Ingredients:

6-8 fresh mint leaves

Crushed ice

2-3 oz. bourbon

1 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. water

Directions:

1. Muddle mint leaves, sugar and water in a glass.

2. Fill glass with crushed ice.

3. Pour in bourbon.

4. Garnish with a sprig of mint

Enjoy.More

Recycling can be daunting. While you might fully commit to going green, if your neighbors aren’t doing anything to contribute, it can feel like a wasted effort. Mayor Taveras wants to show us that if we all recycle, we can see some tangible benefits – BBQ benefits, to be precise, and to do it he launched the Neighbhorhood Recycling Challenge. The Providence neighborhood that increases its recycling rate the most between now and September 7 will win a community barbecue with the mayor. Taveras will also bestow upon the victorious district five new trees – a green reward for the greenest community.

Mayor Taveras says that increased recycling saves the city money – as much as $250,000 if residents commit to the task – and those are funds that the city desperately needs. So if BBQ wings, trees or a cleaner environment are not your thing, maybe the promise of keeping property taxes down for another year will be enough to ensure your participation.More

One of our former "10 to Watch" honorees and a former "Most Eligible Singles" cover girl respectively, performers Kristen Minsky and Miss Wensday are heading out on tour. Their adventures in vintage jazz will take them from Providence, through Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland, DC, North Carolina and back home, picking up cleverly stashed-away members of their band, The Cotillions, along the way. Of course, with the price of gas these days, it can be tough for a gal to make a living. That's why they've started a Kickstarter campaign to get their show on the road. In exchange for a little travel budget, they're offering everything from autographed prints to show tickets to command performances. We love to see PVD performers going out to conquer the world (or at least the mid-Atlantic), so check them out before the deadline on August 31.More

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Calling all illustration, comic and arts and crafts lovers: ICON7 is bringing the Illustration Conference to Providence, June 13-16. This non-profit organization creates community in the illustration and design professions through the four-day conference, which will include guest speakers, workshops, parties and even a soccer match at various locations around the city. But if you can’t commit to the conference, there will be two special events held on Friday, June 15. First, Lynda Barry, creator of the long-running, influential comic strip Ernie Pook’s Comeek, will be holding the Main Stage Keynote 5:30-6:30pm at The VETS Theater. Tickets are $25. Immediately after, the conference is hosting the Rhode Show Bazaar at the Symphony Ballroom of the Renaissance Hotel, 6:30-10pm, presenting a group of over 60 artists in a portfolio showcase and marketplace. Illustrated products will be for sale by the artists themselves and illustrators Chris Buzelli and Jessica Hische will be signing free large-format ICON7 posters from 7-8pm. Both events are open to the general public and the Rhode Show Bazaar Marketplace is free.More

The thing about fashion shows is that they're very alluring with all the glamour and glitz and fabulous clothing, but they tend to be so hoity-toity and exclusive; most of them aren't really accessible for us regular folk. That's the real beauty of our own StyleWeek: everybody's welcome, so you get all of the style and none of the snootiness. While a full-on StyleWeek won't be hitting the runway again until the August/September 2012 edition, you can get your fashion fix this Saturday, June 9 at the RISD Museum as we celebrate the event's two-year anniversary. That's right, it's already been two full years and four seasons of Providence's most stylish event, and "The Ascension of Style" is going to be a soiree to properly mark the occasion. The theme of the party is indeed "four seasons," and StyleWeek-affiliated designers will create installations to illustrate them. Plus, there will be live music courtesy of Miss Wensday, performances by TEN31 Productions, complimentary hors d'oeuvres and first cocktail, a cash bar, and great silent auction prizes to benefit Gabrielle's Heart Camp. As always, you're invited, so you won't need to stand on the other side of the velvet rope while high society hoots it up. It's fashion for the people. Get your tickets now and, despite what you may have heard, don't arrive fashionably late.More

Adversity does not have to stand in the way of achievement. Rhode Islanders Sponsoring Education (RISE) is a Providence based non-profit organization dedicated for the last 15 years to supporting, mentoring, and sponsoring children with family histories of incarceration.

On Monday, June 11, RISE will honor select students with its 2nd Annual Awards Dinner & Recognition ceremony hosted by Brown University and the Samuel M. Nabrit Black Graduate Student Association. Family members, volunteer mentors, and donors will gather at the Alumnae Hall Auditorium, at Brown’s Pembroke campus, to celebrate the success of nineteen exceptional students. This includes the Inspirational Student of the Year.

Eric Shorter, Managing Associate at Next Street in Boston, MA will address the attendees as a keynote speaker for the event. Mr. Shorter plans to use his personal experiences, which have made similar barriers to success the RISE youth face, to prove hard work and commitment to education is key to success.

Long time supporters like The Collette Foundation have made RISE and its activities possible. Youth who receive a scholarship from RISE have the opportunity to attend a private or parochial high school in Rhode Island. The program is currently making a difference in 49 students’ lives. Ninety percent of the program’s high school graduates have plans to enter college.More

The staff in our office has always been largely female (roughly a 3:1 ratio) and while that has mostly been for the good, we always knew it might come back to haunt us one day. That day has come. Shine America, the production company behind critically acclaimed scripted shows (The Office, Ugly Betty), reality TV hits (The Biggest Loser, Nashville Star) and, well, other things (MTV's Date My Mom, that short-lived American Gladiators reboot), is now looking to the biggest little for its latest reality TV inspiration. They're currently seeking male business owners for what is sure to be the thinking guido's answer to Jersey Shore: the soon-to-be-a-pop-culture-phenomenon Rhode Island Boys. According to the casting call, Shine America "has a fascination with Rhode Island's small businesses," and they're looking for male-owned businesses with predominantly male employees — which means our moment in the harsh, unflattering spotlight of reality TV will have to wait. However, we promise the fine folks at Shine America that if they'll reconsider maybe doing Rhode Island Boys and Girls, we'll deliver all the cussing, petty infighting, drunken tantrums, on-camera meltdowns and delusions of self-importance they could ever possibly hope for. In the meantime, if you think your business fits the bill, contact LDI Casting for more details.More

This Sunday, after you've given most of your Saturday over to margaritas and mint juleps, make up for it by getting out on the Boulevard to promote healthy lifestyles. Shape Up RI and the India Association of RI are hosting their annual 5k walk/run on Blackstone Boulevard on May 6 at 1pm. The event goes off rain or shine, so gather at Lippitt Park, where Blackstone meets Hope Street, to register. The first 100 people to do so will receive free Shape Up RI pedometers. There will also be fresh fruit, healthy snacks and, of course, plenty of water. Check Shape Up RI's website for more info.More

Who can forget all the buzz last summer regarding a movie being filmed in our area starring powerhouse celebrities Bill Murray, Bruce Willis, Edward Norton and Tilda Swinton? The time has finally come to see our beloved state and its beautiful scenery up on the big screen in acclaimed director Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom. The film is set on an island off the coast of New England in the summer of 1965 and tells the story of two 12-year-olds who fall in love, make a secret pact and run away together in the wilderness. You may have heard rumors of Bruce Willis and Bill Murray spottings at Tiverton’s Standish Boatyard. (The boatyard was just one of the many staging areas for the film.) The Hollywood stars were said to have been very friendly and down to earth. Be sure to look for the much-anticipated motion picture, set to premiere as the opening film of the 2012 Cannes Film Festival on May 16. It’s scheduled for an American release on May 25.More