Long Missed Book is Back Where it Belongs

In 2006 among their many civic beautification projects, The members of the Plum Beach Garden Club donated two bronze statues of a boy and a girl reading that were placed in Old Library Park in Wickford Village. The two children enjoyed their books in idyllic peace for three years until vandals stole the book from the boy's hands.

Since that time it seemed the boy would never return to his story.... that is until the inquisitive Ilsa Hope Carlson happened upon the statues. The youngest grandchild of long time residents Dick and Cynthia Carpenter simply wondered where the boy's book was.

Before his illness Dick Carpenter was an avid reader, and in his name, Cynthia decided to replace the precious book. She reached out to the Garden Club who contacted the manufacturer of the statue, who provided a replacement.

Dick was also one of the founders of Senesco Marine ,and in order to keep this story from repeating itself, three welders from the Company-Jack Mullen, Bill McClinton and Dave Scolavino- volunteered to solder the book into the boy's hands, making sure he would never lose his place.

In addition to Old Library Park, the Plum Beach Garden Club designed and maintains an herb garden at Gilbert Stuart Birthplace, the Ann Wallau garden in Wickford's Updike Park and the three Blue Star Memorial traffic islands at the intersection of West Main Street and Route 1.

For further information on Plum Beach Garden Club visit.

www.plumbeachgardenclub.org