INSIDE THIS EDITION:
- THE METHUSELAH PROJECT by LLC member Barry Marshall
- SEEKING VOLUNTEERS: LLC SUMMER SERVICE ACTIVITY (Jul 8)
- LLC’S TRIP TO ST. ANN ARTS AND CULTURAL CENTER IN WOONSOCKET
- JANE’S WALK ARTICLE CORRECTION
- I HEAR AMERICA SINGING by Walt Whitman
Click on the links to jump to the article.
The Methuselah Project
LLC Member Barry Marshall at Fringe PVD Festival
The Methuselah Project is a mixed media collage of three poems about three elders I encountered while doing drama workshops at the Hattie Ide Chaffee Home in Riverside RI. The combined ages of the three women in this performable chapbook is 309 years. The length of the show is less than half an hour.
Since it's going to be shown virtually (as a video online), you can purchase a ticket on the FringePVD website and watch it from anywhere, anytime during the week of the Festival, which runs from July 12-19.
CLICK TO GET TICKETS.
LLC Summer Service Activity
Second date added on Wednesday, July 8!
Following the success of its spring cleanup at India Point Park, LLC’s new Community Service Initiative has arranged a summer activity in conjunction with The Clothing Collaborative of Dorcas International. The Clothing Collaborative provides wardrobe and essential items to newly arrived refugees, immigrants, and other community members in need, to ensure that clients have the clothing and resources they need to feel supported as they settle into their new lives. Each week, it serves approximately 100 people from across the state. Included are dresses, and shoes, as well as selections suitable for job interviews and special occasions. The program is entirely fueled by clothing donations from the community.
LLC has fulfilled its pledge to provide a team of 14 volunteers on July 21 to assist in sorting, organizing, and preparing clothing items for distribution. However, a second date has been added for this service project in order to accommodate others who would like to participate. Three spots are open on July 8 from 9:30 to 11:30 AM. This project is open to individuals of all levels of mobility. Tasks will take place inside an air-conditioned facility, with seating provided for those who cannot stand or have difficulty standing for long periods of time. No special skills are required — just a good attitude and a willingness to serve.
If you are interested in participating on July 8, please contact coordinator Sandy Levis at bigmamoo1@verizon.net.
LLC's Trip to St. Ann Arts and Cultural Center in Woonsocket
On June 10, over twenty LLC members toured St. Ann Arts and Cultural Center. Called "Rhode Island's Sistine Chapel," this local treasure is the home of the largest collection of fresco paintings in North America.
The three priests in one window were the priests that were assigned to Saint Ann’s at the time the stained glass was made.
Cathy Hurst
I really liked the Rhode Island seal stained glass window!
Cathy Hurst
Photo by Tom Backman
More photos from Tom Backman and Cathy Hurst in the next issue of The Lark.
Jane's Walk Article Correction
A correction to the Jane's Walk article that we ran in our previous issue of The Lark (Vol 6, Issue 2, June 2026):
The monuments and memorials tour was by Lisa Miles, Jessica Siegel, and Linda Shamoon.
I Hear America Singing
By Walt Whitman
I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear,
Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe and strong,
The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam,
The mason singing his as he makes ready for work, or leaves off work,
The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat, the deckhand singing on the steamboat deck,
The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench, the hatter singing as he stands,
The wood-cutter’s song, the ploughboy’s on his way in the morning, or at noon intermission or at sundown,
The delicious singing of the mother, or of the young wife at work, or of the girl sewing or washing,
Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else,
The day what belongs to the day—at night the party of young fellows, robust, friendly,
Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs.
