Pic of the Week: this week shows the just finished, new construction in front of the North Kingstown Town Hall on Boston Neck Road. The orange cones in the distance show the new parking area for visitors, while in between the sidewalks has been seeded for grass.

The Rhode Island Military Vehicle Collectors Club held its 11th Annual historic vehicle show on Saturday, Sept. 17 and Sunday, Sept. 18 at the Quonsett Air Museum At this vehicle exposition, a variety of historical US and international military vehicles were on display for the public to view. The most pronounced vehicles at the show were the “Chaffee” Light Tank M24 and an assortment of Willys MB Jeeps. Over the weekend the event drew a couple hundred people and had featured vendors selling antique military license plates and decommissioned military equipment and paraphernalia. A spectator at…

Pony rides, a petting zoo, painting – it was no ordinary day at Allie’s Tack & Feed this weekend as the longtime North Kingstown business kicked off its first annual Animal Appreciation Day. From the event’s start until its close at 5 p.m., customers and local animal lovers kept things busy down at the lower parking lot at the store – painting model horses as part of Breyer Fun Day, riding ponies and carriages, feasting on tasty treats and partaking in the petting zoo. “A lot of people showed up and I’m really floored by the turnout we’re getting,” said Steve Briggs Jr., general manager of …

Gowns. Tuxedos. Corsages. Limos. Oh yes, we're talking about prom. North Kingstown High School's class of 2011 celebrated the end of high school in style, overtaking the Newport Marriott in record numbers. According to class advisor Tara Walsh, 500 students attended this year's prom – a nearly unprecedented number. Of course there was the photo booth and sit-down dinner, but things really picked up when the dancing began. And what song sent these kids to the dance floor? None other than Journey's "Don't Stop Believing." After some warm-up dancing, Tyler Pickering and Kathryn Coleman were …

A thunderstorm watch may have stopped the Memorial Day parade in South Kingstown, but not in North Kingstown. From the streets of Wickford all the way down to Elm Grove Cemetery, sidewalks were packed with locals celebrating the end of the holiday weekend with North Kingstown's annual parade. Boy and girl scout troops, veterans, police and fire departments, local and state delegates, vintage cars and everything in between took to the pavement to honor the men and women who have served our country. Have a photo from the parade? Add it here!

Friday evening found North Kingstown High School's auditorium packed full with an audience eager to see Showcase In Yo' Face 2011.  This annual event is a presentation comedy skits acted and directed by NORTHEATRE, the high school's drama club. The audience was kept entertained with performances that included everything from a spoof of the Disney hit High School Musical, to a zany news report.  This year's show included "Action News" directed by Maegan Maybach and Maureen O'Brien, "High School Musi-pocalypse" directed by Nick Pichette and Ben Susla, "A Backwards Fairytale" directed by Lloyd …

Smith's Castle was full of activity today for its annual Bridge to the Past opening weekend, complete with Red Coats, Johnny Cakes, sailors, a maypole and pirates. Scores of reenactors helped create the 17th-century encampment on the historic grounds, trading in iPods for bayonets. Smith's Castle, in conjunction with the Roger Williams National Memorial, treated guests to demonstrations, dances around the maypole and handmade craft items for sale. The Rhode Island Pirate Players, Blackwell's Regiment, Brown University Madrigal Singers, Casey's Farm, Murray Newton and Neal Kirk and Freemen of …

It was anything but quiet in the library today as a handful of chicks and one hen from Casey Farm hopped in to the Davisville Free Library. Beth Weibust of Casey Farm and her feathered comrades treated a large crowd at the small library to bird-laden lecture and presentation, complete with some up close and personal time with the chicks themselves. The young crowd's attention may have been distracted at times as Weibust showed off different bird eggs and discussed the difference between chickens raised in farms and those raised in factories, but as soon as that bin filled with little chicks …

Governor Lincoln Chafee dropped in at Hamilton Elementary School today for its Rhode Island Day celebration. Chafee toured the school along with former Hamilton student and State Senator Dawson Hodgson (R-Dist. 35) as students got a taste of local history and apprecation for Little Rhody. Chafee and Hodgson were even treated to a puffer fish demonstration by Mark Hall of North Kingstown's Biomes along with singing and dancing from presenters. Students spent the day rotating between rooms, enjoying colonial crafts, singing with Maria Day (composer of Rhode Island's state song), Casey Farm …

North Kingstown High School auditorium was hopping Thursday night as students of Stony Lane Elementary School put on their annual talent show, wowwing parents and friends. The two-act show consisted of 41 individual acts from comedy to magic right down to good old vocal cords blaring. Act 1, scene one, 4 Minutes performed by Madison and Carson Dussinger, and Sarah and Leah Popovic. Harrison Runci followed with Start Wars. You Belong With Me, a duo, Abby Guenev and Kelseigh Bohan. Scene four, five and six: Kung Fu Fighting – Steven Shamblen & Sebastain Masiello The Climb – Alze Almeida Jump - …

Musicians at North Kingstown High School helped usher in spring in a much more hospitable way than our friend (or foe) Mother Nature with their Spring Band Concert this past Wednesday night. Proud parents, friends, family and fellow students turned out to feast their ears on the stylings of NK’s musical talent. For Band Director Toni Silveira, the concert was a testament to the vast improvements the musicians have made over since September. “Without exaggeration, we couldn’t get through three or four measures,” said Silveira. “We couldn’t recognize the song or the instruments. Tonight you …

An enthusiastic crowd of several hundred people turned out for a talent show in support of Ali Chabot and her North Kingstown senior class project in the auditorium Friday night. Master of Ceremony Devin Callahan, along with Colleen Fogg, Matt Brunelle and Alex Kuczmarski, opened the night with a comic routine that continued between every act throughout the night and kept the audience laughing. Act l consisted of 10 performances. Lizzi Miceli and Sydney Pazera performed an acoustic version of "White Horses" followed by Mikaela dancing "The Garden." Helen and Zack did a great job with "Dream a…

Hundreds of parents and students turned out Wednesday night for the 4th Annual Post Secondary Planning Night at North Kingstown High School. The three-pronged information presentation sponsored by the high school's guidance department catered to the needs and interests of every type of student with the school system: college bound, career focused and uncertain. "It took more than 100 people to pull this night off," Donna Sweet, guidance department chairperson told an audience of students and parents at the beginning of the night. "I'm impressed with the people who came from near and far to be…

For those of us whose artistic abilities climaxed with our ability to properly draw a tic tac toe grid, last Thursday night's reception for this year's student art show made us realize one thing. These kids have talent. From kindergarteners up through high school seniors, students showed up their artwork, ranging from construction paper-made work to sculptures to photography. Click through the gallery above to see a sampling of the artwork. The full gallery will be on display at the North Kingstown Free Library until April 1.

The sets are up. The costumes are ready. The lights are shining. It's showtime. We were treated to sit in on part of a dress rehearsal for the North Kingstown High School Music Department's rendition of "West Side Story" this week. The cast and crew have pulled it together in the past month after this winter's snow delayed practices and rehearsals. You have four opportunities to catch a show this weekend: March 11, 7 p.m. March 12, 2 p.m. March 12, 7 p.m. March 13, 2 p.m.    

Armed with green stickers, nearly a dozen locals embarked on their latest mission: Project Sticker Shock. It's a nationwide endeavour aimed at reducing underage drinking by raising awareness within the 21+ crowd that providing alcohol to minors is illegal and comes with stiff penalties. If convicted of providing alcohol to underage drinkers, a person could stand to spend up to a year in jail and/or pay a $2,500 if convicted under Rhode Island law. The coalition hopes to curtail adults providing children with alcohol by placing their stickers, neon green that read "Know the Law; Providing …

The cast of North Kingstown High School's "West Side Story" took on its most difficult role yet. Waitstaff. The cast busted out the pads of paper and pens to raise money for the NKHS Music Department this past Sunday by serving as the restaurant's waitstaff. Ten percent of the sales between 4 and 8 p.m. went to benefit the department. For a production that costs nearly $20,000 to put on, every cent counts. According to the play's director Norma Caiazza, it costed the department $3,000 alone to get the rights to run the play and an additional $2,000 to $3,000 for costumes and $4,000 for sets. …

Twenty-six students spelled their way to the top last week and sat before a hefty-sized audience in the District-Wide Spelling Bee Thursday night. With stomachs in knots and parents mouthing correct spellings, each took their turn at the mic to tackle words like bequeath, semantics and crochet. In the end, it was Davisville Middle School's Siddarth Koppaka who trumped all other students in grades four through eight in the 12-round bee by correctly spelling "peril." He heads to the State Spelling Bee on March 12 in Lincoln to represent North Kingstown. Here's how the kids fared: out in first …

The key to raising a “good” dog is vision, says Christina Johnson, animal behaviorist and dog trainer at Better Behaved Dogs. “Think about how you want your dog to behave as an adult,” she explains, and train your puppy to match that confident, obedient vision. Johnson and several other local dog experts offered a range of free advice at the January 30 “Puppy Fun Day” at Delmyra Kennels in Exeter. Nearly 30 young dogs and their owners – averaging two humans per pup—turned out for an afternoon of learning, networking and romping in Delmyra's second-floor classroom. All the experts agreed that …