Sun Rise Scoops

Craft Show postponed

The Columbus Day craft show at 2111 Plainfield Pike was postponed because of inclement weather. The event will instead take place on Sunday, Oct. 24.

RI Dream Center needs your help

The RI Dream Center helps meet the needs of people dealing with poverty throughout Rhode Island, including through food assistance, clothing, education and other services.

Since the pandemic began, homelessness numbers have dramatically risen in our state. The need is so great and we need to continue to help as many people as possible.

The Dream Center will be purchasing 400 high-quality, waterproof backpacks and accepting donations to fill them. These filled backpacks will be passed out on the State House lawn on the morning of Saturday, Nov. 21. The winter daily essentials that will fill the backpacks include toothbrushes, hand sanitizer, hand and feet warmers, winter hats, gloves and scarfs, facemasks, new socks, liquid soap, shampoo, razors, deodorant, powder, lotion, combs and brushes, feminine hygiene products, and wipes.

Any monetary donations can be made at ridreamcenter.com/give-online. To donate any of the listed items above, please drop them off by Nov. 7 at Praise Tabernacle Church, located at 330 Park Ave. in Cranston.

Children’s Wishes Rainbow Run

Please join in for the sixth annual Children’s Wishes Rainbow Run on Saturday, Oct. 24, at Goddard Memorial State Park in Warwick. This year, as part of their Family Fitness Series – which includes the Amazing Wish Race the very next day – organizers are doing a 5K run/walk and will have a kids’ track, too. Check-in starts in front of the carousel building by the beach at 8 a.m. and the run will begin at 9:15 a.m. The kids’ track will start at 9:25 a.m.

This is a free event and there is a suggested donation that can be made on Facebook or on the day of the run. To donate, visit facebook.com/donate/1150651848696689.

The Rainbow Run has a Halloween theme this year. Try out your Halloween costume early and decorate your mask for a chance to win a prize for best mask and best costume. Masks must be worn, so you might as well get creative and have some fun. Prizes will be awarded before the 9:15 a.m. start.

Note that there are COVID plans in place for each of the outdoor events. For a copy of the plans or more information, contact the Children’s Wishes office at 921-1300.

Mohr Library extended hours

The Mohr Library has extended its in-library hours to Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., as well as Tuesday and Thursday from 4 to 8 p.m.

Curbside service is still available during normal hours: Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Mask wearing is required and people are asked to maintain physical distance. Members of the public will be admitted as capacity allows.

Troop 22 looking for Scouts

Boy Scout Troop 22 Cranston is looking for new Scouts. Following all the BSA and state of Rhode Island safety protocols, the troop is meeting, hiking and camping. It has a full schedule of activities planned for the 2020-21 program year. Troop 22 is affiliated with girls’ Troop 13-G, which is also looking for new members. Both units meet at the Edgewood Congregational Church, 1788 Broad St., at 7 p.m. on most Thursdays.

The program is for youth ages 11 to 18. For younger children, Troop 22 also has a relationship with Cub Scout Pack 2 Cranston. Anyone interested is invited to call Paul Kelley at 401-595-6726 for more information.

Confreda’s Corn MAiZE, hayrides, pumpkin patch

Due to state mandates on capacity and operations, 2020 at Confreda Farms will be quite different from previous years. But the fall fun will continue.

There will be two options for admission to activities this year. For $10, visitors can purchase a ticket to access the hayride and Corn MAiZE, which has a “Thank You Essential Workers” design this year. Each ticket will be sold as a two-hour time block. This will provide visitors with plenty of time to navigate the five-acre maze and take as many photos as they would like. Confreda’s classic pick-your-own pumpkin patch is still located next to the Corn MAiZE. Pumpkins are an additional fee and are sold by the pound or the each.

The second option is Confreda’s new pumpkin patch. This year, due to capacity limitations, the farm can only offer hayrides for the Corn MAiZE. For those visitors who still want to be able to pick their own pumpkin, Confreda has created a new pumpkin patch that is conveniently located within walking distance. There will be no admission fee to enter the new pumpkin patch and pumpkins are sold by the pound or by the each.

Due to capacity limitations and safety standards, in 2020 Confreda Farms will not be offering any of the Fun Park Amusement Rides, games or the annual Animal Barnyard.

Due to capacity restraints for the hayride, Corn MAiZE and pumpkin patch, Confreda Farms will be limiting the number of tickets sold to ensure everyone has enough space to have a fun and safe experience.

The best time for a visit is earlier or later in the season. The vast majority of people want to the first and second week of October, but unfortunately, these time slots will sell very quickly.

Tickets this year can be purchased online and at the door. There will be a very limited amount of tickets available at the door, so visitors are asked to please purchase tickets in advance. Online tickets will be available later in the season.

The MAiZE is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., beginning this weekend until Oct. 31. Pick-your-own pumpkin hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

To learn more, follow Confreda Greenhouses & Farms on Facebook or visit confredafarms.com.

PawsWatch Cats Alive! online auction

PawsWatch will hold its 20th annual CatsAlive! Auction to benefit efforts to spay/neuter and provide vaccinations for community feral cats in Rhode Island. Due to the pandemic, the in-person CatsAlive! Gala scheduled for 2020 has been canceled. The organization is ready to move forward with its new CatsAlive! online auction, which runs from Oct. 16 through Nov. 14.

An online auction is an ideal way to practice social distancing, have a little fun and support a great cause while the community is going through this difficult time. All donated items that would have been featured in the silent auction will be included in the online auction. PawsWatch will provide updates on where and when items can be picked up locally, as the information becomes available.

As always, funds raised from the auction will help PawsWatch with the cost of the “Trap, Neuter, Return, Monitor” program, which is the humane, effective approach to stabilize feral cat populations. Feral cats are humanely trapped, spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and ear tipped (the universal symbol of a neutered and vaccinated cat), and then returned to their outdoor home. Socialized cats and kittens are adopted into homes. All animals adopted are spayed or neutered. Funds raised also assist with keeping the Community Cat Center guests healthy, warm and safe until their adoption into a loving, forever home.

Please email Martine Ireland at pawswatch401@gmail.com if you are interested in becoming a sponsor.

For more than 20 years, PawsWatch has been actively helping communities address the free-roaming cat population. To learn more, visit pawswatch.org or follow the “PawsWatch” or “PawsWatch at the Community Cat Center” Facebook pages.

Study seeking seniors

The Alzheimer’s Disease & Memory Disorders Center at Rhode Island Hospital is involved in The Ahead Study which is testing an investigational treatment aimed at delaying memory decline in people before the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease are apparent.

The study is for men and women aged 55-80 who are not experiencing any memory or thinking problems but who may be at an increased risk of memory loss associated with Alzheimer’s disease. This is the first Alzheimer’s disease prevention trial to enroll people as young as 55 years old.  If you or someone you know is interested in learning more, please call 401-606-4664.

Teen virtual programming during COVID-19

The Mohr Library is currently offering virtual versions of some of its teen programs as well as drop-in chats! They are all invite-only programs, so please contact the teen librarian at marissa@mohrlibrary.org to register or if you have any questions.

Art Club meets every Tuesday at 3 p.m. History Club meets monthly on the first Wednesday at 3 p.m. Drop-in chat days differ weekly, so please ask when registering.

‘Blue Line’ patch offered by Johnston Police

The Johnston Police Department is now selling “Blue Line” edition collectible patches. All of the proceeds from the sale of the patches will support Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.) and the work it does for the families of fallen police officers.

To purchase a patch, visit ibpo-local307-johnstonri.square.site.

Medicare eligibility

Coronavirus is presenting many challenges in the Rhode Island community for Medicare eligibles. Help with understanding Medicare health insurance is becoming an issue as companies transform their business processes. Luckily, local Medicare health plan agents are available and can operate remotely. Get no-cost help understanding Medicare health plan benefits from multiple insurance companies. Call today at 241-7985.

Help make a house a home

The Furniture Bank of RI, a nonprofit corporation, needs bureaus, complete twin or double beds, kitchen sets, mattresses, and other household furniture that you no longer need. To help a less fortunate family through your charitable donation of good used furniture, call 831-5511 to arrange for pick up. All donated articles must be in good condition.

Did you know?

According to oral tradition, George Renninger, a candymaker at the Wunderlee Candy Company in Philadelphia, invented the revolutionary tricolor candy known as candy corn in the 1880s. The Goelitz Confectionery Company brought the candy to the masses at the turn of the 20th century. The company, now called Jelly Belly Candy Co., has the longest history in the industry of making candy corn – although the method has changed, it still uses the original recipe. In honor of its Goelitz roots, Jelly Belly developed a candy corn-flavor jelly bean. (Source: Halloween Fun Facts)

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