East Bay

01:00 AM EDT on Friday, October 15, 2004

REGIONAL

Free trees: Ten free trees, autumn classics, will be given to each person who joins The National Arbor Day Foundation this month. The free trees are part of the nonprofit foundation's Trees for America campaign.

The 10 trees are two sugar maples, scarlet oak, sweetgum, red oak, silver maple, white dogwood, Washington hawthorn and two red maples.

The trees will be shipped postpaid at the right time for planting between Nov. 1 and Dec. 10, with enclosed planting instructions. The 6- to 12-inch trees are guaranteed to grow or they will be replaced free.

To receive the free trees, send a $10 membership contribution to Autumn Classic Trees, National Arbor Day Foundation, 100 Arbor Ave., Nebraska City, NE 68410, by Oct. 31. Or, join online at arborday.org.

BARRINGTON

Yoga for older individuals: The Bayside Family YMCA, West Street, will offer a yoga program geared to the special needs of the older individual. The instructor is trained to address the needs of the older population including individuals with arthritis and osteoporosis.

Yoga is a nonaerobic form of exercise designed to reduce stress, improve circulation, balance, coordination and flexibility. Flexibility declines with age. Flexibility programs based on yoga help create a feeling of inner tranquility.

The next session will begin the week of Nov. 1 and continue until Dec. 17. Registration is required. There is no charge for YMCA members; $35 for others. Classes are held Tuesdays and Fridays from 7 to 8 a.m. For more information, call (401) 245-2444.

BRISTOL

Grand Opening Showcase: Mt. Hope High School's performing arts department will present a Grand Opening Showcase in the new Performing Arts Center Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. Students from guitar, chorus, theater and band will perform. New black rear and side curtains will be purchased with donations collected at the door. The suggested donation is $5 to $20 per person. Children age 14 and younger will be admitted for free. Call Robert Arsenault, (401) 254-5980, ext. 344, for more information.

Champagne Gala: Bristol Rotary will host a champagne gala Oct. 22 from 7 to 10 p.m. in the DeWolfe Room at the Bristol Harbor Inn, Thames Street. The evening will include great food, entertainment and a silent auction. Tickets are $50 per person and limited to those age 21 and older. Tickets can be purchased by sending a check payable to Bristol Rotary Club to P.O. Box 469, Bristol 02809. Include the name of the ticket purchaser, address and phone number as well as the number of tickets being purchased. The deadline to purchase tickets is today.

Alive Arts! series: The Alive Arts! series at Roger Williams University will present The Beanstalk Variations, Monday at 8 p.m. in the university's Performing Arts Center. To be performed by Figures of Speech Theatre will perform. The play is free.

Figures of Speech Theatre includes actors Michael Rafkin and John Farrell, who are joined onstage by a cast of pre-industrial puppets. In The Beanstalk Variations, Jack has a problem -- a giant problem. Every night he dreams he is on stage playing a harp when suddenly an enormous hand crashes through the ceiling and snatches him away. But what can this possibly mean? Guided by the eccentric Dr. Blaukopf, Jack gives reality the Freudian slip and discovers that you can live in a fairy tale: just trade in your cow for five magic beans. For more information or to make reservations, call (401) 254-3828.

LITTLE COMPTON

Public harvest supper: The Little Compton Grange will host a public harvest supper Oct. 23 at the IOOF Hall on the Commons. The supper will be served in two seatings, the first at 4:30 p.m. for senior citizens and the second at 6 p.m. for all others. The menu will include ham, potato, squash, green beans, onions, carrots, cranberry sauce, rolls, dessert and a beverage. Reservations can be made by calling (401) 635-2729. Tickets are $7 for adults; $4 for children.

NEWPORT

Meet the Candidates Night: The last in a series of public forums for Newport political candidates sponsored by Newport Neighbors United and Newport This Week will be held Monday from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Thompson Middle School on Broadway.

The forum will begin with the questioning of the six candidates for the three City Council ward seats and finish with the questioning of the six candidates for the four at-large seats.

Questioning will begin at 6:30 p.m. with the two candidates for Ward 1. The two candidates for the Ward 3 seat will be questioned next at 7 p.m.. The candidates for Ward 2 will be questioned at 7:30 p.m., with questioning of the at-large candidates beginning at 8 p.m.

As with previous forums sponsored by the two groups, the moderator will be Keith Stokes, executive director of the Newport County Chamber of Commerce.

Newport voters are invited to attend and participate in the questioning of the candidates, no matter the ward in which they vote.

Haunted Newport: Haunted Newport, a community-wide program where events are planned by independent venues, continues tomorrow with the Newport Metaphysical Faire from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Ramada Inn on West Main Road in Middletown and a Halloween Extravaganza at the Domina's Agway store on East Main Road in Portsmouth. This event, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., will include a haunted house, moonwalk, face painting and refreshments.

Also tomorrow, there will be a Ballard Park pumpkin tour from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. along the park's trails featuring 1,000 jack-o'-lanterns carved by children, artists and others. In addition, there will be a "carved in stone" graveyard tour at 5 p.m. through Newport's oldest and largest Colonial graveyard, the Common Burying Ground.

Other activities tomorrow include a lecture, "Monsters, Murderer's and Madmen," at 7 p.m. at St. Mary's Parish Hall, East Main Road, Portsmouth; Fright Nights at the Haunted Fort from 6 to 9 p.m. at Fort Adams; an Autumn Night Hike at the Norman Bird Sanctuary from 7 to 8:30 p.m.; the play Veronica's Room, at 8 p.m. at the Firehouse Theater in Newport; an "Old Ghost Town Walk" at 8 p.m. through historic Newport.

The Newport Metaphysical Faire continues Sunday at the same time and location and Veronica's Room will be presented at 2 p.m. at the Firehouse Theater.

Throughout the month, events in this program include psychic readings; a Halloween craft program at the Newport Public Library Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.; Old Town Ghost Walks, graveyard tours, a murder mystery train ride and more. For more information on the month's activities, visit www.hauntednewport.net or call (401) 846-9884.

Children's program: Newport Public Library's children's librarian, Kathy Fitzgerald, will offer a guitar-led half-hour of songs, finger plays and fun tomorrow from 10:30 to 11 a.m. for children 5 and younger. To celebrate grandchildren's and grandparent's unique relationship, the library extends a special invitation to them to attend this program together. Parents and other caregivers are also invited to attend.

There is no signup for this free program. The sing-along, which will feature songs in both English and Spanish, will take place in the John Clarke Children's Program Room in the Children's Area of the Newport Public Library at 300 Spring St. The free sing-along program is sponsored by Wal-Mart.

Participating children must be accompanied by a responsible adult. For more information, call (401) 847-8720, ext. 204.

Annual dinner meeting: 20 The Council for International Visitors will hold its annual dinner meeting, which is open to the public, Tuesday from 6 to 9 p.m. in the Brenton Room at the Hyatt Regency. The guest speaker will be Thomas P. M. Barnett, a strategic adviser to the Defense Department (2001-03), a faculty member of the Naval War College and author of The Pentagon's New Map (2004).

Barnett is a strategic planner who has worked in national security affairs since the end of the Cold War and has operated his own consulting practice, Barnett Consulting, since 1998. A New York Times bestselling author and a nationally known public speaker, Barnett lectures within government circles as a forecaster of global conflict and an expert of military transformation, as well as within corporate circles as a management consultant and conference presenter on issues relating to international security and economic globalization.

For more information on the Council for International Visitors call Ken Kurze, (401) 846-3882.

AARP to meet: The AARP Chapter 207 of Newport County will meet Monday at Fenner Avenue Hall, 22 Fenner Ave. The meeting will begin promptly at 1:30 p.m. Handicapped access is at the rear entrance. Park in designated areas only. No parking is allowed in the circular driveway.

After the meeting, Ann Garnett will speak on the Aquidneck Island Land Trust. Reservations will be taken for the Holiday Pops Concert Dec. 16. Anyone who is a member of the national AARP is welcome to join the local chapter.

Going upriver: The feature length documentary Going Upriver: the Long War of John Kerry will be shown Monday at 7 p.m. at the Jane Pickens Theater, 49 Touro St. This documentary examines the story of John Kerry and the key events that made him a national figure and the man he is today. The film is directed by George Butler, best known for his highly acclaimed films Pumping Iron, featuring Arnold Swarzenegger and The Endurance: Shackleton Legendary Antarctic Expedition. Butler first realized Kerry's importance to his generation and began documenting his journey in photographs in 1969, covering Kerry's leadership of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War, his early political campaigns, as well as intimate moments in his personal life.

After the film, participants are invited to the Rhode Island Music & Poetry Slam at the Salvation Cafe, 140 Broadway. Musicians from around the state, including Paul Geremia, Jim McGrath, Dan Silvia and others, will present a "Vote for Change" concert. Poets include Valerie Lawson, Patrick Pierce, Michael R. Brown, David R. Surette and friends. Representatives from America Coming Together and Kerry 2004 RI Headquarters will be in attendance.

Tickets are $25 per person or $40 per couple. Tickets will be sold the night of the performance or by calling (401) 841-9198. Proceeds will go toward transportation, room and board for Kerry volunteers traveling the last weekend before Election Day.

Dinner and lecture series: The International Yacht Restoration School and Newport's Cafe Zelda continue the Tuesday-night lecture series, "pairing good food and fellowship with an evening with a notable expert," Tuesday.

Tuesday's lecture, "My Uncle, Waldo Howland," will be presented by maritime historian Llewellyn Howland III, who will tell a tale of a man who had a profound impact on sailing -- and on his own life. Waldo Howland owned the Concordia Co. from 1932 to 1969 and -- together with C. Raymond Hunt -- created the design for a yawl that became a classic yacht legend. The first Concordia yawl, Java, was launched in 1939. By 1966, 102 sisterships had been built. All 103 Concordia yawls still exist today, and IYRS completed the restoration of Java in 2003. Llewellyn Howland will give his personal view of a man who made wooden-boat building and restoration his life's work.

On lecture nights, Cafe Zelda offers a special IYRS Lecture Series Menu from 6 to 7:15 p.m. Diners can then walk four blocks north to IYRS at 449 Thames St., where lectures begin at 7:30. Reservations are required to take advantage of Cafe Zelda's special menu, call (401) 849-4002. For information on this series, call IYRS, (401) 848-5777. Lectures are free for IYRS members, $7 for others.

PORTSMOUTH

Taste of Portsmouth: The Portsmouth Free Public Library will hold its fifth annual "Tasting in Portsmouth" tonight from 7 to 9 p.m. A variety of local restaurants, wineries and breweries will bring samples of a favorite or specialty item to showcase their establishment.

The library's ability to provide the variety of services and programs that have so benefited the citizens of Portsmouth continues to be dependent on the generosity of the Town of Portsmouth and its citizens, grant foundations, and the Portsmouth business community. Tickets are $10 per person with the proceeds going toward funding library services.

Open house: Aquidneck Place will hold an open house tomorrow from 1 to 4 p.m. The event will include a pumpkin painting contest and live entertainment. Refreshments reflecting the season will be served. For more information, call (401) 683-0725.

University Women host speaker: Anne DuBose Joslin, political analyst and author of Ambushed: Why George Herbert Walker Bush Really Lost in 1992, will speak to the Newport County-East Bay branch of the American Association of University Women Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Portsmouth Multi-Purpose Senior Center, 110 Bristol Ferry Rd.

Joslin's topic, "An Examination of Power: Campaign 2004," draws on the author's experience as a staff member at the George H.W. Bush Headquarters and as a member of his transition team. Her insight into political power strengthened as a White House appointee to the Commerce Department where she managed programs designed to promote U.S. computer and electronics exports. Joslin later served as director of the U.S. Advisory Committees on International Trade.

Currently, Joslin is speaking to groups who want to hear the untold story of the Bush dynasty. Joslin posits that unless people know what happened in the administration of the elder Bush, they can not understand what is happening today under the current president.

The event is free and open to the public. Call (401) 683-4168 or (401) 683-1950 for directions and information.

TIVERTON

Democrats to meet: The Tiverton Democratic Town Committee will meet Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at the Countryview Estates Community Center, Hurst Lane.

Pumpkin Walk: Children and adults are invited to submit a painted, carved or decorated pumpkin for the Essex Public Library's Pumpkin Walk to be held Oct. 26. Register to enter a pumpkin by calling Janet Taylor-Kosinski at (401) 625-6796, ext. 14, or visit Essex Public Library, 238 Highland Rd., Tiverton. Pumpkins may be delivered to the children's department on one day only, Oct. 25, from 10 to 8 p.m. Each pumpkin must have the name of its owner, phone number and age category printed and taped to the bottom. Categories are children ages 3 to 6, 7 to 12, 13 to 18 and adult, age 19 and older. Visitors to the pumpkin walk will judge the "best" in each category and prizes will be awarded. Those who would like their pumpkin illuminated must provide a flashlight or glow sticks: candles are not allowed.

Pumpkins will be on display Oct. 26 from 4 to 7 p.m. Winning pumpkins will be displayed at the library through Oct. 31. Those submitting pumpkins for this event may take them home after the winners are announced at 7 p.m. or they may pick them up in the children's department Oct. 27. Pumpkins not picked up will be donated to area nursing homes. In case of rain, the pumpkin walk will take place the following day, Oct. 27 from 5 to 7 p.m.

WARREN

School news: Our Lady of Fatima School, Market Street, will hold an open house Sunday from noon to 2:30 p.m. All are welcome.

The school's annual Holiday Fair will be held Nov. 7 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Parents of students are expected to help with the event.

Also, the school will administer an entrance exam Dec. 4 at 8 a.m.