Officer Dan Famiglietti of the Providence Police Mounted Command is patrolling the Thayer Street area today — presumably to greet and guide the out-of-towners — on board this utterly imposing and gorgeous piece of horse flesh. According to the ‘Meet the Horses’ page at the Command website,

The majority of the mounts are “draft crosses” (heavily boned work horses such as Clydesdales, Percherons and Belgians, crossed with the lighter boned saddle breeds such as a Thoroughbred, an American Quarter Horse, a Morgan or an Arabian). These draft crosses are very strong boned, and, as such, they can handle the weight of heavy riders [insert obligatory lame donut joke here: ed.] and walking on hard surfaces for long hours. They also tend not to shy easily, meaning that they are not easily startled and can readily be trained to perform their police duties. Most of the horses have been purchased in Canada.

I believe Cassidy here is a Percheron mix. While useful for crowd control, the horses’ true value lies in the immeasurable goodwill they engender wherever they go. The police horses should always always be with us. (You can probably help Dan out, and do yourself a favor, by avoiding the Angell/Thayer/Waterman/Brook maelstrom whenever possible this weekend.)

You know the drill. Empire Street gets closed off, bands play loud, there’s performance art and people with bicycles, there’s T-shirt vendors and bubbles and beer and food trucks (the Providence Juice Company’s maiden voyage!) and Megasus and Brown Bird and the What Cheer? Brigade and many many more, and did I mention the beer?! And there’s the awards for Jukebox creator, Brandon Edens, and contemporary artist, Shep Fairey. It’s always a bunch of fun. Get down there. (The Phoenix has a great cover story and oral history of AS220. It’s been a true force for good in the city.)

Great poster design this year by William Buzzell and Cara Collins (cropped here for format reason, hope that’s okay). Nice that old cassettes and 8-tracks are sort of having a second act with designers — flash drives, pocket books.

$5, Saturday, 1pm to 1am, Foo Fest 2010, Empire Street between Washington and Westminster.

Finding healthy food options in economically depressed urban areas is notoriously difficult. Here is one shop that is stepping up to the plate. It is hoped that more markets will join in if they see it’s also good for business. Hey, if your customers live longer, they can buy more stuff.

Two corner stores on the Southside of Providence will get a healthy store “makeover” this week thanks to the Providence Healthy Corner Store Initiative (PHCSI), a new initiative that unites Rhode Island farmers, corner store owners, and community residents to increase the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grain items, low-salt and low-sugar canned goods, and healthier snacks available in Providence neighborhoods. The PHCSI is a collaborative project, led by the Environmental Justice League of RI (EJLRI) with support from Farm Fresh RI, Kids First, the Rhode Island Department of Health, Providence high school students, and local farms and business owners.

More info after the jump from Amelia Rose, Director, Environmental Justice League of Rhode Island, 1192 Westminster Street, 401.383.7441. Many local businesses are pitching in — let them know you support their efforts.

Drop by today (Tuesday) and watch the health makeover at New Battambang, 366 Elmwood Avenue, from noon to 2pm.

You could learn a lot. Much more importantly, patronize the stores that are willing to give this a try.  Most of the stuff that is good for you is perishable and more difficult to store. At the end of the day (and I really mean ‘at the end of the day’) these store owners will be throwing away some of their unsold inventory with a direct hit to their bottom line. Make this worth their while.

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The participants in the 48 Hour Film Project have turned in their movies and probably spent the day sleeping etc. — you can see the fruits of their labor Tuesday through Thursday nights at Cinema World at Lincoln Mall. The required prop this year was a pillow; the character was a musician; and the line of dialogue that you MUST hear in each movie is “You need help”. The screenings are broken into two groups each night, 7pm and 9:15pm; they have the team names (with leader) listed on their website, so you can find your friend. All the details at The 48 Hour Film Project site and FB.

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday nights, Cinema World Lincoln Mall

Last Geeks Dinner of the summer! Up for discussion is ‘Manpacks’. Then get your things together,

. . . we’re going on on our first ever Providence Geeks field trip — a whole two blocks away to get a the Geek tour of AS220’s new Mercantile Block. The 50,000 square foot building will open this fall, and will house a hugely expanded AS220 Labs, as well as dozens of live-work studios for artists and other members of the local creative community (yes, that includes Geeks!)

So, reapply your sunblock and wear sensible shoes. For more on ‘Manpacks’ and the evening’s events go to Providence Geeks.

5:30pm to 8:30pm, Wednesday, AS220, 115 Empire Street

“Good men must not obey the laws too well.” I know Emerson meant fireworks when he said that. But now — thanks to a new law, hastily crafted at the last minute by a sleep-deprived general assembly — Ralph Waldo and everyone else can buy fireworks in Rhode Island. (It’s only fair, they took away our prostitutes.) Why it is that Warwick entrepreneurs have hit the ground running I do not know, but there they are. Various local news outlets have been reporting on these enterprising people without exactly informing viewers of the one thing they want to know — where are they? (The ProJo article does have a link to the new legislation.) I found Eddie’s at the intersection of West Shore Road and Oakland Beach Avenue. When you are done shopping, head down Oakland Beach Avenue to Iggy’s for some clam cakes. (Tuesday is Cruise Night in the summer. Dozens of vintage hot rods and classic cars were already pulling in by 3pm this afternoon.) You must be at least 16 years old to purchase fireworks.

Pix of Eddie’s merch after the jump.

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Special Mother’s Day Jewelry Making over at the Steel Yard — two classes, Saturday or Sunday.

This is a special Mother’s Day Weekend offering of our Beginning Jewelry Workshop and it’s all about making and working with that basic building block of jewelry… the jump ring! The class will start with learning how to form round hoops with wire. From there, students will learn a variety of techniques that can be used to design their own unique necklace, bracelet, and/or earrings. The class will cover ways to alter the surface and texture of the wire by hammering, twisting, carving, and drilling metal. Students will also learn basic soldering and annealing skills, as well as how to apply various finishes to their pieces.

Instructor Heather Guidero is a 2002 RISD graduate with a BFA in jewelry and metalsmithing. After 3 years of goldsmithing in NYC, she moved back to Providence. Go here for more info and to register.

$175, 10am to 4:30pm, Saturday, Sunday, The Steel Yard, 27 Sims Street, 273.7101

At the Cable Car Cinema. The Zero Film Festival mandate goes something like this,

Focusing on a niche in the independent film community which has been under appreciated and ignored, Zero Film Festival is dedicated to screening self financed films from filmmakers all over the world. In the age where the majority of festivals are Hollywood marketing campaigns, and even “indie” and “underground” festivals screen financed films, we are here to offer something different.

7pm, Friday, ZFF, Cable Car Cinema, 204 South Main Street

Josh Miller — Senator for District 28, Cranston and Warwick and owner of the Hot Club, Trinity Brewhouse, Local 121 — is now writing to a national audience on the topic of marijuana decriminalization/legalization. Check out the CNBC blog for his thoughtful piece “Rhode Island’s Drive for Sensible Marijuana Laws” posted this morning, including this local update,

On April 13, the Rhode Island House Judiciary Committee went where few states before it have gone, holding its first-ever hearing on a bill that would tax and regulate marijuana like alcohol in the state. Taxing and regulating marijuana would be very different from decriminalizing it for one simple reason: under decriminalization laws, the sale of marijuana remains illegal. Taxing and regulating marijuana would remove the drug from the criminal market, allow state-licensed adults over 21 to cultivate up to three marijuana plants for personal use, make it legal for licensed merchants to sell to adults, and allow governments to make tax revenue from its sale.

If you live in Miller’s district, lucky you. If not, make sure your representatives know that you support Senator Miller’s efforts. (Keep up with his activities and read his newsletter at Josh Miller — State Senate.)

The upcoming Low Anthem show, featuring openers Tallahassee and the ‘Mericans, is now free, with suggested donations requested to benefit United Way’s Rhode Island Flood Recovery Fund. If you have already purchased tickets, you can be refunded at point of purchase or waive your refund and the $ will go to the fund. How this came about was explained by Ben Knox Miller of Low Anthem,

Our tour was way out west when we heard about the flooding. It was a dry but helpless feeling to be so far away. Mat’s mother’s had the idea I think to turn Lupo’s into a benefit show. A good idea! People can donate if they like or just come into Lupo’s for free, which is pretty unusual. We are excited to come back home for the show, and also hopeful for the dryness of the gear in our basement.

So that’s the kind of people they are. Kudos to Mat’s mom and everyone else who is helping to make this happen. The rest of us can head down, listen to some great music, and give generously.  Here’s hoping all their gear was kept high and dry.

Benefit for Flood Recovery, Wednesday, April 21, 7pm to 11pm, Lupo’s, 79 Washington Street

And will continue to do so for some time to come. Head over to the “We Are Haiti” benefit concert being held tonight (Friday) on the Brown Campus.

An evening of Haitian music, dance, poetry, fashion, theater, art, and Creole cuisine will raise funds for two nonprofit groups working outside Port-au-Prince. The 7pm event in the Salomon Center for Teaching includes several performances by various artists, including music by Zili Mizik, an Afro-Caribbean dance troupe; Chadek Tek, Haitian jazz band from New York City; and the Elmwood Avenue Church of God Youth Choir. The $10 admission includes Creole cuisine by Choukoun’s Bistro. All proceeds will go to Haiti Health Ministries and An-n Eder [Let's Help]. Among the many sponsors is the Haiti Crisis Response Committee at Brown.

Choukoun’s Bistro is a Haitian eatery favorably reviewed in The Phoenix a while ago. It is located at 977 Manton Avenue. Zili Misik is an all-girl Afro-beat neo-soul band out of the Berklee School of Music. “Haitian, Brazilian and West African rhythms infuse Zili’s original creations and traditional folk songs. . . and inspires its audiences to dance”. Nuff said.

$10, Haiti Fundraiser, Friday, 7pm on, Salomon Center, Main Campus, Brown University

Hey, we’re famous. Andrew Ruben, founder of Blue State Coffee, has a piece over at HuffPo about doing business with coffee suppliers whose practices comport with the progressive values espoused by the company. He opens with a discussion of the potted coffee plant kept on the counter in the Thayer Street shop, a plant I have been known to water from time to time. (Disclosure: I am an employee at Blue State Coffee. The Alex mentioned in the story is our manager, Alex Payson. Benjamin runs the New Haven shop.)

In February, two Blue State Coffee managers traveled to Costa Rica and Colombia to meet the men and women who grow, pick, sort and ship the coffees that we serve to our customers every day. . . In Colombia, at the Mesa de los Santos Farm, Benjamin and Alex observed firsthand the intricate process of picking coffee cherries. In an hour of picking, they collected just one tenth of what a seasoned picker could.

Maybe they were just . . . pickier. It’s actually kind of nice working in a place where all this matters, even if they work me like a rented mule. Kidding! Plus, it’s really good coffee.

Two of my favorite things — enlightenment philosophy and ice cream. Wayland Square is apparently getting an ice cream shop (where Spoons used to be). In the meantime, the ice cream tempura at Haruki will have to do. There is a sign in the window that would indicate the owners are hiring. Info after the jump.

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I did not see this coming. The editorial board of The Providence Journal has come out in favor of ending our government’s futile war on drugs by legalizing, regulating and taxing all illicit drugs and placing addiction in the public health realm where it belongs. The title of the piece “Silver or lead?” refers to the ‘choice’ given to Mexican officials by the violent drug cartels. The recent murders in Ciudad Juarez of a U.S. consulate official and her husband have brought to our attention the unbelievable death toll the drug war is exacting right across the border. Juarez, a city of 1.5 million people, had over 2600 murders — last year. The editorial takes Obama to task for his recent offer of $1.4 billion in aid to Mexico and Central America to help fight the drug lords, characterized as “money down the drain”.

The time has come to end this war, and recognize reality. It is impossible to stop an illicit business that creates fortunes in poor countries.

This is an excellent piece which should persuade any people who, for whatever reason, have yet to see the light on this issue.

April 5th is the registration deadline for the upcoming Zine Fair 2010,

A day-long celebration of independent media and self publishing at New Urban Arts through workshops, panels, and the selling of small press publications. Register now to sell or distribute your comic, poetry, chapbook, zine, hand-bound letterpress, or any other independently published works. There is a fee of $5 for a half table or $10 for a full table.

The event takes place on April 10th and includes zine making workshops from noon to 2pm where you can learn about bookbinding and comic illustration. The fair itself runs from 2pm to 5pm with local artists selling their zines — don’t miss the Zine Toss and other games. A panel discussion will take place from 5pm to 7pm.

Go here to register (easy payment options) for the New Urban Arts Zine Fair on Saturday, April 10th.

New Urban Arts, 743 Westminster Street, 751.4556

The silent auction runs through 5pm Sunday. Fifty-five artists have donated 70 artworks for this silent auction.  Winning bidders donate directly to a Chilean relief organization, and go home with a work of art. Artists include Andrew Moon Bain, Boris Bally, Jennifer Daltry, Erik Gould, Corey Grayhorse, Jungil Hong, Josie Morway, and Frank Mullin. (Seen here, archival inkjet print by Mullin, Roadside Shade Outside Huasco, Chile.)

Presented by Chilean artist Magaly Ponce, photographer Frank Mullin and curator Maya Allison.

Noon to 5pm, Sunday, 232 Westminster Street