East Bay

01:00 AM EDT on Thursday, April 14, 2005

REGIONAL

Math tutor: Child & Family Services is looking for one or two volunteers who can help a boy and a girl in the residential program who are having trouble with Algebra I. They have both requested help and the staff will be available for the necessary support. If you are interested and have any availability weekdays after school, call the volunteer office at (401) 848-4210.

Chicken to visit: During school vacation week, the Jamestown Philomenian Library children's department will host a visit with a live Dominique chicken and its handler, George Christie, from historic Casey Farm in Saunderstown. The chicken will be at the library Wednesday from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. and Christie will showcase eggs and feathers and will read a chapter of the Newbery Award-winning book, Thimble Summer, by Elizabeth Enright. This free program is geared toward second through fifth grade.

Memorial fund: Rhode Island students who are at least 45 years of age may be eligible for a scholarship from the Lily and Catello Sorrentino Memorial Fund. Established at The Rhode Island Foundation in 1978 by the Sorrentinos' children, Mary Ann and the late Luigi, the fund encourages older students to return to undergraduate school.

Applicants must attend a nonarochial college or university in Rhode Island, on either a full- or part-time basis, and must demonstrate financial need. Scholarships generally range from $350 to $1,000. The application deadline is May 13.

Last year, the Sorrentino Fund awarded two scholarships and a total of $1,500. Recipients were Christie Jeffries of Greene, a single mother of three grown children and a nursing student at the University of Rhode Island, and James Cooke of Chepachet, a student at Rhode Island School of Design, after many years working in the excavating and landscaping business.

For more information and an application, visit The Rhode Island Foundation Web site at www.rifoundation.org or send a self-addressed envelope to: Libby Monahan, program assistant, The Rhode Island Foundation, One Union Station, Providence 02903, indicating the scholarship for which you wish to apply. A full list of scholarships offered through the foundation is available at the Web site.

Health Fair: A Community Baby Shower and Health Fair will be held April 30 from 10 a.m. to noon at the East Bay Community Action Program's Head Start/Early Head Start and Childcare building, 8 John H. Chafee Blvd., Newport. The shower is dedicated to raising awareness of services available to pregnant women. The event is free and open to the public. There will be booths from area service providers as well as drawings for prizes and refreshments. The event is a joint effort by Child & Family Services, East Bay Community Action Program, Newport Hospital, Visiting Nurse Services and Women to Women. For more information, call (401) 367-2001, ext. 282.

BARRINGTON

Community School courses: Barrington Community School will offer a five-week golf clinic, designed for beginners as well as those with some experience, beginning April 25. The clinic will be conducted by former Brown University golf coach, Chris Humm, and will meet Mondays from 6:45 to 7:45 p.m. at Barrington Middle School.

One-session classes offered include "Your House Signals Who You Are," with Richard Tyre, April 29, 10 a.m. to noon at St. John's Church. In this class, students will learn how their homes say a good deal about their goals, ambitions, and personalities. The fee is $15 for Barrington residents and $20 for nonresidents.

American Rose Society consulting rosarian and judge, Mike Chute, offers "Everything's Coming Up Roses" April 30 from 10 a.m. to noon at Barrington Middle School. This hands-on workshop will include planting, pruning and fertilizing, as well as several roses that are particularly suitable for the Rhode Island garden, as well as good sources for purchasing them. The course fee is $25 Barrington residents and $30 nonresidents.

For more information, call the BCS office (401) 245-0432, weekday mornings, or visit the Web site, www.barrcommschool.com.

Garden Club to meet: At the next meeting of the Barrington Garden Club, guest speaker Bill Graham, one of New England's leading floral design professionals, will speak. The meeting will be held Tuesday at the Barrington Public Library auditorium, beginning with a social and refreshments at 12:30 p.m. Graham's presentation will follow a brief meeting at 1 p.m.

Guests are welcome. Admission for nonmembers is $5 each. The meeting will also include a drawing for Graham's works of art following his program.

BRISTOL

Local baseball competition: The Bristol Department of Parks and Recreation held a Pepsi Major League Baseball Pitch, Hit and Run competition April 1 at the Bristol Sports Complex at Town Beach. There were seven competitors who qualified to advance to the state finals June 4 at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket. Representing Bristol at McCoy Stadium in the 7- to 8-year-old age group were Joshua Lee and Michael DeCosta. In the 9- to 10-year-old age group were Devin Mendoza, Cody Stanzione and Justin Sampson. For 11- to 12-year-olds, there was Steven Vaccaro and for the 13- to 14-year-olds, Michael Acciardo.

State All-Around Champions may become eligible to qualify for the Sectional Team Championship, to be held at Fenway Park in Boston. Winners at Fenway Park may advance to the National Finals held at the Major League All-Star Game in Detroit, Mich.

Museum open: The Bristol Historical & Preservation Society, 48 Court St., will be open from 1 to 5 p.m. each day during school spring vacation week, Monday through Friday. Visitors can explore the former Bristol County Gaol (1828-1859), later the Bristol Town Jail (1859-1957) and view the museum's exhibits, which cover the 324-plus year history of Bristol.

Memberships are available to all interested. For more information, call the society, (401) 253-7223. The society is open each Wednesday and Friday afternoon from 1 to 5 p.m. and the first Sunday of each month from 2 to 5 p.m.

Patriot Act presentation: A program, "The Patriot Act: Watching What You Read," will be presented by M. Lesley Wilkins Sunday at 2 p.m. at St. Michael's Parish Hall, Hope Street. Wilkins, the first bibliographer for law of the Islamic world at Harvard Law School, has spent many years living and working as a librarian in the Middle East.

The event, which is free, is sponsored by East Bay Citizens for Peace.

Young actors workshop: The Bristol Department of Parks and Recreation in collaboration with Trinity Repertory Company will offer a young actors stage combat workshop for seventh through twelfth graders during school vacation week. The workshop will be held April 21 from 1 to 2:30 p.m. in the Oz Cafe at the Bristol Community Center, Thames Street. There is no charge for this class, however, advance registration is required. Call 401-(401) 253-7000, ext. 149, or (401) 253-9620.

Garden Club news: The Bayberry Garden Club will hold its annual potluck supper Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the Bristol Highlands Community Center. The program will include a slide presentation of members' summer floral arrangements at Rogers Free Library. Those planning to attend must bring their own table setting, item for the drawing and ballot.

In other news, a spring workshop, "Still Life with Fabric: Different (brush) Strokes for Different Folks," will be held Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Bristol Highlands Community Center. Members will design centerpieces for the potluck supper.

LITTLE COMPTON

Church offerings: St. Andrew's By the Sea, Willow Avenue, offers weekly Bible study meetings, Holy Eucharist and healing services, silent meditation, prayer for peace gatherings and a book study group. Sunday services are held at 9 a.m. For more information, call the church at (401) 635-2452.

MIDDLETOWN

Donation received: Citizens Bank of Rhode Island and NBC 10 recently named Norman Bird Sanctuary in Middletown as its 2005 second quarter Community Champion in the environment category. As part of the award, the sanctuary will receive a $25,000 grant, media coverage and extensive promotional and volunteer support for its outstanding work in the environment category.

Norman Bird Sanctuary was chosen as Citizens' and NBC 10's eleventh Community Champion for protecting the diversity of native plant and animal habitats through environmental education programs and for being a strong advocate for the preservation of open space.

NEWPORT

Online crime: A cybercrime expert who trains law enforcement and security personnel has been invited by Salve Regina students to talk about online stalking and related computer crimes. Jayne Hitchcock, an author of seven books who appears regularly on national television and radio programs on the topic of Internet crime, will present "Virtual Villains: Tools You Can Use" Monday at 7 p.m. in the Bazarsky Lecture Hall, located in the O'Hare Academic Center.

Hitchcock's appearance, which is free, is being sponsored by Salve Regina's Administration of Justice Club and the university's safety and security office.

Task force to meet: The Newport Substance Abuse Prevention Task Force will meet April 25 at 2:30 p.m. in the Community Room at the Newport Police Department, 120 Broadway. The public is welcome.

Neighbors to meet: The Lower Thames Street Neighborhood Association will sponsor a talk by Catherine Zipf, "Between the Golden Age and the Gilded Age: The Southern Thames Street Neighborhood of Newport," April 21 at 7 p.m. in the program room at Newport Public Library, Spring Street. Zipf will provide an update on the National Historic Register nomination for the area and will provide booklets describing the work. Finally, association renewal memberships will also be available. For more information, call (401) 846-2246.

Lecture series: The Touro Synagogue Foundation will conclude its "Journey to Freedom" lecture series Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Colony House, Washington Square, with "Newport and Charleston: Early Connections," by Joseph Opala.

Opala is an American anthropologist who lived in the African nation of Sierra Leone for 17 years. He is known for his research on the "Gullah Connection," the long historical thread that links Africans in Sierra Leone and other parts of the "Rice Coast" of West Africa to the Gullah people in coastal South Carolina and Georgia.

The lecture series, which is held in partnership with Salve Regina University, the Newport Historical Society and the Newport County Chamber of Commerce, is part of the Synagogue Foundation's celebration of 350 years of Jewish life in America.

All lectures are free. This program is supported by the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. For more information, call (401) 847-4794, ext. 14, or e-mail infoATtourosynagogue.org.

Shoe exhibit: Newport Historical Society's Museum of Newport History will open an exhibit May 5 featuring a local look into women's pursuit of fashion in the 18th century.

"On The Heels of Fashion: 18th Century Women's Shoes From the Collections of the Newport Historical Society," features highlights from the society's rarely displayed costume collection. Shoes, slippers and clogs reveal how Newport women strove to keep up with the latest English and French fashions. In spite of war and trade restrictions, wealthy Newport women -- assisted by shoe importers and shoe makers -- kept "on the heels" of ever-changing transatlantic trends.

The exhibit is part of broader changes to the society's Museum of Newport History in the historic Brick Market (1762) at 127 Thames St. Changing exhibits, a larger ticket sales area, and increased retail offerings on the building's ground floor will create a more inviting museum entrance and create an orientation center for Newport history.

This exhibit of 18th-century footwear complements other costume exhibits opening in Newport this spring: an exhibit of 19th-century costume at the Preservation Society of Newport County and an exhibit of 20th-century costume at the Newport Restoration Foundation.

From May 5 through June 12, the Museum of Newport History will be open Thursday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m. From June 15 through Sept. 5, the museum will be open daily, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Admission is $4 for adults, $2 for children older than 5, free to Newport Historical Society members. A Discover Colonial Newport Pass ($24 per person), offered in partnership with the Newport Restoration Foundation and the Touro Synagogue Foundation, includes one admission to the museum along with one walking tour, one historic site tour, and one More Than Mansions slide show ($39 value). For more information, call the Museum of Newport History at (401) 841-8770 or visit www.newporthistorical.org or www.newporthistorytours.org.

Garden workshop: Newport In Bloom will host a garden workshop April 27 at 7 p.m. at the Newport Lodge of Elks, Pelham Street. An informative hands- on demonstration on the art of container gardening will be presented. Garden containers will be given away in a drawing at the end of the program.

Newport In Bloom is a nonprofit organization that provides the hanging baskets on Bellevue Avenue. Donations to help the organization continue its long standing tradition to beautify Newport are greatly appreciated and may be send to "Newport in Bloom," c/o Joanne Merchant, 211 Eustis Ave., Newport, 02840. For more information, call (401) 847-8577.

PORTSMOUTH

Talk on dieting: Herbert Curtis Jr., D.C., of the Family Chiropractic Clinic will be the featured speaker at Portsmouth Free Public Library, 2658 East Main Rd., on April 21, at 7 p.m. Five secrets to permanent weight loss will be the focus of his presentation. Based on the best-selling books Sugar Busters and The Zone Diet, Curtis will discuss why diets don't work, why eating fat doesn't make you fat, what hormone is out of control in the body, how to reduce chances of breast cancer by 70 percent and how to regain energy.

This program is free. Additional parking is available at BankNewport. Call the library at (401) 683-9457 or stop by to register.

TIVERTON

Calling all artists: During July and August, members of the Friends of the Arts in Tiverton will show their artwork at the Tiverton Town Hall. The friends recently mailed out renewal forms for membership, and will send a membership form to anyone who wishes to join the organization. The Tiverton Arts Council sponsors this summer show for members of the group. For more information concerning the exhibition, contact Barbara Humphrey, (401) 624-4270 or by e-mail at bach957ATyahoo.com.

Friends of the Arts is a nonprofit organization incorporated in 2002. During the past year, the group has contributed to the Tiverton Library's Summer Arts Program for Teens, and has provided funds for the ArtsExpress Program at Pocasset Elementary School. It welcomes new members and volunteers as it strives to build community through arts.

WARREN

Autism awareness fundraiser: In recognition of Autism Awarness Month, Frerichs Farm, 43 Kinnicutt Ave., will donate a percentage of the sales from its greenhouses and gift shop to The Autism Project of Rhode Island. In addition, the farm will be selling "autism awareness" pins, bracelets and car magnets, with all proceeds from these items also benefiting the same organization. For more information on this fundraiser, call Barbara Frerichs, (401) 245-8245 or, for information on autisum, visit www.theautismproject.org.