East Bay

01:00 AM EST on Tuesday, November 8, 2005

REGIONAL

Donations for gift baskets: East Bay Community Action Program will provide Thanksgiving Baskets for over 100 families.

EBCAP staff from RSVP (Retired Senior Volunteer Program) and the Development/Public Relations department will join to prepare the gift baskets for needy families in the upper East Bay served by the agency. Citizens Bank is assisting in helping area families by also providing food baskets to be distributed by EBCAP. Also taking part is Riverside Congregational Church, where food baskets will be prepared.

Area residents can share in the joy of helping others by sending monetary donations and/or gift cards from local food stores to: Audrey Field, East Bay Community Action Program, 100 Bullocks Point Ave., East Providence, 02915.

Annual meeting: The Episcopal Church Women of the Diocese of Rhode Island will hold their annual meeting Saturday at St. Mary's Episcopal Church, 324 East Main Rd., Portsmouth. Registration and coffee will be at 10 a.m. with the meeting at 10:30 and the Eucharist at 11:30 with Bishop Geralyn Wolf as the celebrant.

The Rev. David Ames will be the speaker. His topic will be: "Medical Ethics: An Episcopal View." A catered luncheon will follow. Those planning to attend are asked to call Joanne Dunlap, (401) 847-7951 to make reservations.

BARRINGTON

Blood drive: St. John's Episcopal Church, County Road, will hold a blood drive today from 2:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Donors must be at least age 17 and weigh at least 110; no upper age limit; diabetes and high blood pressure may prevent one from donating; piercings and tattoos do not prevent one from donating; most medications are acceptable; and donors should eat and stay well hydrated before donating. For more information, visit ribc.org or call (800) 283-8385.

Seniors meet: The next St. Luke's Young-At-Heart meeting will be held tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. in the church, 108 Washington Rd. A Mass will be said for the deceased members, followed by lunch in the church hall. There will be a brief business meeting, followed by a meeting with the St. Luke School seventh grade for the adoptive grandparent program. Participants are asked to bring a nonperishable food item for Thanksgiving baskets.

Trip to Museum of Art: The largest art collection in the western hemisphere, New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, is the destination of a Barrington Community School trip scheduled for Dec. 7. On arrival, the special exhibition, "Fra Angelico" will be viewed with BCS lecturer Richard Tyre. This first major exhibition of Fra Angelico's work since the quincentenary exhibition of 1955 in Florence -- and the first ever in this country -- will reunite approximately 75 paintings, drawings, and manuscript illuminations covering all periods of the artist's career, from about 1415 to 1455. Included will be several new attributions and paintings never before exhibited publicly, as well as numerous reconstructions of dispersed complexes, some reunited for the first time. An additional 45 works by Angelico's assistants and closest followers will illustrate the spread and continuity of his influence into the second half of the 15th century. Although intended as a field trip for the three-session course, "Fra Angelico," the trip is also open to interested individuals. The course will meet Nov. 16 and 30 and Dec. 14 from 10 a.m. to noon at St. John's Church, 191 County Rd.

Barrington departure will be at 7 a.m., followed by a Warwick pickup at 7:20; return will be around 8:30 p.m. The trip fee of $60 includes museum admission, Tyre's lecture on the motorcoach and guided tour of the "Fra Angelico" exhibition, BCS escort, motorcoach transportation, fuel surcharge and driver tip. The combined fee for those electing to take both the 3-session course and the trip is $100.

For more information on BCS courses and trips, call the office, weekday mornings, e-mail to barrcomm001AT cs.com or visit barrcommschool.com.

BRISTOL

Blood drive: Seabra Supermarket, 1150 Hope St., will hold a blood drive Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Donors must be at least age 17 and weigh at least 110; no upper age limit; diabetes and high blood pressure may prevent one from donating; piercings and tattoos do not prevent one from donating; most medications are acceptable; and donors should eat and stay well hydrated before donating. For more information visit ribc.org or call (800) 283-8385.

Bingo: Benjamin Church Manor will hold its bingo Nov. 14 at 1:30 p.m. in the Community Room. The doors will open at noon. This change is being made because many players are having trouble driving at night. It is hoped that the change of time will attract more residents.

Play: Roger Williams University's theater department will present The Laramie Project, the tragic story of Matthew Shepard, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and again Nov. 17, 18 and 19, also at 8 p.m. in the university's Performing Arts Center on the Bristol campus at One Old Ferry Road.

The Laramie Project, by Moises Kaufman, is the chronicling of the life and murder of 21-year-old gay college student Matthew Shepard. It will be the second Main Season Series Play this fall at the university.

Tickets for the performances are $10 for general admission and $5 for students and seniors citizens. For more information or tickets, call (401) 254-3666.

Fundraising efforts for concert: The Many Moods of Christmas concert committee has begun its campaign to raise funds for its 25th annual concert to be held Dec. 3 at 7 p.m., and Dec. 4 at 3 p.m., at St. Mary's Church, Wood Street. According to director Joan Doyle Roth, the group would rather solicit funds to help pay for this concert than raise the ticket price.

The Bristol County Interfaith Choir and Roger Williams University Chorus have performed this concert since 1981 and take pride in the fact that families can enjoy this local tradition. Fortunately there are persons in the area who in the past have expressed a willingness to support the concert. Anyone wishing to make a donation to the concert may send a check made out to Many Moods of Christmas, Box 928, Bristol, 02809. A donation of $45 entitles the donor to two tickets to any one concert.

Tickets for the concert are $10 and are now available at Paper, Packaging and Panache, Hope Street and the George Haile Library, Main Street, Warren or from members of Bristol County Interfaith Choir. For further information, call Roth, (401) 253-8106 or Pat Peirce, (401) 253-6978.

LITTLE COMPTON

Grange news: The Little Compton Grange will participate in the annual Ben Wilkie Tree Spree, Dec. 4, and it will also offer a $500 scholarship to a 2006 graduate of any high school who is a Little Compton resident or a member of the Little Compton Grange. The grange is still collecting can tabs, Campbell labels, used postage stamps, used eyeglasses and General Mills box tops for education.

The next meeting will be held Nov. 15 with a potluck supper at 6:30 p.m. followed by the meeting at 7:30. Dues may be made at that time. The meeting will include an agricultural program.

MIDDLETOWN

Birdwalks: The Norman Bird Sanctuary, 583 Third Beach Rd., will offer a Sunday morning birdwalk Sunday. All walks begin at 8 a.m. and are free and open to all. Those planning to attend should dress for the weather and for hiking on rough terrain. Participants should bring along binoculars and meet in the Sanctuary's parking lot at 8 a.m. The walks, which are free, usually last a couple of hours. Call the sanctuary, (401) 846-2577 for information.

Healing service: St. Lucy Church, 909 West Main Rd., will hold a healing service with Mass Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. The Mass will be celebrated by LaSalette missionary Father Andre Patenaude, well known for his unique music ministry. Father Pat communicates the Gospel message through his music that calms the spirit and touches one's soul. After Mass, individual anointing will be available. For more information, call (401) 849-9764.

NEWPORT

Girls basketball league: The Newport Recreation Department has formed a new Girls Elementary School Basketball League for girls in grades four and five. This league is being offered to help reduce the impact of the former elementary school program, which was cut in this year's school budget.

All games will be played Saturdays at the Martin Recreation Center in Newport, "The Hut." Teams will be based on the school the player is currently attending. If there are not enough girls from one school to form a team, then two schools will be combined.

Information and registration forms are available at the Newport elementary schools or by calling the Newport Recreation Department at (401) 847-6875. All abilities are welcome, as this league will focus on player development, sportsmanship, teamwork and equal play. To volunteer to help, call Ray Fullerton, (401) 845-5810.

Open house: St. Michael's Country Day School, 180 Rhode Island Ave., will hold an admission open house Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Interested parents are encouraged to drop in at any time during the day to meet the Head of School, talk with parents and faculty, tour the campus, and sit in on classes. St. Michael's parents, faculty and staff will be on hand to give tours, so there will be ample opportunity for visitors to get a sense of what the St. Michael's experience is all about.

Founded in 1938, St. Michael's is an independent, nondenominational, coeducational school for children from preschool through grade eight. To find out more about the open house, call Charles Laurent, director of admission, (401) 849-5970, ext. 302, or e-mail him at claurentAT smcds.org. To find out more about St. Michael's Country Day School, interested parents are also encouraged to visit the school via the Web site at stmichaelscountryday.org.

Theater presentation: Firehouse Theater, 4 Equality Park Place, will present Not About Heroes, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. This is a story of two Word War I British army officers who fight the senselessness of war through poetry. All seats are $20. Those who mention where they read about this production will receive $5 off up to five seats when making their reservation. For information, call (401) 849-3473.

Exhibits to open: Saturday, the Newport Art Museum, 76 Bellevue Ave., will host a reception for four diverse exhibitions from 5 to 7 p.m.

"Picturing the Page: A Legacy of Artist-Illustrators" contains works drawn from the museum's collection as well as loans from several lenders. Illustrations by Winslow Homer, John La Farge and Charles Dana Gibson are complemented by works by artists active today such as Rhode Islanders David Macaulay and Mary Jane Begin. This exhibit can be seen in the museum's Cushing Memorial Building.

Gabriel Warren, whose "Polar Illuminations" sculptures can be seen in the intimate Wright Gallery in the museum's historic Griswold House, bases his work on his experiences in the Arctic and Antarctic. A self-titled landscape sculptor, Warren creates works that derive from the spare, beautiful forms of the snow and ice of the earth's polar regions.

In Griswold House's large Ilgenfritz Gallery, Elizabeth Keithline's "Lost House Project" evokes home, a dwelling place and loss. "Ourchitecture," a companion exhibition of houses embellished by a number of contemporary artists, can be seen in Griswold House's upstairs Studio Gallery.

All four exhibitions can be seen through the winter holiday season; they will close in January and February.

Taste of Newport: Child & Family Services will hold its 22nd annual Taste of Newport benefit dinner and auction Sunday from 5:30 to 10 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Goat Island.

Businesses and individuals rally every year to donate items for the live and silent auctions as well as prizes for the drawing. Among the items in the auction is a sculpture by Kay Worden; a private tour and lunch at Vernon Court with Laurence and Judy Cutler, founders of The National Museum of American Illustration; and a cocktail reception for up to 50 people at Beacon Rock, a landmark estate overlooking Newport Harbor with food catered by Fine Catering by Russell Morin, bartending services by the Pour People, music by Steve Travis and floral design by Snapdragons.

Tickets are $100 per person, or $1,750 to be a Corporate Table Sponsor. Last year's event raised over $142,000 for CFS. To purchase tickets, call CFS at (401) 849-2300 or visit cfsnewport.org. To donate, volunteer or become a Corporate Table Sponsor, contact CFS's Development Office at (401) 848-4101.

Benefit for Habitat for Humanity: The Hyatt Regency and the Newport County Board of Realtors will host a benefit evening for Habitat for Humanity, Gulf Coast, Nov. 21 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Goat Island. The event, which will celebrate the Spirit of New Orleans, will include food, music and dancing.

Food will be donated by Regency Caters by Hyatt, Blackstone Caterers, Fine Catering by Russell Morin and Plantation Catering. Dance music will be provided by Newport Musicians Association Local 529. Local sponsors include Linear Title & Closing, Chase Home Loans and BankNewport. Proceeds from a silent auction which will take place this evening will also benefit Habitat for Humanity, Gulf Coast.

Tickets are $50 per person with 100 percent of the proceeds going to Habitat for Humanity. For more information and tickets, contact Sandy O'Brien, (401) 367-0814, or e-mail MOBrien323AT aol.com.

Holiday auction and cocktail party: The Rose Island Lighthouse Foundation will hold its annual holiday auction and cocktail party Dec. 2 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Goat Island. Those attending can do their holiday gift shopping at the silent auction, dance to the lively holiday sounds of the Parallel String Band and support the work of the Rose Island Lighthouse Foundation. The event will include holiday cookies, plentiful hors d'oeuvres and cash bar.

Advance tickets are $25 (purchase by Nov. 30 for express bidding/checkout service), $35 at the door. For information, call (401) 847-4242 or visit RoseIslandLighthouse.org.

PORTSMOUTH

Talk on learning disabilities: Richard Solomon, a licensed clinical psychologist and a certified school psychologist, will speak on "Technology and Our Kids: What are the effects on our children's lives, what should parents do?" tomorrow from 7 to 8 p.m. at The Pennfield School, Little Slocum Farm, Sandy Point Avenue.

Solomon's research and clinical interests include the neuropsychological assessment and clinical treatment of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Learning Disabilities (LD) and Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD). He is a frequent presenter at local and national conferences regarding family systems. He is the president/clinical director of Delta Consultants, a multi-disciplinary practice in Providence, offering diagnostic and intervention/counseling services to children, adolescents, adults and families in psychology, education, speech and language and social work.

The program is cohosted by The Pennfield School PSA, St. Michael's Country Day School and the Rhode Island branch of the International Dyslexia Association. The talk is free and open to all. Advance registration is suggested. Call (401) 849-4646. Childcare will be provided.

Osteoporosis workshop: An osteoporosis workshop will be held Thursday at 2 p.m. at Aquidneck Place, 125 Quaker Hill Lane. The workshop will be led by registered nurse Marcy Couitt. She has been providing outreach and health education through the Visiting Nurse Association for 15 years.

A noon luncheon will precede this workshop. Seating is limited and reservations are required by calling (401) 683-0725.

TIVERTON

America Recycles Day: The Tiverton Recycling Committee will celebrate America Recycles Day Saturday. Committee members will be at the following locations to meet with residents: Grand Central Market, Main Road, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Tiverton High School, North Brayton Road, 10:30 a.m. to noon; Citizens Union Savings Bank at Bliss Corners, 9 a.m. to noon; and at the Tiverton Landfill, 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. For more information, send an e-mail to recyclingAT tiverton.ri.gov.

WARREN

Annual turkey roll: St. Jean Baptiste Church, Main Street, will hold its annual turkey roll Nov. 13 from 1 to 5 p.m. Prizes in the drawing include $250, first prize; $100 second prize; $75 third prize; $50 fourth prize and $25 fifth prize. Tickets are $1 each or $5 for six tickets. Tickets can be purchased at the church, 328 Main St.