Tiverton Winter Farmers Market Open On Thursday

The Tiverton Winters Farmers Market opens on Thursdays from 4 - 7 p.m.

  SandywoodsFarms will host opening night of Tiverton's Winter Farmers Market on Thursday from 4 - 7 p.m. With 24 different vendors selling everything from pottery to potatoes, Tiverton will launch its first-ever farmers market in the community room at Sandywoods Farm off of Bulgarmarsh Road. The future of the market in coming weeks will depend on this inaugural event. "The best way to describe it is like a trial balloon," said Russ Smith, Sandywoods director. "What we are going to do on Thursday is to get a sense of how much public interest there is and it will depend on the turn out and how well the vendors do. We are hoping it will be every Thursday." The Tiverton market will be the only East Bay winter-time farmers market in the East …

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Community Thanksgiving Dinner at Sandywoods

Break bread with friends and neighbors at the annual Sandywoods Thanksgiving. A free meal that starts at 2 p.m.

Sandywoods Farm Community Garden Cleaned For Upcoming Season

There are currently five plots left for interested gardeners.

Volunteers helped clean up Sandywoods Farm's community garden earlier this month to get it ready for another season. According to Russ Smith, of Sandywoods, they currently have 33 gardeners signed up and there's room for five more. He said the cost of a 10' x 10' plot is $35 for the season. For more information about the history community garden cooperative, read here. For information about getting a plot, email sandywoodscommunitygarden@gmail.com.

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Sandywoods Farm Wind Turbine Receives Test

Workers raised the roughly 175-foot turbine on Friday afternoon.

The proclaimed Sandywoods Farm wind turbine, aimed to provide energy to the housing units, provided a sneak peek of its size on Friday afternoon. Workers raised the roughly 175-foot Vergnet turbine to gauge its stablization and make sure it's level. Billy Heeber, wind installer with Alteris, said they wanted to make sure there was no wobble, observe its tension and make sure the blades were locked into position. The turbine is a 275-kilowatt Vergnet with a 400,000-kilowatt per hour output, according to project and developer sponsors. According to Russ Smith, of Sandywoods, the turbine still has a month or so to go before it's fully operational. Friday's test is a sign that it's nearing completion. Gov. Lincoln Chafee approved four energy …

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Children Create Cardboard City Out of Recycled Materials [VIDEO]

Sandywoods Farm in Tiverton hosted the event all last week.

Families at Sandywoods Farm spent February vacation putting discarded string, pizza boxes and other recycled materials together to form "Recycled City" as a community project. Mary Giesser, youth resident activity coordinator, said the idea came from Providence artist Ian Cousins who created a similar project at the Fox Point Library. Giesser, a teacher at the time, she said wanted to bring the project to Tiverton and bring the community together. Some of the buildings and businesses children created in the city are the Magic Center for Recycling (made out of manila paper, cardboard and paper towel rolls), Hotel Bowler, Sedra's Hot-Air Balloon, Ben and Riley's Garage and Madison's Homemade Cupcakes. Riley Labonte showed her excitement in …

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Ballet Company Brings "The Nutcracker" to Tiverton Stage

The one day only "Mini-Nutcracker" was performed by Newport's Island Moving Company at Sandywoods Farm last Sunday.

The Island Moving Company, Newport's classically trained contemporary ballet company, performed a special, one day only "The Mini-Nutcracker" at the Sandywoods Center for the Arts, 43 Muse Way, last Sunday, Dec. 4. Light refreshments were served before performance. Children also had the opportunity to meet the dancers and have their photos taken. According to Sandywoods Farm, the performance of "The Nutcracker" was not possible without the generous assistance of the event sponsor, BankNewport. Sandywoods staff thanks Island Moving Company, its administrative and artistic staff and dancers and to BankNewport for collaborating with Sandywoods Farm, Inc. to bring the timeless holiday classic to Tiverton this season. For more information on …

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Lost Dog "Max" Found by Owners in Tiverton

The dog was seen wandering near Sandywoods Farm on Friday night.

A dog found wandering near Sandywoods Farm last Friday night, Oct. 14 made it home safe before Tiverton Police planned to bring it to the shelter. Russ Smith, of Sandywoods Farm, reported the missing dog "Max" around 10:15 p.m. on Friday. Smith said the dog was in traffic at the corner of Bulgarmarsh and Stafford roads after dark in the rain. "We were worried about her getting hit," he said in an email.  Max was brought to a residence on Meadow View Lane, and Smith reported the dog resembles an English setter, medium build, white with brown ears and spots. It had no collar or tags and was very sweet and gentle. He noted the dog seemed healthy but a little thin and with some matted fur. By Saturday at 8 a.m., Smith said Max's owners happily…

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Russ Smith

8:07 am on Monday, October 17, 2011

Max is a sweet dog and he was a very well-behaved overnight guest! We shared his photo and info with the Patch, not knowing how long he might have been lost - but thanks to the wonderful folks at the TPD he was reunited with his worried owners the very next day. Special thanks to the dispatcher who put Max's owners in touch with us. Max is an oldtimer, and they've had him since he was just a pup…   more ›

Gov. Chafee Signs Renewable Energy Laws In Tiverton [VIDEO]

Gov. Lincoln D. Chafee held a press conference with state leaders at Sandywoods Farm in Tiverton on Thursday to sign four renewable energy bills into law, as well as to see the construction of a wind turbine on site.

Gov. Lincoln D. Chafee signed four bills at Sandywoods Farm in Tiverton on Thursday, all which are aimed to foster the generation and use of renewable energy in Rhode Island. The bills were approved by the General Assembly earlier this year. The governor and other state leaders also walked the grounds of Sandywoods to view a wind turbine currently being constructed and installed at the eco-friendly housing community. Three of the four bills are aimed to diversify Rhode Island’s energy-generating resources, promote grid connectivity, properly distribute generated renewable energy and encourage economic development. The first bill (2011-S 0457A, 2011-H 5939 A) limits net-metering to renewable energy projects connected to meters and where …

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Joe Sousa.

6:05 am on Friday, September 16, 2011

Over the next several years, governments at all levels will face more calls for—in fact, in many cases, the necessity for—budget cuts. The question, for these governments and agencies, will not be whether the budget will be cut, but what will be cut and how decisions will be made on which programs to spare and which ones will face the budget ax. In such an environment, it is worth asking whether …   more ›

Sandywoods Farm Wins Fruit Orchard Contest

For its round of voting at midnight on Wednesday, Aug. 31, Sandywoods Farm took first place in the contest.

It was announced on Thursday the Sandywoods Farm in Tiverton placed first in The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation's national fruit tree online voting contest. The new artist community in Tiverton was one of about 130 selected groups from all around the country competing for just 20 free orchards. It all came down to who got the most votes at midnight on Aug. 31. Throughout the final weeks of August, Sandywoods continue to gain momentum in the online voting. According to Russ Smith of Sandywoods, they came in 16th out of the 131 pre-screened nonprofit groups competing from all over the country in the contest. The contest lasted 139 days and when it ended on Wednesday night, they had over 31,000 votes, according to Smith. He added that the …

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Russ Smith

11:00 am on Saturday, September 3, 2011

Thanks to the many people who helped carry Sandywoods to victory! Hope you can join us for the fruit tree planting and celebration on Sunday, September 25th. More details soon.   more ›

Sandywoods Co-op Garden Blooms; Looks To Land Fruit Tree Orchard

The communal garden is thriving and looking to expand next year.

The Sandywoods Farm Community Garden Cooperative has earned success in its inaugural year. Located on a plot of land just past the end of Muse Way Drive, the communal garden represents one of the main projects of new neighborhood to form a community centered around arts and farming. The garden contains many individual 10-foot by 10-foot plots, which can be purchased for $25. It also has what the members refer to as “common beds," which constitute a truly communal garden. Both the labor and produce gained is shared equally amongst members. Membership to the communal aspect of the garden is also $25, while the combination of an individual plot and communal membership is $35. The garden also features a children's garden, maintained primarily …

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