Smile, Woonsocket!

Updates, Events, and MORE!!!

May 2026

Greetings!

Help us spread the Good News!

We’re growing something special and we need your help to keep the momentum going. This newsletter is all about staying connected, sharing what matters, and celebrating our community. If you’ve been enjoying it, why not spread the word?

Tell a friend, mention it at your next gathering, or help someone sign up. It only takes a minute, and it makes a big difference. The more voices we have, the stronger our community becomes!

Let’s grow this together!

Here is what is going on in Woonsocket for the Month of May:

• Saturday, 5/2, 10-3pm - Woonsocket Rotary's Touch-a-Truck, 1409 Park Ave.
• Saturday, 5/2, 11-3pm - Youth Appreciation Field Day at the Elks Lodge, 380 Social St.
• Saturday, 5/2, 6-10pm - DWC's Murder at the Museum, 42 South Main St.
• Monday, 5/4, 7pm - City Council Meeting at City Hall, 169 Main St.
• Thursday, 5/7, 6-8pm - Levitt AMP Battle of the Bands at Millrace, 40 South Main St.
• Friday, 5/8, 9-12pm - United Way 211 Bus, Aging Well, Inc., 84 Social St.
• Saturday, 5/9 - Letter Carrier's Food Drive at your house!
• Saturday, 5/9, 2-4pm - Strategy Games at Harris Public Library, 303 Clinton St.
• Sunday, 5/10 - Happy Mother's Day!
• Monday, 5/11, 6:30pm - Mayor's Health & Wellness Club Porketta, 380 Social St.
• Wednesday, 5/13, 7pm - School Committee Meeting, Hamlet Middle School
• Thursday, 5/14, 6-7pm - Look Back at the Bicentennial at the Museum of Work & Culture
• Saturday, 5/16, 8-12pm - City Hall open, 169 Main St.
• Monday, 5/18, 7pm - City Council Meeting at City Hall, 169 Main St.
• Tuesday, 5/19, 2-4pm - RI Legal Services Housing Legal Clinic, 66 Social St.
• Wednesday, 5/20, 7-8pm - Poetry Night at Harris Public Library, 303 Clinton St
• Thursday, 5/21, 6-8pm - DWC's I <3 Woonsocket at the Woonsocket Dog Park
• Monday, 5/25 - City Hall is closed for Memorial Day
• Monday, 5/25, 11am - Memorial Day Ceremony at WWII Veteran's Memorial Park
• Tuesday, 5/26, 8-10am - George Nasuti Novans Pride 5k, Leo A. Savoie School
• Wednesday, 5/27, 7pm - School Committee Meeting, Hamlet Middle School
• Saturday, 5/30, 1-4pm - CCF's Summer Block Party, 719 Front St.
• Sunday, 5/31, 10-1pm - Raised Bed & Container Gardening Workshop, Olo & Center St.
• Tuesday, 6/2, 5pm - State of the City Address at City Hall, 169 Main St.

Woonsocket is Ready!

Woonsocket is READY for what’s next. On Tuesday, June 2 at 5pm, the City will unveil its new Roadmap for Inclusive Economic Growth during the State of the City Address at Woonsocket City Hall. This is a major milestone in shaping the city’s economic future.

Developed in partnership with Skills for Rhode Island’s Future and Camoin Associates, this bold new roadmap turns months of research, analysis, and community-driven planning into a clear action plan for Woonsocket’s next chapter. Built with input from dozens of local stakeholders, business leaders, and residents, it outlines shared priorities, practical strategies, and implementation-ready ideas designed to strengthen the local economy and expand opportunity across the city. Grounded in Woonsocket’s real strengths, real challenges, and real potential, this roadmap is more than a plan, it is a community-informed vision for inclusive growth, investment, and long-term momentum.

Join us on June 2 at 5pm as Woonsocket takes an exciting step forward!

Woonsocket and the Earth Thank You!

For Earth Day, more than 190 volunteers rolled up their sleeves, grabbed gloves and trash bags, and helped collect over 600 bags of litter across the city. This is a powerful reminder of what we can accomplish when people come together to care for their community. Thank you to the many neighborhood groups and residents who took pride in cleaning their own blocks and making their corners of Woonsocket shine.

We are also incredibly grateful to the neighborhood residents and the volunteer teams from NeighborWorks Blackstone River Valley, Harvest Community Church, Lops Brewery, The Blackstone Valley Prevention Coalition, Vida Church, and CVS Health for showing up and showing love for Woonsocket in such a big way. Because of you, our parks, streets, and neighborhoods are cleaner, brighter, and a little more beautiful. More importantly, you showed what community pride looks like in action!

Curbside Yard Waste Collection Has Started

A few quick rules:

✔ Use paper bags or clearly marked reusable barrels

✘ No plastic bags, even the ones pretending to be yard waste bags

✔ Leaves, small brush, and light mulch are welcome

✘ No rocks, sand, or giant mulch mountains

✔ Small branches should be bundled (under 3 feet), and tied with twine

✘ No large branches, tree limbs, or stumps

Curbside yard waste collection is back, just in time for spring cleanup season! Here’s the scoop:



🍃 Every other week collection runs April 27 through August 7

🗓 Put yard waste out on your regular trash day

⏸ No collection August 10 through August 28

(Your yard gets a little summer break.)

🍂 Weekly collection begins August 31 and runs through December 4

(Just in time for fall’s dramatic leaf finale.)



Prefer to drop it off yourself? The seasonal Yard Waste Drop-Off Facility is open with a $25 seasonal permit, available at City Hall. Bring your ID and vehicle registration when purchasing. Permits are valid for the current calendar year, and no commercial drop-offs are allowed.

City Hall is Now Open Every 3rd Saturday!

To make city services more accessible and convenient for residents, Woonsocket City Hall is now open on the third Saturday of each month from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM.

During these Saturday hours, the following departments will be available to assist residents:

• Treasury - water, sewer, and tax payments
• City Clerk’s Office - licensing services
• Building Inspection - payment of code violation fines

We hope these expanded hours make it easier for residents to take care of important City business without needing to visit during the work week.

Free Trees for Woonsocket!

Residents are invited to take part in Groundwork RI and the Arbor Day Foundation's Free Tree Giveaway, featuring 21 tree species available at no cost, including fruiting, flowering, and shade trees.

Residents can reserve up to three trees and choose their preferred species in advance. While people are welcome to stop by the Woonsocket Library on May 23, trees will be distributed on a first come, first served basis, with priority given to residents who sign up ahead of time and reserve their trees in advance. If you have your eye on a specific species, signing up early is strongly recommended.

Free Housing Legal Clinic coming to Woonsocket

Beginning May 1, Rhode Island Legal Services will offer a free monthly legal clinic to help residents with housing-related issues. The clinic will take place on the third Tuesday of every month from 2-4pm at the Serenity Center, 66 Social Street.Participation is available on a first come, first served basis. This free clinic is a valuable resource for residents facing housing challenges and in need of legal support.

Residents can receive free legal assistance with:

• Eviction defense
• Landlord-tenant disputes
• Subsidized and public housing
• Lead hazards and other unsafe housing conditions
• Housing stability concerns

Volunteer days are on Saturdays from 10am-2pm on the following days in May:

• May 2 – Bartlett Cemetery
• May 16 – Capron Cemetery
• May 23 – Capron Cemetery
• May 30 – Capron Cemetery

The Friends of Oak Hill Cemetery are rolling up their sleeves to help preserve some of Woonsocket’s most historic resting places, one gravestone at a time. Through a series of volunteer days, this dedicated group is continuing its efforts to care for Bartlett and Capron Cemeteries by finishing seasonal leaf cleanup and beginning gravestone repairs that are long overdue. Their work is more than beautification, it is preservation. As part of the United States’ 250th anniversary, these volunteer cleanup days are helping protect and honor an important piece of Woonsocket’s local history for future generations.

The Friends of Oak Hill Cemetery continue to show that preserving history is a hands-on act of community care and that sometimes, the best way to honor the past is to show up with gloves, rakes, and a little elbow grease.

Guess what's on that pallet. It's beds! Wait, what? Beds at the Woonsocket Education Center? Yes! They’re part of the newest classroom, fully equipped training space for residents interested in becoming Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs). The new classroom is being set up with the hands-on equipment needed to prepare students for careers in healthcare, and enrollment information will be available soon. This is an exciting step in expanding local workforce training opportunities and creating direct pathways to in-demand careers.

In the meantime, additional training programs are also on the horizon:

• Teaching Assistant Training begins May 26
• Pharmacy Technician Training begins June 29

Honor a Veteran this Memorial Day with a Tribute

This Memorial Day, the United Veterans Council of Greater Woonsocket invites families to honor the service and sacrifice of a loved one through the Veteran Banner Tribute Program. A personalized military banner featuring your veteran’s name and photo is a meaningful way to memorialize their service and ensure their legacy is proudly displayed throughout the city during Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Veterans Day. Beyond honoring a loved one, each banner also gives back. A portion of the proceeds will support emergency assistance for local veterans and their families facing hardship, helping provide essentials like housing, food, utilities, and medical support. A Veteran Banner is more than a tribute, it is a lasting way to remember, honor, and give back this Memorial Day.

Woonsocket Situation Table

The Woonsocket Situation Table is a multi-agency collaboration of local human service, health, education and criminal justice professionals that meets Wednesday mornings to address situations where an individual or family is at a significant risk of harm. The team develops an action plan to reduce the risk and works with the individual and their family to connect them with services and supports in the community. The City of Woonsocket is a proud member of this collaborative.

169 Main Street | Woonsocket, RI 02895

(401)762-6400