Cox Providence Rhode Races are taking place this Sunday, May 2, with the starting line forming at at Kennedy Plaza. The Cox Sports Marathon and the Shape Up RI Half-Marathon start at 8am and the Harpoon 5k starts at 11:15am. Online and Mail-In Registration sites are now closed, but on-site registration is available at varying times at the Westin Providence Hotel and at the Cox Providence Rhode Races Health and Wellness Expo, going on today and tomorrow. This weekend will be a great opportunity to get out in the city and support family and friends running in the races with weather predicted to be in the mid-70s. That is great for the spectators, but maybe not for the runners.

The full marathon route will follow a path down through Riverside and past the Rhode Island Country Club in Barrington, before returning to Providence. The Shape Up RI Half-Marathon will wind its way through Providence’s East Side and up Blackstone Boulevard into the Oak Hill section of Pawtucket and back to the plaza. The Harpoon 5K participants will run around the “Knowledge” District and back into downtown.

Course maps are available for the Marathon, Half-Marathon, and 5k online and they are marked with “Spectator Viewing Areas” for the best spots to watch the races. For runners, there are “Water Stations” and “Aid Stations” marked on the maps as well. A celebration will be held at the conclusion of the races with awards given for first place winners in a number of categories based on age and gender.

Several of the runners in our offices will be in the races – Libby Isaacson (2601), Leslie Kellogg (2681), and Joe Luca (2872) will be participating in the Shape Up RI Half-Marathon; and Bethany Calitri (5134) is signed up for the Harpoon 5K. So, find a convenient location and cheer the runners as they pass by you.

Sometimes we get to branch out of the local area and see what is happening in the other towns and cities in the state. Pawtucket sounded like a pretty good place to visit and see what is going on. I read recently that Slater Mill was getting a retrofit to the turbine to start producing off grid electricity and heat for the building.

We missed the Press Conference on that, and though it seems that things are getting ready to open up, spring is still just around the corner and we’ll have to wait unitl then for some of the real excitement. As you will see in this video, Slater Park and McCoy Stadium are still there, but waiting for the people and players to arrive.

Have you ever had a “chance meeting” where you learn about an interesting organization? That happened to me last Saturday night. After visiting Waterfire in Providence, my wife and I stopped into one of our favorite restaurants on North Main Street – we hadn’t been there in months. We waved hello to a waiter, whom we have gotten to know over the years.

He stopped by to visit, and in the course of finding out what was new, he mentioned an organization with which he is actively involved, ProVisions United. This group is a “public charity committed to offering universal food care, hope and dignity to all people through collaborative local & world community strategies to create, support and sustain self-reliance.  [Their] mission is to empower local and global nutritional self reliance programs through collaborative fund raising initiatives to nourish and sustain people and improve quality of life.”

But that is only part of it. This coming Friday, the 6th of November, the group is hosting an event at the Hope Artiste Village in Pawtucket called “Wonderland – A night of food, fun, and fantasy.” The event is supported by twelve top Restaurants and Caterers from the area. The night does have an admission price of $50 per person, with the proceeds going to local and global food pantries.

As Thanksgiving approaches this month, here’s a good chance to help those in need.

The Maker Faire RI is ongoing this weekend and into next. It all starts at the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution, Slater Mill in Pawtucket RI. There are hands-on workshops, building & hacking competitions, culinary crafting, garage technology, arts and creativity for sale, and robot gymnastic demonstrations, culminating with a Waterfire in the Creative Capital, Providence, RI.

September 12:
Iron Chef at The Steel Yard
FUNDRAISER: Teams of artists and fabricators compete in our 2nd annual head-to-head sculpture competition at the Steel Yard. Enjoy grilled goodies and stick around for the Iron Chef sculpture auction.

September 14-17:
D.I.Y. Workshops at Slater Mill
FREE! 4 days of hands-on How-To workshops during the Pawtucket Arts Festival.

Pawtucket’s fan friendly McCoy Stadium will become even friendlier this week. The PawSox are back in town playing against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the Buffalo Bisons, and the Rochester Red Wings over the next several days. But to enhance the spectator experience, several special promotions will be offered.

From 5pm to 7pm tonight with a donation of 3 non perishable food items (ex. can of soup, can of vegetables, box of cereal, box of pasta), fans will receive an autograph photo of a PawSox player from the player’s wife or player’s girl friend. All collected food items will be donated to the RI Food Bank.

Tuesday, August 25th is PawSox Back-to-School Binder Night. The first 4,000 fans ages 14 and under will receive a PawSox Back to School Binder compliments of Citizen’s Bank, Pepsi, Lite Rock 105 and CW28.

And then on Thursday, August 27th is PawSox Player Card Set Night. All fans will entering McCoy prior to the game will receive a PawSox Baseball Card Set compliments of Dunkin’ Donuts and NESN.

Finally, on September 2, the PawSox will be hosting an all-you-can eat pre-game BBQ. Tickets are $24 per-person, and proceeds benefit the Pawtucket Red Sox Charitable Foundation.

Come on out and enjoy.