Stay ConnectedSmall state, big on the weird! Weird Island brings you some of the strangest stories you probably haven’t heard before, all originating in little Rhode Island.
Maybe you’re a true crime fan, but you’re burning out on the binges and looking to shake things up. Well, look no further! We’ll bring you unsolved mysteries, conspiracy theories, weird history and even some MURDER (no need to completely leave your comfort zone). Join us as we uncover some strange stories from the smallest state.
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In the middle of downtown Pawtucket, there’s an old, no longer functioning drinking fountain that most people assume is just a statue. But it’s one of only a handful of remaining Temperance Fountains, donated to the city by a man who believed that the solution to drunkenness might just be a glass of fresh, cold water.
To Visit: Corner of Roosevelt Ave and Main Street, Pawtucket RI | You can map to 175 Main Street, Pawtucket, RI 02860
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While he never lived in Rhode Island, Edgar Allan Poe famously spent time here at the end of his life. He courted a Providence writer, Sarah Helen Whitman, and spent time at her East Side home, Swan Point Cemetery and the Athenaeum.
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A mini episode this week, with another animal escape. Frosty the Polar Bear escaped from the now-closed Slater Park Zoo, twice!
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WaterFire is the quintessential Providence experience, centering around a series of nearly 100 bonfires along the three rivers that pass through the middle of downtown Providence. But just 40 years ago, you might not have even known that those rivers existed. If you think WaterFire isn’t weird, well, maybe it isn't. But the fact that, at one point, Providence completely covered its rivers, is.
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The Polar Express has become a Christmas classic, but did you know it was written right here in RI by author Chris Van Allsburg?
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The star of this week’s episode is a 58 foot long, 9 foot tall, 4,000 pound termite named Nibbles Woodaway. But you might know him better as the Big Blue Bug.
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The first presidential phone call took place in Rhode Island, when Alexander Graham Bell called 19th President Rutherford B. Hayes as he attended a clambake at Rocky Point Park.
To Visit: Rocky Point Ave. | Nothing to see but a sign, but you can stand where the first Presidential phone call took place, if that’s a thing you want to do.
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Could a rumor that a sea lion escaped Roger Williams Zoo and made it all the way to the bay possibly be true?
To Visit: Roger Williams Zoo | 1000 Elmwood Ave, Providence, RI 02907
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Roger Williams History
Sea Lions
Zoo History
We’re heading to Woonsocket this week to check out a mural painted on what was an unassuming concrete wall you wouldn’t think twice about. But this concrete wall actually has an incredibly interesting backstory, one with ties to the Titanic.
To Visit: Cass Ave, Woonsocket, RI - across from Woonsocket High School
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In 2006, Rhode Islander Ron Wallace grew the first 1,500 lb. pumpkin--something no one thought was possible. Then in 2012, he became the first person in the world to grow a pumpkin weighing 2,000 lbs. Now his goal is to be the first to grow a 3,000 lb. pumpkin…
Hear about what it takes to grow a giant pumpkin, then try for yourself: Giant Pumpkin Seeds Wallace's Whoppers
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