Ring In New Year With Bonfire
When: Wednesday, December 31st at 5:00 p.m.
Where: Ninigret Park
On New Years Eve, the Town of Charlestown will host the annual bonfire in the park.
Mailbox
Mail sent to mail@CharlestownCitizens.org
Polar Plunge On New Years Day To Support RICAN
When: Thursday, January 1st
11:30 am arrival and registration, then plunge at 12:00 Noon sharp!
Where: Charlestown Town Beach
Registration form in post
Best Wishes for 2026
Make a New Year’s resolution to be more engaged, attend or watch town meetings, speak up when things violate your values, and join a community of residents who feel it is worthwhile protecting what we have and working to build a future we will be happy with and which we can feel we helped shape.
Give the Gift of Charlestown this Holiday Season
We live in a beautiful community, rich in natural resources. Giving your friends and family gift memberships in local environmental organizations, or making year-end gifts directly to these organizations, can help to preserve and protect our local environment. In the post are ideas for holiday gifts that can make a positive difference in our local environment.
Give Education this Holiday Season
Education is central to a strong community. We offer these gift giving ideas to build and broaden educational opportunities in Charlestown.
Give Food for Christmas
The holidays are rich in good food and drink. We shouldn’t forget to thank the farmers who make it all possible nor forget those who sadly experience hunger this time of year.
Charlestown Land Trust’s Online Holiday Bazaar
Where: https://www.32auctions.com/CLT2025HolidayBazaar?r=1&t=all
When: Friday, December 5, 1 a.m. to Monday, December 8, 9 p.m.
Ring in the season of giving with the Charlestown Land Trust’s fifth annual online holiday auction. The proceeds directly support the protection and stewardship of the open spaces in the Land Trust’s care as well as their outreach efforts and programming.
Special Election Results – Bonnie Van Slyke Wins
Thank you to each of the 1,465 voters who took the time to vote in this special election, congratulations to Bonnie Van Slyke for winning the election, and congratulations to all three candidates for putting their names forward as candidates! Vote totals in post.
Election Results Will Be Posted After 8PM On December 2
After 8 p.m. on election day, Tuesday, December 2, the RI Board of elections will begin to report election results for Charlestown. You can get to the Charlestown results by clicking on the link in this post.
Roy Jacobsen: Take The Opportunity To Vote For Bonnie Van Slyke
There’s one candidate who stands out above the rest and deserves our vote, Bonnie Van Slyke. In her own right, Bonnie‘s experience and past service on the Charlestown town council (2014-2022) place her as the best choice.
Peter Keating: Join Me In Thanking Bonnie With Our Votes
I write to ask Charlestown’s registered voters to support Bonnie Van Slyke’s bid for the vacant seat on our Town Council. Please vote (now, or on election day), and when you vote – go deep!
Cliff Vanover: “Bonnie Van Slyke’s Only ‘Special Interest’ Is Charlestown”
The only “special interest” that Bonnie has is to protect Charlestown’s spectacular natural resources and low tax rate, to promote honest and transparent government, to prevent unregulated development and loss of local control, to promote positive educational leadership, and to protect all these assets for future generations.
Independent Candidate Bonnie Van Slyke Will Deliver Proven, Effective Leadership
Virginia Lee: “Independent Charlestown Town Council candidate Bonnie Van Slyke’s previous service on the Town Council proves she has the experience and integrity to represent you well. She is a proven candidate for Charlestown Town Council. She will listen to your concerns and is willing to do the hard work to protect our environment, our economy, and our low tax rate.”
Shop Locally At The Charlestown Holiday Ramble/Stroll
When: Friday, December 5 from 5:00 pm until 9:00 pm
When: Saturday, December 6 from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm
Where: Cross’ Mills, Charlestown Beach Business Areas, and beyond (see map in post)
When: Saturday, December 12 and Sunday, December 13 from 5:00 pm until 8:00 pm
Where: The Fantastic Umbrella Factory, 4820 Old Post Road
Celebrate Nikommo With The Tomaquag Team At Quonnie Grange
When: Saturday, December 6 from 12 p.m to 4 p.m.
Where: Quonochontaug Grange, 5662 Post Road Charlestown
The Tomaquag Museum Team invites you to join them in celebrating Nikommo, a beloved Narragansett tradition that’s all about giving back. It’s a fantastic chance to dive into Native arts and enjoy some amazing storytelling.
Electronics Recycling Drop Off
When: Saturday, December 6, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Where: Charlestown Mini Super, 4071 Old Post Road, Charlestown
Why: Indie Cycle is offering this great opportunity to dispose of your unwanted electronics that can be either recycled, reused or refurbished.
Return Your Mail Ballot So That It Arrives By December 2
You can return your ballot by mail, but make sure there is time for it to be received by December 2. If you are in Charlestown, you can place your mail ballot in the special ballot box outside Town Hall anytime between now and December 2, 2025.
Over-Development In Vulnerable Areas
In the last year, a few developers have proposed packing into their developments many more houses per acre than are allowed under zoning. For instance, on an environmentally sensitive parcel zoned for about 20 houses, over 400 dwelling units were proposed. Recent changes to Rhode Island law make over-development in vulnerable areas in Charlestown almost inevitable.
Bonnie Van Slyke On The Issue Of Clean Water
Keeping the water that flows beneath the ground (groundwater) clean is one of the most important issues facing Charlestown—not only because it is the source of our drinking water, but also because its deterioration will affect the health of our saltwater ponds and inland lakes.
Bonnie Van Slyke: I’d Like To Dispense With Campaign Signs
It happens every campaign, and it has happened again. Campaign signs mysteriously walk away, never to be seen again. Campaign signs create visual clutter and contribute to plastic pollution. They are also expensive and require monitoring to check if they are still in place. Perhaps in future elections, local candidates could all agree on one thing, and that would be to skip the campaign signs.
2025 Holiday Fair at St. Andrew Lutheran Church
When: Saturday, November 22, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Where: St. Andrew Lutheran Church, 15 East Beach Road, Charlestown
Holiday Baskets of Greens, Crafts, Baked Goods, Jewelry, Books, Quilts, Santa’s Workshop, Soft Goods, Nearly New Items, Coffee, donuts, and more
Arbutus Garden Club 2025 Holiday Sale
When: Saturday, November 22, 8:00 a.m. to Noon
Where: St James Parish Center, 2079 Matunuck Schoolhouse Road, Charlestown
Cost: Free parking and admission
This Holiday Sale features beautiful and well priced holiday decorations for your house, dining table, mantle and outdoor displays, hand made by Garden Club members to raise funds for their scholarship program.
November 12 Is First Day Of Early Voting At Town Hall – View Sample Ballot
Wednesday, November 12 is the first day of Early Voting at Town Hall. Voting will take place between 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday, from Wednesday, November 12 to Wednesday, November 26. An additional early in person voting day will take place at Charlestown Town Hall between 8:30 am to 4:00 pm on Monday, December 1.
Bonnie Van Slyke: “I Am Committed To Charlestown”
Our town deserves a government that will safeguard our excellent quality of life, our low tax rate, and our beautiful environment, priorities supported overwhelmingly by our taxpayers in the 2021 Town-wide Survey. To accomplish this, I offer the commitments listed in this post if elected to the Town Council:
Should Charlestown Borrow $1 Million For Land We’ve Already Paid For?
At the August 12 and October 14 Town Council meetings, Council President Deb Carney proposed issuing $1.05 million in Open Space bonds that voters approved in 2015—over a decade ago. The funds would “reimburse” the General Fund for land purchases already paid for, potentially creating new debt and freeing cash for unrelated projects. Several residents raised concerns about fiscal responsibility and voter intent. This topic is on the agenda again at the November 10 Town Council meeting.
Charlestown Land Trust Annual Turkey Trot
When: Friday, November 28 at 10am
Where: Meet at the Patricia Sprague Forest Preserve parking lot on Railroad Ave. in Carolina
Cost: Free and open to all
RSVP: Link to RSVP in post to let CLT know you are coming!
Join Charlestown Land Trust To Cleanup Charlestown Beach And Nearby Protected Properties
When: Saturday, November 15 at 9am
Where: Meet at Charlestown Town Beach Parking Lot
Cost: Free and open to all
RSVP: Link in post to let CLT know you’re coming!
The Charlestown Land Trust (CLT) invites you to join them in a rewarding community cleanup event.
Bonnie Van Slyke: “Why I’m Running In The December 2 Election”
I’ve watched our town change over the years, sometimes for the better, sometimes in ways that make me pause. I want to make sure Charlestown stays the kind of place that drew us all here in the first place: beautiful, rural, with dark skies and a local government that’s grounded in common sense.
Long-Term Repair to Charlestown Breachway
The project will restore the Breachways’ structural integrity, improve safe navigation, stabilize the coastline, and preserve essential water flow to maintain ecological balance, and water quality.
Workshops On The RI Wildlife Action Plan
When: November 6 from 6pm to 7pm
Where: In person at Warwick City Hall, 3275 Post Rd., Warwick
or
When: November 12 from 6pm to 7pm
Where: Virtual Meeting via Zoom
Help shape Rhode Island’s wildlife future by joining RI DEM at one of these public workshops on the 2025 Rhode Island Wildlife Action Plan