Regional

West Side Master Plan celebration: The first celebration of the West Side Master Plan project will be held Friday at 10 a.m., rain or shine at the Weaver Cove Boat Launch Parking Lot, off Burma Road (Defense Highway) in Portsmouth. The event will dedicate the first two launch sites for the eventual 10-mile Blue Trail for kayaks and canoes in Narragansett Bay from Portsmouth to Newport.

Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy, Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Paiva Weed and many others will conduct the ribbon-cutting ceremony to dedicate the trail. The event is open to the public and kayaks are welcome. Those planning to attend are asked to call Tina Dolen in advance, 845-9299, or e-mail her at tina@aquidneckplanning.org.

Enrollment under way: Head Start is now enrolling children from infancy to kindergarten age throughout the East Bay of Rhode Island.

Program offerings include part-day programs at no cost to income-eligible children, full-day child care, healthy meals and snacks, social services, health and home-based programs, all with the goal of enhancing the cognitive, social and physical development of low-income, at-risk children, and preparing them to enter kindergarten ready to learn.

This Head Start is operated as part of East Bay Community Action Program. Head Start’s eight sites are in East Providence, Warren, Newport, Middletown, and Tiverton. For further information and enrollment, call toll free (877) 367-2008 or visit www.ebcap.org.

Barrington

In-Sight to meet: The Bristol County Chapter of In-Sight will meet tomorrow from 9:30 to 11 a.m. at the Barrington Senior Center, Town Hall, County Road. All blind, visually impaired and interested persons are welcome. For information, call Fred Rounds, 253-5577 or Al Finger, 253-7176.

Giant yard sale: St. James Lutheran Church, Middle Highway, will hold its 15th annual giant yard sale Sept. 6 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Space is available at $25 each for those who would like to sell any items. Tables can also be rented. For information on reserving a space, contact Norman Rousseau, 624-2038. Proceeds from the event will benefit the church’s seminary fund and operating budget.

Building closure: The Bayside Family YMCA will be closed Monday through Sept. 1 for pool maintenance, general cleaning and gym floor refinishing. New carpeting will be installed in the ladies locker room, the wellness center will be painted, rugs cleaned and new fans installed. For questions or additional information, call 245-2444.

Bristol

School hours changed: The Bristol Warren Regional School District has changed the hours of classes at the middle school and the high school.

The Kickemuit Middle School will start at 7:45 a.m. and dismissal will be at 2 p.m., with a late bus at 3. Mt. Hope High School will start at 8 a.m. with dismissal at 2:30 p.m., with a late bus at 3:30 p.m. The first day of classes for all schools in the district is Wednesday, Aug. 27.

Book sale continues: The Bristol Historical & Preservation Society, 48 Court St., continues its book sale today and Friday from 1 to 5 p.m. A wide selection of books, sorted by category, are available for purchase. Also available are items relating to Bristol. Tours of the society will also be given. Call 253-7223 for information.

Art Affair on the Fence: The First Congregational Church, High and Bradford streets, will exhibit original art and sculpture along its fence Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the first Art Affair on the Fence art sale. This is an open and nonjuried exhibit. All are welcome. The rain date is Aug. 30.

Play: The Mill River Players at Harborside Playhouse, 850 Hope St., will open its production of Are We There Yet? tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. Performances will be held Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. through Sept. 14. Tickets are $22.50 per person and reservations are recommended. For tickets and information, call 724-5658. Information is also available at www.millriverplayers.org.

Clambake: Mount Hope Farm, 250 Metacom Ave., will host a traditional clambake Sept. 1 from 2 to 5 p.m. at Cove Cabin. The menu will include salad, brown bread, steamed clams, mussels, drawn butter, corn on the cob, potato, chourico, barbecued chicken, 1¼ pound lobster and watermelon. Tickets are $75 per person for the clambake buffet with lobster, $60 per person for clambake buffet without lobster, $30 per person for children’s buffet. A cash bar will be available. For tickets and information, call Mount Hope Farm, 254-1745.

Sodality news: The Holy Rosary Sodality of St. Elizabeth’s Church will have their day trip to see The Producers at the Theatre By The Sea in Matunuck Aug. 28. Participants will meet at 10 a.m. in the parking lot at St. Elizabeth Church, Wood Street, to board a bus for the trip. The bus is expected to return around 6 p.m. For information on the trip, call Natalie Ferreira, 253-5149.

The Sodality will hold its first meeting of the fall on Sept. 8 at 7 p.m. in the parish auditorium. Any woman from St. Elizabeth Parish interested in joining the Sodality is asked to call Theresa Simmons, membership secretary, 253-5243. The group meets six times a year.

East Providence

PFLAG to meet: The August meeting of East Bay Chapter PFLAG South Central RI will be held tomorrow at 7 p.m. The meeting will be at Riverside Congregational Church, Bullocks Point at Oak avenues.

PFLAG (Parents, Families, and Friends of Gays and Lesbians) is a family-based education and support group that promotes the health and well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered persons, their friends and families.

For information, call the East Bay Chapter PFLAG South Central Rhode Island, 952-6720 or visit the church Web site www.rcc-ucc.com.

Middletown

Donations for children: BankNewport’s Middletown branch, 528 West Main Rd., Two Mile Corner, is hosting a “Kids Essentials” collection to benefit the children of Lucy’s Hearth in Middletown through Sept. 6.

Children’s pajamas, undergarments such as T-shirts, underwear and socks, as well as children’s toiletries including toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, sunscreen and bandages, are continually in demand. The bank’s branch is serving as a collection location for these items, which must be in their original packaging.

Donations can be dropped off during banking hours — Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon.

Lucy’s Hearth is a 24-hour emergency and transitional shelter for mothers and their children who are homeless due to economic hardship, family crisis, divorce, eviction, and severe shortage of safe, affordable housing.

Children’s play: The Newport Children’s Theatre will present Pollyanna tomorrow and Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 1 and 4 p.m. at the Norman Bird Sanctuary, 583 Third Beach Rd.

Those planning to attend are asked to bring chairs and blankets for seating. Picnics are welcome. Admission will be $10 for adults, $6 for children under 12. For information, call 848-0266.

Newport

Lecture series: The Museum of Yachting will continue its August lecture series tomorrow with “Cherokee: Building a Replica of a Famous 6 Metre Sailing Yacht,” by David Stimson. Lectures will begin at 7:30 p.m. and be held at the Museum of Yachting, Fort Adams (unless otherwise noted). Admission is $7 per person, or free for MOY and Fort Adams members. For information, call 847-1018.

Remaining lectures in the series are a gallery talk, “Homage to the Sea,” exhibition and cocktail reception, Aug. 28, 5 to 7 p.m., Wm. Vareika Fine Arts, 212 Bellevue Ave.; “Arthur Curtiss James: An Extraordinary Man, An Extraordinary Life,” by Jill Radel, Sept. 4; and “Fort Adams and the Maritime History of the Bay,” by Col. Ted Gatchel.

Portsmouth

Battle of Rhode Island ceremony: The Newport County NAACP will sponsor the observance of the 230th anniversary of the Battle of Rhode Island on Sunday at 3 p.m. in Patriots Park, at Routes 114 and 24. The observance recognizes the First Rhode Island Regiment, “The Black Regiment,” which was a contingent of slaves, freemen and Native Americans who stopped the advances of the Hessian forces on Aug. 29, 1778. This year’s featured speaker will be Charles C. Newton, chairman of the Rhode Island Black Heritage Society and administrator of the Minority Business Compliance Office in the Department of Administration.

There will be no parking at the site. Parking will be available at the Portsmouth Industrial Park on Hedly Street, off West Main Road. Shuttle buses will run every 15 minutes starting at 2 p.m. For more information, call Audrain Triplett, 847-5570.

Benefit sail: The Portsmouth Free Public Library Association will offer a two-hour sunset sail around Newport Harbor Sept. 18 from 5 to 7 p.m. aboard the wooden schooner Aurora. Tickets are $35 per person which includes a box lunch, wine, beer and soft drinks. All proceeds will benefit children’s services at the library. The schooner can accommodate up to 45 passengers so early ticket purchase is recommended. Tickets may be purchased at the library, 2658 East Main Rd.

Tiverton

Half-price sale: Trinity Trader Thrift Shop, 1956 Main Rd., is offering all merchandise at 50 cents per item starting tomorrow through Aug. 30. Hours are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursdays and Saturdays. All proceeds benefit Holy Trinity Church.

Donations sought: The Union Public Library Association is accepting donations of white elephant items for its sale to be held on Saturday and Sunday. For information, or to arrange for a drop-off time, call 624-6364.

Opening reception: The Four Corners Arts Center will hold open its third annual photography exhibit and sale tomorrow with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. at The Meeting House, 3850 Main Rd., Tiverton Four Corners. The exhibit will feature over 130 photographs submitted by area photographers. Prizes will be awarded to the best three photographs by a jury of three photographers and two artists. The exhibit will remain open through Aug. 26 from noon to 5 p.m. For information, visit www.fourcornersarts.org.