Regional

Friends of the Poor Walk: The Society of St. Vincent de Paul will hold its first nationwide Friends of the Poor Walk Saturday beginning at 10 a.m. in Colt State Park, Bristol. All are welcome to participate. Pledges made on behalf of registered walkers at Colt State Park will benefit those most in need in the local community. To register as a walker or to pledge support for a walker, call the St. Brendan Parish Conference, (401) 301-6307 and leave a message. For more information, log on to www.svdpfriendsofthepoorwalk.org.

Ham and bean supper: The Acoaxet Chapel, Howland Road, Westport, will host an old fashioned ham and bean supper Saturday at 5:30 p.m. The menu will include brown bread, coleslaw, potato salad, coffee, cold beverages and dessert. Tickets are $8 each. For reservations and information, call Myron Simmons, (401) 635-4857.

Auditions for ballet: Rhode Island’s ballet theatre, a nonprofit classical ballet company training young dancers for the stage, will audition local dancers Saturday at 4:30 p.m. Auditions are open to all classically trained dancers ages 9 to 18. Interested dancers should call (401) 847-5301 to register. The company welcomes dancers from all ballet schools and requires company members to continue training at their current school. Visit www.riballet.org for information.

Rhode Island’s ballet theatre produces its own shows and appears as guest artist in other productions throughout southern New England. The company also holds regular Master Classes with leading dancers and choreographers and underwrites tickets to professional ballet productions for company dancers such as New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Boston Ballet and others.

The 2008 audition will be held at the studios of Rhode Island Ballet Arts Academy, 7728 Post Rd., North Kingstown.

Barrington

Course on Emily Dickinson: The Barrington Community School will offer a course on Emily Dickinson along with a field trip to Amherst for a guided tour of the Dickinson Homestead, The Evergreens and the Dickinson family grave.

While traditional views of Emily Dickinson portray her as an innocent young woman, the truth is that she fell in love consistently and her poetry reflects that. Her poetry has always been elusive, but by the end of this courseexactly what she was saying and what was in her heart will become apparent.

Classes will meet from 10 a.m. to noon at St. John’s Church, County Road, Sept. 26, Oct. 3 and 17 and the field trip will be held Oct. 24.

For information about BCS courses and trips, consult the fall brochure, additional copies of which are available at area businesses and libraries, call the office weekday mornings, (401) 245-0432 or visit www.barrcommschool.com.

Benefit duck race: The 16th annual swimming of the ducks in Barrington Education Foundation’s Rubber Ducky Day and Race will be held Saturday, rain or shine. The ducks will make their appointed rounds from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Barrington Town Hall and Woods Pond, with a DJ, refreshments, balloons, tattoos and lots of family fun. The race begins at 3 p.m. Race tickets are available via backpack notices or on location the day of the race. All proceeds from the sale of $10 tickets (six tickets for $50) go to BEF programs and grant opportunities.

All community members are encouraged to purchase tickets to adopt a duck in the race. Based on the finishing placement of the sponsored ducks, winning ticket holders could be awarded $1,500 (first prize), $500 (second prize), or a Wii Console with Wii Fit as well as many more great prizes. To learn more about Barrington Education Foundation, visit the Web site at www.barringtoneducation.org.

Korean War talk: Retired Navy Capt. Thomas J. Hudner Jr. will present The Korean War and the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir as Seen by a Quonset-based Naval Aviator tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. at Barrington Public Library, County Road.

On December 4, 1950, fighter pilot Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Thomas J. Hudner crash-landed his plane in an attempt to rescue Ensign Jesse L. Brown, who had been shot down during the battle at the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea, and received the Medal of Honor for his heroic act. Nearly six decades later, Captain Hudner will speak about his experience as a pilot at the Naval Air Station at Quonset Point on the aircraft carrier Leyte — describing carrier operations, the location and conditions of the fighting, the tragic loss of Ensign Brown, and the significance of U.S. involvement in the Korean War.

This program is free and open to all.

Bristol

Benefit bike-a-thon: Bike enthusiasts of all ages and abilities are encouraged to join the Friends of the Bristol Animal Shelter Bike-A-Thon Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m. at Colt State Park, Hope Street. The fee to register individual participants is $10; $25 for families. All child participants (12 and under) will receive a free T-shirt.

The event will feature entertainment and refreshments, along with a short bike loop well suited for family riders. The Bristol Police Department will also offer bike safety and child fingerprinting stations.

The purpose is to inform people about the goals of the Friends group, to encourage volunteerism at the shelter and to educate the public about the impact of the upcoming referendum.

On Nov. 4, residents of Bristol will have the opportunity to support a bond issue to build a new 9,000-square-foot municipal shelter on donated land off San Francisco Avenue. The new, green building would replace the town’s current shelter, which supporters say has no parking, is too small to accommodate current demand from animals and volunteers, and is situated in a spot where it can’t be expanded.

The new home of the Bristol Animal Shelter would be a user-friendly building constructed in two phases. The first phase would be an essential 9,000-square-foot center financed with a $2-million bond from the Town of Bristol with a reception area, safe housing for animals, a quarantine room and a humane education center. The shelter would also be earmarked as a Federal Emergency Management Agency site; in the event of a disaster, facilities and resources would be available to care for displaced animals.

For more information about the bike-a-thon or the proposed animal shelter, call (401) 457-8581 or visit www.friendsofthebristolanimalshelter.org.

East Providence

Talk on trip to China: The Riverside Branch Library, 475 Bullocks Pt. Ave., will present a talk by Riverside resident and Northeastern University student Lee Tirrell today at 3:30 p.m. Entitled “Eyes on China,” the talk will focus on Tirrell’s recent six-week trip to China, including a presentation on the modern history of China, his experiences traveling in China and the recent summer Olympics games. His presentation will include a slide show of his trip.

This program is free and open to all. For more information, call Meredith Bonds-Harmon, (401) 433-4877.

Retirees to meet: AARP Chapter 1302 will hold its first meeting of the 2008-09 year tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. at the Riverside Congregational Church, 15 Oak Ave. The featured speaker will be Community College of Rhode Island Prof. Roberta Humbel, who will speak on the history of Rhode Island. Refreshments will be served. Members are asked to bring nonperishable food items for the East Providence Food Bank. New members are welcome.

Beginner computer class: A beginner computer class is being offered at the East Providence Senior Center. The class will be held in the morning. For more information and to register, contact the senior center, (401) 435-7875.

Speaking of Kids lecture series: Bradley Hospital and Hasbro Children’s Hospital will kick off the fall Speaking of Kids lecture series with “Sticks and Stones: A Look at Bullying,” Thursday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in Ruggles Gymnasium, Bradley Hospital, 1011 Veterans Memorial Parkway. The talk will be presented by Retired Providence Police Lt. John Reis as part of the Partnership to Address Violence Through Education.

The goal of Speaking of Kids is to provide parents and caregivers with tools that can help them raise happy, healthy children. Each workshop allows time for audience questions.

Speaking of Kids programs are free and open to the public. All programs are handicapped accessible. To register, call the Lifespan Health Connection at (401) 444-4800 or 1-800-927-1230. For more information, visit www.Lifespan.org.

Little Compton

Fall Story Time schedule: Brownell Library, the Commons, will begin fall story times in October. Toddler story time, for children 18 to 36 months, will be held Tuesdays at 11 a.m. from Oct. 7 to Nov. 4. Preschool story time, for children 3 to 5 years old, will be held Thursdays at 11 a.m. from Oct. 2 through Nov. 6. After-school story hour, for fourth grade students, will be on Mondays from 3 to 4 p.m. from Oct. 20 through Nov. 17. Registration is required for all programs. For information and to register, stop by the library or call (401) 635-8562.

Middletown

A day on the farm: “Windmill Tours and Johnnycake Demonstrations” will be held at Prescott Farm, West Main Road, Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The cost is $5 per person, with a $15 maximum fee for a family. Participants will take a tour of the 1812 Sherman windmill to learn about this fascinating machine and about the process and importance of grist milling in Aquidneck Island’s past. Also, sample johnnycakes made from authentic Rhode Island white cap flint corn ground in Rhode Island’s old grist mills. (For safety reasons the windmill will not be in operation.)

Prescott Farm is owned by the Newport Restoration Foundation. The farm features several historic buildings, kitchen and herb gardens, an 1812 windmill, a pond and several walking trails. The grounds are always open to the public, free of charge, and families are welcome to visit and picnic or feed the ducks and geese. Guided tours of the historic windmill and guard house are offered Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Sept. 30. Tours are $4 for adults, free for children under age 12.

Annual flea market: The United Congregational Church, Valley Road at Green End Avenue, will hold its annual “Gigantic Flea Market” Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the church’s driveway. Space is available to display and sell items. Merchandise will include antiques, collectibles, books and serviceable household items. For information on renting space, contact Florence Archambault, (401) 846-9024.

Newport

Foster care informational meeting: Child and Family Services will hold a foster care informational meeting, “You Can Make a Difference in the Life of a Child,” tomorrow from 7 to 8 p.m. at Newport Public Library, Spring Street. The program has been designed to provide temporary placement for children and adolescents whose family circumstances do not provide a nurturing or safe environment. Foster families have a positive impact on the lives of children and teens who have been placed in state care and who are most in need of a structured family-like environment.

For information, contact Maureen Philbin, 849-2300 or mphilbin@childandfamilyri.com.

Lecture series: The Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy will host a talk by Sadia Shepard tomorrow at 6 p.m. at the Pell Center, Young Building. Her talk is entitled “The Girl from Foreign: A Search for Shipwrecked Ancestors, Forgotten Histories and a Sense of Home.”

Free and open to the public, Shepard’s lecture is part of the Pell Center’s Courage to Speak series. Through “Courage to Speak: Voices of Women Who Are Changing the World” the Pell Center highlights how women who are striving to make a difference in solving human crises throughout the globe are actively solving these problems and educating the rest of us.

Those interested in attending the lecture are asked to RSVP by today to pellcenter@salve.edu or (401) 341-2927. The Pell Center is in the Young Building on the corner of Ruggles and Bellevue avenues.

The next lecture in the series will be “My Story of Genocide: A Reason for Hope,” by Rose Mukankomeje, Oct. 1 at 6 p.m. RSVP by Sept. 30.

Benefit dance party: Kate Leonard, Newport Third Ward City Councilor, will sponsor a “Dance Party” Thursday from 7 to 10 p.m. at Riptides on Waites Wharf. DJ Butch and Stu Krous will provide the music. Admission is $10 and all proceeds will benefit the Fifth Ward Little League.

A valid Newport driver’s license is required for entry. Parking is complimentary. DJ Butch is donating his time.

Open house: Thompson Middle School, Broadway, will hold an open house Thursday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. All parents and students are welcome to attend.

Principal Thomas and the teaching staff will begin the evening with a brief discussion at 6 p.m. in the cafeteria. Afterward, all are welcome to visit grades 6, 7 and 8 grade core classes (English, social studies, math, science), reading teachers, exploratory teachers and special education/resource staff. The Newport Community School and Human Services Mall will be available to speak with parents and students.

Tiverton

Democrats to meet: The Tiverton Democratic Town Committee will meet Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Arts & Crafts Center of the Sakonnet Bay Manor, 1215 Main Rd.