Providence | The Creative Capital

No summer is complete without the borderline hysteria of devoted fans, the intensity of passionate competition, and the ubiquitous, sticky appeal of concession food at a good game. Providence's professional and college teams have offered all of this for decades, but it's two other, more eccentric sports – kickball and roller derby - that are now captivating a wider and wider audience in this most creative of capitals.

This article originally appeared on SocialEnterpriseLive.com

One of the key challenges facing any city globally, especially in hard economic times, is brain-drain... or failing to retain talented young people in one's community.

EpiVax is a bioinformatics and vaccine design company dedicated to the development and implementation of computational immunology tools to benefit the biotechnology industry. They recently received a grant for $390,000 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to optimize delivery of an HIV vaccine.

Farm Fresh Rhode Island is a non-profit dedicated to developing a local food system that strengthens the links between Rhode Island farmers and eaters. The organization, based in Providence, runs farmers’ markets and a variety of other initiatives that make local food more widely available throughout the state.

1. Where did the idea for Farm Fresh RI come from?

Spring in Elmwood is a season you hear coming before you see it. Like a Lincoln cranking salsa music down Elmwood Ave., warm weather rolls into my neighborhood with a multi-layered harmony of street-bike engines, ice cream truck jingles, and greetings hollered from stoop to street, all played over the steady beat of dribbled basketballs.

This is not to say it’s a loud neighborhood — just chatty. The sidewalks host an ongoing conversation in a variety of languages, while in the trees a flickering cadre of mockingbirds pepper the morning with bird songs.

Some things were just meant to be.

This photo essay is a collaboration between myself and two students I worked with as a mentor at New Urban Arts, an arts-based after school program for Providence high school students. Both John Nguon and Adrienne Adeyemi assisted me on a project I did with NUA called the Providence Project.

Providence is renowned for its great restaurants, and Restaurant Weeks is the perfect way to discover the city's culinary offerings. The annual event, expanded to two weeks due to popular demand, offers curious diners a chance to enjoy lunch ($12.95) and dinner ($29.95) at participating restaurants. All menus are three courses and usually include a variety of choices, giving diners a good overview of the restaurant's usual fare.

After a damp beginning, the sun and warmth have finally arrived, and it's high time you got outside and enjoyed the great outdoors. Luckily, you don't have to travel very far for al fresco entertainment, because there are exciting evening events happening almost every night of the week. Whether you're looking for live music, a movie, or just some peaceful stargazing, Providence has something for you. And, as an added bonus, almost all of the events are free.

Here's a roundup of some exciting events happening in the city this summer: