☕ Buckle Up, Apponaug

Friday, April 17, 2026 | Edition #26

GOOD MORNING, WARWICK. I hope this note finds you tanned and your taxes filed. It was eighty-three degrees on Wednesday, breaking a temperature record that had stood since 1938. The last time Warwick was this warm in April, nobody owned a television, so there was no way to check in with Mark Searles to see how sweaty things were about to get. We waited 87 years to top it, and we did it in the same calendar year as the Blizzard of '26. And oh by the way, when you wake up on Monday morning, temperatures will be just a tick over freezing. You can’t make this stuff up.

Anyways, here’s what’s goin’ ahn in the wack.

⏱️Sunset Time: 7:29PM

🌑 Moon Phase: New Moon

⛽ Avg. Gas Price: $3.94 (click here to find the cheapest gas near you)

💧 Chance of Rain: 85% - Grab your poncho, Bucko.

📅 Happy National Cheeseball Day. Yes, that's a real thing. And yes, they're in aisle 5 at Hoxsie Dave's, all the way down on the right, bottom shelf next to the popcorn. You already know what to do.

Governor McKee held a press event at CCRI's Warwick Campus last week to announce a proposed $60 million bond for a new Workforce Innovation Center. Hands-on training in manufacturing, trades, HVAC, welding, and IT. Electricians in Rhode Island earn a median wage of more than $44 an hour and plumbers top $40, and word on the street is Governor McKee belted those numbers so loud you could hear it from the third floor at Top Golf. The bond still needs General Assembly approval and a November ballot win, but the vibes were high and the zip code was ours.

Of course, the same campus had a very different kind of week just days earlier. On April 7, the Warwick campus went into a nearly four-hour lockdown after someone spotted a backpack in the woods off Commonwealth Avenue. Inside: an airsoft gun and a pellet rifle. Nathan Randall, 41, was later arrested in connection with the incident.

And then on Wednesday, a campus police officer at CCRI's Providence location was injured while responding to a disorderly student on campus. The student was taken into custody by Providence police. The officer sustained minor injuries and was treated at Rhode Island Hospital.

The same day, the Council on Postsecondary Education met at CCRI's Warwick campus and voted to approve arming officers at both CCRI and Rhode Island College. CCRI President Costigan said she had "come to the conclusion that we must move forward," and RIC's president offered his full support. The schools will now work with a security firm to build out a training timeline. Most colleges this time of year have intramural softball and students napping on the lawn. CCRI has all the tea right now. Read the full story here (WJAR).

The Greenwood Credit Union City Hall Plaza is adding 14 doughnut-shaped electrically powered bumper cars and roller skate rentals to its summer lineup, with bumper cars expected to hit the pavement as early as the first week of May. The rink pulled in $62,000 in revenue and 6,800 visitors through its first winter season despite losing hours to the Blizzard of '26. The city paid $123,590 for the bumper cars and projects they could generate $225,000 in a full year. Roller skate rentals were awarded to Legacy Hospitality and Entertainment Group, and after paying them their share, the city will generate 72 cents per $6 rental. It's going to take an army of sugar-crazed rugrats on school vacation to hit that $225,000 projection, but honestly, have you seen kids near bumper cars? The city may have underestimated. Read the full story here (Warwick Beacon).

If you haven't made your way down to Pawtuxet Village lately, let this be the nudge. O'Rourke's Bar and Grille has been a fixture in one of Warwick's best corners since 2005, and with the warm weather finally showing up for real, there's no better place to be.

The patio overlooks Pawtuxet Cove, the prices won't give you agita, and the Irish Nachos are, without question, the best between here and County Cork. Live music runs Friday and Saturday nights, ranging from Irish folk to top 40s bands, and Wednesday brings trivia night for those of you who need a competitive outlet that doesn't involve dipping, dodging, and diving through Route 2 traffic.

If you've got a birthday, a graduation, a milestone, or just a group of people who deserve a good time, the upstairs private bar, Breffny's Room, is the move. It comes with an antique fireplace, waterfront views, and the kind of atmosphere that makes an event feel like an event. My wife and I used Breffny's for our wedding after-party, and John and his entire staff made it one of the best nights we've had. Cannot recommend it enough for after-parties, birthdays, or any gathering that deserves its own room.

Check out their upcoming live music schedule and book your event at orourkesbarandgrill.com or give them a call at (401) 228-7444.

A big thank you to O'Rourke's Bar and Grille for making this edition of The Warwick Wake Up possible.

Friday, April 17 & Saturday, April 18 | 🎸 Live Music at O'Rourke's | Link | Matt Kearns & Ron Payne play Friday and Dan Lilly & Scatman take the stage Saturday, both from 6 to 9 PM on the patio in Pawtuxet Village.

Fridays | 😂 BYOI Caffeinated Insomniacs Show | Link | Every Friday night at 10 PM, Bring Your Own Improv takes the stage at the Warwick Center for the Arts on Post Road for their late-night comedy show built around audience participation. Cheer, yell out suggestions, or actually get on stage if you're feeling bold. Tickets start at $15.

Fridays, April 17 – September 25 | 🚚 Food Truck Friday | Link | Roger Williams Park's Carousel Village in Providence hosts its weekly Food Truck Friday tradition starting tonight, running every Friday through late September. 15+ local food trucks, live music, beer and wine, and the carousel.

Sunday, April 19 | 🚗 Car Meet Season Opener | Link | The Villain Crew and 401_c.r.e.a.m are kicking off their 2026 season at Proclamation Ale Co.'s parking lot Sunday at 1 PM. Cars from all over the northeast, Teddi's Food Truck, and cold beer. Spectators get in free. Car entry is $10. Warwick's parking lot scene is alive and well.

Sundays through May 3 | 🥬 Winter Farmers Marketplace | Link | Every Sunday from 11 AM to 4 PM, Warwick Mall hosts an indoor farmers market inside the former Forever 21 space near the Target entrance. Local farms, bakers, specialty food vendors, and artisans in a 13,000 square foot space. Three Sundays left before it wraps for the season.

Trivia question: Which beloved Rhode Island drink lost a 1993 state legislature vote to become the official state beverage, finishing second to coffee milk? Answer below.

Supercilious (soo-per-SIL-ee-us) | adjective | behaving as though you are better than everyone else; condescending.

The guy who speeds by you in traffic in his souped-up Cybertruck just to get stuck waiting in the same Dunkin’ drive-thru line as everyone else with that wildly inconvenienced look on his face... clinically supercilious.

Thanks to Jason V. for submitting today’s word of the day! You can submit one yourself, here. I’ll be sure to include it in the next edition!

That's it for today. If anyone needs me, I’ll be practicing my bumper car drifting skills outside town hall. Enjoy the weekend. Keep smiling.

Thanks for reading!