It's been five years since
Rhode Island Stories first gathered the neighbors 'round the TV for great local storytelling under one canopy. Rhode Island PBS marks the fifth anniversary of
Rhode Island Stories on Saturday, February 1 by airing specially chosen local programs from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
In the five years since we launched
Rhode Island Stories, together we've explored lighthouses and fun houses, baby brains and Baby Roger the elephant, glimpsed life behind the hedgerows and peeked through fingers at haunted woods,
felt the warmth of healing hands and cheered the grit of cancer survivors.
Rhode Island Stories is a weekly story hour
about people, places, and events with a Rhode Island connection - little stories that leave a big impression.
In addition to showing documentaries that define
Rhode Island Stories, we're pleased to add to the February 1 line-up local stand-alone productions that showcase local talent. Throughout the day, these local independent producers will share their "behind the camera" perspectives and what it means to them to be able to share their stories on Rhode Island PBS.
Join us for this sample of local content available on Rhode Island PBS, with the promise of much more to come.
11:30 a.m. - Teenage Critic - This group of Rhode Island teens examines all kinds of cool stuff in and around our state. The show is by teens for teens (with a little help from grown-up director Lara Sebastian). Airing at its regular time on February 1,
each week is an amazing 30-minute journey.
Noon - Rhode Island Classroom #102 - Margie O'Brien hosts this dynamic quarterly series that takes a look at what's going on in local schools. This episode's segments focus on technology in the classroom; the RISE program, offering scholarships and mentoring to children with incarcerated parents; and how our schools are dealing with food allergies.
12:30 - URI Today - Baby Talk: Unlocking the Secrets of the Baby Brain takes an intimate look at the work of Mary Sullivan, interim dean of URI’s College of Nursing, who is spearheading the longest running U.S. study of premature infants, spanning more than 20 years.
1:00 - "Some Kind of Funny Porto Rican?" Claire Andrade-Watkins worked for over ten years to tell the history of her beloved Cape Verdean Fox Point section of Providence, Rhode Island. Full of childhood memories, textures and sounds of the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s, Some Kind of Funny Porto Rican chronicles her community's music, ties to the old country, and the maritime/seafaring traditions, in the Port of Providence. Three generations of Cape Verdeans were born and raised in this tight knit neighborhood that stretched along the waterfront. But the story is also of tragedy and scandal as this vibrant community of immigrants was forcibly displaced by urban renewal in the 1970s.
2:00 - Island Nurse is the story of Mary Donnelly, the public health nurse and heart of Block Island, RI, who, after more than 54 years of nursing, finally hung up her stethoscope and put away the thermometer and bandages for the last time in May 2013 when she retired from state public health service at age 86.
3:00 - Mimi Sammis: Sculpting
Peace is a documentary about the life and work of world-renowned Narragansett, Rhode Island, artist and peace activist, Anne Mimi Sammis. The documentary traces the artist's journey over the last three decades, illustrated by archival footage of significant events in Mimi's career.
3:30 p.m.- Maple Syrup In Rhode
Island features Bill Livingston in his "sugar shack" making the first syrup of the year. He has been making maple syrup for close to fifty years, and he shares his expertise about the maple syrup process, from tapping the trees to bottling the syrup.
4:00 - Haunted RI: The Legends of Dolly Cole returns to the dense forests that line Tucker Hollow Road and Ramtail Road in Foster. Of all the reports of hauntings by dead mill workers and plague victims, no name has earned itself more prominence - and confusion - than that of Dolly Cole. She was a witch, a vampire, a murdered prostitute who dressed in men's clothing... She lost her daughter - or maybe it was a son - in a fire set by neighbors afraid of this Witch of Foster. She was murdered in the woods at age 27; she drowned in the stream near her house; she is the “Woman in White” seen by hunters, fishermen, and local residents for years, most of whom are reluctant to speak of the experiences above a whisper. The team, in the company of Andrew Lake and Thomas D'Agostino, attempt to sort out the legends of Dolly Cole.
5:00 - New England Portraits: Rumford Baking Powder Company -The Rumford Baking Powder Company is one of America’s earliest entrepreneurial successes. Archival photos and the reminiscences of former employees tell the history of the manufacturing source of the familiar staple in every cook's kitchen: a tall red tin of Rumford Baking Powder. No longer the manufacturing powerhouse that shaped Rumford Village, Rumford Center is now reshaping itself, through adaptive reuse as a community of apartments, offices and shops. Filmed in 2008.
5:30 - Guitar #1711 is a documentary film about Rhode Island guitar maker Otto D’Ambrosio, directed by Rhode Island-based filmmaker Guy Benoit. The film is an intimate and lyrical portrait of the artistic process, following D’Ambrosio through the creation -- start to finish -- of an acoustic archtop guitar, hand made for renowned jazz guitarist and Berklee College of Music Instructor Julian Lage. The film culminates with a live concert performance by Lage, playing guitar #1711.
6:00 - Covered Bridges of New England
captures the vanishing architectural gems that once proliferated the New England Landscape.
7:00 - WaterFire: Art and Soul of a City takes audiences behind the scenes of one of the world's most extraordinary nighttime events. This beautiful, compelling documentary produced by Joe Rocco and filmed by Jim Karpeichik in association with WaterFire Providence tells the story of WaterFire through insightful and amusing commentary from WaterFire creator and artist Barnaby Evans, several participants and volunteers, local historians, and passionate fans from around the world.
The local Rhode Island PBS contest started January 27 and continues through March 21. Entries will be judged and winners chosen from in each grade, so there will be four first place winners. Winners and participants will be honored during an awards celebration in April. Local winners will be entered into the national contest, which is judged in May and June. 
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