News

  • Block Island Fourth of July celebrations back to “normal”

    Renee Meyer
    Fri, Jul 1
    BIT Category: 
    News
    There’s excitement in the air as Block Island gets ready to celebrate the Fourth of July this year. Presented by the Double Ender Committee and supported by donations large and small, the island events were the brainchild of Edie Blane, years ago when she said to the Town Council: “We should do...

  • July 24: Medical Center reports one new Covid-19 positive individual

    Fri, Jul 24
    BIT Category: 
    News
    COVID-19 Update from the Medical Center and Testing FAQs for July 24, 2020 This week we have seen an uptick in symptomatic individuals and received confirmation of one positive case. The COVID-19 positive individual was asymptomatic and tested at a mainland facility incidentally;...

  • Wind Farm celebrates 3rd anniversary

    Cassius Shuman
    Wed, Sep 18
    BIT Category: 
    News, B.I. Wind Farm
    There was no band or bunting at the Southeast Bluffs celebrating the third anniversary of the Block Island Wind Farm’s construction. The pilot project’s developer, Deepwater Wind, completed construction using a large marine vessel to affix the final blade to tower number five on Thursday, August 18...

  • Clamming with Joe

    Cassius Shuman
    Tue, Jul 9
    BIT Category: 
    News
    Digging, digging, digging… That’s what the act of clamming is all about, digging with a rake, and harvesting your catch while sometimes standing waist or chest deep in frigid ocean water. It’s a workout, but it’s also a way to be outdoors, enjoying what nature has to offer. And Block Island has...

  • Island jeweler crafts artful heirlooms

    Cassius Shuman
    Thu, Sep 20
    BIT Category: 
    News
    Like a Jazz musician improvising while playing a song, Peter Gibbons uses ingenuity to craft durable pieces of personalized heirloom style jewelry that can be passed down to friends and family members for generations. Gibbons, who has been crafting jewelry for 44 years, told The Summer Times...

  • It’s a perfect beach day on Block Island

    Cassius Shuman
    Fri, Aug 3
    BIT Category: 
    News
    It was a beautiful beach day on Block Island, with temps in the 80s, and people were out enjoying the surf and the sun. TURN UP the VOLUME and enjoy the sights and sounds. This video content is property of The Block Island Times . Video by Cassius Shuman

  • The new dinghy dock is open

    Cassius Shuman
    Tue, Jul 31
    BIT Category: 
    News
    The Town of New Shoreham's brand new dinghy dock is open to the public. The dock was christened by town officials on Friday, and the dock is in operation, accommodating about 100 dinghy vessels. The floating L-shaped dock is located between Payne's Dock and Dead Eye Dick's restaurant at New Harbor...

  • Fireworks light up night sky

    Cassius Shuman
    Tue, Jul 3
    BIT Category: 
    News
    There were chants of “USA, USA, USA,” from the porch at The Surf Hotel, where a crowd assembled on Monday night (July 2, 2018) to watch Block Island’s fireworks display. The fireworks exploded in the night’s sky over the ocean off of the Town Beach, with bursts of red, white and blue,...

  • North Lighthouse opens for 25th year

    Pat Tengwall
    Fri, Jun 29
    BIT Category: 
    News
    Block Island's North Lighthouse is marking a double anniversary in 2018. The fourth-order Fresnel lens in the iconic structure at Sandy Point was first illuminated 150 years ago, on Sept. 15, 1868; and the maritime Interpretive Center on its ground floor first opened to the public 25 years ago, in...

  • Pavilion renovations complete

    Cassius Shuman
    Wed, Jun 27
    BIT Category: 
    News
    “It looks beautiful.” That’s what Recreation Department Assistant Cindy Lemon said when asked her thoughts about the newly renovated Fred Benson Beach Pavilion, which will be opening full-time this Saturday for the summer season. The pavilion has been freshly painted an eye-catching blue on its...

  • Newly renovated Beach Pavilion opening

    Cassius Shuman
    Wed, Jun 13
    BIT Category: 
    News
    The Fred Benson Beach Pavilion has been renovated with a brand new blue exterior color, and will be opening full-time this Saturday, June 16 for the summer season. The beach pavilion was renovated by Lincoln-based Mill City Construction from a design schematic drafted by Northeast Collaborative...

  • Sailing into tradition

    Cassius Shuman
    Tue, Jun 5
    BIT Category: 
    News
    That’s the motto of the newly revamped Block Island Race Week, which is being hosted jointly by the Block Island and Duck Island Yacht Clubs in waters two miles to the west of the Great Salt Pond. About 40 sailboats sporting a variety of colors, shapes and sizes, from regional yacht...

  • Signs of summer

    Cassius Shuman
    Tue, May 1
    BIT Category: 
    News
    The weather is changing and it's becoming more like summer every day on Block Island. These images capture the scene from the Boat Basin on the Great Salt Pond to the shoreline at Town Beach on May 1, 2018. This video content is property of The Block Island Times . Video by Cassius Shuman

  • Touring Block Island

    Cassius Shuman
    Fri, Sep 1
    BIT Category: 
    News
    The ocean glistens as the sun’s rays cast a warm light on the placid surf beyond the breakwater as the Block Island Ferry cruises into Old Harbor. The large white vessel backs into its slip, unloading a stream of vehicles followed by a parade of visitors, who cart bags, bicycles and belongings as...

  • Fishing Block Island

    Cassius Shuman
    Wed, Jun 28
    BIT Category: 
    News
    "Be confident in what you’re fishing with. You have to think like you’re the bait, and be dialed in to catch fish." That is the gospel of Hank Hewitt, a Block Island fishing aficionado who is more interested in helping fellow anglers and “paying it forward” than catching the biggest fish in the sea...

  • Glass floats lure explorers

    Cassius Shuman
    Fri, May 26
    BIT Category: 
    News
    “It’s such a beautiful place — unspoiled — and this project captures that.” That’s what glass blowing artisan Eben Horton said about Block Island and its relationship to his Glass Float Project. The project involves Horton’s production of hundreds of glass floats, or sphere-shaped ornaments,...

  • Turbines and toys

    Cassius Shuman
    Fri, Sep 2
    BIT Category: 
    News, B.I. Wind Farm
    Here are the aggregate components, tools and methods that Deepwater Wind and National Grid have employed during the past year to construct the five turbine, 30-megawatt Block Island Wind Farm: Unusual, futuristic looking lift-boats LB Caitlin, LB Paul, LB Robert and the Michael and Lacie Eymard...

  • New Biz: My Oyster

    Hayley Marshall
    Sun, Jul 31
    BIT Category: 
    News
    Weddings have become a booming business on Block Island, and the number of events being held here is only growing. Melissa Sitbon Philip comes to Block Island every summer to create floral arrangements for some of these brides through her current business Painted Rock Designs, which was named in...

  • Hunting for Jaws

    Cassius Shuman
    Sun, Jul 31
    BIT Category: 
    News
    The hunt for “Jaws” came to Block Island and Payne’s Dock in New Harbor on a sunny and steamy July weekend. This incarnation had nothing to do with the Steven Spielberg directed summer classic, or the fictional great white shark that antagonized its characters while frightening beach-loving...

  • Keepers of the Southeast Light

    Cassius Shuman
    Fri, Jul 1
    BIT Category: 
    News
    “My paternal grandfather, Charles Baldwin Westcott, was born in the Southeast Lighthouse in 1900, or 1901,” said Suzanne Westcott-England. Suzanne Westcott-England’s life seems to be inextricably linked to Block Island and its landmark Southeast Lighthouse. Not only was her grandfather born in the...

  • New Biz: Mutt Hut

    Zoe Estrin-Grele
    Tue, Jun 28
    BIT Category: 
    News
    There's a new business to help care for our four-footed, drooling friends on Block Island. Mutt Hut is run by Meg Vitacco and Josh Maldonado and of course their dog Radar. The idea for the business came after the humans discovered that it was difficult for them to find high quality dog food without...

  • Block Island Music Festival 2016

    Zoe Estrin-Grele
    Wed, Jun 1
    BIT Category: 
    News
    This year marks the 16th year of the Block Island Music Festival, the musical celebration geared for the local Block Island population. The Festival is run by Marc Scortino, owner of Captain Nick's. Every year he receives hundreds of demo tape submissions from bands wanting to take part, from every...

  • New state logo unveiled

    Lars Trodson
    Mon, Mar 28
    BIT Category: 
    News
    PROVIDENCE — Having been the first gubernatorial candidate to include a detailed policy statement about the importance of tourism to the state, Gov. Gina Raimondo today unveiled a marketing logo and tagline for a new statewide campaign aimed at boosting Rhode Island's tourism industry. The logo was...

  • My Block Island: Millie Starr

    Zoe Estrin-Grele
    Tue, Jun 30
    BIT Category: 
    News
    Millie Starr just graduated from the Block Island High School. In the fall, she'll be going to the University of New Hampshire to study Psychology. "I might add a minor in Education," she said, sounding excited rather than worried about her future plans. Starr grew up on Block Island and made her...

  • ConserFest for Conservation

    Zoe Estrin-Grele
    Tue, Jun 30
    BIT Category: 
    News
    If you're looking for something fun to do that also supports the Block Island environment, then ConserFest is for you. It's two days of music all across the island and all the proceeds go to nature conservation efforts. The idea of ConserFest came about in 2007. Board of Directors President Cameron...

  • Thomas McAleer Visual Arts Endowed Scholarship Fundraiser

    Tue, Jun 30
    BIT Category: 
    News
    In Tom's memory, his family and friends are establishing an endowed scholarship to foster a connection between the Block Island School and the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). The program will be open to Block Island School students and alumni, ages 14-25, to take courses in RISD's Continuing...

  • First Love is Second Nature

    Kari Curtis
    Tue, Jun 30
    BIT Category: 
    News
    Something you might not expect to see when you visit Block Island is a pair of Bactrian camels, a pair of kangaroos, a Zedonk or a troop of Lemurs. Exotic animals on Block Island? Yes, there sure are — and you can find them at Abrams Farm. Justin Abrams and family, owners of the Hotel Manisses and...

  • Where to Dine on Block Island

    Tue, Jun 30
    BIT Category: 
    News
    Breakfast 1661 Inn Aldo’s Bakery Bethany’s Airport Diner B.I. Boat Basin B.I. Grocery Harbor Grill La Cucina Luca's Farmstead Market National Hotel Old Post office Bagel Shop Payne’s Donuts Persephone's Kitchen Seaside Marketplace Spring House Hotel Surf Hotel Topside Cafe Lunch Aldo’s Restaurant...

  • When You're on the Block

    Tue, Jun 9
    BIT Category: 
    News
    Dial 911 for emer­gen­cy IMPORTANT: THE DIALING OF 911 IS FOR EMER­GEN­CY USE ONLY! An emergency is when immediate police, fire or rescue as­sis­tance is nec­es­sary. 911 should not be di­aled for non-emer­gen­cy calls that do not involve or require im­me­di­ate as­sis­tance. However, if you feel...

  • Block Island Landmarks

    Tue, Jun 9
    BIT Category: 
    News
    1. THE NORTH LIGHT is the fourth lighthouse built on Sandy Point. The first, finished in 1829, was washed away in a few years. A second light began operation in 1837, but was not visible to ships due to the shifting sands. The government built a third light near the end of the Point in 1857 and...