talents of more established artists such as Donovan, Pete Seeger, Johnny Cash, Judy Collins, and Peter, Paul and Mary. Veteran music director Murray Lerner (MESSAGE TO LOVE: THE ISLE OF WIGHT FESTIVAL) presents a collection of archival footage from four of Newport's '60s-era festivals featuring these and many other legendary musicians for a vital historical document of an American cultural institution."

I have fond memories of attending both this Festival and the Jazz festival. I remember seeing many memorable performances in the open field. The review above gives the names of many of the folk stars. At the jazz festival I saw such greats as Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonius Monk and many more. The two festivals were marvelous entertainment which I eventually ended because of some small riots. The crowds grew to become too rowdy to control and the concerts were cancelled for a number of years and came back in a different venue and alcohol free. As a summer resident of South County, we got to Newport by driving over the Jamestown bridge, with its ten cent toll, and parking in downtown Jamestown. The next leg of the journey was by ferry, and once we reached the ferry there was the long hike up the hill to the concert site. At that time downtown Newport was still very much a Navy town with lots of bars. The scenes from Festival show throngs of "preppys" heading to the concerts. I will admit to looking closely to see if I or one of my friends were there.
In any event they were a wonderful part of Rhode Island heritage. The film is a step back in time because all of the footage is archival."

MF mf197@comcast.net 

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Wow....I just stumbled upon your site when I was searching for photos of Chepachet's Ancient & Horribles Parade! I didn't find any of those, but was very excited to read all the great memories written by
Rhode Islanders. I grew up in the Limerock section of Lincoln. Does anyone remember The Friendly Farm on Great Road? It was a short lived little place where you could go and pet the farm animals....it was a sweet little place. How about the story of how Molasses Hill got its name?
And Grandfather's Store? A little country store, at the bottom of what seemed like a huge hill, where you could buy penny candy. I loved that place! How ironic that years later I would be the current owner of Brown & Hopkins Country Store in Chepachet....hence, the reason I was looking for old photos of the parade. In business for 199 years now, and we still have some candy for just a penny. I would love hearing if anyone has any old photos or memories of their visit to Brown & Hopkins. You may email me at shopkeeper@brownandhopkins.com 
Of course, there were lots of memories of going to A & W Root Beer in Cumberland......and drinking swampwater, which was a mixture of orange soda and root beer, if I am not mistaken.
Then there were the summers at East Matunuck....Skip's Dock, jumping off (I mean getting pushed off) the State Pier by the teenage boys, and clamming in the salt marsh. Gosh, those were the days! No wonder why I love seafood so much!
Rhode Island is such a great state! Thanks for the memories! I will be emailing your link to all of my friends!
And I will even put it on my store blog. www.brownandhopkins.blogspot.com 

Liz McIntyre BrownandHopkins@aol.com 

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"Fantastic website: Here's some memories: I grew up next to the Providence Barrington Bible College on State Street in Providence during the 50's. Every night during the summer the neighborhood guys would meet at Mary's Variety store on the corner of Chalkstone Avenue and State Street. I could here the loud political discussions from the small apartment house that my grand mother owned. We were right next to the bible college dorm and adjacent to radio station WPTL-FM which played classical music. The transmitting tower was huge. The campus was my playground and my friends and I were always exploring. At night the place got creepy because the campus officially closed. What a hike it was to Candace Street school (four trips a day!) Is there anyone who lived on State Street during the mid 50's. Love to hear from you."

Thanks,
Nick nterrenc@yahoo.com 

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"This was such a special treat, sent to me by my brother Chris, who is now living in Washington State. We emigrated to California in 1959. Here is what I remember.

• J. C. Potter Elementary school, where upon graduation from 6th grade, I got to wear my first pair of pumps (hot pink with no straps!) purchased at Ann & Hope, and I had to beg for them..................
• Goff Jr. High School, and my first "public speaking" class. Scared me to death, I was happy to be moving! But the dances were fun. I remember Larry's suit jacket smelling like moth balls, still brings back that memory everytime I smell moth balls, which out here is not too often.
• Narragansett race track.
• Cherry cokes, coffee ice=cream - try to get that out here in 1959 - no way..
• Bubblers - laughed out of school with that one.
• Every soft drink a "coke".
• Dairy Delight I think it was on Newport? Next to the old Stone Bank?
• Penuckles (???) Penaults ???? The drugstore on the corner of something in Pawtucket.
• The Boys Club where I learned how to swim.........I can still smell that place.......
• St. Therese's and St. Leo's and that French Church not too far away.
• CLAM CAKES.................. in a bag at Crescent Park! I can still taste those................

Thanks for the memories."

Eunice Larkin of Pawtucket eunicelarkin@earthlink.net 

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"OMG... what a GREAT site! Thank you SO much for the opportunity to reminisce. I have SO many fond memories of RI, but I seriously don't miss it, except for the food... LOL! Something that really scared me as a kid was the RAG man. I read about the ice man and the ice cream man, the milk man and various other 'men', but no mention of the RAG man. Was I the only one who remembers him. The hideous old truck and the toothless old man sitting on the old flat bed yelling, "RAGS" as he was driven through the neighborhood, ever so slowly by his chauffeur... LOL! My mother scared the livin' daylight outta me concerning that guy. Funny how that goes. BTW, born in St Joes Hosp, I grew up in Hoxie. Remember Hoxie 4 corners, anyone? Went to Warren A Sherman School, which was 1st - 6th back then. Off to a "Catholic" school in Providence for 7-12. St Charles Borromeo. Cranston St near the Cranston St Armory. Penny (actually sometimes more than 1 piece for a penny!) candy at, "Mary's", on the corner after school while waiting for the school bus, which came later because it had to run the public school kids first. And there was a NY System nearby that I remember stopping at on the way home from visiting my grandmother, in Warren one time. My oldest brother had a hankerin' for some 'gaggers'. I was only about 3 or 4 and had never had one. The smell made me SO sick my Dad had to stop the car so I could get out to puke... LOL! Never had ANY desire to eat them from that day forward...until I was grown and married and my husband wanted to get some and I tried one and the hook was set... I was a junkie! LOL!
My Dad, "Hurd and Goldberg's" (When Hurds WAS H&G, when they first started their business on Reservoir Ave.) first and only mechanic when they first went into business, worked there for 50 years, 'til he retied at age 65. Figure it out... he was just a lad at age 15 working for them. He was their head mechanic for 50 years and Salty Brine was one of their customers who wanted only my Dad to work on his car. There was lots of customers like that, too. Would only leave their car for repair if my Dad would be the one working on it. He was the BEST. And always took the best care of their cars... careful to not dirty or scratch it. I remember him wiping off the steering wheel after he removed the blanket he had put on the seat to make sure he left it cleaner than he received it. Customer care... that was my Dad.
One of the foods I miss most is DePetrillos Pizza (we called them 'slugs') slices. Right there on Tiogue Ave in Coventry, where we moved to when I was 15. My folks wanted to get out of the city (LOL) and into the country, Johnson's Pond, where we initially had a Summer house (we called it 'the camp') and they liked it so much they wanted to be there year 'round.
Met my husband there on the pond and we married at St John and Paul's Catholic Church there on Tiogue Ave. Reception at, "The ShowBoat" with the famous 'buffet' for the dinner. It was AWESOME! Kid Blair was a GREAT cook! And we had a, "Double Shower", which I don't think they have anymore, at, "The Club 400". Again... AWESOME food. The BEST macaroni ever! Not to mention the soup. I remember dancing with Frankie Galashaw, of the, "Wright's Farm" fame, which he wasn't back them, (but my husband used to babysit for his kids, that's how we knew them) and he told me I shouldn't be chewing gum... LOL! Funny the stuff ya remember, eh?!
And flying down suicide hill in Roger William's Park on my Flexible Flyer and, especially, my Flying Saucer (later)... what a BLAST! I'm happy to have raised my kids there, in good ol' Rody. We have lots of fond memories. Moved away after the Savings and Loan debacle. It just wasn't the same anymore. But, like I said, lots of fond memories... like taking the kids to, "Hack & Livery" in Hopkinton after Sunday Mass at St Joe's there. By this time we lived in Exeter.
I could go on forever, I think... but that's about enough. Thanks for letting me share. It does a spirit good."

Jeanne Tessier jmtess@yahoo.com