Get your Art on!!

Sakonnet Arts Network promotes the arts by providing programs, resources, and educational opportunities in Tiverton, Rhode Island and surrounding areas.

Sakonnet Arts Network Announces Spring Workshops!

Join us for our spring workshop series beginning April 9 that offer basic and intermediate instruction in drawing, painting in watercolor or oil, including plein air painting. Other classes focus on video shooting techniques and editing to create superior home videos; creatingexpressive and technically advanced digital travel photos, an d learning
faux painting techniques that will take your next decorating project to a new level! All workshops will be held at convenient locations in Tiverton.

We have a Winner!!

So looks like they finally decided on Cardi Corp. of Warwick to build the new bridge over the Sakonnet River with a winning bid of $163.67 million. See the full story on Newport Daily News and on Providence Journal.

It says that the project is hoping to start in April and has a completion date sometime in 2012.

Portsmouth Arts Guild

From their website:
The Portsmouth Arts Guild was founded in January 2003 to provide an opportunity for Portsmouth artists, and those of surrounding towns, to exhibit their work and to learn from one another. Its members are painters and printmakers, photographers and sculptors, fiber artists and wood carvers, jewelers and craftspeople. Membership is open to all artists of any medium and to all supporters of the arts.

Upcoming event:

2nd Annual Art-a-Rama!!
FEB 1st, 2-4 PM

FEB 1st: 2nd Annual Art-a-Rama!!
2-4 PM
The Portsmouth Arts Guild designed Art-O-Rama introduce potential students (that's you!) to art instructors and their work. A chance to kick the tires, so to speak. Come meet the artists and ask plenty of questions while you watch their demonstrations. And be sure to enter the raffle for a discounted class!
The artists we have confirmed so far are:

Wendy Crooks, figure drawing
Carol Lynn Hall, water color
Jennifer Holmes, pastel
Jay Egge, encaustics
Lois Erhartic, japanese caligraphy

Refreshments available.

This Weekend Events

GIFT GALLERY TABLE SALE: The Portsmouth Arts Guild is holding its second “Gift Gallery Table Sale” Dec. 6 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at its Center for the Arts, 2679 East Main Rd. Ten local artists will have their handiwork for sale. Items include: photographs, jewelry, note cards, small artworks, silkscreened t-shirts, and more. In addition to the crafts, all the artwork on the gallery walls is available to purchase for under $200 until Dec. 21. Stop by for affordable gift buying and enjoy some refreshments. This event is free and open to the public.

The center is located next to St. Paul’s Church. For information, call (401) 293-5ART or visit www.PortsmouthArtsGuild.org, info@PortsmouthArtsGuild.org. Parking is available across the street at East Main Studios.

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CONCERT: Common Fence Music will present British guitar wizard Adrian Legg Dec. 6 at 8 p.m. at the Common Fence Point Community Hall, 933 Anthony Rd. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 and are available at the CFM Ticket Desk from 3 to 5 p.m. and during intermission on show days; through Ticket Web anytime; and at the door until sold out. Call Ticket Web’s toll free number (866) 468-7619 or contact them via www.commonfencemusic.org.

Common Fence Music is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. The hall is ramp accessible. For general information including directions to the hall, call (401) 683-5085 or visit the website.

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HOLIDAY OPEN STUDIOS: East Main Studios, 2701 East Main Rd., is holding a craft sale at its “Holiday Open Studios” Dec. 6 and 7 and 13 and 14 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. On display will be hand crafted items by award winning resident artists and fine art available for gift giving. Studio artists participating are: Donna Bruton, oil paintings and hand felted pins; Libby Gilpatric, oil and watercolor paintings, note cards, prints, ornaments, fantasy painted boxes and picture frames; Nancy Isherwood, oil and pastel paintings, lithographs, decoupage boxes, note cards, and decoupage hand painted trays. Visiting artist Megan Buchanan will display hand painted scarves. Refreshments will be served. These events are free and open to the public. For information, visit www.eastmainstudios.com.

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STROKE AND OSTEOPOROSIS SCREENING: Residents living in and around Portsmouth can be screened to reduce their risk of having a stroke Dec. 9 at St. Barnabas Church Parish Hall, 1697 East Main Rd. The complete screening package now includes a new heart rhythm screening which checks for irregular heartbeat, a major risk factor for stroke.

Life Line Screening, the nation’s leading provider of preventative health screenings, will conduct the screenings which will begin by appointment at 9 a.m. For information and to make an appointment, call (800) 697-9721 or visit www.lifelinescreening.com.

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HOLIDAY CONCERT: The Abbey Singers of the Portsmouth Abbey School, under the direction of Tory Quinn, will present a collaborative holiday concert with the Ponaganset High School Chamber Chorus Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. in the auditorium at Portsmouth Abbey School, 285 Cory’s Lane.

Members of the United States Coast Guard Band and the United States Navy Band will be accompanying the choirs in an all brass extravaganza not to be missed. Works to be performed include, John Rutter’s “Gloria,” Z. Randall Stroope’s “Homeland” and Palestrina’s “Sicut cervus.” Admission is free and open to the public, refreshments will be provided. Come join in a celebration of song and holiday cheer at the Portsmouth Abbey School.

from www.projo.com

138 Construction

Along Route 138, East Main Road, between Turnpike Ave. and Boyds Lane has been changed from 2 lanes each way to 1 lane each way with a center turn lane. This starts at the set of lights in front of Clements and CVS and runs all the way to the Route 24 on ramp.

Newport Restaurant Week

Three course prix fixe: Lunch $16 and Dinner $30

This is a great event to enjoy and try some local restaurants that us locals to visit to often. Check out the website to see all the restaurants and what they are offering.

Read about it in the Newport Daily too.

Election Results

Here are the results for Portsmouth, RI 2008 Election here. Also here are the overall RI results from the Election here. Thanks to everyone who got out and voted!

Time to get out and VOTE

To find where you are supposed to vote go to RI Voter Information Center and put in your info. it will tell you where to go and provide a map on getting there. Polling place opens at 7AM and closes at 9PM. Here is the sample ballot for Portsmouth, RI November 4, 2008:

Sakonnet River Bridge Part II

Thanks for the comment! Here is the latest as far as I have heard,

~~One feature that survived the cost-cutting is the 13-foot bicycle and pedestrian walkway path along the bridge’s northern edge. The DOT had looked at narrowing the bridge to a width of 76 feet and eliminating the bike and pedestrian lane. ~~

This is from the Providence Journal back in June of 2007.

I believe that there was a lot of push back on eliminating the bike and pedestrian lane so the DOT will leave in the plans.

Sakonnet River Bridge

Some History on the Bridge from Wikipedia:
~~ The Sakonnet River Bridge is a four-lane truss bridge spanning the Sakonnet River in eastern Rhode Island. The bridge carries RI 24 and RI 138 between the communities of Portsmouth and Tiverton, RI. The bridge is scheduled to be replaced by an updated design, with construction work scheduled to finish in 2015.

The Sakonnet River Bridge was built in 1956 as a replacement for the Stone Bridge, about 0.8 mi (1.3 km) to the south, destroyed during Hurricane Carol in August 1954. It became part of RI 24 during the 1960s after the completion of the Portsmouth and Tiverton Expressways. At one point, it was briefly considered for inclusion as part of the never-built Interstate 895.

The bridge is closed to heavy commercial vehicles weighing over 18 tons. Vehicles over this weight limit are rerouted over the Mount Hope bridge via RI 136/114. ~~

Here is the website for status and updates pertaining to the Sakonnet River Bridge but it seems amazingly lacking and the blinking text hurts my brain.

Info from Haley & Aldrich:
The replacement of the Sakonnet River Bridge, which carries nearly 40,000 cars per day and provides a critical transportation system link between Massachusetts and Rhode Island, is necessary to meet current highway design standards for shoulder width and structural capacity. The new $120 million, 3,160-ft-long, 4-lane bridge will be built along an alignment located immediately south of the existing bridge, which will remain in operation during construction. The entire design period was compressed into 21 months to meet a special Federal Garvey funding deadline. RIDOT has completed a value engineering review, and plans to advertise for construction bids in Fall 2008, and award the project by Spring 2009. The new bridge is expected to open in 2011.

It's finally not split!!! FINALLY!!! North bound on 24 after crossing the Sakonnet River Bridge there had been a lane split around a cement pillar for the cross over road above. Coming up to this it always seemed strange to me, why the hell is there a pillar in the middle of the highway?? Turns out it's part of the new bridge upgrade going on but seemed that the split was there for over 2 years, maybe longer. In the picture above from Haley & Aldrich you can see where the old Stone Bridge used to stand in the background. The new pilings that they are putting in for the new bridge are located between the current Sakonnet River Bridge and the land masses for the old Stone Bridge, just to give you an idea for the new location. They say 2011 is when the new bridge is expected to open. I'll keep you posted!