East Side Monthly September 2017 by Hey Rhody Media Co.

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NEW LIST

96 UNIVERSITY AVENUE Reintroducing this wonderful townhouse condo. Recently updated to reflect modern features, yet sticking with old world charm. Two new/updated full baths, updated windows, sunny large double parlor. Private entry, parking for 2 cars. $375,000 Aleen Weiss

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94 UNIVERSITY AVENUE Recently updated first floor condo of two owner condominium. Separate entrance, front door, parking for 1 car. New white cabinets, tile floor, stone fireplace,two BRs and updated bath. Parking for one car, quaint backyard. $325,000 Aleen Weiss

SNL setbuilder Eugene Lee keeps it real

PENDING

This Month 19 | EDUCATION OF THE FUTURE Providence schools get students ready for the jobs of tomorrow

466 PLEASANT VALLEY PARKWAY Sweet spacious 3BR bungalow on the parkway. Hardwoods, newer windows & kitchen. Lrg living room and kitchen, enclosed porch. Priced to sell! $199,000 Karen Miller

SOLD

386 BENEFIT STREET #2, What a location! Beautiful 2 bed 2 full bath second floor condo. Large living room/den, working fireplace w/ beautiful pine/soft wood floors. Age specific moldings. Large working kitchen w/ cherry cabinets. $385,000 Aleen Weiss

26 | LIVE FROM NEW YORK Master set builder and East Sider Eugene Lee on his time at SNL and the current projects on his plate 30 | WHEN’S OUR TIME TO SHINE? No East Siders have ever been city council president. Dan McGowan finds out why

Every Month 4 | EDITORIAL AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

SOLD 250 HARRIS ROAD, SMITHFIELD Beautiful, graciously maintained mid century modern home. Ranch style living Offers 11 ft ceilings, open floor plans, 3 BR 2 Full Bath and 1 half bath. Large windows overlooking lush 2 acre property. Fully gated in-ground pool. $395,000 Aleen Weiss

SOLD 12 LINCOLN MEADOWS DRIVE, LINCOLN Custom designed 3,200 sq ft home in sought after Lincoln Meadows. 4 beds, 2.5 baths. Unbelievable master suite with huge walk in closet. Gas fireplace den with cathedral ceililng. $630,000 Aleen Weiss

Community A Brown grad makes a dating app for the cranky 7 | News 10 | In the Know 13 | Community News

Close to Home

388 ANGELL ROAD, LINCOLN Amazing salt box c1760 reproduction. Warm and totally updated w/ modern conveniences. Wide plank floors, wood beams, beautiful in ground pool, 3 car garage. Set back from road. $775,000 Aleen Weiss

On the Town Uyghur cuisine makes a splash on Wickenden 41 | Flavor of the Month 42 | On the Menu 45 | Dining Guide 51 | Calendar

Photography by Mike Braca

The East Sider On the Cover:

Students from Lincoln School make robots come to life. Courtesy of Chip Riegel Photography.

1730 OLD LOUISQUISSET PIKE, LINCOLN Step back in time and be the next owners of the Jenckes Estate! Originally built in 1736 with additional building in 1830. Tastefully updated for todays needs. This home has it all! $499,000 Aleen Weiss

ASSISTING BUYERS, SELLERS & RENTERS Aleen WeissH Karen MillerH HAlso licensed in MA

58 | Ray Rickman discovers his life’s work

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September 2017 East Side Monthly

EST 1975

Editorial

East Side MONTHLY

City Council Needs to Make Some Changes With the Ward 3 results now official (more of a coronation than a contest as Nirva LaFortune won over 94 percent of the vote), attention now shifts to the selection of the new city council president. Sabina Matos is now the acting president after the resignation of Luis Aponte and would like to stay on, but councilmen Terry Hassett, John Igliozzi and David Salvatore have expressed interest as well. This promises to be quite interesting, especially since Aponte remains a councilman and hence could even end up casting any tie-breaking vote himself. Another of those “only in Providence” moments.

This is why we hope the council will endorse a trio of ethics initiatives that have already been introduced by East Side councilman Sam Zurier but have yet to produce much enthusiasm among his colleagues. One would require anyone charged with a felony to give up their leadership positions in the council. Another would also require councilpersons who fail to file their campaign finance reports to give up any leadership posts until those reports are received. Zurier’s third proposal also would require that all financial disclosures and campaign reports be posted on the city’s website to ensure transparency.

The unfortunate recent specter of two council leaders under indictment for campaign and financial misappropriations certainly isn’t something that inspires confidence among either Providence residents or the general public and it seems these rather modest changes would provide some much-needed transparency. Surely we can learn something from the recent recall election in Ward 3 and from the logjam that now threatens to undermine the selection of new leadership on the council going forward. It’s a simple fix that we hope to see implemented sooner than later.

Letters

1070 Main Street, Suite 302 Pawtucket RI 02860 tel: 305-3391 | fax: 305-3392 Mail@ProvidenceOnline.com EastSideMonthly.com • @EastSideMonthly Publishers Barry Fain Richard Fleischer John Howell Executive Editor Barry Fain

Creative Director Julie Tremaine

Media Director Jeanette St. Pierre City Editor Steve Triedman

Managing Editor Tony Pacitti Editor Sophie Hagen

Art Director Meghan H. Follett Assistant Art Director Nicholas DelGiudice Staff Photographer Savannah Barkley

Advertising Design Director Layheang Meas Graphic Designer Chad Bauerle

Marketing Coordinator Kim Tingle Account Managers Shelley Cavoli: Shelley@ProvidenceOnline.com

As reported in last

month’s edition of East Side Monthly, WBRU is planning to sell its license to broadcast on 95.5FM. Going off the radio marks a bittersweet moment for WBRU, but we are not going away! Instead, WBRU is making the exciting transition from a traditional radio station to a broader, more modern media organization. Since the news of the sale broke, we’ve received an outpouring of support and concern. We understand and appreciate the concern: it means we’ve been doing our job of delivering great music and stories for over 50 years and that we’ve connected with generations of Rhode Islanders. We value that connection deeply, so we’d like to take this time to ask you to stay with us. WBRU will be creating more of the content our listeners love than ever before and making it more accessible for Southeastern New England. So why are we leaving FM radio? First, radio is not an easy industry, especially for an organization like ours. WBRU is a small independent station staffed almost entirely by college students. For more than a decade, WBRU has suffered substantial and mounting financial losses. Stations nationwide have faced similar problems, as ad profits have declined and corporate radio companies that own hundreds of stations have become the norm. WBRU spent years actively seeking solutions to our financial challenges. If we had found a viable path forward that

East Side Monthly September 2017

let us maintain our independent culture and our FM signal, we would have pursued it. The decision to sell our signal was difficult for everyone, especially for the members of our staff who grew up listening to 95.5. Our second and equally compelling reason for leaving 95.5 is that we believe the future of music and information media lies online. WBRU has always been about innovation. In 1936, two experimenters strung a network of transmission wires through Brown University dorms and created one of the country’s first college radio stations; in the 60s, visionary students made WBRU one of the first college radio stations with a commercial FM license. More recently, we became one of the first radio stations to stream on the Internet. This past year, we concluded that to continue the WBRU legacy of innovation and independence, we needed to make another leap. That brings us to the new WBRU. We’ll start off with 24/7 streams of alternative rock music and our 360 programming (formerly only available on Sundays), available at WBRU.com. This marks the first time that both of these streams have been available whenever, wherever. In addition to our classic WBRU music programming, we will introduce in-depth interviews and exclusive music from local artists. 360 will be launching The Amplifier, a new show highlighting local social justice groups, and our news department will unveil a

weekly show breaking down local current events. This will all be available on our revamped website and app. And that’s just the beginning: the new BRU will have more flexibility to evolve with the media industry; it will be innovative, dynamic and sustainable for years to come. Change certainly isn’t easy, but it is exciting. Stay with us: for decades, BRU has been committed to serving Southeast New England, and we remain dedicated to this community. If there’s something you’d like to see from the new WBRU, we’d love to hear from you. Feel free to reach out at community@wbru.com, and follow along with what we’re doing at WBRU.com/updates. See you online! Sincerely, The Executive Board of the WBRU Staff Kishanee Haththotuwegama, General Manager Andie Corban, News Director Natalie Mesa, Rock Assistant Programming Director Denise Ramirez, Station Manager Hana Estice, Media Director Becca Snell, Promotions Manager Auriana Woods, 360 Co-Assistant Programming Director Kyle Tildon, 360 Co-Assistant

Louann DiMuccio-Darwich: Louann@ProvidenceOnline.com Ann Gallagher: Ann@ProvidenceOnline.com Kristine Mangan: Kristine@ProvidenceOnline.com Dan Schwartz: DanS@ProvidenceOnline.com Elizabeth Riel: Liz@ProvidenceOnline.com Stephanie Oster Wilmarth: Stephanie@ProvidenceOnline.com

Contributing Photographers Mike Braca Mike Cevoli

Stacey Doyle

Contributing Illustrators Lia Marcoux Ashley Maclure

Contributing Writers Lisa Allard Erin Belknap Jessica Bryant Alastair Cairns Amanda M. Grosvenor Molly Lederer

Lauri Lee Grace Lentini Dan McGowan Stephanie Obodda Elizabeth Rau

Classified Advertising Sue Howarth Interns Trent Babington Emily Blay Morgan Banville

Amanda Gastel Megan Manning Marissa O’Rourke Megan Schmit

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.

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September 2017 East Side Monthly

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COMMUNITY East Side Stories | Neighborhood News & Notes

East Side News Seeing Positives in Negativity With Hater, Brendan Alper has an irreverent take on a dating app

Photo courtesy of Hater App

By Sophie Hagen Plenty of 9-to-5ers have forsaken a steady paycheck for the siren song of comedy. But Brendan Alper managed to come out the other side with a new vocation entirely. The Pawtucket native and Brown alum began writing comedy sketches after some unfulfilling years in the financial world and alighted on the idea of a dating app based on mutual hatred. Then he founded a company to build that app and concocted the slogan to sell it: Love Through Hate. Aside from Brendan’s comedy sketch, the app is loosely based on several sociological studies demonstrating, he says, that “people who disliked the same things formed closer bonds than people who liked the same things.” Along with almost 600,000 users to date, Hater’s concept has won it extensive press coverage with what seems to be the perfect hook: millennials, alone among all generations, can’t get enough of technology and irony – and have now combined them. But the app’s users are more diverse than that, Brendan points out; Hater has found purchase among both “old farts” and Gen Z, in addition to the vilified generation between them. “Somehow it rings true across the board.” The company’s playful approach to marketing has also proved potent. This past February, Hater projected an illustration of Putin embracing a pregnant Trump on several buildings in New York City: a feat of seeming political cheekiness or performance art whose meaning collapses on further examination. “It doesn’t really make sense,” admits Brendan. Rather than representing a particular political stance, the image was meant to publicize the company, without being “corporate-y,” as “ridiculous and absurd and polarizing.” Sign on to Hater’s website and

you’ll be presented with the face of our 45th president: the first topic in a slideshow of them on the screen of an iPhone. “Look, there’s nothing more polarizing than Donald Trump,” says Brendan. “If everyone hated the same things it wouldn’t be fun. Everyone hates mosquitoes, bad traffic. The key is to find the thing that determines your personality, and that’s Donald Trump.” Each swipe (users can choose between like, dislike, love and hate) on a topic “affects your personality spectrums in certain ways.” “If you hated Trump, your liberal score goes up. If you hate microwave dinners, your classy score goes up. If you hate fine wines, maybe it’s in the other direction. We base those [scores] off leading psychological surveys that the experts have determined matter the most.” The staff scans social media and the news for inspiration on new topics. Despite his insight into users’ romantic preferences, Brendan has managed to avoid the despair of other dating app designers who have observed, for example, widespread racism and fat shaming in the data they’ve collected – though it’s worth noting that the app’s staff members generate all topics. “I feared that maybe I would start to adopt some of that pessimism from looking at the data,” he says, “but in general I think I’ve been pretty pleasantly surprised.” Excluding politics, “we thought that people would hate the same things, but it’s amazing how different everyone is. Every single topic, even puppies,” he says, gets a range of responses. “There’s people out there who hate puppies, who love mosquitoes, whose least favorite thing in the entire world is apples. It’s funny to see this crazy diversity of personality.” There’s one topic, though, that meets almost universal opprobrium. “Slow walkers.”

Rhode Islanders’ Top Ten Hater Commonalities 1) All Lives Matter 2) Tipping less than 15 percent 3) Tech blogs 4) Girls on HBO 5) Woody Allen

6) Biting ice cream 7) Black licorice 8) Downton Abbey 9) The Yankees 10) Drama

September 2017 East Side Monthly

Community

continued...

Advocating for Downtown Cliff Wood wants to put the Providence Foundation – and downtown – on the map By Dan McGowan

Unless you own a business downtown or closely monitor city politics, you’ve probably never heard of the Providence Foundation. If you have, there’s a good chance you have no idea what it does. Cliff Wood wants to change that. The foundation’s new executive director, Cliff, a 48-year-old, snappy-dressing former city councilman who has also worked for major developer Cornish Associates, says he wants to raise the 42-year-old organization’s public profile while continuing to fulfill its longtime mission to be a “catalyst for public and private development in downtown.” Selected from 71 applicants following a nationwide search to replace longtime executive director Dan Baudouin, Cliff says he sees the foundation’s primary role as being a strong partner with the mayor and other city leaders as well as the business community. Among the foundation’s best attributes, Cliff says, is its consistency. “While government has changed over the years,” Cliff says, “we have been around for 42 years.” The foundation relies heavily on dues from its 140 members and grants, according to Cliff, but

he suggests he’s hoping to make the organization more inclusive in the coming years. The foundation’s goal, Cliff says, is to make Providence the “most attractive mid-size city in the country.” That means improving communication about the city’s strengths in order to attract new development while also advocating for conditions that promote growth, like better predictability when it comes to taxes. And there is still plenty of room to build in downtown, Cliff says. Although the old joke about rolling a bowling ball down Westminster Street without anyone noticing is no longer true, he said there are still 20 acres of surface lots throughout downtown that could be developed along with most of the land left vacant by the relocation of Route I-195. Not to mention the vacant building at 111 Westminster Street. While some of his former colleagues on the city council have expressed skepticism about continuing to approve tax breaks for projects in downtown, Cliff argues that the revenues generated from the new hotels and apartment buildings currently under construction

can be used to benefit every neighborhood in the city. Cliff should hit the ground running. He already knows all the players and understands how the city works. Look for parks to be a major focus of the foundation moving forward – Cliff came over from the Downtown Providence Parks Conservancy, which functions as an arm of the foundation, and is now merging the two organizations, although the foundation will continue to

promote the conservancy’s campaign for a downtown parks network that includes Waterplace Park and the Riverwalk, the planned pedestrian bridge and the Kennedy Plaza area. Cliff is among the many advocates who want to make the plaza more pedestrian friendly. “I want people to understand that having a healthy and thriving downtown is important for the whole city,” he says.

Mindful Learning, Artful Aging An arts program at School One brings teens and elders together for increased insight

Since 2007, School One (SchoolOne.org) has thrived as an independent high school, here on East Side, offering innovative hands-on learning opportunities and experiences to its students. One such experience is a humanities class called Working Stories, based on the idea that everyone has a story to tell. Students in the class are paired with adults ages 55 and older to develop stories, practice performance techniques, and advance their writing craft. Together, the pairs create a series of stories reflective of their personal experiences and receive feedback from three

East Side Monthly September 2017

teaching artists. The program’s goal is simple but powerful: to bring community members of different ages together to provide one another with inspiring, valuable insight. Each session is two hours long and includes in-depth questions and discussions that allow for collaborative thinking and reflection. Reed Bryant, a student at School One and past participant in Working Stories, describes one of the key lessons he gained from the course: “The message I’m trying to tell people with my story is that just having a talent doesn’t make you better than others.

And you shouldn’t rely just upon your innate skills. If you do have a talent you should probably make use of it, but it’s not everything. The biggest part is how you feel about what you’re doing.” Working Stories is funded by the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts and by a grant from Ahora Philanthropies, a nonprofit organization that encourages older adults to express their ideas through making and sharing art, which inspires mindfulness, social engagement and cultural enrichment. School One is working to increase the course’s presence in

the state, partnering with local nursing centers and retirement homes. Jennifer Borman, head of School One, recognizes the importance of providing both students and older adults with this unique learning opportunity. “Working Stories inspires our teens to think about their future paths by hearing firsthand of the well-traveled paths taken by the elders. While they are so willing to share their stories, the elders are sometimes not aware of the profound impact they are making on our teens.”

Photo courtesy of Cliff Wood

By Lisa Allard

Community

continued...

Experience.

Getting Back to the Grassroots The new director of the Rhode Island Democrats on what the Party needs right now

Integrity. Results.

Photography by Savannah Barkley for East Side Monthly

By Sophie Hagen

This May, the Rhode Island Democratic Party hired an executive director after two years with no one in the position and only one staffer: communications director Ann Gooding. Tolulope Kevin Olasanoye, the director of purchasing for the City of Providence until June, worked earlier in his career for several political campaigns and as a staff assistant for Senator Reed. A graduate of Classical, URI and RWU Law School, Kevin took the helm in June of a party whose national representatives have struggled for influence amid Republican control of the executive branch and both chambers of Congress. Despite this national climate, Kevin projects a measuredly sunny outlook: “This is a great time to be a Democrat,” he says. Turning the national tide and getting Democrats back in the majority, Kevin says, will depend on the Democrats returning to “being a grassroots-oriented party.” Despite their skill at “activating voters around causes around election night,” they “haven’t figured out how to maintain that conversation over time,” he says. “We should be talking to folks all the time.” “All of the energy is on the Democratic Party side,” Kevin says. “I think many folks after the election woke up to the realization that we can’t take this stuff for granted anymore.” Protests since January, including the Women’s March, convey “that folks are energized and excited about doing the real work of building something. Part of my challenge is to try to take this massive ball of energy and harness it and focus it on the causes and on the candidates that we want to support in the upcoming election.” This means “knocking on doors and making phone calls and listening to folks,” he says. “That’s what we’re going to start doing this summer and I hope to continue doing that.” Local Democratic primaries in the past few months have produced wins

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#1 Individual Agent at Residential Properties Ltd 1996-2016 for progressive women: Dawn Euer in Newport (running to replace M. Teresa Paiva Weed) and Nirva LaFortune in Providence (who won Kevin Jackson’s seat on the city council). Such victories, along with the support garnered by Bernie Sanders, support a current analysis that progressives are fed up with and ready to bolt from a Democratic Party they perceive as centrist. Kevin disagrees. “I think that this supposed war between the establishment wing and the progressive wing of the party is a little overblown,” he says. “I think that what you’re seeing here is the energy that I was talking about that excited me to do this work. You’re seeing a lot of folks that are active and engaged, who are not taking this stuff for granted anymore. You’re seeing a lot more women get engaged in the process. We

started a Democratic Women’s Caucus in the state – we’ve been traveling all over the state, and every single time we have one of those monthly meetings, there are 100 women in the room.” Attendance levels like these, along with increased diversity at the state level – Kevin is the first African American to hold his current position – should, he says, be celebrated. Of the two-year void that he’s filling, Kevin admits that “it has been challenging.” But the “opportunity” he now has to “create infrastructure and the staff structure and the fundraising structure and the formula that helps to make that vision of what the Democratic Party should be come to fruition” is apparently a good thing: “That’s what wakes me up in the morning to check emails, and keeps me up late at night doing conference calls.”

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residentialproperties.com gerri@residentialproperties.com

September 2017 East Side Monthly

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Our friend Bill Reynolds in his Saturday Projo gossip column out of nowhere suggested he’d heard that East Side Monthly might be “in trouble.” We recoiled in horror as not only was the tidbit news to us; it was also 100 percent false. To his credit when we called him out on it (coffee stirrers at Starbucks at high noon perhaps?), Bill, a true gentleman and an excellent journalist, apologetically backed down and ran a retraction in his column the next week. We have no idea who fed him this obvious misinformation, but we were grateful for his quick correction. But as it turns out, something really big will be happening to ESM and it is real news. Thanks to our loyal readers and advertisers, next month we will be launching a major redesign as we streamline our size, modernize our layout and go all glossy. Much more upscale and exciting, we think. Hope you do as well.

Neighbors Organizing in Response to the Bronhard Blitz

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East Side Monthly September 2017

For years, though it has improved markedly in recent years, much of the housing friction on the East Side involved Brown and its neighbors. Now it appears Brown is being replaced by Bronhard. Walter Bronhard, a Fall River chiropractor, has aggressively been purchasing mostly upscale homes on the East Side, many of them large and historic, and in many cases is converting them to student housing. He has now garnered the attention of a group of Benefit Street neighbors who are objecting to what they perceive as an unwillingness to maintain the external appearance of some of his properties which they maintain is in variance with existing housing codes. They are now being joined in their efforts by the Providence Preservation Society (PPS) whose executive director Brent Runyon warns, “This is something that we’re very much concerned with. After unsuccessfully reaching out to the owner, we expect to release our findings shortly.” Currently the

two major points of conflict are over the historic Welcome Arnold House (1798) on Planet Street in Fox Point, which Bronhard feels has deteriorated to the point it needs to be torn down, and the Burnside House on Benefit Street with its iconic curved façade, both of which Runyon feels need to be preserved rather than packed with students. With the number of his holdings now estimated at over 40 and valued in excess of $50 million, this is an issue that will not be going away soon.

Hi Neighbor. Have a Festival. The 17th annual Pawtucket Arts Festival will be running through September until October 4. Each year, this family-friendly smorgasbord of attractions draws attendees from all over the state. With its live music, food offerings, dragon boat races and the like, it’s definitely worth a look-see. Since our offices are actually just over the Providence line two blocks into Pawtucket, we guess you could now call us semi-homers, but we are willing to go on record advocating that the event is really worth the long drive off the East Side. For a listing of the hundreds of activities being offered this month, go to PawtucketArtsFestival.org.

Local Football Is More than Just the Patriots In the fall euphoria that is Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and the rest of the gang, it should be noted that we have our very own gridiron heroes right here on the East Side, as Brown launches its 139th season this month. Mark down September 30 for what should be the best game of the season in terms of local interest. The past few years have often included home game enticements like a night game or a showdown with arch Ivy gridiron rival Harvard which aren’t on the schedule this year. Fortunately, cross state rival URI is. The game usually draws loyal alums from both schools and should be well attended. It also produces some serious tailgating.

Photo by Keith E. Fayan coutesy of the Pawtucket Arts Festival

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September 2017 East Side Monthly

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355 BLACKSTONE BLVD. Bright & Sunny 1 bedroom, 1 bath independent living Laurelmead Condominium. Unit overlooks river and beautiful woodsy grounds. Large living room, dining area, den, full kitchen and master bedroom. Laundry. Garage. Monthly fee includes all the luxurious amenities you could imagine(plus taxes and utilities). $227,500

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71 FOSDYKE ST., EAST SIDE Great home in desirable location w/ many recent updates. New granite & stainless kitchen, new baths, hardwood floors throughout, freshly painted in and out. Fireplaced living room. Replacement windows. Fenced yard. Decks. 2 car garage. $479,900

226 BLACKSTONE BLVD. EAST SIDE Fabulously restored 1900’s Colonial. New crown moldings, sconces & chandeliers. Marble kitchen w/ Viking appliances. Marble baths. 5 bedrooms. 5 baths. 3 fireplaces. New mechanicals. Exquisite. $1,495,000

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East Side Monthly September 2017

Community Neighborhood News

Neighborhood 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.

Wayland Square Neighborhood Association A Taste of Wayland September has arrived, the kids are headed back to school and Wayland Square is getting ready for the return of the Taste of Wayland, on Saturday September 23. The Wayland Square Merchants and Neighborhood associations have brought back the festival from its hiatus, and this year it will feature music and art, family activities and, of course, scrumptious tastes from the many great restaurants, cafes and shops of Wayland Square. While many local businesses will participate, the greatest activity will be on Wayland Avenue between Angell and Waterman streets. McBride’s will also be holding their zero-k road race! Come out and see what you can find on the Square.

Photo courtesy of FPNA by Amy Mendillo

The Paper Nautilus Returns! This institution in the Square is now open, selling used books in its beautiful new space at 19 South Angell Street, opposite Minerva Pizza and just a few doors down from its old location. Trees! The Wayland Square Neighborhood Association coordinated a street tree planting for several homes and businesses in the neighborhood and the planting will take place sometime in October. Their addition helps in beautification and urban planners credit additional trees with traffic calming effects. The city offers the tree grant in the spring and the fall. Visit (or join) the Neighborhood Association’s Facebook page or check our Yahoo! Group’s public message board to stay abreast of current local events and issues. Join the group to receive regular announcements by email, including select notices of neighborhood meetings, civic affairs and cultural events. Wayland Square Neighborhood Association, Facebook: Wayland Square Neighborhood Association, Groups.Yahoo.com/Group/ WaylandSquare –Marti Del Negro

George M. Cohan Square hosted the first Fox Point Folk Festival in July

Summit Neighborhood Association

Summit Neighborhood Association, PO Box 41092, Providence RI 02940. 4897078, SNA.Providence.RI.us, SNA@ SNA.Providence.RI.us –Kerry Kohring

Toolshed Set Up in Summit Gardens With a little help from their friends at the city Parks Department, the community gardeners at the Summit Avenue park now have a toolshed. On July 22, Marcelo, Jeff, Giovanni, Roger and Anthony minimized the impact on the beds while getting the operation completed before many kids were in the park, reported Read Porter, one of the officers of the garden steering committee. After the floor was water-sealed, all of the common tools and materials, such as a wheelbarrow, hand tools and leaf bags, will be stored inside the locked shed. For now, the shed is larger than needed for common supplies, Porter said, but that may change as supplies increase and the gardeners figure out the best use of the space. Porter thanked the Parks Department for providing the shed and the expertise to put it up. He said it really did require all those guys to complete the task.

Fox Point Neighborhood Association

Residents Invited to Directors’ Meetings The SNA board of directors meets at 7pm on the third Monday of every month in the cafeteria of Summit Commons, 99 Hillside Avenue. The sessions are open and neighborhood residents are encouraged to attend.

First Annual Folk Fest On Saturday, July 15, neighbors gathered in George M. Cohan Square for the first annual Fox Point Folk Fest. Organizers closed down Wickenden Street between East and Governor streets, to make room for folk performers, neighbors sitting on blankets (and in hammocks!), vendors selling local beer, a games tent, and an enthusiastic cohort of barefooted kids playing in puddles. The musical lineup included six local performing groups, including Al Diaz, the Van Nostrand Sisters, Morgan Johnston, Sally Racket, Kate Mick and the Vox Hunters. “We had great weather, great turnout and great music,” said co-organizer Vin Scorziello, of Campus Fine Wines. The festival was organized by the Wickenden Area Merchants Association, the Fox Point Neighborhood Association, the Providence Department of Art Culture + Tourism and a few local breweries, with contributions from several local businesses. Organizers raised additional funds through an online campaign. “We’re turning to Kickstarter,” wrote co-organizer John Paul Murton of The Shop cafe on

Wickenden, “because too often these events rely on the performers’ passions taking precedent over their pockets. We want to pay our performers not just for the hour they play today, but for the hours they’ve poured into their crafts.” The event went so well that organizers plan to do it again next year. “It was a pretty amazing day all around,” said Scorziello. When asked about ideas for next year, he added, “Next year? Food trucks!” Events This Month Board Meeting, September 11. Please join us at our monthly FPNA Board Meeting, 7pm, in the Community Room of the Vartan Gregorian Elementary School, 455 Wickenden Street. The public is welcome. Meet Up With Us! Please join us for drinks and casual conversation at the next FPNA Meet-Up. Neighbors will gather to share thoughts and brainstorm ideas for the neighborhood. Date TBD, usually the third Wednesday evening of the month at 7pm at The Point Tavern. Check our e-newsletter, FPNA News, for more. All are welcome. The Fox Point Neighborhood Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in Fox Point and protecting its historic integrity and resources. The FPNA speaks out on neighborhood issues and builds community through local events. Our monthly board meetings are open to the public. Please join us! Fox Point Neighborhood Association, PO Box 2315, Providence, RI 02906, FPNA.net, FoxPointNeighborhood@gmail.com –Amy Mendillo

September 2017 East Side Monthly

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East Side Monthly September 2017

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Community Neighborhood News SCHOOL OF YOGA with DEVARSHI STEVEN HARTMAN

Mount Hope Neighborhood Association

Photo courtesy of MHNA by Emily Coble

Bounty is on display at the Sharing Garden in Billy Taylor Park! Resident Gardener Emily Coble is on site for open garden hours every Tuesday 4-6pm, Wednesday 11am–1pm and Saturday 12–3pm. The newly planted fruit tree and berry bush grove was funded by the Miriam Hospital Community Investment Grant. Also, check out times and upcoming events and/ or workshops online (Facebook: Plan4HealthMtHope). Farmers markets hosted by the Mt. Hope Neighborhood Association (MHNA) are scheduled for September 8 and 22. The unveiling of the Mt. Hope Community Mural will take place on Saturday, September 16, 4pm–7pm, at Cypress and Camp under the north wall under the walking bridge. There will be spoken oral histories and storytelling performances by the actor Sylvia Soares and others. The muralists’ design was created by Hannah Resseger, Cathren Housley and Elijah Faris, with community input and final selection. It’s a collaboration of the Mt. Hope Empowerment Dialogue for Community Action, Community Health Innovations of Rhode Island (CHI-RI.org), the Mt. Hope Learning Center (MHLC), and local artists with funding from the Providence Department of Arts, Culture and Tourism. The event is free and all are welcome! Follow the mural’s progress on Facebook (Facebook: Stories of Mt. Hope: East Side Mural Project). Mount Hope Neighborhood Association, 199 Camp Street, Providence, RI 02906, 521-8830, Facebook: Mount Hope Neighborhood Association, mhnainc@ gmail.com –Karen Malcolm

Mt. Hope kids get hands-on experience in the Sharing Garden at Billy Taylor Park

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hosted by yoga + holistic centers continues to be grateful to all of our volunteers, who have spent long hours keeping the park beautiful. We are especially grateful to everyone who has pitched in in the war against knotweed (an especially pernicious invasive species). We would like to specially thank the Providence River Animal Hospital for providing bags for the disposal of canine ordure. Improvement projects are continuing. In addition to our impressive progress in the titanic struggle against knotweed, we have recently completed an eco-friendly tick removal program, and there are always more opportunities to help make the park a better place! Waterman Street Dog Park Association. 19 Luzon Ave., Providence, RI 02906. WatermanStDogPark@gmail. org, WatermanStDogPark.org –Sam Bell

Waterman Street Blackstone Parks Dog Park Conservancy On Giving Back Association A reward for showing up to work at As summer rolls around to its unfortunate end, the Waterman Street Dog Park remains as packed as ever. If you swing by, you’re sure to see neighborhood dogs (and their less furry friends) frolicking in the park. The Dog Park Association

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the Blackstone Parks Conservancy’s (BPC) evening ParkKeeping sessions – aside from getting a light workout in beautiful surroundings – is the satisfaction that comes from “giving back.” ParkKeeping enables people who enjoy visiting the Blackstone Park Conservation District overlooking the

Seekonk River to participate in the larger BPC projects by contributing to essential maintenance. Because the Park sits atop sand, it is particularly vulnerable to erosion. A neighboring bluff on the Butler Campus just to the north actually collapsed in the early 1990s. How to Keep the Park Up The challenge of maintaining the Park boils down to keeping topsoil from eroding – literally sliding off the hill – and dislodging invasive plant species. All this work, done by volunteers with help from the BPC’s key partner, the Providence Parks Department, and environmental agencies, helps protect not only the birds and other wildlife that live in the conservation area but also the trees that make this place so desirable to visitors. ParkKeeping sessions are open to all ages. The one on August 2 included Brown junior Mollie Koval, who is studying materials engineering and welcomed the chance to be outdoors, and BPC Board member Anthony Hollingshead. They spread woodchips, which will soon decay, softening the hard-packed soil so that rain can penetrate close to where it falls instead of washing dirt down to Angell Street or River Road. In a park as heavily used as this one, it isn’t easy to keep soil in place. The Conservancy keeps trying new methods to see what works best. The most recent BPC project

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September 2017 East Side Monthly

Community Neighborhood News

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centered on a popular area above and beside the old stairway leading down to York Pond from the north bluff in the center section. It’s to this point that Providence residents have been coming for centuries to breathe the air and catch the view across the river. The Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) this year funded a new BPC attempt to stem erosion by the steps that looks somewhat more promising than past efforts. This time leaves were placed on the steep slope and covered with bio-degradable jute stapled to the ground and anchored by large rocks here and there. The first signs of success appeared in just two weeks as mushrooms popped up. BPC Park Committee members who had designed the project were delighted as the fungi signaled the creation of the hoped-for fungal community that would help build up the poor soil. New plants at the top will be put in this fall to supplement the viburnums and carex installed in recent years. With this project, as with all the trail and erosion control work done in recent years, BPC volunteers watch to see the outcome. Did the intervention work? How long did it hold up? Which methods worked best? Which plants thrived and which ones didn’t? Always there are surprises and disappointments. With this project beside the York Pond stairs, so far so good. Please send your Eastside Marketplace receipts to the address below. Events August 23 Trolley Shelter Concert Sept. 4 – River Relay SSRA Sept. 24 – River Ride Blackstone Parks Conservancy, PO Box 603141, Providence, RI 02906. 270-3014, BlackstoneParksConservancy.org, JaneAnnPeterson@gmail.com –Jane Peterson

College Hill Neighborhood Association The College Hill Neighborhood Association (CHNA) wrote two letters of support on issues that we feel

East Side Monthly September 2017

Work on Blackstone Park beside the York Pond Stairs

threaten the quality of life for residents of College Hill. The first was to the Providence Plan Commission related to a proposal by Avance LLC to subdivide the property at 13 Cushing Street. Formerly owned by Steve and Sharon Linder and located on a double lot, the handsome Victorian main house was expected to be divided into two large condos. What was not expected was that the attractive small wooden backyard structure and some historic trees would be torn down to make room for a third dwelling. Abutting neighbors have hired an attorney to protest that the space being allocated for the new dwelling is not really within the guidelines, that the “shed” being demolished on the grounds is actually an important element to the neighborhood and along with adjoining decades old tree stock is important to the neighborhood and if removed would likely produce drainage issues for nearby neighbors. The CPC meeting has not yet taken place as this goes to press but initial indications from the developer indicate they have been responsive to these concerns and now plan to preserve the shed and have met with the City Forrester about preserving the trees. We are optimistic this project will be substantially improved due to diligence by neighbors, the Providence Preservation Society and CHNA. CHNA also wrote a letter of support to efforts by the Providence

Preservation Society to protest the planned demolition of the historic Welcome Arnold house at 21 Planet Street (just off Benefit) that was built in the 1700s and is around the corner from the iconic General Ambrose Burnside House and its rounded façade. The Board also heard from a group of Benefit Street residents who are organizing to preserve historic properties on Benefit Street, ensuring they are maintained as required by city and historic district ordinances. CHNA is happy to lend its support to their efforts. For more information about joining the new group, contact Charles W. Hewitt. At the meeting, Donna Personeus, the executive director of the Thayer Street District Merchants Association (TSDMA), introduced several of the exciting new businesses who are opening businesses on the street: the Base Station Virtually Reality Experience (above Kartabar), a locally sourcing restaurant called b.good, and uMelt, an innovative gourmet grilled cheese restaurant. We wish them great success. As always, the CHNA welcomes all residents of College Hill to join our efforts to protect the area we all love. For more information about joining (it’s easy) and meeting your neighbors (they’re nice), contact: College Hill Neighborhood Association, PO Box 2442, Providence, RI 02906. 633-5230, CollegeHillNA.com, CHNA@CollegeHillNA.com –Barry Fain

Photo courtesy of Blackstone Conservancy by Carrie Drake

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The Education of the Future Are East Side schools equipped to provide students with the skills they need to excel in the 21st century? By Lauri Lee

Photo by Chip Riegel Photography

hink back to your school days. Do you remember the feel (and smell) of chalk? Choosing between wide-ruled and college-ruled notebooks? Scrambling around in your desk or backpack, looking for a sharp pencil or your favorite pen to take notes with? Visiting the school library and learning to use the card catalog to find books or conduct research? The joy of finally being allowed to use a calculator during math class? Many of these activities belong to the past; now, technology is changing the way educators teach and the way students learn. Today’s students are “digital natives,” accustomed to finding the answer to any question on Google and able to type faster with their thumbs on a phone than we can with all ten fingers on a keyboard. They are deeply immersed in technology, with the online world as relevant to them as their physical surroundings. U.S. institutions are increasingly emphasizing the need for technological savvy. The United States Department of Education published a National Education Technology Plan which calls for “all involved in American education to ensure equity of access to transformational learning experiences enabled by technology.” National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) developed by the International Society of Technology in Education (ISTE) offer a framework for digital education. As of 2016, public schools in the United States provided one computer for every five children, and they spent over $3 billion on digital content. Over 70 percent of RI school districts have gone one-to-one, with every student having access to his or her own device, and nearly 83

percent of all schools in RI provide shared carts of devices for student use. While different schools implement technology in different ways, they all incorporate it into the classroom experience, because they recognize that we need to meet kids where they are. Engaging today’s students means moving beyond lecture-style classes and instead teaching “21st century skills” like creativity and collaboration. There is also a growing emphasis on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) and STEAM (the A stands for Arts). The Jewish Community Day School (JCDSRI. org) was one of the first schools to have a Design Lab, and it remains the only school on the East Side with one completely dedicated to elementary school students. With the help of the Brown/ RISD STEAM club, the concepts of design thinking are incorporated into the curriculum at each grade level, teaching students to develop their skills of observation and empathy. As students collaborate and problem-solve, they also learn that failure is often a necessary step on the road to success. Students in Pre-K through fifth grade all utilize the Design Lab and learn the process of design thinking. Head of School Andrea Katzman describes the program as exploring “the interplay between Jewish values, the 21st century skills of design thinking and the subjects of STEAM. Over the years, our students have used design thinking to fabricate a ‘recharging station’ for children looking for a space to meditate and reflect, to reimagine a school-wide recycling program and to create a meaningful and joyous religious service.”

“We are working with girls on computational thinking, coding, building, odyssey of the mind – we are instilling a mindset of problem solving and an interdisciplinary approach to learning,” says Lincoln School’s (LincolnSchool.org) head of school Suzanne Fogarty. “We live in a tech-driven world, and there are so many industries where women are left behind. We can make a real dent in that by providing these experiences early on.” Toward that end, Lincoln is building a STEAM Hub for Girls, slated to open in January 2018. The new space will bring existing partnerships with RISD, the Brown School of Engineering and the Steel Yard to campus, providing additional opportunities for students to learn about design concepts. The space will be flexible and versatile, with students and teachers helping to shape its use; in addition, the Hub will house an art gallery and may host special events, such as Lincoln’s Speaker Series, for the public. Fogarty credits the elimination of Advanced Placement courses with “giving us the gift of time, allowing us to offer more sophisticated interdisciplinary learning experiences.” The courses offered in the STEAM Hub will not be purely technology courses – for Fogarty, the A in STEAM represents all of the humanities. Working together, teachers blur the lines between subjects and departments, since engineers and scientists need to be able to speak and write well and philosophers and poets need to be strategic thinkers. Lincoln School also co-hosted the first all-girls Hack-A-Thon in Rhode Island with Sophia Academy this past April, and they are planning a similar event for next spring. Roughly 100 students from both schools in fifth through tenth grades worked

September 2017 East Side Monthly

research topics and present the material they’ve learned in multiple ways. “We fully integrate the technology in a meaningful way,” Smith says, “as a learning tool rather than an add-on.” In addition, the school has expanded its technology course offerings. High school courses include an introduction to website design, AP Computer Science and Introduction to Engineering. Through the Aerie Program, two students participated in an independent study of Advanced Engineering, producing a musical staircase that the whole school was able to enjoy.

Moses Brown School (MosesBrown.org) is developing a f ramework called the Expert Thinking Model to foster students’ abilities to apply factual knowledge to creatively solve real world problems. As STEM Director Laurie Center explains, “We want to cultivate innovators and entrepreneurs.” In Lower School, the focus is on exposing children to programming concepts and having fun; later, when the work becomes more challenging, the students already have a passion for it. Middle school students all use iPads to work both individually and collaboratively. Center finds that the program helps kids enhance their organizational skills, communicate well and expand their presentation abilities. The school also offers engineering and design-build classes, as well as an AP Computer Sciences Principles course that enrolled 37 students last year. The Upper School has a BYOD program: all students use their own devices along with the Microsoft suite. The Engineering Design course has been very popular, as has a course in video and multimedia presentation. Many senior projects are design- or technology-based; last year, a student worked with experts at Hasbro to design and build a prototype of a human wrist. “We find that more and more kids are interested in these fields, and we wanted to build the curriculum to support them.”

East Side Monthly September 2017

As part of a new program in Entrepreneurship & Social Innovation, MB will open the “Y-Lab” this fall, a 5,000-square-foot maker space and engineering lab. The Y-Lab will provide a space for students to practice project-based learning using a blend of low-tech materials and high-tech equipment, including 3-D printers, CNC mills, a robotics area and a media room. Wheeler School (WheelerSchool.org) has focused on the innovative use of space as they’ve incorporated technology into the school. The Design-Innovate-Build Lab (DIB Lab) intends to bridge some of the gaps in the STEAM curriculum while providing students and faculty with handson opportunities to engage with new technologies. The lab houses a 3-D printer, robotics components, and a CNC milling machine. Nupur Shridar, outgoing director of the DIB Lab, explains that the Lab is “a space to be messy, to design things, and to go through the formalized design thinking process, at the heart of which is the idea of prototyping. It’s great to be able to teach a subject where, if something doesn’t work out the first time through, that’s part of the learning process.” She stresses that, as kids go through that process, they gain resiliency and a growth mindset. The Lab serves as a hub and a resource for classes throughout the school. The libraries at Wheeler have also undergone a change. The Information Learning Commons are designed to be flexible and to foster inquiry and project-based learning. Since students in middle and high school all have devices (Chromebooks in sixth and seventh grade, their own devices in eighth grade and beyond), the Learning Commons provides digital access to information and opportunities to do collaborative work. “The space also supports literacy in all of its mediated forms, print as well as electronic. We have over 30 databases available and our catalog is online, but you’ll see plenty of print sources here, as well,” says Christine Smith, Library Department Head. Because Wheeler also has an audiovisual facility with a green screen and A/V production capabilities, students are able to

Wheeler School

Photo (top) courtesy dof LLB Architects, (bottom) by Gabriel A. Cooney courtesy of Wheeler School

together to create apps (using Code.org’s App Lab) that addressed a real-world issue relating to the environment and Earth Day. Sophia Academy’s Head of School Gigi DiBello explains that the collaborative spirit was the driving force of the event; while solving problems, the girls also had a good time. At the end of the Hack-A-Thon, each team presented their apps to the whole group. Susan Amsler-Akacem, head of the Technology Department at Lincoln, emphasizes the importance of providing thoughtful, structured experiences like these for girls, teaching them to see themselves as engineers, scientists, designers and hackers. “Starting in Lower School,” she says, “we break down the barriers and teach them that they can do anything.”

As technology becomes ubiquitous in classrooms, schools are striving to provide information literacy in addition to fluency with the devices themselves through their library/media specialists or in the classroom. Savvy students must be able to distinguish among online sources, determining which are reliable and identifying false representations of fact. In addition, students must be taught the rules of digital citizenship, or the guidelines for using technology responsibly. They need to understand that their online profiles are extensions of themselves, that the way they represent themselves online can have ramifications and how to protect themselves and their identities. Providence’s schools integrate digital literacy and digital citizenship into their curriculum at various grade levels. As George Couros, educational and leadership consultant and author of The Innovator’s Mindset, put it, “Technology will never replace great teachers, but technology in the hands of great teachers is transformational.” Incorporating technology in an innovative way transforms the experiences of students – not only in school, but also in the world.

Off The East Side One of the newest

high school options in the Providence public schools is P-TECH (CommerceRI.com/PTech) – Pathways in Technology Early College High School. Located at the Providence Career and Technical High School (PCTA), the dual enrollment program opened in 2016 to allow students to get an Associates degree in Information Technology through CCRI while completing their high school diploma. Fifty students enrolled in 2016 as freshmen, and another fifty students will enter this fall. With longer school days and intensive summer academies, this school doesn’t appeal to everyone. It’s a wonderful option, however, for highly motivated students who are interested not only in technology, but also in getting a jump start on their careers, regardless of the field they ultimately choose to pursue. High school teachers and professors from CCRI work closely together to meet the needs of the students. Director Jodi LaFauci stresses that this program arose out of necessity: “This is a

P-Tech at the Providence Career and Technical High School

language students are already speaking. They are very quick to learn databases, Microsoft, working with spreadsheets – even more abstract technologies, like coding, where there is a balance between design, theory, creativity. These are the natural factors that our students bring to the table.” The Tech Collective is a partner as well, bringing the voice of industry to the program. The students are matched oneto-one with mentors from local technology companies, and they meet and communicate numerous times throughout the academic year. As LaFauci says, “We are trying to point students into a lucrative career that starts on day one, in a field of interest to them.” And the students are rising to the occasion. Of the first 50 freshman, 32 have made the honor roll at least twice and 12 of them have perfect attendance. Combining comprehensive high school education and technology is a new model that expands the notion of a traditional high school education.

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East Side Monthly September 2017

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Trinity Rep to Saturday Night Live, this scenic designer keeps building new worlds

By Molly Lederer

A ring of the bell at his stately brick home on Angell Street brings Eugene Lee to the door. Sporting jaunty yellow suspenders, he leads the way through a garden oasis, complete with glass greenhouse, towards his carriage house studio. A friendly black lab bursts through the screen door after him, gripping a throw pillow in his teeth, hoping to play. Eugene good-naturedly sends him back before mounting the narrow steps of the studio, the portal to his particular brand of magic. The upper ﬂoor of this carriage house is a dreamy space with a whitewashed ceiling, full of old wooden desks, dangling antique lights, hanging bikes and framed memorabilia. A drafting table, a few model sets, and drawers marked with play titles – Treasure Island; Streetcar; Camelot; West Side Story – offer hints as to the nature of Eugene’s work. The prolific scenic designer has been setting stages for decades, from regional theatres to Broadway, television to film, all around the world. While his collaborators and colleagues now rely

East Side Monthly September 2017

on computers and digital printing, he still drafts designs with pencil and paper. This is his preferred place to do so, here in Providence. Eugene traces an interest in set design back to his childhood in Beloit, Wisconsin, a small town on the border of Illinois. His parents both participated in community theatre – his father onstage, his mother backstage. By the time Eugene reached adolescence, his town had built a new high school with a few theatres in it. His identical twin brother became the head of the audiovisual department, while Eugene began honing his skills in production design. “I spent most of my time in the theatre,” he recalls, and always backstage – he never was keen for the spotlight. (“I can barely talk to you!” he jokes). His additional training led to BFAs from Carnegie Mellon and the Art Institute of Chicago and an MFA from Yale Drama School, though he doesn’t remember attending too many classes. As Eugene describes his career, he’s been doing the

same thing ever since high school. “I’m not much for change,” he explains. Exceptional talent aside, this may account for his longevity with certain gigs as well. Locally, he’s been the resident set designer at Trinity Repertory Company since 1967. In TV, he’s been the production designer of NBC’s Saturday Night Live since its inception in 1975. But he’s always game to take on new projects as well, often juggling four or five at a time. A few recent designs include sets for NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Late Night with Seth Meyers, as well as a production of Oklahoma! at the Glimmerglass Festival in Cooperstown, NY. The piles of photographs and isometric drawings in Eugene’s studio convey the scope of his work. Here’s the striped stage he designed for Lady Gaga when she performed on SNL, along with her signature. There’s the set he loved creating for a 1984 production of Bertolt Brecht’s Galileo at the Frank Lloyd Wright Theatre in Dallas. Here’s his proposed design for a new façade to the American Museum of Natural History in New York, in which engravings of exhibits appear to be busting through the wall. (“So far no one has taken me up on that one,” he notes.) There are galleys from his memoir, The Adventures of Eugene Lee, which he initially wrote back in 2007 and recently revised to include more adventures. And here’s an article about him in the Yale Alumni Magazine, which Governor Raimondo clipped and mailed to him with a kind note. “Only in RI!” he chuckles, touched by the gesture. Eugene believes in letting the script inform the design, and keeping the focus on the performers rather than the set. It’s a philosophy that has served him well over the years, as evidenced both by the bustling pace of his career and by the accolades he’s racked up – such as three Drama Desk Awards, three Tony Awards (including one for the set design of Broadway juggernaut Wicked), and induction into the American Theater Hall of Fame. He also doesn’t consider too many theatre spaces sacred architecturally, and isn’t afraid to tear them up to serve the work at hand. One exception: the original Trinity Rep location at Trinity United Methodist Church, which he didn’t think should be touched. However, he recalls rather fondly how he “messed with the RISD auditorium right away.” Eugene remains humble about his accomplishments and somewhat confused by public attention. “I don’t know why anyone’s interested in me at all,” he confesses. But get him talking, and colorful anecdotes from a lifetime in show business follow. He reveals a running gag used on SNL during backstage hallway shots. For unclear reasons, such shots usually include a chorus girl, a man dressed as Abraham Lincoln, and a live llama. He laughs, “If we go outside the studio, nine times out of ten we have to order up the llama.” At least one of Eugene’s stories borders on a tall tale. Even when Eugene rolls out the plans for the cottage he’s designed in Whiting, Maine, and reveals that it’s currently under construction, it’s hard to buy his explanation for why he’s building it. Eugene claims that SNL creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels recently bought a batch of pencil-making machines at an auction, and suggested that Eugene run his new pencil factory. Since the factory will be in Maine, Eugene figured he’d need his own house nearby. “No one believes me,” he sighs, but later adds, “I think we’ll see pencils by Christmas. I certainly hope so.” Given his upcoming projects, it’s questionable how much time Eugene will have for pencil production. As of press time, he’s working on the projection box for a New York art installation called “Dead Girl Vampire Cats.” Created by filmmaker Cindy Kleine, the piece

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is described on her website as “a somnambulic landscape of a woman trapped in her home with her cats during a blizzard.” Eugene is also designing a stage for the CityLab conference in Paris this October, at the personal request of businessman and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg. SNL returns full swing in the fall as well, which means that Eugene will resume his practice of taking an Acela train down to New York on Wednesdays and returning to Providence via chauffeur Saturday nights for the duration of the show’s season. He has design work to do for Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven and possibly for the touring production of Steve Martin and Edie Brickell’s musical Bright Star. In the spring, he’ll revisit Ragtime for Trinity Rep, having previously designed the Broadway show.

Eugene expresses no desire to move to New York, in spite of all his professional pulls there. “New York is crowded,” he states simply. He points out how much he and his wife enjoy their view of the Central Congregational Church, and watching “the parade of students going up and down Angell Street.” Ideally, he’d like to spend more time in Rhode Island teaching and mentoring students. He’s especially excited about a lead he just received on where to find local elderberries this fall. Growing up, he loved to eat them in pies. As he leans back in his chair, smiling and reminiscing about elderberry pie, the precise workings of his creative process and the source of his boundless energy remain mysterious. Like his body of work, and theatre in general, it all requires some imagination.

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It’s All Politics Why have no East Siders been the head of City Council?

f you want to be mayor of this city, you need

the East Side’s support. The last three mayors combined – Jorge Elorza, Angel Taveras and David Cicilline – lost just one precinct in Wards 1, 2 and 3 between 2002 and 2014. Roughly 40 percent of the 20,000 votes Elorza won in the general election three years ago came from the East Side. But on the third ﬂoor of City Hall, where the City Council president is chosen by 15 councilors from across the city, the East Side doesn’t have the same juice. Since Providence moved to a unicameral legislature in 1941, the president has never come from this part of the city, according to city archivist Caleb Horton. When Ward 15 Councilwoman Sabina Matos ascended to acting president after Councilman Luis

Aponte resigned the top spot in May, it meant that every other ward in the city had held the presidency at least once. Ward 5 (Mount Pleasant, Elmhurst) is the leader with five presidents. The East Side has always come up empty. So why hasn’t someone from Fox Point or College Hill or Mount Hope ever grabbed control of the council?

Joe Paolino, who held the council presidency when he was a councilor from Ward 13 and was promoted to mayor following Buddy Cianci’s first resignation in 1984, says everything comes down to relationships. East Side councilors, he says, have often marched to their own drum, recalling that Ward 2 was long home to Rockefeller Republicans who

weren’t going to wrestle the presidency away from the “Democratic machine.” Although machine politics are largely a thing of the past, East Side councilors have long resisted falling in line with the rest of the council. Since 1986, only three non-Democrats have been elected to the council and they’ve all been from the East Side: the Green Party’s David Segal from Ward 1 in 2002, Republican Malcolm Farmer III from Ward 2 in 1986; and independent Joshua Fenton from Ward 3 in 1990. All 15 members of the council are Democrats now, but Ward 1 Councilman Seth Yurdin and Ward 2 Councilman Sam Zurier have mostly opposed the current leadership team. “It’s an inside game,” Paolino says. “It comes down to personal politics. It’s who you like and who you dislike.”

John Lombardi understood the game better than most. Although he’s now a state representative, the Democrat from Federal Hill is one of the longest-serving council presidents in history, having won the office in 1999 and again in 2003. (Like Paolino, he became acting mayor following Cianci’s second resignation.) He says his support base was built from friendships he formed with future councilors when they were children. Lombardi, who succeeded Paolino in Ward 13, says certain wards have long had “natural relationships,” like Wards 7 and 15, which share part of Silver Lake. In the northern part of the city, Wards 4, 5, 6 and 14 have historically elected Italian-Americans and the councilors have often voted as a bloc. The East Side councilors have not had as much in common with the lawmakers from the rest of the city, Lombardi says. The East Side’s current councilors (L to R): Nirva LaFortune, Seth Yurdin, and Sam Zurier

East Side Monthly September 2017

Photography by (top) Mike Braca, (bottom left) courtesy of Nirva LaFortune, (bottom middle) by Stephanie Ewans courtesy of Seth Yurdin, (bottom right) courtesy of Sam Zurier

By Dan McGowan

“This is a matter of counting to eight,” he says, referring to the number of votes needed to win the presidency. “Some of us played ball together. We knew each other.” And the more votes you can secure through basic friendships, the easier it is to piece together the rest of the team. When you’re freed up to offer a committee chairmanship here and a majority leader spot there, suddenly you’re much closer to the presidency. “I had four votes and nobody wanted anything,” Lombardi recalls. Lombardi says the presidency becomes “a 24/7 job if you want to do it right,” suggesting the work cost him business at his private law firm over the years. But the grind can be gratifying. Aside from getting paid slightly more than the average councilor, the president is always one step away from the mayor’s office, as both Paolino and Lombardi learned. And while councilors tend to put the interests of their wards ahead of everything else, the presidency is the one job designed to account for the needs of the whole city.

To be sure, the East Side’s inability to win the presidency is not for lack of talent. In the 1980s, Ward 1 Councilwoman Carolyn Brassil was widely credited with saving the city from financial ruin as chair of the Council Finance Committee. She never sought the top spot, but Mayor Paolino eventually made her chair of the Democratic City Committee. It’s not for lack of ambition either.

Yurdin served as majority leader between 2011 and 2015, part of a leadership team that maintained strong relationships with Mayor Taveras at a time when the city’s dire financial picture demanded cooperation in City Hall. And while former Ward 3 Councilman Kevin Jackson was recalled in May, he did serve as majority leader in 2015 and part of 2016 until his arrest on charges that he embezzled from a youth sports team and misused campaign funds. For now, the East Side appears to have little chance of picking up the presidency in the immediate future. Yurdin and Zurier will both be favorites to win re-election next year, but neither councilman has shown much interest in campaigning for president. Newcomer Nirva LaFortune from Ward 3 has been showered with praise since she comfortably won the special election to replace Jackson this summer, but it’s rare for freshman councilors to automatically jump into leadership posts. For his part, Yurdin says he’s not concerned about the East Side’s presidential drought. He agrees that personal relationships play a central role in determining the leader of the council, but says the key to a successful legislative leadership team is maintaining a majority of the votes. Without having eight votes on every issue, the president is less effective. “I don’t think the president is nearly as important as the people around the president,” Yurdin says.

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It’s a common sight these days to see young children sitting in restaurants or traveling on planes or in vehicles playing on their parents’ iPhones or using tablets. Whether they’re watching videos on YouTube or playing educational games, they are completely engrossed in what’s happening on the screen – and often completely oblivious to the world around them. Jeff Rossen, a journalist with NBC News, spent a segment watching two 6-year-olds in different households ignore their surroundings while on iPads. Despite their parents walking through the room with wigs, clashing cymbals, and even a huge stuffed animal, the kids did not lift their eyes from the screens. And this absorption is one of the reasons parents cite for allowing their children to use the devices: technology keeps them happily engaged and quiet. In fact, the average American child spends up to seven hours every day looking at a screen. If that seems like a lot to you, consider this: the average American adult spends more than ten and a half hours each day looking at computers, smartphones, tablets and television. We spend more time looking at screens than we do sleeping. Whereas we may remember playing outside until our parents called us in for dinner, most of our kids spend less than 30 minutes each day in unstructured outdoor play. Is this a problem? There is plenty of research that says it is. For one thing, our sedentary lifestyle is contributing to a rise in childhood obesity, which has tripled since the 1970s. In addition, not only are more children being diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) – that rate has risen 42 percent over the past decade – but they are diagnosed at a much earlier age. And according to a study published in the American Journal of Public Health in 2004, participation in green outdoor activities significantly reduced ADHD symptoms. The American Academy of Pediatrics released a report last year with updated guidelines for how much time kids should spend on electronic devices. They recommend that infants and toddlers under age 2 be limited to

video chatting only (such as Skype or Facetime with relatives). For kids ages 2–5, they recommend only one hour of screen time per day spent with “high quality programming,” such as Sesame Street or educational games. Parents are encouraged to set limits on screen time for children older than 6 years according to their own preferences, although the AAP does recommend that all kids get at least an hour of physical activity each day, preferably outside. Many parents use devices as a way to keep their kids occupied, particularly in public places. What other options are there? Joanne DeGiacomo Petrie, director of early childhood education at the Jewish Alliance of RI, suggests bringing books, Play-Doh or crayons along to encourage both creativity and fine motor development. “It’s a great way for parents to engage their children in conversation and to play interactive games with them, to help them to use their imaginations and to take note of their surroundings – counting the prongs on a fork, or looking for colors that match the pictures, for example.” She also finds that children who spend a lot of time “swiping” on devices often have weaker fine motor skills,

particularly those needed for handwriting. They often don’t hold their writing implements correctly because they lack the dexterity to maintain a pincer grasp. To keep kids happy in a car, try giving them dry erase markers and allowing them to write or draw on the windows; these markers wipe off easily, and help them build skills. For kids who have a great deal of difficulty sitting still, Petrie recommends “wiggle seats” or weighted lap pads or shoulder wraps. These items help children who may need more sensory input, and they can be ordered online. She also stresses that family excursions out at dinner or in the car are an excellent time not only to strengthen conversational skills, but also for parents to connect with kids in a meaningful way. Technology is a huge part of our daily lives, and avoiding screen time entirely may be almost impossible. But we can still monitor and limit our kids’ screen time, make sure that they have opportunities to play outside and interact with other children, and engage them in meaningful conversations and activities that build their imaginations and creativity.

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Education

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Smart News Martin Luther King/Lippitt Hill Elementary School 50th Anniversary Betty Hodgkinson Wedderburn, an “original” faculty member at the Lippitt Hill Elementary School, which opened in Providence in September of 1967, is organizing a 50th anniversary celebration of the school. (The school was renamed to honor Dr. King after his assassination in 1968.) The party will be held on Tuesday, September 19, at 7pm in the school auditorium. All current and former students and their families, instructional aides, volunteers, faculty and staff are invited to attend the program. Anyone who was at the school in 1967 is invited to an informal “meet and greet” at 5:45 followed by a tour of the school. A very enthusiastic committee is working hard to plan the celebration, and they hope to see many faces from the past. Montessori Children’s House Welcomes New Head In July, Montessori Children’s House (MCH) welcomed Melanie Wilson, M.Ed., as its new head of school. Most recently, Wilson was director of education at Riverbend School in Natick, MA; she lives in Hopkinton, MA, with her husband. She has found that MCH

is a place where “classrooms are vibrant and engaging, yet quiet and peaceful; a place where children are at ease. In this true Montessori school, the students move about freely and talk with each other, but have a clear sense of responsibility to their work and what they want to achieve. I am proud to join this gem of a school and lead the teaching team to the next path on the MCH journey.” College Visions Names New Executive Director Nick Figueroa, Jr., is the new executive director of College Visions, a nonprofit organization that empowers low-income, first-generation students to enroll, persist in and graduate from college. Tim Monroe, chair of the Board of Directors, is especially thrilled to welcome Figueroa: “With his proven record of leadership, professional experience working with first-generation college students, deep connections to the communities in which College Visions works, and his own experience as a first-generation college student, we could not ask for a better candidate.” Figueroa is looking forward to working with the passionate and dedicated staff at College Visions.

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When Only The Very Best Will Do

BRIGGS DOHERTY CLOTHIERS PLEASE CALL FOR AN APPOINTMENT

188 BENEFIT STREET, PROVIDENCE • 401 663-6544 September 2017 East Side Monthly

Close to Home East of Elmgrove

Special Delivery

A mailman with a green thumb brightens up his route By Elizabethiz Rau

letters and daylilies. The missives are from the United States Postal Service. The daylilies are from his glorious garden in the Summit neighborhood. For a very small fee, he will dig up, say, an Orange Velvet – a big-bloomer with creamsicle-colored petals – and plant it in your yard in a sunny spot, where the flower will thrive and multiply and bring you joy for years to come. Ed has been our postman for nearly two decades. His route is near the Wayland Square area. Many East Siders know him and adore him. It’s hard not to grow attached. He is genuinely kind, easy to talk to and always in good humor. During a blizzard years ago, we made him cookies and hot chocolate. The next day, a thank-you note floated through our mail slot. I knew Ed was a gardener, but it wasn’t until I read our neighborhood blog that I discovered he was a hemeroholic. That’s a fancy word for someone who is happily obsessed with daylilies, not to be confused with lilies, although he likes those too, but not as much. A daylily is from a family of perennials called hemerocallis. A lily – characterized by a single straight stem with whorl leaves – is from the lilium family. Lots of people get that mixed up. Ed says they also misspell lily a lot. “One ‘l,’ says Ed. When I think of daylilies, the wild Orange Tiger Lily comes to mind. Fact is, there are at least 60,000 varieties of daylilies in the world. Ed has about 150 varieties in his Summit yard, of which 50 are for sale. He has access to several hundred more varieties at his mother’s house in Maryland. Consider these gems: Calico Jack, a creamy yellow bloom with a plum eye; Chicago Silver, a lavenderpurple two-tone with a silver edge; and Ruby Spider, a full nine-inch bloom with red petals and a yellow throat that extends halfway to the petals. Don’t even ask me to describe Daring Deception or Buttered Popcorn or Bela Lugosi. I don’t have the words.

East Side Monthly September 2017

Ed started gardening when he was 12. The cancer ravaging his father’s body made him too weak to mow the lawn. Eddie took over the landscaping. He planted gladiola bulbs he bought from the Michigan Bulb Company with his 50-cents-a-week allowance and was inspired by what sprang from the earth. He planted a garden at his first house in Virginia, his native state, and when he moved to Rhode Island in 1996 he discovered daylilies in his yard and nurtured them. One daylily led to another. Now there is nary a spot on the property that does not entertain a hemerocallis. Ed even received permission from the city to plant on an easement in front of his house. Ed’s daylilies are all over the East Side, from the Grotto neighborhood to Fox Point. Irving Avenue, my street, hosts Ed’s flowers, including a Little Joy – a blood-red small bloom – and a Happy Holidays to You – a red bloom with a ruffled and serrated gold edge. Word of mouth is working in Ed’s favor. One day, he found a note taped to the door of a

house on his route: “Ed, please call my cell about your daylilies. I’ve got to know!” Ed likes being a postman, but he loves growing and selling daylilies. “It’s therapeutic,” says Ed, who recently returned from the 71st annual convention of the American Hemerocallis Society in Norfolk, VA. “I’ll sit on my front porch and see the blooms and sigh. It’s a happy sigh. It’s a true enjoyment of seeing all the color. There’s also a little bit of spirituality to it.” Daylilies appeal to him because they are easy to plant, beautiful and resilient. Neither snow nor rain nor heat will kill them. “They won’t die on you,” says Ed. Most of his daylilies pass by the end of August. The petals drop, the leaves curl. This can be a sad time for Ed. The view from his front stoop is colorless. Who can blame him for feeling blue? It’s a long time until spring. May we all hang in there. Ed can be reached at EdwardChet@cox.net. Most of his daylilies range from $5 to $12. He charges a small fee to plant.

Illustration by Lia Marcoux

Ed Chetaitis delivers

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September 2017 East Side Monthly

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East Side Monthly September 2017

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ON THE TOWN

Restaurant and Food | Dining Guide | Calendar of Events

Flavor of the Month

New Flavor on Wickenden Jahunger Restaurant brings hard-to-find Uyghur cuisine to Providence

Photography by Stacey Doyle

By Stephanie Obodda

There’s always a surprise waiting to spring out of Providence’s restaurant scene. Recently, my favorite surprise has been Jahunger Restaurant, which quietly appeared on Wickenden Street in March. It may look unassuming, but it serves up a cuisine that you can’t find easily, even in larger cities like Boston: Uyghur (pronounced wee-gur). The Uyghur are a mostly Muslim Chinese ethnic minority, many of whom live in the Xinjiang region in northwestern China. Uyghur cuisine will be different than other Chinese food you’ve tried, but aspects of it may be familiar. A lot of the flavors loosely match cuisines along the Silk Road, which ran from China to the Mediterranean Ocean. The restaurant’s decor also reflects Uyghur culture, with skullcaps hanging above the register and colorful silk pillows at each table. We visited Jahunger as a party of four, but eagerly ordered what felt like the entire menu. We started with four appetizers. The six Potstickers, first to come out of the kitchen, disappeared almost instantly. These vegetarian dumplings were hand-formed, stuffed with egg and chives, and panfried. Our Beef Dumplings also came six to an order, but were steamed instead of fried. The dipping sauce that accompanied both dumpling orders was spicy, with a vinegary tang and pepper flakes floating on the surface. The Scallion Pancake was cut into eight wedges, a relief when you’re a table of four that just finished fighting over the last dumpling. The dough was handmade and it was crisply fried, crunchy and bubbly around the edges. My favorite appetizer was the Cold Chicken – slowly cooked until it fell off the bones, then tossed with vinegary red chilies and what the menu called a “tongue numbing bell pepper sauce.”

For me, it was just the right amount of spice, and I loved its unusual and addictive flavor profile. A few days after our visit, I was still thinking about it. Some, though not all, of Jahunger’s dishes are spicy. I’m a spice fiend, but I still armed myself with a can of Asian Coconut Milk, a sweet, milky drink that will cut through any pepper’s heat. My husband had a can of Wang Lao Ji, a sweet iced tea drink. The rest of dinner was like a game of Tetris as we rearranged the table every time a new dish arrived. The larger dishes on Jahunger’s menu are divided into Entrées and Wok selections. Though some of the Wok dishes may read like vegetable sides, they are actually full dishes that are served with rice. We tried three of the Wok dishes. The Stir Fry Shredded Potato was nothing like what I expected, and the surprise was pleasant. The potato was julienned so thinly that the pieces were translucent; I found it surprising that they could be cooked through and still maintain their shape and texture instead of turning into mush. The moderately spicy, vinegary, orange sauce evoked Frank’s RedHot. The Stir Fry String Beans showcased my favorite preparation of the vegetable: dry frying. These were long, fresh and deep green beans, stir-fried with dried chilies until blistering. The Spicy Tiger, our third Wok selection, was deeply satisfying, a saucy dish with green peppers and eggplant cooked until it was almost falling apart. In the Entrées section of the menu, the restaurant’s signature Jahunger Noodles are a must-try. The thick, chewy noodles were hand-pulled in the kitchen and cooked with thinly sliced beef and chives, the slightly uneven noodles absorbing the rich sauce and flavor. Polo, a delicate rice pilaf,

Lagham Never Ending Noodle

was served with small pieces of lamb. The rice, dotted with grated carrot and plump raisins, was sweet and fragrant. Lamb on Dry Land surprised our palates. The thinly sliced meat, tender and heavily spiced with cumin, was served with fried croutons of naan-like bread sprinkled with sesame seeds. It was different than anything we’d had before, and the plate didn’t touch the table until every last bite was claimed. Jahunger has a limited dessert menu. The Milk Hazelnut Cake was available on the night of our visit. The desserts are the only part of the

menu not made in-house, but the cake was delightful anyway. At least six layers of soft, spongy cake alternate with a creamy filling, and dark chocolate glazes the top. If your mouth is still burning by the end of the meal, this dessert will provide a creamy respite.

Jahunger Restaurant 333 Wickenden Street 861-2735 Facebook: Jahunger Restaurant September 2017 East Side Monthly

On the Town On the Menu

Farm Fresh Gets Fresher MADEIRA R E S TA U R A N T

Hope Street Merchants introduce their new Veggie Valet service By Grace Lentini

ESTABLISHED 1987

288 Warren Avenue, East Providence 401-431-1322 • MadeiraRestaurant.com

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Summer may be winding down, but the Hope Street Farmers Market (HopeStreetMarket.com) is still in full swing and offering locally made cheese from Narragansett Creamery, freshly harvested oysters from Matunuck Oyster Farm and baked goods from Olga’s Cup and Saucer. Now, though, there’s a new incentive for market goers to explore the little shops of Hope Street instead of heading straight home with their canvas bags full of goodies. Ensuring that no produce gets left behind, a handful of shop owners have invested in refrigerators for the public to use to store their goods temporarily while they shop. It’s called Veggie Valet, and nine shops are already on board. “The farmer’s market and is such a draw to our area, but often people feel they have to rush home,” says J. Marcel owner and Hope Street Merchants’ Association co-president Dixie Carroll. “With this program we can help them stick around so they can knock off a variety of their errands in our village of independent and welcoming shops.” It’s easier now than ever to do the rounds at the farmers market then stop by Olive del Mondo to sample some gourmet olive oil and vinegar, or visit Stock Culinary Goods for that perfect addition to your kitchen, or stroll through Evolve Apothecary and Spa for green beauty products (all of these are Veggie Valet

Nitro Brew On Tap

participants). In a city whose residents are dedicated to supporting and celebrating all things local, this is one more service that helps both businesses and customers alike. Find all nine participating businesses at HopeStreetProv. com. Hope Street Farmer’s Market: Saturdays 9am-1pm; Wednesdays 3-6pm.

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East Side Monthly September 2017

After percolating on some coffee-related matters, Dave’s Coffee (DavesCoffee.com) on South Main Street has recently released two new nitro brew blends: Falcon, a light roast, and Red Island Nitro, a dark roast. Both are small batch, artisan brews that have spent three days in kegs charged with nitrogen. The nitrogen adds a carbonation effect to the coffee that in turn makes it ultra creamy.

Stocked with comfort food in large portions, the Black Sheep (BlackSheepRI.com) on Westminster Street is the newest addition to downtown’s dining scene. It may be a bar, but it’s already pumping out modern fare like Poutine and Carolina-style Pulled Pork sandwiches alongside updated classics such as Cheeseburger Fries and Marsala and Mushroom Wings. Diners can also expect fun pub entertainment like bingo and Sunday Drag Brunches, live music, and food and drink specials throughout the week.

Photo (bottom left) courtesy of Dave’s Coffee, (bottom right) courtesy of Black Sheep

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East Side Monthly September 2017

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DINING GUIDE I N YO U R N E I G H B O R H O O D

Twin Oaks Since 1933, Twin Oaks has been serving generations of Rhode Islanders, who come back time and again for everything from special occasions to casual weekday lunches. What started as a speakeasy in the basement of Eva and Bill DeAngelus’s home is now the biggest restaurant in Rhode Island, run by the third generation of the DeAngelus family. The restaurant is a time-honored tradition, yes, but that doesn’t mean they’re old fashioned. Chef Ryan Mancini recently revamped their menu, keeping classic customer favorites and adding some new things to try. Their weekly specials – several dishes only offered on certain nights of the week – will always give you a reason to go back, but if you’re going for your first time, try one of the classics, like the veal parm and baked stuffed shrimp. You won’t be disappointed.

100 Sabra Street, Cranston 401-781-6677 • TwinOaksRest.com

PROVIDENCE COUNTY 10 Prime Steak & Sushi Fashionable prime steakhouse with awardwinning sushi. 55 Pine St, Providence, 453-2333. LD $$$ Blake’s Tavern Premier Irish pub with two event rooms in the heart of downtown Providence. 122 Washington St, Providence, 2741230. LD $$ Cafe di Panni Italian American dining with an available banquet facility. 187 Pocasset Ave, Providence, 9440840. LD $-$$ Capri Seafood dishes with a Southern influence. 58 De Pasquale Ave, Providence, 274-2107. LD $$-$$$ Catering Gourmet Premiere catering company providing food made from scratch. 333 Strawberry Field Rd, Warwick, 773-7925. $-$$$ CAV Eclectic cuisine and art in a historic setting. 14 Imperial Pl, Providence, 751-9164. BrLD $$-$$$ Centro Restaurant & Lounge Contemporary cuisine and cocktails. 1 West Exchange St, Providence, 228-6802. BLD $$$

Chapel Grille Gourmet food overlooking the Providence skyline. 3000 Chapel View Blvd, Cranston, 944-4900. BrLD $$$

Iron Works Tavern A wide variety of signature American dishes in the historic Thomas Jefferson Hill Mill. 697 Jefferson Blvd, Warwick, 739-5111. LD $-$$$

& Steak Mixed grill selections and signature fish dishes sourced locally and seasonally. 11 Dorrance St, Providence, 351-4500. BLD $$-$$$

Character’s Cafe & Theatre 82 Hybrid art space with all-day breakfast, coffee and theatre-inspired entrees. 82 Rolfe Sq, Cranston, 490-9475. BL $

Jacky’s Galaxie Local Pan-Asian chain offering sushi and classic entrees in a modern atmosphere. Locations in Providence, North Providence, Bristol and Cumberland, JackysGalaxie.com. LD $-$$$

Meeting Street Cafe BYOB eatery with large menu of breakfast, lunch and dinner served all day. 220 Meeting St, Providence, 273-1066. BLD $-$$

Cucina Rustica Rustic, Italian-style dining combining comfort food and sophistication. 555 Atwood Ave, Cranston, 944-2500. LD $-$$ Flatbread Company Artisanal pizza, local ingredients. 161 Cushing St, Providence, 273-2737. LD $-$$ Fresco Italian American comfort food with international inspirations. 301 Main St, East Greenwich, 398-0027; 140 Comstock Pkwy, Cranston, 228-3901. D $-$$ Harry’s Bar & Burger Called the “Best Burger in America” by CNN. Over 50 craft beers. 121 N Main St, Providence, 228-7437; 301 Atwells Ave, 228-3336. LD $-$$ Haruki Japanese cuisine and a la carte selections with casual ambience. Locations in Cranston and Providence, HarukiSushi.com. LD $-$$

Julian’s A must-taste Providence staple celebrating more than 20 years. 318 Broadway, Providence, 861-1770. BBrLD $$ LaMei Hot Pot Authentic Chinese cuisine in a unique, casual setting. 256 Broadway, Providence, 831-7555. LD $$ Luigi’s Restaurant & Gourmet Express Handmade Italian classics and prepared foods to go. 1457 Hartford Ave, Johnston. 455-0045, LuigisGourmet.com. LD $$ Luxe Burger Bar Build Your Own Burger: You dream it, we build it! 5 Memorial Blvd, Providence, 621-5893. LD $

Mill’s Tavern Historic setting for New American gourmet. 101 N Main St, Providence, 272-3331. D $$$ Mosaic Restaurant Syrian cuisine served in an intimate setting. 91 Rolfe Sq, Cranston, 808-6512. BLD $-$$$ Napolitano’s Brooklyn Pizza Classic Italian fare and traditional New York-style pizzas. 100 East St, Cranston, 383-7722; 380 Atwells Ave, Providence, 273-2400. LD $-$$ Ocean State Sandwich Company Craft sandwiches and hearty sides. 1345 Hartford Ave, Johnston; 155 Westminster St, Providence, 282-6772. BL $-$$

McBride’s Pub Traditional Irish pub fare in Wayland Square. 161 Wayland Ave, Providence, 751-3000. LD $$

Opa the Phoenician Authentic Lebanese food served in a fun atmosphere with hookahs. 230 Atwells Ave, Providence, 351-8282. D $-$$$

McCormick

Parkside Rotisserie & Bar American

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Key: B breakfast Br brunch L lunch D dinner $ under 10 $$ 10–20 $$$ 20+

September 2017 East Side Monthly

Something wicked (awesome) this way comes

East Si October 2017

DINING GUIDE bistro specializing in rotisserie meats. 76 South Main St, Providence, 331-0003. LD $-$$ Pat’s Italian Fine Italian favorites, natural steaks and handcrafted cocktails. 1200 Hartford Ave, Johnston, 273-1444. LD $-$$$

Pizza J A fun, upbeat atmosphere with thin-crust pizza, pub fare and glutenfree options. 967 Westminster St, Providence, 632-0555. LD $-$$ Public Kitchen & Bar American food with changing daily specials. 120 Francis St, Providence, 919-5050. BrLD $-$$

Unwind By The Water

Red Ginger Traditional Chinese restaurant and bar with a relaxed environment. 560 Killingly St, Johnston, 861-7878; 1852 Smith St, North Providence, 353-6688. LD $-$$

E MUSIC ON THE DECK ß ß LIV Al ’s

Waterfront

Red Stripe Casual French-American bistro. 465 Angell St, Providence, 4376950; 455 Main St, East Greenwich, 3982900. BrLD $$

Restaurant & Marina

OPEN WEEKDAYS FOR DINNER AT 4PM SATURDAY & SUNDAY OPEN AT 12PM 28 Water Street, East Providence • 434-0590 AlsWaterfront.com • Closed Tuesday

Rick’s Roadhouse Honest, authentic BBQ with a large selection of whiskey. 370 Richmond St, Providence, 272-7675. LD $-$$ Rocco’s Pub & Grub Five-star menu in an intimate, pub-like atmosphere. 55 Douglas Pike, Smithfield, 349-2250. LD $-$$

WEDNESDAYS $12.99 Specialty Burger & One Featured Beer of the Week!

Rosmarin at Hotel Providence Bar and restaurant serving Swiss-inspired small plates, craft cocktails and an eclectic wine list. 311 Westminster Street, Providence, 521-3333. BLD $$$

Photography by Savannah Barkley for Providence Monthly

WO RT H T H E D R I V E

Ichigo Ichie As soon as you walk into the foyer of Ichigo Ichie, it’s clear you’re not in an average restaurant. Immediately greeted by a waterfall, a blue lit bar, dripping crystal curtains and other stunning design elements, the ultra modern restaurant prepares you for a one-of-a-kind dining experience. The large location, which is conveniently located on Route 6 on the East Providence/Seekonk line, offers a squareshaped cocktail lounge, an intimate sushi bar, lively hibachi seating and an elegant dining room. The experience is just as diverse – it’s a great place for a family-friendly dinner, a romantic date, a gathering for friends, a special occasion or a quick drink at the bar.

5 Catamore Boulevard, East Providence 401-435-5511 • IchigoIchieUS.com

T’s Restaurant Plentiful breakfast and lunch. Locations in Cranston, East Greenwich and Narragansett, TsRestaurantRI.com. BL $ Tavolo Wine Bar and Tuscan Grille Classic Italian cuisine with an extensive wine and beer list. 970 Douglas Pike, Smithfield, 349-4979. LD $-$$ The Crossings New American favorites in a chic, urban setting. 801 Greenwich Ave, Warwick, 732-6000. BLD $-$$$ The Dorrance Fine dining with exquisite cocktails. 60 Dorrance St, Providence, 521-6000. D $$$

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Spirito’s Restaurant & Catering Classic Italian fare served in a stately Victorian home. 477 Broadway, Providence, 4344435. LD $-$$$

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September 2017 East Side Monthly

Make Your Space Sparkle!

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At the Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s®, people carry flowers representing their connection to Alzheimer’s — a disease that currently has no cure. But what if one day there was a flower for Alzheimer’s first survivor? What if there were millions of them? Help make that beautiful day happen by joining us for the world’s largest fundraiser to fight the disease. Register today at alz.org/ri Walk to End Alzheimer's - Newport, RI Fort Adams September 17 I 8:30AM Walk to End Alzheimer's - Providence, RI

DINING GUIDE The Pizza Gourmet/The Catering Gourmet Scratch wood-grilled pizzas and Italian American favorites. 357 Hope St, Providence, 751-0355. LD $-$$$ The Rosendale Bar and grill with welcoming atmosphere and creative menu. 55 Union St, Providence, 4213253. LD $-$$ The Salted Slate An agri-driven American restaurant with global influences. 186 Wayland Ave, Providence, 270-3737. BrLD $$-$$$ The Villa Restaurant & Banquet Facility Family Italian restaurant with live music and entertainment. 272 Cowesett Ave, West Warwick, 821-0060. D $-$$ The Village Lively bar and grill with comfort fare, bar bites and beer. 373 Richmond St, Providence, 228-7222. BrLD $-$$ Tortilla Flats Fresh Mexican, Cajun and Southwestern fare, cocktails and over 70 tequilas. 355 Hope St, Providence, 751-6777. LD $-$$ Trinity Brewhouse American pub fare and craft beer in a downtown setting, with lunch, dinner and late-night menus. 186 Fountain Street, Providence, 4532337. LD $-$$ Tony’s Colonial Specialty store offering the finest imported and domestic Italian foods. 311 Atwells Ave, Providence, 6218675. $-$$$ Twin Oaks Family restaurant serving an extensive selection of Italian and American staples. 100 Sabra St, Cranston, 781-9693. LD $-$$$

South Dartmouth, 508-999-6975. LD $$ Bluewater Bar and Grill Casual restaurant with modern seafood dishes, patio seating and live music. 32 Barton Ave, Barrington, 247-0017. LD $$-$$$ DeWolf Tavern Gourmet American/ Indian fusion. 259 Thames St, Bristol, 254-2005. BLD $$-$$$ Ichigo Ichie Traditional Japanese cuisine, creative sushi and hibachi. 5 Catamore Blvd, East Providence, 4355511. LD $-$$$ Jacky’s Galaxie Local Pan-Asian chain offering sushi and classic entrees in a modern atmosphere. Locations in Providence, North Providence, Bristol and Cumberland, JackysGalaxie.com. LD $-$$$ Starbucks Coffee, tea, bakery items and lunch options. Multiple locations, Starbucks.com. BL $-$$ The Old Grist Mill Tavern Fine dining located over the Runnins River. 390 Fall River Ave, Seekonk, 508-336-8460. LD $-$$$ The Wharf Tavern Serves fresh seafood and steak with bay views from almost every table. 215 Water St, Warren, 2892524. BrLD $-$$$

SOUTHERN RI Besos Kitchen & Cocktails Tapas and eclectic cuisine and cocktails. 378 Main St, East Greenwich, 398-8855. BrLD $$$

The Vig Contemporary sports bar with craft tavern fare. 21 Atwells Ave, Providence, 709-0347. LD $-$$

Blu On The Water Home to Rhode Island’s largest waterfront deck and three outdoor bars, with a wide menu and full raw bar. 20 Water St, East Greenwich, 885-3700. LD $-$$$

Vinya Test Kitchen Vegan cuisine accompanied by creative mocktails (BYOB). 225A Westminster St, Providence, 500-5189. D $-$$

Breachway Grill Classic New England fare, plus NY-style pizza. 1 Charlestown Beach Rd, Charlestown, 213-6615. LD $$

XO Cafe Acclaimed farm-to-table cuisine with a fantastic Sunday #PajamaBrunch. 125 N Main St, Providence, 273-9090. BrD $$

Chair 5 Locally sourced and seasonally inspired menus with a main restaurant and rooftop lounge. 1208 Ocean Rd, Narragansett, 363-9820. BrLD $-$$$

EAST BAY / NEWPORT

Champlin’s Seafood Dockside fresh seafood serving easy breezy cocktails. 256 Great Island Rd, Narragansett, 7833152. LD $-$$

Black Bass Grille Classic seafood, historic waterfront setting. 3 Water St,

Roger Williams Park September 23 I 8:30AM

East Side Monthly September 2017

For full restaurant profiles, go to EastSideMonthly.com

DINING GUIDE Coast Guard House A new American menu with a seafood emphasis and extensive wine list, open seven days a week. 40 Ocean Rd, Narragansett, 7890700. BrLD $$$ Colvitto’s Pizza & Bakery Pizza Calzones and baked goods made fresh daily. 91 Point Judith Rd, Narragansett, 783-8086. BrLD $ Dante’s Kitchen American food with Southern flair. 315 Main St, East Greenwich, 398-7798. BL $-$$ Dragon Palace Chinese cuisine, sushi and bar. 577 Tiogue Ave, Coventry, 8280100; 733 Kingstown Rd, Wakefield, 789-2300; 1210 Main St, Wyoming, 5391102. LD $-$$ Eleven Forty Nine City sophistication in the suburbs. 1149 Division St, Warwick, 884-1149. LD $$$ Frankie’s Italian Bistro Fine dining with imported wines from around the world. 1051 Ten Rod Rd, North Kingstown, 2952500. D $-$$$ Fresco Italian American comfort food with international inspirations. 301 Main St, East Greenwich, 3980027; 140 Comstock Pkwy, Cranston, 228-3901. D $-$$ George’s of Galilee Fresh caught seafood in an upscale pub atmosphere. 250 Sand Hill Cove Rd, Narragansett, 783-2306. LD $-$$ Jigger’s Diner Classic ‘50s diner serving breakfast all day. 145 Main St, East Greenwich, 884-6060. BL $-$$ La Masseria Upscale Italian cuisine served in a chic setting with a rustic, countryside vibe. 223 Main St, East Greenwich, 398-0693. LD $$-$$$ Maharaja Indian Restaurant Indian cuisine and traditional curries in a warm setting. 1 Beach St, Narragansett, 3639988. LD $-$$ Mariner Grille Seafood, steaks and pasta in a fun setting, with live entertainment. 140 Point Judith Rd, Narragansett, 2843282. LD $$ Matunuck Oyster Bar Destination dining enhanced by a raw bar sourced onsite and a water view. 629 Succotash Rd, South Kingstown, 783-4202. LD $-$$$

Ocean House/Weekapaug Inn Multiple dining room options offer comfortably elegant dishes that highlight the best in seasonal, local produce. 1 Bluff Ave, Watch Hill, 584-7000; 25 Spray Rock Rd, Westerly, 637-7600. BLD $-$$$

Now On Newsstands!

Pasquale’s Pizzeria Napoletana Authentic Neapolitan wood-fired pizza with exclusive ingredients imported from Naples. 60 S County Commons Way, South Kingstown, 783-2900. LD $-$$ Phil’s Main Street Grille Classic comfort food with a great rooftop patio. 323 Main St, Wakefield, 783-4073. BBrLD $ Red Stripe Casual French-American bistro. 465 Angell St, Providence, 4376950; 455 Main St, East Greenwich, 3982900. BrLD $$ Sa-Tang Fine Thai and Asian fusion cuisine with gluten-free selections. 402 Main St, Wakefield, 284-4220. LD $-$$ Siena Impeccable Italian cuisine. Locations in Providence, East Greenwich and Smithfield, 521-3311. D $$-$$$ Starbucks Coffee, tea, bakery items and lunch options. Multiple locations, Starbucks.com. BL $-$$ T’s Restaurant Plentiful breakfast and lunch. Locations in Cranston, East Greenwich, Narragansett, TsRestaurantRI.com. BL $ Tavern by the Sea Waterfront European/ American bistro. 16 W Main St, Wickford, 294-5771. LD $$ The Nordic Surf and turf buffet selections perfect for family gatherings. 178 E Pasquisett Trl, Charlestown, 7834515. LD $$$ Twin Willows Fresh seafood and water views in a family-friendly atmosphere. 865 Boston Neck Rd, Narragansett, 7898153. LD $-$$ Tong-D Fine Thai cuisine in a casual setting. 156 County Rd, Barrington, 2892998; 50 South County Common Way, South Kingstown, 783-4445. LD $-$$

Pick Up Your Free Copy At Hundreds Of Locations Statewide!

TwoTen Oyster Bar and Grill Local oysters and upmarket seafood dishes with a full bar menu. 210 Salt Pond Rd, South Kingstown, 782-0100. BrLD $-$$$

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September 2017 East Side Monthly

F R E E O N E DAY F E ST I VA L !

DOORS OPEN RHODE ISLAND

F ESTIVAL

S E PTEMBER 23 • 1 0AM - 6PM FREE ACCESS TO 20+ GREAT SPACES & PLACES IN PROVIDENCE Imagine receiving a set of keys to historic homes, theaters, sacred spaces, secret vaults, studios and more for free. For one day, the Doors Open RI Festival will provide you with behind-the-scenes access to 20+ special architectural, cultural and historical places across Providence – without tickets or reservations. Explore the splendor of Barnaby Castle, the studios of Rhode Island Public Radio, the grandeur of our State House and more. The keys to the city are yours!

Site hours, descriptions, maps and more on

DOORSOPENRI.ORG #DOORSOPENRI @DOORSOPENRI S PO NS O RE D BY

September music | performance | social happenings | galleries | sports

The top of our list:

10 events you can’t miss this month

Photography by Design Imaging Studios courtesy of Open Doors RI

Get insider access at the Doors Open RI Festival (Doors OpenRI.org), when more than 20 interesting private spaces allow visitors for one day only – like Brown’s Ladd Observatory, RISD’s curiosity-filled Nature Lab, Barnaby Castle and the Benefit Street Arsenal. September 23 The Pawtucket Arts Festival (PawtucketArtsFestival.org) is celebrating the arts and culture of Providence’s favorite neighbor city. Highlights will be the Slater Park Fall Festival on September 9–10 and the PawSox Food Truck and Craft Beer Festival on September 16. All month long

The RISD Museum’s Stranger Than Paradise (RISDMuseum. org) exhibit brings together different styles, sensibilities and eras to examine how our perspective on and relationship with the natural world have changed over time. All month long

Don your Barbie and G.I. Joe finery for Hascon (Hascon.Hasbro.com), a convention celebrating all things Hasbro at the Convention Center. There will be as many My Little Ponies and Transformers as you can handle. September 8–10

Art League Rhode Island (ArtLeagueRhodeIsland.org) hosts In Transit at the Vets Gallery. This juried exhibition will highlight all aspects of transportation, illuminating the experience of traveling both literally and metaphorically. Opens September 8

Travel to over 30 countries in one afternoon when the RI Heritage Day Festival (Facebook: 40th Annual RI Heritage Day Festival) takes over the State House lawn for an afternoon of food, music and dance from all over the world. September 9 Tockwotton on the Waterfront (Tockwotton.org) hosts Wishes on the Waterfront, an annual event that benefits the Eliza B. Rogers Program and Wishing Jar Program, developed to support residents’ financial needs and to fulfill special wish requests. September 16 After a hiatus, StyleWeek Northeast (StyleWeekNortheast. com) is coming back with a bang: four nights of four or more runway shows at the Convention Center, plus shopping at the Accessory Showcase. September 20–23

Belong to the night when Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo play at East Providence’s Bold Point Park (RIWaterfrontEvents. com). The waterfront concert starts at 6pm, and there will be food trucks and a full bar on site. September 22 TEDx Providence (TedXProvidence.com) brings a day full of challenging and inspiring “ideas worth spreading” to The Vets, with speakers like Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and Providence Cultural Equity Initiative’s Raymond Two Hawks Watson. September 30 September 2017 East Side Monthly

On the Town Calendar continued...

MUSIC

arena & club | classical ARENA & CLUB AS220 September 1: Nonzoo, Creative Healing, Trigger and Goon Planet. September 2: Traditional Irish Music session. September 16: Top 5 Fiend Presents: Triangle Forest, Tall Teenagers, black Oil Incinerator and Cat Has Claws. September 23: Traditional Irish Music session. September 29: Selector Dub Narcotic (Calvin Johnson/ K Recs), Harvey Garbage and Brain 4 Ever. 95 and 115 Empire Street, Providence. 831-9327, AS220.org AURORA September 3: Sextile, Bed Death and 1+ TBA. September 6: Salsa Con Soul. September 8: Consider Yourself (album release), Bat House, OroborO and Los Waves. September 22: Dire Wolves and Chris Forsyth. September 23: The Spits, FNU Clone Inc. and TBC. 276 Westminster Street, Providence. 272-5723, AuroraProvidence.com TH E PE R FECT SOLUTION

You + Allegra is the simple solution for a solid and successful partnership. When today’s equation for powerful marketing communications involves print + mail + writing + design + web + signs

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East Side Monthly September 2017

CHAN’S FINE ORIENTAL DINING September 1: Through the Doors (Jim Morrison). September 2: Selwyn Birchwood. September 8: Gene Taylor Band. September 9: Rocking Johnny Burgin. September 15: Delta Generators. September 16: Willie J. Laws & Roberto Morbioli and Friends. September 21: Shemekia Copland. September 22: Luther “Guitar Junior” Johnson. September 23: Peacheaters. September 29: Roomful of Blues. September 30: Adrianna Marie. 267 Main Street, Woonsocket. 765-1900, ChansEggrollsAndJazz.com COLUMBUS THEATRE September 7: WHEM: Dan Blakeslee (album release), The Horse-Eyed Men and Cowboy & Lady. September 16: UHF: “Weird Al” Yankovic Live & InPerson. 270 Broadway, Providence. 621-9660, ColumbusTheatre.com FETE MUSIC HALL September 2: All White Party: Beto Davis, Suzana Lubrano, Kino Cabral, Dennis Graca, Ze Delgado,

Ban Dagu Boys, Ze Spanhol and Vany De Kotchi Po. September 6: FLAW with Rise Among Rivlas. September 9th: The Big Kahuna 3 with Unearth. September 14: Dynamo. September 16: Helio Batalha with DJ Lefty, and Toad and the Stooligans “Very Handsome” CD release. September 17: The Damn Truth, Plastic Angels, Psycle and Jakals. September 30: Providence Metal Fest with Life of Agony, Kilgore and more. 103 Dike Street, Providence. 383-1112, FeteMusic.com THE MET September 1: The Morgana Phase, Traverse, Blind Revision and Professor Caffeine & The Insecurities. September 2: Don Q. September 8: Stephen Kellogg and Dan Mills. September 9: Of Montreal and Showtime Goma and Nancy Feast. September 12: Dada and The Trews. September 14: Never Shout Never. September 15: Bim Skala Bim, The Agents and The Copacetics. September 16: An Albatross and Hairspray Queen. September 21: The Jam: Live Music Showcase with SOCO the DJ. September 22: Mario Lucio. September 27: Dinosaur Jr. and Easy Action. September 28: DiGiTour: Good Times. September 29: The Silks. 1005 Main Street, Pawtucket. 729-1005, TheMetRI.com

PERFORMANCE

(Ages 2.5–3). Monday–Thursday: Adult Ballet (Intermediate). Saturday: Elementary Modern. Tuesdays and Wednesday–Saturday: Elementary Ballet. Monday–Saturday: Adult Ballet (Advanced) and Creative Movement (ages 3–4). Monday and Friday: Beginner Ballet. Mondays: Adult Ballet (beginner). Thursdays: Adult Ballet (Intermediate). Monday and Saturday: Pre-Ballet (ages 5 and 7). Friday and Saturday: PreBallet (age 6). 825 Hope Street, Providence. 353-1129, FestivalBalletProvidence.org THEATRE Trinity Rep September 28 and 30: Death of a Salesman. 201 Washington Street, Providence. 351-4242, TrinityRep.com The Gamm Theatre September 14–October 18: The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People. 172 Exchange Street, Pawtucket. 7234266, GammTheatre.org Wilbury Theatre Group September–October: The Caretaker. 40 Sonoma Court, Providence. 4007100, TheWilburyGroup.org Festival Ballet September 30–October 8, Saturdays at 4 and Sundays at 1 and 4: Pippi. 825 Hope Street, Providence. 353-1129, FestivalBalletProvidence.org

comedy | dance | theatre COMEDY COMEDY CONNECTION September 1–3: Piff the Magic Dragon; September 8–9: Sarah Tiana; September 10: D-R Marching Band Comedy Event; September 15–16: Jenny Zigrino; September 28–30: Russell Peters; Fridays: Hardcore Comedy. 39 Warren Avenue, East Providence. 438-8383, RIComedyConnection.com DANCE FESTIVAL BALLET Wednesdays: Rhythm and Movement

LEARN

discussion | instruction | tour LADD OBSERVATORY Tuesdays: Telescope observing night. 210 Doyle Avenue. 863-2641, Brown. edu LIPPITT HOUSE MUSEUM September 16: Kids Concert with Foxtrot Music. Third Saturday of the month: Tours 10am–2pm. Through October 27: The Art of Dining: A Taste of Providence’s Golden Age.

On the Town Calendar

ARTISTIC ICONS SERIES

continued...

199 Hope Street, Providence. 4530688, LippittHouse.org MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY AND PLANETARIUM Saturdays and Sundays: Public Planetarium Shows. September 9 and 23: Drawing Wild. September 10: Flip a Rock, Find a Bug. September 23: Fall Bird Walk. 1000 Elmwood Avenue, Providence. 7859457, ProvidenceRI.gov/Museum PROVIDENCE COMMUNITY LIBRARY Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays: Free ESL class. September 1: Summer Art and Reading with Mrs. Carol. Tuesdays: Zumba4Toddlers. September 5: Ward Five Monthly Community Meeting. Wednesdays: Shake, Toddle, and Roll; Preschool Storytime; Poetry Group; Sankofa Market; Knitting and Crafting Circle. September 11: RI Antiwar Committee. September 13: Coffee Hour and Book Chat. September 16: Learn to Speak Spanish Beginner and Intermediate and Our Revolution RI. Rochambeau Library, 708 Hope Street, Providence. 2723780, ProvComLib.org

SOCIAL HAPPENINGS expos | fundraisers | seasonal FOR FOODIES BOTTLES Thursdays: Spirit tasting. Fridays: Beer tasting. Saturdays: Wine tasting. 141 Pitman Street. 372-2030, BottlesFineWine.com FARM FRESH RHODE ISLAND Sundays 12–3pm: Outdoor market at Slater Park, Pawtucket. Mondays 3–6pm: Outdoor market at Neutaconkanut Hill. Tuesdays 3–6pm: Outdoor market in Downtown. Wednesdays 11am–2pm: Outdoor market at Brown University. Wednesdays 2–5:30pm: Outdoor market at Garfield St.

Playground, Pawtucket. Thursdays 3:30–6pm: Outdoor market at Armory Park. Saturdays 8–11:30am: Outdoor market at Broad Street. FarmFreshRI.org

GALLERIES RISD MUSEUM Through December 3: Altered States: Etching in Late 19th-Century Paris. Through February 4: Stranger than Paradise. September 27: Readings from Devotion. 20 North Main Street, Providence. 454-6530, RISDMuseum.org ARTPROV GALLERY From September 20: Land, Sea, and Sky. 150 Chestnut Street, Providence. 641-5182, ArtProvidence. com PROVIDENCE CENTER FOR PHOTOGRAPHIC ARTS Through September 8: Leaving Our Mark, An American Landscape. September 14–October 6: Personalities and Honor Thy Mother. 118 North Main Street, Providence. ProvidencePhoto.org GALLERY NIGHT PROVIDENCE September 21: Monthly Open Gallery. Various locations. GalleryNight.org GALLERY Z Through September 3: Cityscapes – Streetscapes. September 7–October 1: Latino Artists Live Music Performances. Reception September 14. 259 Atwells Avenue, Providence. 454-8844, GalleryZProv.com

LEGENDARY JAZZ GIANTS LIVE IN CONCERT! OCTOBER 15, 2017 THE VETS TICKETS FIRST-WORKS.ORG 401.421.ARTS

SPORTS PAWSOX September 1–4: vs. Rochester. 1 Columbus Avenue, Pawtucket. 7247300, PawSox.com

September 2017 East Side Monthly

Spotlight

special advertising section

T.F. Morra Tree Care, Inc.

Ornamental and Shade Tree Specialists

Protector of your trees

• fine hand pruning • tree preservation • hazard tree removal • tree evaluation & diagnosis • tree planting consultation

401-331-8527 tfmorra.com Award Winning Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation

4 Season Care For Your Property

49 Old Pocasset Rd Johnston 401.944.2450 BriarcliffeManor.com

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We are always providing a Free Estimate

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Servicing all of RI & nearby Mass. for over 35 years Monday - Friday 7:00am to 6:00pm

Winner of the super service award from Angie’s List four years in a row!

27 Allen Avenue, North Providence (401) 300-9761 • iasimonephdc.com

East Side Monthly September 2017

CityEstateGardener.com

401.935.2312

Membership...

It’s more than fitness! It’s an open door to a variety of social, cultural, and educational activities that celebrate family, foster health and well-being, embrace tradition, and expand cultural horizons. Early Childhood Center, Summer Camp, After School Care, Indoor Pool, Fitness Center, Basketball Gym, Group Exercise, Community Events and so much more!

Everyone is welcome! 401 Elmgrove Avenue Providence, RI 02906 jewishallianceri.org

Dwares Rhode Island

Congratulations, you’ve made

the effort to get that home on the East Side and now it’s time to address the living assets out in the yard. Tom Morra and the arborists at T.F. Morra Tree Care, Inc., are your team. Tom is an ISA-Certified Arborist with decades of professional experience taking care of trees. Between now and the end of September is an ideal time to schedule a half-hour free consultation to take stock of your trees’ health. “A typical mature tree on the East Side is in more than one yard,” Tom explains. “You may be a new homeowner, or have new neighbors, and it’s important to be proactive and know who’s taking care of the trees on all sides.” Having healthy trees for a lush and thriving neighborhood is in everybody’s best interest. Tom cares about the work his team provides and will give you a detailed explanation of what work is and isn’t necessary. For example, he mentions that while this past spring was particularly wet, leading to everything growing well and leafing out beautifully, there is a good chance of fungal problems like anthracnose and leaf spot that can lead to early leaf drop and yellowing leaves. “It’s something to look out for,” Tom says. “In most cases, treatment isn’t necessary depending on the species and because it was just a bad year.” Typical fall services include soil injections of fertilizer or late season pest and disease treatments. “One reason we wait for the fall is because during the summer the trees are in conservation mode, where they don’t move much water,” Tom explains. “We hold off until the trees start transpiring again with the cooler temperatures.” Winter moth wasn’t bad this year, but gypsy moths were abundant and you may want to consider a pest mitigation spray. To learn more about winter and gypsy moths, along with anything else related to tree health, visit their website at TFMorra.com for comprehensive information and an updated blog on seasonal topics. Now is the time to analyze the current situation of your trees to formulate a plan for the remainder of the year and into 2018. Give the team at T.F. Morra a call today.

T.F. Morra Tree Care, Inc. 331-8527 / TFMorra.com

Spotlight

Empire Loan and Empire Guitars Fast loans, beautiful jewelry and vintage guitars

special advertising section

Beautiful Pre-Owned Jewelry

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

SAVING UP TO 70% OFF RETAIL PRICE NEW, REFURBISHED AND SCRATCH & DENT APPLIANCES

Stainless Refrigerators • Ranges Washers & Dryers • Built-In Refrigeration Cooktops & Wall Ovens • Dishwashers

299 Walcott Street, Pawtucket 401.723.0500 • KitchenGuys.com

Now offering the Ideal Protein Weight Loss Method

“After a week of treatment, all the pain was gone... I recommend Dr. Tom to everyone I know.” – J.T.

When money is needed in a hurry, sometimes you just can’t secure a loan from family, friends or the local bank. That’s when it’s good to know that Empire Loan over on North Main Street can provide secure loans starting at as little as $50 to $5,000 and beyond. In the unlikely chance you can’t repay the loan, the item used as collateral is forfeited and the matter is done. Business owner Jeff Keithline says, “We don’t report to credit agencies and I’d be happy to loan you money again in the future.” With their website, you can conveniently use PayPal to make payments. When those pressing financial situations comes up – your car brakes go, the roof starts to leak or tuition is due – stress can make you forget there is a safe place to borrow cash in a pinch, like Empire Loan. In the areas of merchandise, they have glittering display cases of jewelry and watches if you are in the market for pre-owned jewelry. The selection is large and always changing. Their sister business, Empire Guitars, carries just about everything a guitar and bass player needs, starting with an extensive collection of pedals from major manufacturers to all types of amps. They also have one of the largest displays of vintage guitars in New England. “The older guitar people who have already owned their ‘Holy Grail’ (if I only had the money, I’d own this) are starting to sell their stuff through us with consignment,” Jeff explains. “We’re finding that we’re a transfer point of ownership more and more for the really special pieces.” Empire Guitars will receive 10 to 15 guitars at a time from all over the world and the inventory is always changing each week, so it pays to check in often in person at Empire Guitars’ showroom and on their website. Note that they have reissued Moog synthesizers and Theremins as well. So, from quick loans when you need them to jewelry and vintage guitars, Jeff ’s got you covered.

Empire Loan and Empire Guitars 1271 North Main Street, Providence | 437-8421 358 Broad Street, Providence | 273-7050 www.EmpireLoan.com

fine clothiers

Northeast Chiropractic Dr. ThomaS moriSon ChiropraCTiC phySiCian

MARCALLENINC.COM

Living

The Ar t of REGENCY PLAZA

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

Tomasso Auto Swedish Motors

Service your car now before returning to school We service and repair ALL foreign and domestic models

Regency Plaza Apartments (401) 861-0400 • Elegant apartment homes – generous upgrades • Exceptional service • Resort-style amenities • Prime downtown location • Signature resident events

www.regencyplaza.com

• ASE Certified • RI inspection and repair station #27b

Mon-Fri 8am-5pm

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

September 2017 East Side Monthly

marketplace HOME IMPROVEMENT PIONEER BASEMENT The healthy choice for wet basements, crawl spaces, moisture & air quality control. Foundation repair. Certified. Insured. Reg. #3934. Cell 401-215-7985 or 1-800-649-6140.

S & E REMODELING Kitchens, bathrooms, decks, siding, finish work, painting. References. Call Eric 231-2750. Reg. #39991.

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.

STONE MASON 30 yrs. exp. Stone, brick, veneers, walls, fireplaces, patios, chimneys, pavers. Design work. Reg. #7445. Call 641-0362. lousstonework.com

HANDYMAN Repair and small job specialist. clearproppvd@gmail.com Reg. 40738

EAST SIDE HANDYMAN Repairs, upgrades & renovations. Small jobs welcome. References. Insured. Reg. #3052. 524-6421.

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

BEYOND THE PALE Quality interior painting, color consulting, lead certified, green products. Lic. #15914. Call Mike 401-573-4498

David Onken Painting Interior/Exterior Lead Certified Carpentry Renovations Gutter Cleaning ■ Chimney Pointing Roof Leaks Repaired Reg. #19031

Insured

248-5248 davidokenpainting.com

The Finest in New England Craftmanship

Boreal Remodeling General Home Repair, including Kitchens, Baths, Decks & Additions Reg. # 22013

Michael Packard • (401) 441-7303

Restore your Deck this Summer! Carpentry Repairs Decks ✦ Sheds ✦ Porches Fence Corrections Sanding & Stripping Restaining ✦ Oil Latex Semis ✦ Epoxys ✦ Coatings Power Washing Fences ✦ Sheds ✦ Houses ✦ Walkways ✦ Etc. Free Estimates East Side References Reg. #3469 ✦ Fully Insured

✦

30 yrs. in business

Call 944-0336

WE SPECIALIZE IN PAINTING & CARPENTRY Experts in Water Problems

From Roofs, Gutters & Basements Over 20 years of experience on historical homes Certified Lead Renovated LRM #0514 RI Reg #7320 • Fully insured GET IT DONE! CALL TODAY!

Call Al Medina (401) 438-8771 or (401) 323-8252

T & T Painting

Prompt, Reliable Quality Work

Levine Painting Co., Inc. Interior, Exterior, Residential/Commercial Wallpaper Hanging, Power Washing, Staining 25 Years Experience

(401) 885-1580 • (401) 323-6100 cell R.I. Lic 7140 Liab/ Work Comp Insured

HOUSE CLEANING

WANTED I BUY BOOKS

USED MUSIC WANTED!

Old, used and almost new. Also buying photography, art, etc. Call 286-9329. jcminich1@gmail.com

Round Again Records needs your used CDs and records. Cash paid. Call 351-6292.

DOROTHY’S CLEANING

HOUSE CLEANING

We clean your home as our own! References & free estimates. Call 401-524-7453 or 401-228-6273.

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

BUSINESS SERVICES PROPERTY MANAGER

DINNER/COCKTAIL PARTY?

Available. On call 24/7. Rent collection. Rentals, evictions, maintenance. Call 421-0092.

Professional Chef services available. Excellent references. Call 401-219-6375.

AUDIO/VIDEO HELP

LEATHERWORKS, LLC

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. 30 years of experience.

A leather and vinyl restoration company. We specialize in furniture, automobiles, boats and aircraft. Visit us at LeatherWorksRI.com, or call Robert at 401 837-0548.

Retirement Medicare 101

Finding the Right Medicare Option for You

PARKING REAL ESTATE

Jeffrey G. Brier CLU, ChFC, CASL

Brier & Brier

Insurance & Employee Benefits

Advertise in the

81 S. Angell Street • Providence • RI • 02906 • 401.751.2990 • jbrier@brier-brier.com

JOBS BY JIM Cellars & Attics Cleaned Unwanteds Removed

Estate Cleaning Cell 401-742-7258 Reg. #4614

for as low as

$15!

We Make Housecalls!!! ✭

Repairing all types of Lamps Vintage Lighting Specialist ✭ Chandelier Repairs ✭ Serving the East Side for 21 years ✭ Fully Insured

✭

401-831-8693 www.chrislamprepair.com

SENIOR CARE OVERNIGHT ELDER CARE Very kind, patient, mature woman seeks position with elderly person. Intelligent, cheerful, reliable, with 25 years experience, including several long-term positions. Impeccable references. 781-3392 or 497-3392.

Marketplace

CHRIS’ LAMP REPAIR

Serving the East Side for over 20 years!

KIND CARE ~ SENIORS Appointments, errands, shopping, cleaning & maint. Refs. Safety bars installed. Reg #3052. 559-0848.

PARKING/STORAGE Benefit St. (north end), $95/mo. Call Roger, 339-4068. rogernc@mac.com

LAWN CARE

Vinny’s Landscaping & BOBCAT SERVICE

New Lawns Installed Seed or Sod ● Mulch Power Raking Augering Hammering

Rototilling ● Screened Loam ● Etc.

Free Estimates

497-1461 ● 231-1851

Go to

www.EastSideMonthly.com/ Marketplace.html to reserve your space.

OR Please Email Sue at: sueh@rhodybeat.com

Deadline for

East Side Marketplace

is the first of the month prior

THE EAST SIDER

Ray Rickman’s nonprofit, Stages of Freedom, addresses the racial drowning disparity

Ray Rickman Talks Community, Historic Preservation and His Life’s Cause

Photography by Michael Cevoli

By Amanda M. Grosvenor

Longtime East Sider Ray Rickman is well known thanks to his years as a state representative and deputy secretary of state, as well as his nonprofits Shape Up Rhode Island and Adopt-a-Doctor. Now, with a successful consulting career under his belt, Rickman is dedicated to what he calls “the cause of my life”: eradicating the disparity in drowning deaths that African Americans face by organizing swim instruction programs for low-income families. A Detroit native, Rickman chose to relocate to Providence in 1979 because “it had a small black community and historic houses, and that’s all that interested me: historic preservation.” During his 38 years on College Hill, he has lived in three houses and now owns his current home on

Barnes Street. “My part of Providence is wonderful,” Rickman says. “I walk to work, I walk home, I walk across the river, which is now clean but wasn’t when I came.” He recalls the famous story of how a rebellious crew of RISD students used to set the Providence River on fire on the first day of June each year, and credits Save the Bay and the city for transforming it. “It’s one of our biggest accomplishments that we don’t notice, because we’re so critical of ourselves.” Rickman crosses the river each day to work at Stages of Freedom (StagesofFreedom.org), which recently moved to 10 Westminster Street and runs lecture series, events and a black history and culture museum. He started the nonprofit five years

ago to promote African American culture in the community and address a specific health disparity: that black children drown one and a half times more frequently than other children from never learning how to swim. Drowning, Rickman says, can be specifically addressed through prevention – similar to how breast cancer can be addressed through regular screenings. Rickman and his team conducted extensive initial research, ultimately choosing the YMCA as the site for the swimming lessons. Eighty children participated the first year; there are 400 slotted for 2017. When the program can successfully teach 2,000 low-income kids a year how to swim, the drowning health disparity will be eradicated in Rhode Island.

Although it was created to address a specific racial disparity, the program is officially open to “anyone who is poor,” and welcomed its first two white participants last year. If you had one wish to enhance life on the East Side, what would it be? “I would like to see us create 100 block clubs so that neighbors could know neighbors and we could bring back a higher level of civility. I grew up in a society where everybody had a block club – the rich, the middle, and the low-income folks. This was America. Umbrella organizations [like the College Hill Neighborhood Association] are weaker by their very natures. They take up one issue at a time, and the close-to-home, effective civic stuff collapses.”

* N E W P ORT

NARRAGANSETT

PROVIDENCE

BARRINGTON

J A M E S TO W N

WATC H H I L L

B LO C K I S L A N D

BARRINGTON

3 ACRES | WEB ID: 1155117 $2,995,000 | 401.274.1644

HARBOURS ASSOC. | WEB ID: 1137149 $2,150,000 | 401.274.1644

WARWICK – WARWICK NECK

CRANSTON – RIDGEWOOD

PROVIDENCE – EAST SIDE

4 BEDROOMS | WEB ID: 1163744 $649,900 | 401.274.1644

4 BEDROOMS | WEB ID: 1158374 $649,000 | 401.274.1644

5 BEDROOMS | WEB ID: 1170015 $479,900 | 401.274.1644

UPSCALE CONDO | WEB ID: 1164800 $699,900 | 401.274.1644

SOLD

WARWICK – WARWICK NECK

BARRINGTON – HAMPDEN MEADOWS

PROVIDENCE – EAST SIDE

WATERVIEWS | WEB ID: 1150138 $995,000 | 401.789.6666

WATERFRONT | WEB ID: 1156275 $999,900 | 401.274.1644

CLASSIC COLONIAL | WEB ID: 1134586 SOLD $1,150,000 | 401.274.1644

SCITUATE – GREENVILLE LINE

WATERPLACE CONDO | WEB ID: 1163146 CUSTOM BUILT | WEB ID: 1161307 $375,000 | 401.848.2101 $489,000 | 401.274.1644

PROVIDENCE

PROVIDENCE – EAST SIDE

SOLD

PROVIDENCE – DOWNTOWN

PROVIDENCE – EAST SIDE

NATHAN SMITH HOUSE | WEB ID:1154465 SPANISH REVIVAL | WEB ID: 1158792 SOLD $349,900 | 401.274.1644 SOLD $349,000 | 401.274.1644

369 SOUTH MAIN ST

401.274.1644

* #1 LUXURY RANKING BASED ON HIGHEST TOTAL DOLLAR VOLUME OF THE TOP 10 HOME SALES IN THE STATE OF RI FOR 2017. ALL REPRESENTATIONS IN THIS PRESENTATION ARE BASED IN WHOLE OR IN PART ON DATA SUPPLIED BY THE STATEWIDE MLS. THE MLS DOES NOT GUARANTEE AND IS NOT IN ANY WAY RESPONSIBLE FOR ITS ACCURACY. DATA MAINTAINED BY THE MLS MAY NOT REFLECT ALL REAL ESTATE ACTIVITY IN THE MARKET.

1 Balton Road East Side of Providence $1,250,000 401.274.6740

46 Greaton Drive East Side of Providence $379,000 401.274.6740

306 Olney Street East Side of Providence $799,000 401.274.6740

Barrington Cumberland East Greenwich Narragansett Providence Relocation

401.245.9600 401.333.9333 401.885.8400 401.783.2474 401.274.6740 800.886.1775

#1 in RI homes sold in 2015 & 2016 pbn book of lists

(Providence Business News)

173 Rochambeau Avenue East Side of Providence $450,000 401.274.6740

120 Prospect Street East Side of Providence $649,000 401.274.6740

116 Elton Street East Side of Providence $749,000 401.274.6740

167 Emeline Street #2 East Side of Providence $439,000 401.274.6740