Saturday, March 13, 11:00 a.m.
Tour departs from the
John Brown House Museum
52 Power Street, Providence
To R.S.V.P.: Dalila Goulart
(401) 331-8575 x45 or programs@rihs.org
Celebrating H.P. Lovecraft: A Literary Walk
Today’s walking tour celebrates the life and work of Providence native and author Howard Phillips Lovecraft to mark the anniversary of his death. Acknowledged genius of occult and horror fiction, Lovecraft wrote his “Providence stories” between 1924 and 1935. They provide the basis for this walk. $12 per person; tour lasts ninety minutes.
***************************
Sunday, March 14, 1:30 p.m.
Museum of Work & Culture
42 South Main Street, Woonsocket
Free Admission, To R.S.V.P.: Ray Bacon
(401) 769-9675 or rbacon@rihs.org
Ranger Days
Greg Rubano is an avid collector of baseball items. His talk will focus on Woonsocket’s own Napoleon Lajoie who pioneered the American League, set several baseball records, and is sometimes called the League’s first Superstar. His collection on Lajoie includes musical scores, newspaper clippings, photos, baseball cards, and advertising products honoring “the Big Frenchman.” Rubano lives in Smithfield, RI and is currently writing a book on Lajoie. The afternoon will also include songs interpreted by classic jazz singer Jean O’Donnell.
****************************
Thursday, March 18, 6:30 p.m.
Gallery Night
John Brown House Museum
52 Power Street, Providence
Free Admission, To R.S.V.P.: Dalila Goulart
(401) 331-8575 x45 or programs@rihs.org
If These Walls Could Talk… African Alliance of Rhode Island
There are over 75,000 Africans from 40 African countries living in Rhode Island today. The African Alliance of Rhode Island (AARI) was formed to promote unity within these communities. AARI also advocates for the rights of Africans in RI, educates the public, and facilitates the smooth integration of African immigrants into American society. Julius Kolawole, current president of the AARI, will speak on the organization, its history, and its work and important role in the growing African community. Kolawole is Senior Operations Engineer for National Grid Electric Corp and serves on the board of the Providence Public Library.
***************************
Sunday, March 21, 1:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Museum of Work & Culture
42 South Main Street, Woonsocket
For more information: Anne Conway
(401) 769-9675 or aconway@rihs.org
Salute to Spring Celebration!
The Museum of Work & Culture is delighted to host its annual “Salute to Spring,” this year celebrating Francophonie Week. The event marks the end of the annual appeal and the raffle will be drawn. The grand prize is a trip for 2 to Washington, DC. The popular Franco-American entertainer Josee Vachon will perform, and two history presentations “Les Filles du Roi” and “Out of Character” can be seen during the afternoon. Meat pies and French pastries will be served. Tickets are $15 per person, please reserve admission in advance. Doors open at 1:00 p.m.
*****************************
Saturday, March 27
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
RIHS Library
121 Hope Street, Providence
To Register: Natasha Brooks
(401) 273-8107 x12 or libprograms@rihs.org
Family History French Canadian Style
In the 1800s, one third of Quebec's population left Canada for mill villages in Rhode Island and elsewhere in New England. By 1900, sixty percent of Woonsocket's population was French-Canadian and it was the most French city in the United States. In this seminar, Patty Vigeant Locke will present resources and strategies for researching your French Canadian ancestors. She will also discuss French aliases and methods of breaking through some of the brick walls commonly encountered. Patty is chairperson of the Research Department at the American French Genealogical Society. $20, $15 for members. Limited to 20 participants, please register in advance.
****************************
Sunday, March 28, 1:30 p.m.
Museum of Work & Culture
42 South Main Street, Woonsocket
Free Admission, To R.S.V.P.: Ray Bacon
(401) 769-9675 or rbacon@rihs.org
Ranger Days
Sylvia Ann Soares directs “By the Sweat of Our Brow,” dramatic readings based on the oral histories collected from longshoremen of the International Longshoremen’s Association Local #1329 (Providence and New Bedford). Their diverse experiences are poignant, humorous, sweet and bitter.
*****************************
Museum of Westminster Street
Friday 3/5, 11:30am – 2pm
Saturday 3/6, Noon – 4pm
Free and open to the public!
Since December, a store window in downtown Providence, RI, has contained an exhibit called Westminster Stories, a diorama telling stories of people and buildings on two blocks of Westminster Street. This March, the project will culminate in a spectacular, three-dimensional museum exhibit - on the street itself.
Says co-organizer Andrew Losowsky "By creating a museum in the middle of a busy street, we are encouraging a greater understanding about what and who is around us. So the next time someone walks down here, they'll say 'oh yeah, that's the place this guy works, or that building used to be.' By sharing the information in an unusual way, we hope people will feel closer to the city and what's in it."
The museum's labels will be placed on street furniture, buildings, inside stores, on the sidewalk - even on people, who have volunteered to be labeled for the event. The labels are the results of historical research and more than 150 interviews with people on Westminster Street. A special 'Museum of Westminster Street gift store' will also be created.
For more information: Andrew Losowsky, andrew@losowsky.com, 401-338-3172.
www.westminsterstories.com <http://www.westminsterstories.com/>
Call for Nominations: 2010 Most Endangered Properties 
In anticipation of the coming spring, plan to join us for a series of lectures transitioning from the PPS Fall Symposium topic of the American Renaissance and Providence to a discussion of the International Style, Modernism, and the current Green Building movement in our lovely city. Our keynote lecture, "Place/Displace: Providence and the Twentieth Century," by R. Tripp Evans, Ph.D., will take place at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 17 and is free to PPS members, $10 for non-members. Lectures and site visits on Thursday, March 18 and Friday, March 19 will explore the visually distinct buildings that appeared along Providence streetscapes in the 1900s. Among the lecturers will be Ira Rakatasky, EAIA, a dedicated practitioner of Modernism in Providence, and Principal State Architectural Historian Wm. McKenzie Woodward. Registration for Thursday and Friday is $100 for PPS members. Rhode Island licensed realtors may earn six continuing education credits at a registration fee of $150. Space is limited. To register, please contact Education Coordinator 
