On the Island

  • Beach Reads

    Island Bound Bookstore
    Wed, Jun 27
    “Small Great Things” by Jodi Picoult Based on a true event, a nurse, who is a woman of color, with years of experience in the obstetrics unit of a hospital in a small town in Connecticut is told by a white supremacist man that she cannot provide medical care to his wife or his newborn son. The...

  • Powered by Wind

    Cassius Shuman
    Fri, May 26
    When the blades of the Block Island Wind Farm’s five turbines were spinning at about 5:30 a.m. on Monday, May 1, Block Island became the first community in the United States powered by an offshore wind farm. That is when the Block Island Power Company first took receipt of wind-generated energy...

  • 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...

  • Where is the bathroom?

    Fri, Jul 1
    Public Restrooms are located around the island starting with the Visitor's Center in Old Harbor, in the parking lot just as you get off the ferry. Also in Old Harbor you will find a restroom at the Harbormaster's building on the dock near Ballard's. Other locations are at the Fire/Police station on...

  • Barking Block: A Dog’s Guide to the Island

    Jenna Mead
    Mon, Mar 28
    If you are like my family, the thought of leaving Fido behind when you come to visit Block Island is inconceivable. Luckily, the island has many accommodations and areas that are pet friendly and allow both you and your pup to enjoy Block Island. Pre-Island Be sure treat your dog with tick...

  • Island Catering

    Becky Ballard
    Tue, Jun 30
    Do you have a special event coming up? Whether you’re planning to host a family reunion, office retreat, summer party for friends, wedding, fundraiser or just needing a vacation from the kitchen, why not hire a local caterer? From a small, simple, affordable buffet to a seated, gold-plated dinner...

  • 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...

  • My Block Island: Novelist and Summer Cottager Writes of Family Tradition and 20 Years of Memories

    Joshua Braff
    Tue, Jun 30
    Early morning on the Block and everyone’s asleep. I jump in the Jeep and the tires spin a bit on our pocked and rocky driveway. Bob Seger’s on the radio, preaching about being a Ramblin’ Man . The morning breeze catches my face and I have to smile. Only one other car is on the road this...

  • Celebrate the Fourth Block Island Style!

    Tue, Jul 1
    Wednesday July 2, 2014 Beach Clean Up with The Nature Conservancy When: 9 - 10 a.m. Where: Scotch Beach Thursday July 3, 2014 2nd Annual Fireworks Picnic When: 6:30 - 10 p.m. Where: Sullivan House, Corn Neck Road BBQ, music and games — all to raise money for the Committee for the...

  • Kayak for Conservation

    Corrie Heinz
    Mon, Jun 9
    The Great Salt Pond is Corrie Heinz’s home away from home. As the owner/operator of Pond and Beyond Kayak, she’s out on the pond whenever the weather allows, so she knows the ins and the outs of the place and all the ecosystems and subcultures it holds. She grew up out here, went to school here...
    corrie heinz, pond and beyond kayak

  • Ride Along: Water Taxi

    Judy Tierney
    Tue, Dec 3
    There are so many boats in the Great Salt Pond this July Fourth weekend that from Corn Neck Road, the spaces between them look more like canals than open water. Voices and music rise up from this Great Salt City and drift over to land, barely decipherable snatches of songs and conversation, like...
  • No Crosswind too Strong

    Block Island is the Right Place for this Pilot

    Brooke Ortel
    Fri, Aug 2
    At age 7, Lynn Thoma knew she wanted to fly. She was hooked after her first flight, determined to learn how to handle a plane herself. And she did. Today, Thoma is a pilot for New England Airlines, helping to connect Block Island to the mainland via air travel. She doesn’t mind the famously...