charisma that smacks of legend. The plot is rousing, the pace is breakneck most of the time and the climactic scenes drop the curtain on the

action just when you want more.

Frozen, the new Disney 3-D animated movie musical, loosely based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale The Snow Queen is about a queen whose touch turns you and anything else within her reach to ice. In the original fairy tale, the queen was evil. Here she is confused about her powers, and very scared. But that softening is the only serious compromise in this Disney take on a dark classic. The film’s makers (writer Jennifer Lee and directors Lee and Chris Buck) embrace enough of the story’s dark elements and complexities to earn their film a PG rating that will keep kids and adults happily anchored in their seats.

In the fictional Scandinavian land of Arendelle, Princess Elsa has an icy touch from an early age, almost killing her little sister, Anna while playing. The king and queen place the frightened girl’s hands in gloves and shut her behind closed doors.

But when they perish in a shipwreck, the country must be placed in Elsa’s hands.

That’s when the trouble starts. At her coronation, Elsa’s lonely sister Anna, also sheltered over the years thanks to her sister’s problem (but unaware of what it is), falls in love at first sight with a visiting prince. Before you know it, an angry Elsa forbids her sister to marry, plunges Arendelle into eternal winter and flees to the mountains to live out her life in frozen exile.

That sets into motion Anna’s mission to get Elsa back, accompanied by a tough, amusing ice dealer named Kristoff and his reindeer-driven sleigh, and Olaf, a sweet, funny snowman (echoing the great Disney tradition of sidekicks) who longs to bask in the summer sun because nobody ever told him what happens to snowmen in heat.

Before you can think, “We’re off to see the wizard,” these three begin their quest, running into lots of adventures, danger and treachery along the way.

Frozen isn’t groundbreaking. Its animated folk are the usual open-faced, bigeyed figures. But the addition of some psychological complexity to a classic tale, replacing the desperate attempts

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

to be hip that dominate animated films lately, make this film a modern classic.

Now that 12 Years a Slave has expanded its distribution to a substantial number of screens, it’s time to acknowledge it as the best film of the year, so far. Written by John Ridley and directed by Steve McQueen, this is the true story of Solomon Northup, an African-American free man who was lied to, betrayed, kidnapped and sold in Washington in 1841.

The film opens with Solomon (Chiwetel Ejiofor) already enslaved, cutting sugar cane on a plantation. Flashbacks reveal his past and his enslavement, during which he is passed from master to master. What is amazing about the film’s accomplishment is that its creators succeed in making it a compelling, appealing story about an individual, thanks in large part to Ejiofor’s monumental performance, while also representing an entire subjugated people, with implications about America’s past and present. The film never preaches or wags fingers, yet strikes a perfect balance between its dramatic action and the larger issues behind it.

Solomon’s story is one with a remarkable perspective: a free man dragged into slavery. While he is a slave he is

completely a slave, physically, psychologically and emotionally, yet he remains intellectually and culturally removed enough to be a perfect witness to the system of slavery in America.

While the film presents many scenes of slavery’s extreme hardships and cruelties, it also reveals its work rhythm and its sunrise to sundown routines, creating a complete way of life through its story. Maybe even more significantly, it dramatizes the rough relationships slavery produced among the owners and the owned. Paul Giamatti, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Michael Fassbender play Solomon’s owners. Giamatti is a vile slave trader, Cumberbatch a superficially decent but hypocritical and paternalistic plantation owner, and Fassbender a drunken madman.

It is on Fassbender’s plantation where the film truly hardens as Fassbender’s insanity threatens everyone around him, including his favorite slave, Patsey (Lupita Nyong’o), whom he favors even as he brutalizes.

When you leave 12 Years a Slave, it may occur to you how very seldom the story of slavery has been told on film from a slave’s perspective. This film’s triumph is complete on every level.

January 2014 East Side Monthly

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Since then, they have seen two additional expansions, one of time and the other of space. The former occurred in 2010, when the Saturday-only market opened its doors on Wednesday nights, from 4-7pm, so that individuals unable to make the Saturday morning market could spend their time after work perusing the produce. The latter expansion came about this year - at the start of the winter season, in fact when the market expanded into both the 1005 and 99 hallways of the Hope Artiste Village, essentially doubling the size of the market.

Growth of this nature provides a sense of context for Rhode Island’s farm-tofork movement. Over the past six years the steadily increasing demand for local, community-driven produce has allowed for such farm and produce epicenters as the Hope Artiste Wintertime Farmer’s Market to take hold. It grew, expanded, found new sources for seasonal vegetation and then found - and continues to find - efficient avenues for connecting the Ocean State’s farms to the community. And that community quite literally eats it all up.

So on the surface, yes, these new hallways allow for additional farm-tofamily connections by bringing in new farms and producers, but beneath the obvious surface lies a supply-demand formula that any elementary student could easily point to as a shining example of Rhode Island’s growing love for local food. The Hope Artiste Wintertime Farmer’s Market provides an opportunity and the community acts, it’s that simple, and this upward cycle continues until the two are so entwined that it’s hard to tell where one begins and the other ends.

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Frank Martinelli from PV Farm Stand is one of the vendors in the expanded Wintertime Farmer’s Market

Take for example the market’s upcoming events: January 8: Soil Nutrition 101 & Cooking Demo with Sebastian Porto from Sensata January 15: Soda Making Workshop January 22: Youth Art Show January 29: Farms and Food Job Fair Besides the slight connection between better soil producing better crops, none of those events particularly scream advertising intended to entice people to purchase produce. In fact, the tone taken is more of a gentle whisper inviting the community to come together as a cohesive unit. The Youth Art Show encourages kids to use their imagination and creative skills; the Farms and Food Job Fair helps put Rhode Islanders back to work; the Soda Making Workshop fights back against big carbonated business - the Hope Artiste market is seizing upon its ability to pull in people to provide a foundation for a more empowered community future.

And where those two new hallways will someday lead, it’s hard to say. Especially when considering such a successful, community-bound establishment as the Hope Artiste Wintertime Farmer’s Market.

Drink in The new Year Something about the immediate gratification of buying local produce

directly from a farm works up a sweat similar to that of winning small on slot machines, and in this dire state of perspiring satisfaction, it’s time to cool off with a cold one from Bucket Brewery. Only a short walk away from Hope Artiste, the brewery is now offering tastings and tours every Saturday. Tastings are on demand between 10am and 1pm, and tours run at 2pm, 3pm and 4pm. Tastings $5, tours $8.

545 Pawtucket Ave, Pawtucket. 3050597, www.bucketbrewery.com.

For less carbs and more carrot juice, take a longer stroll to Benefit Juice Bar & Café, located near Wickenden. This recently established neighborhood juice bar and café serves made-to-order juices, whole fruit smoothies, fair trade coffee, baked goodies, house-made soups, sandwiches, paninis and seasonal salads. 404 Benefit St, Providence.

274-6403. Find them on Facebook.

Blah, blah, blah - enough with the health food, right? Let’s get back to the beer: the rhode island Brewer’s Guild ViP Banquet takes place on January 31, from 6-10pm. The event includes a four-course dinner with beer pairings from local breweries.

Tickets are limited to only 200 people and must be purchased online. $95.

Pawtucket Armory Arts Center, 172 Exchange St., Pawtucket. 318-2991, www. ribrewfest.com.

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 January 2014 East Side Monthly

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special advertising section

Dining Guide

Downtown CAV The New York Times’ choice as one of Providence’s five best restaurants, CAV’s award-winning cuisine is available for lunch and dinner daily. They also feature Saturday/Sunday brunch. 14 Imperial Place; 751-9164. cavrestaurant.com BrLD $$-$$$ HEMENWAY’S A true Providence classic, Hemenway’s has been serving topnotch seafood for 20 years. Their oyster bar features everything from the famed Prince Edward Island varieties to the local favorite Poppasquash Point. 121 South Main Street; 351-8570. hemenwaysrestaurant.com LD $$-$$$ MILLS TAVERN The only restaurant in RI to receive the Mobil Four Star Award for five consecutive years, Mills Tavern provides traditional American cuisine in a warm, friendly setting. 101 North Main Street; 272-3331. millstavernrestaurant. com D $$-$$$

Wayland/Elmgrove HARUKI EAST The chefs behind this sushi bar provide a minimalist, upscale, comfortable dining experience. Try the toro ankimo – fatty tuna and monkfish liver paté with eggplant tempura, served

with a black bean sauce. 172 Wayland Avenue; 223-0332. harukisushi.com LD $-$$$ RED STRIPE Red Stripe serves classic comfort food with a French influence.

Their food is reasonably priced and made with passion. 465 Angell Street; 437-6950. redstriperestaurants.com BrLD $$-$$$ WATERMAN GRILLE With its covered outdoor seating overlooking the Seekonk River, Waterman Grille offers seasonally inspired new American fare in a comfortable setting. 4 Richmond Square; 521-9229. watermangrille.com BrD $$-$$$

Hope/Thayer BLAZE Since 2005, this fun and friendly establishment plays host to a unique bistro style of cuisine.

There’s a variety of foods including Portobello Penne Pink Vodka or the Jamaican Jerk Chicken. 776 Hope Street; 277-2529. blazerestaurants. com LD $-$$ CHEZ PASCAL Chef Matt Gennuso’s East Side kitchen offers French food with a modern twist. Try the Bistro Menu (Tue-Thur), which features three

Key

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Outdoor Seating

East Side Monthly January 2014

Tuesday through Saturday, 960 Hope Street; 421-4422. chez-pascal.com LD $-$$$

GOURMET HOUSE Beautiful murals and décor set the mood for delicious Cambodian and Southeast Asian cuisine, spicy curries and noodle dishes.

The tamarind duck is a must. 787 Hope Street; 831-3400. gourmethouseri.com LD $-$$

Wickenden

INDIA India maintains its traditional flavors and dishes while serving local favorites. Try their Spicy Steamed Mussels followed by Lamb Chop Kabobs for a well-rounded experience. 1060 Hope Street; 421-2600. Indiarestaurant.com BrLD $-$$ KITCHEN BAR Offering contemporary comfort cuisine in an elegant setting, Kitchen Bar features daily specials and take-out. Try their Clams Zuppa or Coriander Encrusted Flat Iron Steak or have the kids order from the kid’s menu. 771 Hope Street; 331-4100. LD $-$$ PARAGON Opened in 1994, this European-style bistro/café is a one-stop shop.

Start the night with the Lobster Mac & Cheese and end it with one their stellar martinis at Viva, their comfortable lounge and weeknight club. 234 Thayer Street; 331-6200. www.paragonandviva. com BrLD $-$$ RUE DE L’ESPOIR In business for over 30 years, the Rue has only gotten better.

Beautifully prepared with the freshest ingredients, the innovative, constantly changing menu keeps diners on their toes. Check out their superb brunch.

99 Hope Street; 751-8890. therue.com BBrLD $$-$$$ THE MEETING STREET CAfé This casual cafe offers not only delicious lunch from how-you-want-it sandwiches to lasagna, but their hearty sandwiches come with a bonus: all fresh veggie toppings are free. 220 Meeting Street; 273-1066. meetingstreetcafe.com. BL $-$$ WURST KITCHEN AT CHEZ PASCAL Come have lunch or dinner at the Wurst Kitchen, a small open kitchen located in Chez Pascal, featuring house–made sausages, cured meats and more. Lunch and dinner is served

DOLCE GELATERIA This little treat shop will satisfy your sweet tooth with its homemade ice cream, gelato and warm homemade waffle cones. Stop in to visit the Lanni family for a delicious experience! 270 Wickenden Street; 944-0707.

LD $ EAST SIDE CREAMERY & DINER Bring the family and indulge in 24 flavors of soft serve and hard ice cream as well as other classic diner treats. 170 Ives Street; 865-6088. BLD $

Jewelry District/Waterfront RUE BIS This intimate eatery provides breakfast and lunch in a cozy, neighborhood bistro atmosphere – all with the gourmet pedigree of Hope Street dining staple Rue De L’Espoir behind it. 95 South Street; 490-9966. therue. com BBrL $ BAKER STREET RUE The Rue De L’Espoir empire expands with this comfortable neighborhood café serving “upscale diner food.” 75 Baker Street; 4905025. BBrLD $-$$

Ives BEE’S THAI CUISINE Using the freshest ingredients to serve up such offerings as Mango Rolls, Pumpkin with Red Curry and Pineapple Fried Rce, Bee’s is a welcome addition to Providence’s culinary scene. With generous portions and friendly staff, bee’s will keep you coming back for more. 167 Ives Street; 273-2727. LD $$

Outside Providence LJ’S BBQ LJ’s features ribs, pork, chicken and beef cooked low and slow in their customized pit, made with recipes from co-owner Bernie Watson’s grandmother, Miss Leola Jean. It’s great food at a great value. 727 East Avenue, Pawtucket; 3055255. ljsbbq.com BrLD $-$$

B breakfast Br brunch L lunch D dinner $ under 10 $$ 10–20 $$$ 20+ Late-night Dining Parking Lot Valet Parking Family Friendly Find a review on eastsidemonthly.com

Photography: Tiffany Medrano

KARATABAR

This European-style restaurant and lounge offers a full menu of unique dishes with Mediterranean flair and eclectic flavors. They also offer a top-notch wine list and martini menu. 284 Thayer Street; 331-8111. kartabar.com LD $-$$

courses for $35 per person. Delicieux!

960 Hope Street; 421-4422. chez-pascal.com D $-$$$

Warm Wishes for the Holidays and Have a Safe and Happy New Year

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January 2014 East Side Monthly

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East Side Monthly January 2014

At School Today by Jill Davidson

8OZ. FILET MIGNON

Building on Strengths Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School’s new principal

Photography: Amy Amerantes

I recently visited Dr.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School, a public school in the East Side’s Mount Hope neighborhood attended by 558 students in kindergarten through fifth grades, and spent an hour with Kristen Mercurio Lussier, King’s newly appointed principal. Ms. Lussier joined the King community last year as the school’s assistant principal, a position that the Providence Public Schools created in response to family and community demand to support the school’s expansion following the 2011 closing of several Providence elementary schools. During the summer of 2013, after King’s then principal, Derrick Ciesla, departed to take a leadership position at another school, Ms. Lussier was hired as King’s leader.

After participating in the Providence Public Schools’ Aspiring Principals Program, her appointment to the vice principal position at King last year was the start of her administrative career. It feels like she’s been with us all along (for perspective, I am entering my tenth year as a King parent, with a succession of three sons who have been or are currently being educated there). Ms. Lussier has spent her 23-year career as an educator in the Providence Public Schools and is, as she described, a “Providence kid,” and proud graduate of the Providence Public Schools.

Reflecting on why she thinks that King feels like home, Ms. Lussier noted the evident commitment to creating good conditions for teaching and learning that teachers and staff members at the school demonstrate. “There is no way administrators can do this by themselves,” Ms. Lussier observed, adding that she believed that King’s faculty was well-positioned to support all students to grow as much as possible. Formerly the coordinator of the program for gifted students that had been located at Mary E. Fogarty Elementary School, Ms. Lussier brings a strong understanding of how to support students across a wide spectrum of preparedness, ability and family support by engaging the full range of skills and talents of King’s educators

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Principal Kristen Mercurio Lussier

and staff members. Reflecting on the value of the collaborative data analysis happening during teachers’ common planning time, she noted, “We are constantly monitoring the progress of all kids. We’re looking for growth, not just proficiently. We push and support each of them as much as we can.”

We discussed the remarkable geographic diversity of King’s students, who come not only from all over the city but from all over the globe, both as recent immigrants to Providence and as temporary visitors with family members who are studying or teaching at Providence’s universities. This aspect of student life at King was fresh in my mind because our family had recently enjoyed a week reconnecting with our eldest son’s best friend at King, a young man from Germany who had been in Providence for a time with his parents and who had returned for a visit with our family and other friends from King. King’s international traditions have continued; the school has recently welcomed new students from China and Israel, who will sit beneath the flags of their nations hanging in the cafeteria as they build enduring crosscultural friendships.

The students in Ms. Lussier’s charge

are, of course, more than data and demographics in her view. When she talks about “educating the whole child,” she means it – one has the sense that she is truly invested in our children’s social, emotional and academic well-being, and is building on King’s strengths to ensure their success.

Ms. Lussier also hopes to build on King’s already strong connections with its neighborhood. She has recently joined the Mt. Hope Learning Center’s board of directors; Mt. Hope Learning Center provides a popular afterschool program at King and has been a strong community partner (the East Side YMCA also offers an afterschool program at the school).

For families with students who will be entering kindergarten: registration for the Providence Public Schools begins on January 13. Details about registration are online at www.providenceschools.org/inside-ppsd/registration.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School will be offering a tour for prospective families on January 10; tour begins at 9:30am.

Jill Davidson can be reached at whathappenedatschool@gmail. com or her blog, providenceschools. blogspot.com

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January 2014 East Side Monthly

33

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East Side Monthly January 2014

In 2013 it was easy to make money – if you were entirely invested in the S&P 500. You didn’t need a money manager; it was “set and forget.” The outperformance of the U.S. stock market over other asset classes (fixed income, commodities, world stock, etc.) this past year begs the question, “How active should you be with your portfolio?” The debate between passive and active investing has been raging for years, with both sides entrenched. Each makes valid points but criticizes the other on assumptions and methodology.

Passive investors say it is not worth trying to beat the indices.

Markets are efficient (absorbing new information rapidly) making it hard for managers to sustain any outperformance. Add in the costs of active management and higher capital gains distributions, and the less expensive index funds appear to be the winners.

Active investors counter that beating the indexes is very possible and repeatable. Most measurement of active fund performance looks at the “average” fund manager. With so many managers hugging the indexes with their stock selection, it is hard for investors to distinguish the true stock pickers who can outperform cost-effectively. In addition to adding value to performance, active managers can help control volatility, reducing risk and limiting massive drawdowns index funds can experience. But due diligence is required to identify the best managers.

Rather than pick sides, I will offer five pieces of advice to the individual investor that draw from both approaches.

1. Use index funds for US equities, where company names are often familiar and external factors, such as politics, can be understood and known.

Exchange traded funds, which track equity indices are relatively inexpensive

and transparent. They come in many flavors – from broad based market capitalization indices to traditional sectors and specialized subsectors.

2. When you have limited equity options (such as often happens in retirement plans) gravitate towards the index funds. They are likely to be the most inexpensive on the list. And, without much choice amongst active funds, you may not have the most convincing selection of managers.

3. Avoid index huggers when choosing active managers. A relatively new portfolio management measure called “active share,” which calculates what percent of a fund’s holdings do not match the comparable benchmark index, can help determine if the manager has the potential to outperform the index.

4. Avoid index funds for most fixed income holdings. Many core index bond funds track the Barclay’s US Aggregate Bond index, which could take a hit as interest rates rise in coming years. In addition, many bond indices are market-weighted, thereby including companies that carry a lot of debt.

The bond kingdom is vast – let an

active fund manager do the picking.

5. International investing is complex, involving many companies and countries whose economies and governments can change over time, making oversight challenging. A balance between index and actively managed funds is often prudent.

Remember you can be your own active manager. Staying up with current trends (rising interest rates, a growing economy and a low return environment) is important for good portfolio performance. If you can adopt a disciplined approach to investing and stick with it, both active and passive funds can be valuable parts of your investment strategy.

Betsey Purinton, CFP® is Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer at StrategicPoint Investment Advisors in Providence and East Greenwich.

You can e-mail her at bpurinton@strategicpoint.com. The information contained in this report is not intended as investment, tax or legal advice. StrategicPoint Investment Advisors assumes no responsibility for any action or inaction resulting from the contents herein.

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The Ocean State boasts a wide variety of fine dining establishments along with some nationally recognized restaurants.

In support of our capital city and its superb dining venues, Taco is a proud sponsor of Providence Restaurant Weeks.

This month come out and sample the three-course, prix fixe menu offerings at participating establishments. It’s a great value and it helps our economy.

www.taco-hvac.com

At Taco we believe in RI.

January 2014 East Side Monthly

35



Early Childhood - 12th grade, Co-Ed

Moses Brown School

Admissions Open House

to Sunday, Jan. 12 1:30 3:30pm

      

Where Quaker Education Builds

Confidence & Character Considering an independent education for your child? Spend a day at Moses Brown School, meet students, faculty and parents, and get an up-close view of our plans for the future of education.

Register online today at mosesbrown.org/admissionsevents

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36

East Side Monthly January 2014

820 Hope Street, Providence 342 Broadway, Providence Rumford Center, 20 Newman Avenue, East Providence For directions and hours, visit us at www.sevenstarsbakery.com

Art by Sarah Bertness

Computer Consulting For Your Business or Home

Behind the Mask

Expert Witness Web Design Repair Training Network Admin Home/Commercial

An immersion into living art

Ten31 creates wearable pieces of fine art that have been showcased at Fenway Park and the White House

Photo: Joe Pari

When Eric Auger and

Joe Pari decided to bring their love of expression and costume to WaterFire nearly a decade back, they hadn’t the slightest idea how their passion for performance art would develop into a full-fledged studio and staff. The long-time friends began by crafting and donning their now-iconic Gargoyles as they came to life on the fire-lit banks of the Providence River for a bit of fun. As the public gathered to admire the intricate craftsmanship and immersive creativity, interest piqued and it wasn’t long before queries started rolling in.

Thus Ten31 was born, taking its name from the holiday where everyone embraces their imagination and make believe, Halloween. “It was validation,” Pari said of the initial response and public interest in their living statues. Suddenly, the pair were creating for a reason. First came the crew of Nutcrackers commissioned for a holiday event, closely followed by the White Birch trees. Each custom-order was a new undertaking, with Auger and Pari handcrafting and painting unique designs that were carefully fabricated pieces of fine art while remaining wearable.

Their costume collection grew as customer requests diversified, with finishes from bronzes and gold, to white marble and patina, and characters spanning history, cultures, nature and professions. Once a new costume was debuted, it came back to

the closet, ready for future events and engagements, and as the closet grew, so did Ten31’s team of craftsman and women, producers and performers.

When I visit their new workshop space in Pawtucket, the true artisanship shines through. Boots with shiny new buttons line in a row and golden floral masks just back from a Boston Ballet benefit await careful cleaning and return to their categorized place.

No detail goes unnoticed.

As I step into the closet, rows and rows of costumes hang in garment bags and open cabinets reveal gilded hats, masks and an array of accessories.

It’s a dress-up-lover’s dream, and Auger and Pari have been eager to open their cabinet of handicrafts to the public at recent in-studio events. They proudly share that 90% of the costumes are still produced in-studio – sewn, painted and perfected by a team of local artists.

One look at their mermaid tail, covered in over 1,000 hand-cut and custom painted scales, and the worksmanship speaks for itself.

Ten31’s three-dimensional experiences allow art into unexpected places.

Whether faces of hall-of-famers past for opening day at Fenway, topiary centerpieces at a wedding, or even a Jimi Hendrix statue that’s seen his fair share of private parties, the characters are all brought to life by a producerperformer team. Auger tells me that a storyline is integrated into each act,

allowing audience to see past the person or the sculpture and be immersed in the beauty of the art. It’s art that is universally accessible. Some people get swept into their imaginations. Others tap into memories. Even the most reluctant viewer can relate to the humanity behind the mask.

“When you’re wearing a mask in front of someone, it gives people permission to speak freely,” says Auger of the unique and sometimes overwhelmingly personal audience reactions. At WaterFire, it’s not uncommon for a visitor to lean in and tell the Gargoyles a secret.

It’s all a part of the connection, “transforming the energy the way any piece of artwork will successfully do,” says Pari.

The performers not only acknowledge these powerful moments, they embrace them, taking the energy from the crowd and both utilizing and recirculating it. Whether through silence or through movement, anyone who’s watched one of the statues in action knows that even the smallest of acknowledgments fail to go unnoticed.

Time seems to slow down around the pieces of living art. People hush, and contemplate, much in the way they would in a museum. There’s something spectacular about seeing that same reaction re-contextualized.

It’s the moment when the public eye first sees the art in the everyday.

Ten31. 185 Front Street, Pawtucket.

725-1031, www.ten31productions.com

Richard Suls // 401.270.3785 richard@richardsuls.com www.richardsuls.com

Tomasso Auto Swedish Motors Would Like To Wish Everyone A Happy And Safe Holiday Season

729 East Avenue Top of the East Side, next door to Rite Aid

401-723-1111 Mon-Fri 8am-5pm

January 2014 East Side Monthly

37

I am confident. I am caring. I am a cardiologist.

Join us at our Lower and Middle School

Open Campus Days!

January 27-29, 2014 I am confident. I8:30am am caring.

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Concord Companion Services helps seniors enjoy the comfort of living at home by offering a helping hand with daily tasks.

Whether you could use some help just hours a week or an in-home companion 24-hours a day, Concord Companions can be available anywhere in Rhode Island with just two hours notice. Our accredited services are fully bonded and insured.

Visit our website to see a full list of services. private duty companion care • light housekeeping errands & appointments • laundry • home health aide shopping • overnight care • meal planning medication management

www.ConcordHomeCare.com

38

East Side Monthly January 2014

401-725-8400

Calendar

edited by Erin Swanson

January music | performance | social happenings | galleries | learn | sports

DON’T MISS THIS MONTH: 10 events at the top of our list

Wicked. January 2-12 at the Performing Arts Center in Providence. www.ppacri.org

1

Bruins vs. Syracuse. January 10 at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence. www.providencebruins.com

2

Exploring Character. January 4-25 at Trinity Rep in Providence. www.trinityrep.com/ education

3

Knitting Weekend Wine and Cheese Reception.

January 17 at Slater Mill in Pawtucket. www.slatermill.org

4 Jenn Gambatese and Alison Luff as Glinda and Elphaba in Wicked playing at PPAC January 2-12

MUSIC arena & club | classical ARENA & CLUB AS220 January 3: Driftwood. January 4: Global Crash. January 10: Ask the Dead. January 25: Test of Time. 115 Empire Street, Providence. 831-9327, www.as220.org.

COLUMBUS THEATRE January 17: Mother Falcon. 270 Broadway, Providence. 621-9660, www.columbustheatre.com.

FETE MUSIC January 22: The Creepshow. 103 Dike Street, Providence. 383-1112, www.fetemusic.com.

FOXWOODS January 11: Harvey Robbins’ Doo-Wop Hall of Fame of America. January 18: Gipsy Kings. 350 Trolley Line Boulevard, Mashantucket, CT. 800-2002882, www.foxwoods.com.

THE MET January 4: The Mallett Brothers. January 26: Man Man. January 31: 95.5 WBRU Presents New Politics with Magic Man and Sleeper Agent. 1005 Main Street, Pawtucket. 729-1005, www.themetri.com.

MOHEGAN SUN January 17: Jay-Z. January 18: Macy Gray.

1 Mohegan Sun Boulevard, Uncasville, CT. 888-226-7711, www.mohegansun.com.

CLASSICAL BILTMORE Thursdays: Live jazz on the terrace.

11 Dorrance Street, Providence. 4210700, www.providencebiltmore.com.

VETERANS MEMORIAL AUDITORIUM January 18: Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra presents Beethoven’s Second. 1 Avenue of the Arts, Providence.

221-1467, www.vmari.com.

FOLK STONE SOUP COFFEEHOUSE

January 11: Box Car Lilies. January 25: Seth Glier. 50 Park Place, Pawtucket.

723-0354, www.soup.org

PERFORMANCE comedy | dance | theatre COMEDY AS220 First Sunday: The Empire Revue with sketch comedy, improv, music, burlesque and magic. First Saturday: Improv Jones. 95 & 115 Empire Street, Providence. 831-9327, www.as220.org.

95.5 WBRU Presents New Politics. January 31 at The Met in Pawtucket. www.themetri. com

5

Southern New England Bridal Expo January 5 at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence. www.riconvention.com

6

FirstWorks Presents: Savion Glover & Company “STePz.” January 31 at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Providence. www. vmari.com

7

Arsenic and Old Lace. January 10-19 at The Community Players in Pawtucket. www.thecommunityplayers.org

8

COMEDY CONNECTION Fridays: Hardcore Comedy. 39 Warren Avenue, East Providence. 438-8383, www.ricomedyconnection.com.

9

EVERETT Every Friday: Friday Night Live. 9 Duncan Avenue, Providence. 831-9479, www.everettri.org.

10

Historias: Latin American Works on Paper. January 1-5 at the RISD Museum of Art. www.risdmuseum.org The Big Meal. January 9-31 at The Gamm Theatre in Pawtucket. www.gammtheatre.org January 2014 East Side Monthly

39

Holidays + Traditions = Cleanup Spending time together making old family recipes is the real joy of the season. Being able to clean up quickly is a gift year round. And we know what works best because we own Gil’s Appliances, opened by our parents in 1961. We offer all the dishwashers, disposals and trash compactors that make fast work of after-dinner chores along with a 52-year tradition that combines quality, value and personal service that you won't find anywhere else. So if you need appliances, stop in. We’ll be glad to help.

– Lisa and Gail HOURS: Mon-Wed-Fri 9:00am - 6:00pm Sat 9:00am - 4:00pm

Tues-Thurs 9:00am - 8:00pm Sun Closed - Family Day

397 Metacom Avenue, Rte.136 Bristol, RI 02809 401-253-9789 Fax: 401-253-2404 www.gilsappliances.com

In this unique 3 day experience you will be guided to find your purpose and ignite your passion. Live the life you were born to live. All while enjoying one of the top rated spas in New England!

LifeWork: Fulfillment & Impact January 24th - 26th, 2014 The Norwich Inn and Spa, Norwich CT Learn more here: http://www.katesiner.com/fulfillment-and-impact Kate Siner PhD • www.KateSiner.com 401.272.4578 • admin@katesiner.com

40

East Side Monthly January 2014

art + design for everyone Register today for a RISD|CE class.

art and antiques appraisal + connoisseurship

Rhode Island School of Design Continuing Education offers hundreds of courses each semester — whether for personal expression and growth, or for professional development — for absolute beginners through seasoned artists.

art history + appreciation

Call 401.454.6200 or email us at cemail@risd.edu.

weekend workshops

RISD|CE 345 South Main Street, 2nd floor, Providence, RI 02903

ce.risd.edu

career development for artists + designers decorative arts + design digital design fine arts home + garden design young artist classes

Calendar

continued...

FOXWOODS January 2-4 Bobby Slayton. January 9-11: Erik Griffin. January 11: Nasty Show. January 16-18: Steve Rannazzisi. January 18: Nasty Show. January 23-25: Josh Wolf. January 25: Bob Marley. 350 Trolley Line Boulevard, Mashantucket, CT. 800-200-2882, www.foxwoods.com.

Rock of Ages. 220 Weybosset Street, Providence. 421-2787, www.ppacri.org.

Greenwich. 340-7667, www.laurainkphotography.com.

TRINITY REP January 4-25: Saturday Exploring Character acting class. January 30 & 31: Intimate Apparel. 201 Washington Street, Providence. 351-4242, www. trinityrep.com.

TRINITY BREWHOUSE Tuesdays: Stump Trivia. 186 Fountain Street, Providence. 453-2337, www. stumptrivia.com.

MOHEGAN SUN January 11: Jackie The Joke Man Martling. 1 Mohegan Sun Boulevard, Uncasville, CT. 888-226-7711, www.mohegansun.com.

2ND STORY THEATRE January 10-31: The Lyons. January 24-31: Seven Keys to Baldpate. 28 Market Street, Warren. 247-4200, www.2ndstorytheatre.com.

VETERANS MEMORIAL AUDITORIUM January 25: Amy Schumer. 1 Avenue of the Arts, Providence. 222-1467, www. vmari.com.

95 EMPIRE BLACK BOX First Saturday: Improv Jones. 95 Empire Street, Providence. 831-9327, www.improvjones.com.

DANCE AS220 Mondays: Intermediate/Advanced Modern Dance. Tuesdays: Yobalates.

Wednesday: Open Level Modern Dance. Sundays: Beginner and Intermediate Ballet. 95 Empire Street, Providence. 831-9327, www.as220.org.

VETERANS MEMORIAL AUDITORIUM January 31: Savion Glover & Company: “STePz.” 1 Avenue of the Arts, Providence. 222-1467, www.vmari.com.

THEATRE THE COMMUNITY PLAYERS January 10-19: Arsenic and Old Lace.

Jenks Auditorium, Division Street, Pawtucket. 726-6860, www.thecommunityplayers.org.

GAMM THEATRE January 9-31: The Big Meal. 172 Exchange Street, Pawtucket. 723-4266, www.gammtheatre.org.

OCEAN STATE THEATRE COMPANY January 29-31: Laughter on the 23rd Floor. 1245 Jefferson Boulevard, Warwick. 921-6800, www.oceanstatetheatre.org.

PARK THEATRE January 3: Downton Abbey Season 4 Preview. 848 Park Avenue, Cranston.

467-7275, www.parktheatreri.com.

PROVIDENCE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER January 2-12: Wicked. January 29:

SOCIAL HAPPENINGS expos | fundraisers | seasonal FESTIVALS RHODE ISLAND CONVENTION CENTER January 5: Southern New England Bridal Expo. January 31: 21st Annual Providence Boat Show. 1 Sabin Street, Providence.

458-6000, www.riconvention.com.

FOR FOODIES BOTTLES Fridays: Beer Tasting. Saturdays: Wine Tasting. 141 Pitman Street, Providence.

372-2030, www.bottlesfinewine.com.

FARM FRESH RHODE ISLAND Wednesdays and Saturdays: Wintertime Farmers’ Market. Hope Artiste Village, 1005 Main Street, Pawtucket. www.farmfreshri.org.

MOHEGAN SUN January 24-26: Sun WineFest. 1 Mohegan Sun Boulevard, Uncasville, CT. 888-226-7711, www.mohegansun.com.

SLATER MILL January 17-19: 6th Annual Knitting Weekend with a wine and cheese reception, workshops and marketplace.

67 Roosevelt Avenue, Pawtucket. 7258638, www.slatermill.org.

OTHER THE INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY & PRACTICE OF NONVIOLENCE First Friday of Every Month: Open Mic Spoken Word Poetry. 265 Oxford Street, Providence. 785-2320, www. nonviolenceinstitute.org.

SCHOOL ONE January 4: 3rd Annual Prom Expo Fashion Show to benefit Providence’s School One. 100 Cedar Avenue, East

GALLERIES CHAZAN GALLERY January 17: Opening reception for Group Show. January 17-30: Group Show. 228 Angell Street, Providence.

421-9230. www.chazangallery.org.

PEACE LOVE STUDIOS Tuesdays-Thursdays: Gallery Hours.

Hope Artiste Village, 999 Main Street, Unit 704, Pawtucket. 475-9779, www. peacelovestudios.com.

PROVIDENCE ART CLUB January 5: Opening Reception. January 5-24: Class & Staff Exhibition at Maxwell Mays Gallery. New Year: New Members at Dodge House Gallery. 11 Thomas Street, Providence. 331-1114, www.providenceartclub.org.

RISD MUSEUM OF ART January 1-5: Historias: Latin American Works on Paper. January 1-31: Making It in America. 224 Benefit Street, Providence. 454-6500, www.risdmuseum.org.

kIDS + FAMILy AUDUBON SOCIETY January 11: Animal Tracks and Signs for Families. 12 Sanderson Road, Smithfield. 949-5454, www.asri.org.

LIFE COACH

adolescents & young adults

Harry Fish MA, BCC 80 Calendars, LLC 401-465-5491 80calendars.com

Juggling Instructor

BROWN UNIVERSITY BOOKSTORE Every Saturday: Children’s Story Time.

244 Thayer Street, Providence. 8633168, bookstore.brown.edu.

DUNKIN’ DONUTS CENTER January 31: Nuclear Cowboyz Freestyle Motocross Tour. 1 LaSalle Square, Providence. 331-6700, www.dunkindonutscenter.com.

KENNEDY PLAZA January 1-31: Ice Skating. The Providence Rink, 2 Kennedy Plaza, Providence. 3315544, www.kennedyplaza.org.

PROVIDENCE PUBLIC LIBRARY January 27: The Sensory Child Gets

BEE’S THAI CUISINE

167 Ives Street, Providence 11:30am-9:30pm Mon-Sat 4:00pm-9:30pm Sunday 401-273-2727

January 2014 East Side Monthly

41

S m a l l

H a l l

S t u d i o s

Calendar

continued...

Underwater & Commercial Photography

Organized: Proven Systems for Rigid, Anxious or Distracted Kids. 708 Hope Street, Providence. 723-4459, www. ritutorial.org.

smallhallstudios.com

brian@smallhallstudios.com 401-499-6666

h Cookin’ Just Like c t a r c S Mom Used To Make!

Meeting Street Café Breakfast All Day

ROGER WILLIAMS PARK ZOO January 18: Rock-a-Baby Band. 1000 Elmwood Avenue, Providence. 7853510, www.rwpzoo.org.

Gourmet Sandwiches Homemade Soups Delicious Entrées World Famous Cookies

Now Offering

Free Delivery!

220 Meeting Street, Providence • 401.273.1066

LEARN discussion | instruction | tour AUDUBON SOCIETY January 11: Winter Big Day birding van trip. Departs from 12 Sanderson Road, Smithfield. www.asri.org.

INTERNATIONAL HOUSE Mondays: Moms’ and children’s play group. Wednesdays: Social get-together. Thursdays: Potluck lunch.

Fridays: Knitting group. 8 Stimson Avenue, Providence. 421-7181, www.internationalhouseofri.org.

LADD OBSERVATORY Tuesdays: Telescope Observing Night.

210 Doyle Avenue, Providence. 8632323, www.brown.edu/Departments/ Physics/Ladd/.

PROVIDENCE ATHENAEUM Fridays: Drop in from 5-7pm for the free weekly Salon Series. 251 Benefit Street, Providence. 421-6970, www. providenceathenaeum.org.

PROVIDENCE PUBLIC LIBRARY Mondays: Knitting Circle. Rochambeau Library, 708 Hope Street, Providence.

272-3780, www.provcomlib.org.

Thank you to our grant funders, sponsors, and community partners: Entelco Foundation, Carter Family Charitable Trust, The Rhode Island Foundation, BankRI, Rhode Island State Council for the Arts, The Providence Athenaeum, RISD Museum, RISD, Seven Stars Bakery, Edwards Wildman, Providence Children’s Museum, Boys and Girls Clubs of Providence, Butterfield, Campus Fine Wines, COX Communications, Kreatelier, Kidoinfo, East Side Monthly, 4 Eyes Design, Embee Studio

The Best Noodle Soup in Town

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42

East Side Monthly January 2014

SARAH DOYLE WOMEN’S CENTER Mondays: Girls Night Out. Snacks and informal discussions for self-identified queer women. 26 Benevolent Street, Providence. events.brown.edu.

THE STEEL YARD January 1: Free Public Tour. 27 Sims Avenue, Providence. 273-7101, www. thesteelyard.org.

SLATER MILL January 17-19: 6th Annual Knitting Weekend with a wine and cheese reception, workshops and marketplace. 67 Roosevelt Avenue, Pawtucket. 725-8638, www.slatermill.org.

TRINITY REP January 4-25: Saturday Exploring Character acting class. 201

Washington Street, Providence. 3514242, www.trinityrep.com.

SPORTS BROWN MEN’S BASKETBALL January 2: Brown vs. Rhode Island. January 7: Brown vs. New Hampshire. January 11: Brown vs. Daniel Webster. January 31: Brown vs. Cornell. 235 Lloyd Avenue, Providence. 863-2773, www.brownbears.com.

BROWN MEN’S HOCKEY January 11: Brown vs. Boston College.

January 31: Brown vs. Colgate. 235 Lloyd Avenue, Providence. 863-2773, www. brownbears.com.

BROWN WOMEN’S BASKETBALL January 3: Brown vs. New Hampshire.

January 6: Brown vs. Vermont. 235 Lloyd Avenue, Providence. 863-2773, www.brownbears.com.

BROWN WOMEN’S HOCKEY January 3: Brown vs. Cornell. January 4: Brown vs. Colgate. January 17: Brown vs. St. Lawrence. January 18: Brown vs.

Clarkson. 235 Lloyd Avenue, Providence.

863-2773, www.brownbears.com.

PROVIDENCE BRUINS HOCKEY January 3 & 5: Bruins vs. Worcester.

January 10: Bruins vs. Syracuse. January 12: Bruins vs. Manchester. January 17 & 19: Bruins vs. Wilkes-Barre. January 24 & 26: Bruins vs. St. John’s. 1 LaSalle Square, Providence. 273-5000, www. providencebruins.com.

PROVIDENCE COLLEGE FRIARS MEN’S BASKETBALL January 8: Friars vs. Georgetown. January 18: Friars vs. Creighton. January 21: Friars vs. Butler. January 25: Friars vs.

Xaviar. 1 La Salle Square, Providence.

865-4672, www.friars.com.

PROVIDENCE COLLEGE FRIARS MEN’S HOCKEY January 7: Friars vs. Northeastern. January 24: Friars vs. UMass-Lowell. January 31: Friars vs. Boston College. Schneider Arena, Huxley Avenue, Providence. 8654672, www.friars.com.

PROVIDENCE COLLEGE FRIARS WOMEN’S HOCKEY January 4 & 5: Friars vs. Rensselaer. January 11: Friars vs. New Hampshire. January 17: Friars vs. Boston University. January 26: Friars vs. Connecticut. Schneider Arena, Huxley Avenue, Providence. 8654672, www.friars.com.

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East side monthly ad 12-13 small_Layout 1 11/25/13 3:06 PM Page 1

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January 2014 East Side Monthly

43

Classifieds

To place your classified ad, please call 732-3100.

(401) 441-7303

AUDIO/VIDEO HELP If you need some help with your TV, home theater or stereo, call me at 401-383-4102. Jon Bell, Simply Sight & Sound. Reasonable rates. 25 years of experience.

CEILING REPAIRS Repairing water damaged, cracked, peeling ceilings & walls. Located on the East Side. Over 100 satisfied local customers. Malin Painting, RI Reg. #19226. Call 226-8332.

HOUSECLEANER Available Crystal Clean, a quality housecleaning service. We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t cut corners. Weekly or bi-weekly. We use environmentally friendly products. Bethany 2650960.

CUSTOM SLIPCOVERS Work directly with seamstress and save! Purchase fabric elsewhere. Linda Toti, 508-695-2474.

Chair Caning

632-0073

Photo Organizer Organizing photos. Scanning photos, old albums, slides, negatives, and movies. Creating photo books, slide shows. Storage solutions for your photo collection. www.savingphotomemories.com memories.kmccann@gmail.com

401-601-0141

Garages & Attics Cleaned Unwanteds Removed Small Demolitions - Garages, Sheds, etc.

Appliances & Lawn Mowers â?&#x2013;Motors â?&#x2013;Machines â?&#x2013;Batteries â?&#x2013;Etc.

Cell 401-742-7258 Reg. #4614

44

East Side Monthly January 2014

ELECTRICAL SERVICES All types. Energy efficient & security lighting & new circuits. Master licenses: RI #A3338, MA #16083A. Insured. Call Larry 529-2087.

CUSTOM WINDOW TREATMENTS and more. In-home consultation. 30 years experience. 401-949-1587.

ELDER CARE AVAILABLE Very kind, patient, mature woman seeks position with elderly person.

Intelligent, cheerful, reliable, with 20 years experience, including several long-term positions. Impeccable references. Please call 781-3392 or 4973392.

DOG WALKER/PET SITTER Trained to administer medications.

Reliable, bonded, references available.

Home visits. Call Susan 527-3914.

Loves animals.

DOROTHYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CLEANING We clean your home as our own! References & free estimates. Call 401274-7871 or 401-524-7453.

SNOW PLOWING Residential/Commercial Free Estimates FIREWOOD: Seasoned Hardwood, Cut & Split, $225/cord.

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& BOBCAT SERVICES

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CEILING WORK, DRYWALL Plaster (hang, tape & paint). Water damage repair. All phases of carpentry.

Reg. #24022. Fully insured. Steven, E. Prov., 401-641-2452.

CHRISâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; LAMP REPAIR We Make House Calls!!! â&#x153;Ż Repairing all types of Lamps â&#x153;Ż Vintage Lighting Specialist â&#x153;Ż Chandelier Repairs â&#x153;Ż Serving the East Side for over 15 years â&#x153;Ż Fully Insured

(401) 831-8693 www.chrislamprepair.com

GREEK COOKING Host a cooking class in your home have fun with your friends! Learn the basics: the simplicity of preparation & straightforward techniques. Call Vikki @ 401-369-0349 or v.kizirian@yahoo. com

HOUSE CLEANING

If you need a house cleaner who is organized and with good prices & excellent references, call 401-475-3283

Classifieds

HOUSE CLEANING Experienced. Local references. Free estimates. Call Lilly, 401-419-2933.

I BUY BOOKS Old, used and almost new. Also buying photography, art, etc. Call 401421-2628. jcvp@cox.net

MALIN PAINTING Most ceiling & wall repairs, wallpaper removal, oil-based and latex finishes, staining, varnishing. Fully insured, many local references. Safe, secure, fast service. Call 226-8332. Reg. #19226.

To place your classified ad, please call 732-3100.

MASTER ELECTRICIAN Install, service, repair. Expert troubleshooting. Free detailed computerized estimate. Deal direct with owner. Lic. #AC 004110 & insured. Small jobs done promptly. All work guaranteed.

Save $$$. Family owned & operated.

Local resident. Calls returned immediately. 401-258-4793, John.

PERSONAL ASSISTANT AVAILABLE Only when you need one. Too busy to pickup the dry cleaning, shop, wait for a delivery, take the dog to the groomer? I can run your errands for you.

Hire for a day or by the hour. References. Call 270-1120.

PROPERTY MANAGER Available. On call 24/7. Rent collection. Rentals, evictions, maintenance.

Call 421-0092.

PERFECT PAINTING High quality work. References. 30 years experience. Reg. #17730. Call Ken at 516-1438 or 346-6162.

classified advertising Order fOrm

name:

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USED MUSIC WANTED! Round Again Records needs your used CDs and records. Cash paid.

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Spring & Fall Cleanups

SUPERB HOUSEPAINTING High end workmanship. Small jobs a specialty. Call Ron 751-3242. Reg. #18128.

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PARKING/STORAGE Congdon St., $125 covered carport.

Benefit St. (north end), $115/mo. Call Roger, 339-4068. rogernc@mac.com

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LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE

Handyman

PAWS-N-CLAWS, LLC Dog walking/pet sitting. Professional, reliable pet care. Insured & bonded. Call 499-7714 or www.pawsnclawsri.com

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city:

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amount enclosed: __________________________ Visa/mastercard #: _________________________

Please complete form and fax to 732-3110 or phone in your ad to sue at 732-3100 or email sueH@rhodybeat.com mail Payment in full tO: East Side Monthly, c/o Beacon Communications Classifieds, 1944 Warwick Ave. Warwick, RI 02889 January 2014 East Side Monthly

45

East of Elmgrove

by Elizabeth Rau | illustration by Maret Paetznick

A Look Back One East Side family’s year in review It was a good year. My family was healthy and as happy as one could expect. Our drafty house is still standing, and we finally repaired the front steps. My son Henry learned how to play “Bohemian Rhapsody’’ on the piano. (Mama, ooooh.) My other son Peder wrote a nice short story about an old man who trekked into the forest to die and did, inside a giant tree.

My husband continued to cook our nightly meals, grand feasts that muted the world’s chaos.

Oh, and the Red Sox won. Wow, what a series. A poster of Dustin Pedroia, the dogged leaper, is tacked to Peder’s door. I wanted to display it in the kitchen, but was overruled.

This year was also good because I got to write a bunch of columns for our great neighborhood magazine. Some essays were more memorable than others. Some were wellreceived by readers; a few were not. (I’m still trying to figure out what Dutch meant when he called me a “willfully ignorant ninny.’’) Many of my columns came to you compliments of the people who tolerated my prying questions – and that included my teenage sons.

Thanks guys. I promise that from now on you get to read the columns before they’re published and have final say on any edits. Note to Peder: I will never call you my “beloved firstborn’’ again.

Without further rambling, I offer abstracts on a few submissions from 2013.

I Don’t Appreciate That I’ve always disliked confrontations, but lately I’ve been getting upset over things that I used to be able to shrug off. Maybe I’m getting old and cranky. Maybe the world really has gone wrong. But I’m an adult with children and should handle myself with more restraint. I’d like to thank Aaron Rodgers, QB for the Green Bay

46

East Side Monthly January 2014

Packers, for setting me on my way.

I liked what he uttered on TV when a Packer fan told him he was short.

Rodgers was ridiculed as a kid for his height, although he grew to be 6 feet 2 inches. That tactless comment on

Pat Herlihy, an 84-year-old scholar of Russian culture and history and a vodka expert. She wrote a book called, Vodka, A Global History. It’s a delightful read, packed with all sorts of fun facts. Did you know that vodka

TV obviously bugged Rodgers, but instead of taking the guy down to the dirt, he shot back, “I don’t appreciate that.’’ Thanks Aaron for teaching me how to tell someone in a respectful way that he or she is out of line.

Stylist: “You really should cover your gray and, while you’re at it, tweeze your brows.’’

Me: “I don’t appreciate that.’’

can enhance virility? Funny, I thought it did just the opposite.

I interviewed Pat, a former East Sider who now lives in Boston, in her office at Brown University’s Watson Institute, an East Side gem. I did shots with her (just kidding) at a “vodka tasting” at Waterman Grille where she charmed the crowd with her knowledge of this most versatile of spirits. I suggest you buy her book.

Better yet, try to meet her. She will dazzle you with her wit and warmth.

Cheers I like vodka. I like Russians. So does

Emmanuel’s Books International refugees who come here to escape war and political persecution remind me of real courage and how lucky I am to be living in America. Sure, we have plenty of problems – gun violence, for one – but this country offers so many opportunities for people willing to put in the long hours.

Emmanuel Logan fled a bloody civil war in Liberia years ago and landed in Providence, where his hard work and selflessness has paid off: He works in a group home and is also co-founder of a nonprofit group, IDEA, which collects school textbooks for his homeland.

Most of us take textbooks for granted, but Liberia is in so much chaos following the war classrooms make do with one textbook. That’s one textbook for 50-plus students. I have a pile of textbooks at home destined for Emmanuel. If you have books from high school and college that you’d like to donate too, please write him at springlr@yahoo.com.

Finally, I’d like to give my friends at Providence Granola Project – Beautiful Day a shout-out to thank them for their good work. The organization hires refugees to make and sell the best granola I’ve ever tasted. The group just came out with a granola bar that is perfect. It will melt in your mouth.

The founder is Keith Cooper, an East Sider who is quietly changing lives, one granola bar at a time. His organization is the real deal. These are not policy wonks writing up glossy reports unveiled at cocktail parties. He and his supporters are putting people to work – and what could be more valuable to a refugee than a job. The group has a cult following on the East Side. Now let’s help them spread their message to the world.

Elizabeth Rau can be reached at erau1@verizon.net.

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