This week, Portsmouth Patch answers the question: What do Portsmouth farmers do during the winter? We checked with one local farm to find out the answer: If you think winter is the off-season for farmers, Harry Chase of Chase Farms at 1681 West Main Road will tell you otherwise. "I was joking to our intern Simon yesterday that we work half-days in winter, keeping in mind a day is 24 hours," Chase said. Walking into one of the 24 greenhouses on the farm the Chase family has owned for generations, one can see it is not barren, but rather a place of life. Rows of tiny seedlings line the …

This week, Portsmouth Patch answers the question: What's the history behind the Union Church? Portsmouth's Union Church,  located on 870 East Main Road, is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. According to Gloria Schmidt of the Portsmouth Historical Society, the church was built in 1865 and still retains its original woodwork and style. The original blue and white structure only cost $7,000 when it was built as a meeting house for the Portsmouth Christian Union. Interestingly, the congregation itself was founded in 1810, but people met in individual member's homes until …

This week, Portsmouth Patch answers the all-important question: What should I do with my stir-crazy children over winter break?With the school out this week and the holidays over, it's time to take the kids out of the house and generate some activities for them this winter break! Featured below are a few ideas on what to do this week with the kids: Head to the Audubon's Environmental Education Center, located at 1401 Hope St., Bristol. Your child can listen to nature readings and get involved in nature-based crafts each day over winter break. Activities include dissecting fish and other hands…

This week, Portsmouth Patch answers the question: Where can I find last-minute holiday decorations? DeCastro & Sons Farms was bustling with activity this past Friday morning. As people scrambled around looking for Christmas items, Maureen Connor ambled through the expansive greenhouse. "I come out to the island from Providence just to pick up the poinsettias," she said, weaving through the abundant rows of hearty red and white plants. "These are a great alternative gift to take to parties." At only $6.99 and with plenty of plants to choose from, poinsettias were an easy choice. With less than…

This week, we answer a question from reader Terri-Lynn B. Thayer, who asked the following: Why does the town allow tractor trailer trucks to constantly park at Lawton's Valley? It would seem that this is a security issue parking such vehicles right next to a large public water supply. Sometimes, I even see trucks parked there from a Middletown trucking company.Emily Cousineau of the Rhode Island Water Resources Board states that the Department of Transportation is working at Lawton Valley Reservoir, specifically off West Main Road. According to Portsmouth Town Administrator Bob Driscoll, "…

This week, we answer the question: What do I do to prepare my house for winter? With a few easy steps you can make certain your house will be warm, secure, and well-maintained from the outside-in this winter.According to Larry Handren, owner of family-run Handren's Hardware store on 3001 East Main Road, before the snow starts to fall, you should get on the roof and clean out those gutters. Whether you pick up a scraper designed for the job at his store, or are willing to use an old spatula you have lying around the house, you will need to scrape all leaves and debris from the gutters. Once …

This week, Portsmouth Patch answers the question: Where do you go in Portsmouth to lose weight from holiday eating? Eager to work off those holiday treats? Ready to shed a few pounds so you can dazzle your colleagues in that little black dress or suit at this year's office holiday party? Perhaps it's time to explore some of Portsmouth's local gyms: Peak Fitness Walking into Peak Fitness, located on 200 High Point Ave., you are greeted with a smile by owner Rob Ghirardi. He immediately showed off the three-room gym, including one room with cardio machines and Broadcast Vision television to …

This week, Portsmouth Patch answers the question: What can a visitor expect to do on Prudence Island? While technically part of Portsmouth, Prudence Island is its own small island easily reached by ferry from Bristol. Only 5.57 square miles in size and with about 150 year-round inhabitants, the island retains its wilderness "feel," yet is easy to explore as part of a summer day trip. Conveniently, the ferry makes four daily half-hour, roundtrip journeys year round from Bristol to Prudence Island, at the reasonable fare of $6.20 per adult and $2 per child. In 1637, Roger Williams and John …

As cars approach the intersection of East Main Road and Fairview Lane, they are met with a signal overhead that shows the usual traffic trifecta: red, yellow, and green. Last, but not least, is a small arrow at the bottom of the strand indicating it's clear to take a left. Patch reader Heather Rhodes asks why there is not a sign posted on the side of the road, or one hanging from the light, indicating that there is a left turn lane? According to Rhode Island Department of Transportation spokesman Bryan Lucier, "The issue with our signage is that those lanes are considered multi-use lanes, …

"Can you hear me now?" "What?" We've all been there. We've all had it happen to us. Just as you are about to get some juicy gossip from a friend, or right at the moment you decide to accept that new promotion, the phone starts to cut out and the other person sounds like they are drowning in maple syrup. At best, it's temporary. The signal strength recovers, your friend stops drowning and you carry on with the conversation, wondering aloud whose cell phone provider was to blame for the poor reception. At worst, the cell signal drops out completely, leaving your friend talking to herself while …

Back in August, when my boyfriend and I were looking for houses to rent in Portsmouth, we were shown a house by a local realtor. He asked us the usual questions about what we were looking for in a house and what was our background. Pretty standard stuff. When he asked us if we had any pets, I replied, "Yes, two outdoor cats." He responded haughtily, "Well... you keep 'em on leashes, right?" "Come again?," I replied, rather taken aback. "I said cats." "Portsmouth has a leash law, you know." A leash law? For cats? At this point, I let him explain to me in detail about Portmsouth's so-called …

Tales of a little red-haired girl wandering the land. Stories of a ghoulish-looking man wearing Colonial garb wandering the grounds. It's hard to not hear about the suspected Glen Farm ghost, but are the tales true or just (sub)urban legends? A quick trip to the Portsmouth Free Public Library only made the tale more believable. In Eleyne Austen Sharp's "Haunted Newport," Sharp writes about "Spooks in the Stables," specifically ghostly apparations. "You can't work at Glen Farm (Stables) too long before you hear the tales," writes Sharp, a Newport resident. Sharp's book is available at the …

This week, You Ask...Patch Answers decided to answer a question that was repeated by many residents prior to the special referendum election. At various School Committee meetings, residents asked how Little Compton residents contribute to Portsmouth schools? This contribution is specifically for Little Compton residents (children and teens), who attend schools in Portsmouth. You Ask...Patch Answers the question: How do Little Compton residents contribute financially to Portsmouth schools for out-of-district tuition? Mark Dunham, finance director for the Portsmouth School District, answered …

Ever since the Rhode Island Department of Transportation broke ground on the new Sakonnet River Bridge in April 2009, thousands of Portsmouth residents have watched as the landscape to the south of the bridge slowly morphed into a giant construction site as they drove overhead. But as cars and trucks continue to rumble across the bridge some 60 feet above the waters below, curiosity begs the question: What will become of the tired, old span after the new bridge is christened? Will is sit there derelict for years, like a forgotten piece of architectural history, stuck out in the open for all …

This week, You Ask...Patch Answers decided to answer a question from the comments posted on this site. Reader Anne T. wrote the following on Oct. 7: Good morning - Barrington teachers pay 20% for their healthcare. Regarding the model, deductible and restrictions ... I will be happy to call their school dept today to ask. Since the Town will be negotiating a new contract at some point - has anyone one the School Committee canvassed the state's 32 school districts to inquire about these very questions? I would love to see the results of such a comparison posted on the Patch. Well, we are glad …

This week, Portsmouth Patch answers the question: Why was the Patriot chosen as Portsmouth High School's mascot? Well, when Portsmouth High School students were asked at the recent homecoming game, all the students enthusiastically shouted out, "Because this is where the battle was fought!" Portsmouth student Alex Gribes was the first to shout it, so the credit for this article will go to him. The two main factors on the tradition of the name is from the battles of the Civil War and also the birth place of the song by Julia Ward Howe, "The Battle Hymn of the Republic." Portsmouth is the site …

Our very first You Ask...Patch Answers question comes this week from Janice Backman, who asks: The last time I counted there were four gas stations on East Main Road. What's up with that? Answer: A resident of Portsmouth is wondering about the four gas stations (BP, Irving, local merchant Oliveira's and Cumberland Farms) within the area of .1 miles, or 468 steps from the first BP to the last Cumberland Farms. Local proprietor John Oliveira of Oliveira's Full Service Station, which has been in the area the longest (John's father started the full service station in the 1940s) said he had no …

Have you ever wondered why that traffic light on West Main Road takes so long to turn green? Or, why there are three gas stations within a half mile of each other? Or, why did Portsmouth High School chose the Patriot as its mascot?Well, so do we and we're going to do something about it. But we can't do it without your help! You Ask … Patch Answers is a weekly column for locals looking for solutions to community problems or issues. Everything from farming to potholes to eye-sores to local mysteries: Why has the town council not enforced the ban on golf at Glen Farm? Why does everything seem to…