Projo Asks, 'Where Is This?' – Here In EG, We Know Answer

The Providence Journal's Sheila Lennon posts a great photo essay on Scalloptown, the real Scalloptown.

I'm doing my morning peruse of Rhode Island websites today and on the Providence Journal's site, there's a headline, third from the top, asking "Waterfront R.I., Where and When?"  Well, shoot, I think. That's Scalloptown! Not Scalloptown Park, which – as Alan Clarke and Ray Huling have taken pains to point out – is a misnomer for the old town dump at the top of Greenwich Cove. Rather, Scalloptown the waterfront community of yore that stretched from King Street to London Street. It was where the scallop was king and lots of local men made a decent – if hard – living on the water. The photos are terrific and the piece includes an article from Oct. 16, 1938, nearly a month after the ruinous hurricane, about how the water rose 12 feet higher …

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Hunting On The Cove Is Legal – In Warwick

The question is, where does East Greenwich begin and Warwick begin?

The hunters were crouched in the reeds nearby the lower trail at Scalloptown Park and Wildlife Refuge. A brace of ducks were on the water just in front of them. What were they waiting for? Shoot the ducks! Upon closer inspection, I realized the "ducks" were decoys. Of course! But is duck hunting allowed in East Greenwich?  No. It's not.  "The town does have a provision in the ordinances in regards to no discharging of any firearms east of South County Trail," said Lt. Paul Narhgang via email. But it's not quite that simple. He continued: "The hunters that have been in the area have been on the Warwick side of the bay at the inlet that abuts Forge Road. The regulations that govern that are covered under the regulations set forth through …

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‘Scalloptown Yacht Club' Owners Say Purchase Will Protect Fishing Shanties

Mike Della Grotta and Allen Gammons buy the pale blue shanty next to the Lion Street right-of-way with the idea to hold line on change on Water Street.

When Sherry Finn approached Allen Gammons about listing the property at 48 Water St., he knew this was an important moment. The pale blue shanty on the lot was the first of the last shanties in East Greenwich. If it was taken down, how long would it be before the rest changed hands and disappeared, taking with them a big chunk of EG’s past? Gammons contacted longtime friend Mike Della Grotta, who owns EG-based Kendell Seafoods. Della Grotta immediately was interested, but he told Gammons they had to do it together. So, the Scalloptown Yacht Club partnership came into being, born of a shared love the EG waterfront and quahogging. Part of the deal with Finn, who is moving to Florida, included the ramp currently closed off with large …

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Earth Day Events Abound In EG

Three different cleanups are planned — at Boesch Farm, the waterfront and Middle Road.

East Greenwich is celebrating Earth Day on Saturday with three different cleanups — a chance to spruce up our town while enjoying nature’s spring show. The Town of East Greenwich, the Municipal Land Trust, and Pat's Pastured are holding a cleanup of that pastoral jewel known as Briggs-Boesch Farm. It takes place from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at 830 South Road. Participants will do activities like field and brush clearing and planting bed and trail maintenance. Refreshments and supplies will be provided but feel free to bring your own tools like gloves, rakes, clippers and garbage bags. In addition to the activities at Boesch Farm, the Town is also sponsoring roadway litter cleanups as part of Earth Day. Cleanups will take place Saturday from …

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Rants and Raves

We're Half A Zone Warmer And A Bridge, Please?

What to love and loathe about living in East Greenwich this week.

RAVE: HOT OFF THE PRESSES! East Greenwich was part of the United States Department of Agriculture’s rezoning of the Plant Hardiness Map. Huh. Somehow you missed it? Well, it’s official. We are a half-zone warmer today. It's the first time since 1990 that the USDA has revised the official guide for the nation's 80 million gardeners, and much has changed. Nearly entire states, such as Ohio, Nebraska and Texas, are in warmer zones. Before climate change skeptics get hot under the collar, the new map is not a confirmation of a trend toward global warming (at least that is what the USDA keep on insisting though if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, then the assertion that it is a poultry of a whole ‘nother gene pool sorta flies south…

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Remembering The '38 Hurricane As Irene Approaches

John "Tubby" Anderson remembers when the wind started to blow

As Hurricane Irene gains strength and heads north toward Rhode Island with the potential for some very rough weather, there are memories of past storms, including the disaster that hit the state in 1938. Unlike the early warnings we get today, there was no hint of trouble on September 21,1938, which dawned as a beautiful day. Eighty-eight year old John “Tubby” Anderson was then a 16-year-old high school senior.  Born in East Greenwich, his family lived on the first floor of a home at First Avenue and Main, currently an unused gas station.  The lady upstairs nicknamed him “Tubby” as a baby and the name stuck. His work life was spent at Stanley-Bostich, from which he retired 22 years ago. On the day of the hurricane, he was at football …

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