News Flash

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

CONTACT: Matt Sheley at (401) 712-2221 or msheley@middletownri.com 

TRY COMMUNITY CALENDAR TO GET THE WORD OUT

MIDDLETOWN, R.I. (APRIL 7, 2021) – Have a special event in Middletown and looking to get the word out?

Try the Town of Middletown’s new “Community Calendar.” 

Part of the town’s recently revamped website, the service is free and open to all visitors of MiddletownRI.com. 

To submit an event for consideration, visit the website and click on the “Submit an Event” button and enter all the relevant information into the form at least 10 days before the occasion.

“We’ve wanted to have a robust, full Community Calendar for years and there’s a lot of excitement about what this tool can do,” Town Administrator Shawn J. Brown said. “Middletown is a dynamic, diverse place with so much going on and we want this calendar to be the spot for people to turn to find out what’s going on, whether it’s an art exhibit or a Conservation Commission meeting or an Earth Day event.”

Historically, the calendar posted on the town’s website featured only municipal meetings. As part of the effort, the website redesign team that led the redo of MiddletownRI.com made the item a priority.

To make sure the rules of the Community Calendar are clear, the town adopted a policy for submissions. Among those include: 

1.     Calendar events are intended for one-time or special events, not regularly scheduled activities.

2.     Events have to be open to the general public.

3.     Events must have a Middletown, Rhode Island address.

4.     Notices and announcements should include:

·       The name of the group, organization or person sponsoring the event

·       A brief description of the event

·       The date and time of the event

·       The location of the event, including street address

·       Free and ticketed events are eligible, but if there is a fee, the amount must be included. Events that cost more than $50 per ticket will not be included

5.     All event postings shall include valid contact information including a full name, email address and phone number.

• Proposed postings must be received through the town’s website at MiddletownRI.com at least 10 business days to the prior the event date. The information will be reviewed by the Town of Middletown during business hours Monday through Friday from 8 am to 4 pm. Submissions will be approved, revised or rejected by the Town within three (3) business days.

 There’s also a listing of the rules about what’s expressly not allowed:

• Any posting that promotes illegal activity
• Any posting that promotes particular commercial services, products or political organizations
• Third-party retail programs like fitness classes, cooking classes or first-aid workshops 
• Any posting that violates Town of Middletown policies 
• Business, commercial or garage sale advertisements 
• Content that promotes, fosters or perpetuates discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, age, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, national origin, physical or mental disability or sexual orientation 
• An event that does not take place in Middletown, RI
• Private events like family reunions or birthday parties 
• Profane or sexual language and/or content 
• Regularly scheduled events such as fitness classes, athletic events, religious services, etc.
• Spam, advertising, or solicitations

For a step-by-step guide about how to submit an item to the Community Calendar, visit https://tinyurl.com/CalendarStepByStep online. 

“Our goal is that this calendar is one example of what an exciting, fun place family friendly Middletown is, year-round,” Brown said. “It’s all about showing how Middletown is a great place to live, work and play.” 

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