Karla Kasdan, of Jamaica Plain, Mass., reaches for the flag as her team, Living Root, heads to the finish line on the Pawtucket River last September.

The Providence Journal / Gretchen Ertl

Register for free/reduced bus fares

Senior citizens and people with disabilities from southwestern Rhode Island may register for a no-fare or reduced-fare RIPTA bus identification card at Wood River Health Services, 823 Main St., Hope Valley (on Route 3 south of the village, just off Route 95 at Exit 2). The cards, valid for five years, cost $10.

Senior citizens must bring valid identification and proof of age. Individuals with disabilities must bring identification and proof that they are receiving a disability benefit, a disability certification letter from a government agency, or written verification from a health-care professional.

To get a No Fare Card, individuals need a Medicaid/Medical Assistance card or a letter from the Department of Elderly Affairs. (Letters can be obtained by bringing proof of income to the department’s offices at the Pastore Center in Cranston.)

Anyone requiring a personal-care attendant must bring certification. Qualified personal-care attendants ride free.

For more information about establishing eligibility, contact the health center’s Social Services Manager Cindy Gardner at (401) 539-2461, ext. 136.

Wanted: Teams for Dragon Boat Races

There’s still time to pull together a team of friends, fellow workers or social club members to compete in the annual Dragon Boat Races Aug. 29 in Pawtucket.

You need a group of 22 people — 20 to paddle, one to be the drummer and another to steer. Sponsors of the annual Taiwan Day Festival will provide your team with a dragon boat, paddles, drums and safety devices. Registration fee for a team is $700 and includes five one-hour practice sessions, T-shirts, hats, a tent and lunch.

Those not interested in boating may wish to sign up for the festival’s Chinese Dumpling-Eating contest. Participants are still needed to compete for the $200 prize. Registration fee is $10 per person and includes a T-shirt and hat.

Dragon Boat Race teams and Dumpling Eating contestants must register in advance by calling the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council at (401) 724-2200 or visiting www.dragonboatri.com.

The races and the cultural events, held in conjunction with the Pawtucket Arts Festival, will take place at Festival Pier, on School Street (Route 114 south). There will be arts and crafts, live entertainment and food.

Library to offer info on healthy relationships

To help raise awareness of healthy relationships and dating violence, the Domestic Violence Resource Center of South County has partnered with the Robert Beverly Hale Library and the Women’s Fund of Rhode Island to offer a display, information, fact sheets and pamphlets. There is age-appropriate material for children, teens and parents.

The free information will be available throughout the summer at the library, 2601 Commodore Perry Highway, Wakefield.

Doctor to speak on bladder issues

Dr. Deborah Myers, from Women & Infants’ Division of Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery, will discuss incontinence and other bladder issues affecting women on three occasions in the next few weeks. The first talk will be held Thursday in the Women and & Infants medical office building, 2168 Diamond Hill Rd., Woonsocket. She will also speak in East Greenwich on Aug. 4 at the medical office building at 1050 Main St., and on Aug. 11 in South Kingstown at the medical office building in South County Commons. Each talk will be at 7 p.m. She will explain the types and causes of incontinence and the most recent advances in treatment. To register, call (401) 276-7800, ext. 114, or e-mail jeckles@wihri.org.

Lecture to focus on family’s local ties

The Pettaquamscutt Historical Society and the Willow Dell Historical Association will present “The Hale Family: Connections to Worcester and Matunuck,” a lecture by James A. Welu, director of the Worcester Art Museum, at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 9 at the South Kingstown Land Trust Barn, Matunuck Beach Road. For more information, call (401) 783-1328 or visit Pettaquamscutt@yahoo.com.

— Compiled by Stephanie McKenna