The Bristol Town Council meeting of February 5 previewed some upcoming events and highlighted some changes coming to the community. For one, the popular British Motorcars event will be returning on the weekend of June 6 and 7 with a rolling rally, Independence Park block party, and a car show in Colt Park, with the Council approving all requested licenses for the event.

Batista’s Bakery changing hands

Batista’s Bakery has a new owner, Joanne Fantini of Newport. She was on the Council docket to request a victualing license, but she was not able to attend the meeting, sending attorney Alfred Rego in her stead. According to Rego, it is Fantini’s intent to leave the menu largely the same, with the addition of a few new items. Council members, many with fond memories of Batistas, were supportive of the plan.
“We would walk past Batista's and go to St. Elizabeth for church, and then come back down and get some bread and have Sunday dinner,” said Chairman Nathan Calouro of his childhood, growing up just down the street from the longtime neighborhood bakery. “It's nice to see this Bristol institution continuing.”
“Like you, Chairman, I also grew up going to Batista’s Bakery,” said Councilor Tim Sweeney. “It's been there for a long time, and I'm glad to hear it's going to continue.”

Gray’s moving to Hope Street

Brian Sadler spoke to the Council, representing Gray's Ice Cream, seeking a victualing permit for their new location, at the northwest corner of Hope and State Streets. According to Sadler, the plan is to open in April and remain open year-round, with some indoor seating available. The Council unanimously and enthusiastically endorsed that plan.

The British are coming (again)

Armed with one of the cannonballs that the British fired on Bristol 250 years ago this year, Catherine Zipf of the Bristol Historical and Preservation Society and Alayne White of Explore Bristol spoke about plans for the launch of the Rhode Island 250 event here in town — and it is going to be quite a production.

“The Bristol Historical and Preservation Society is working with the battle of Rhode Island Association to reenact the bombardment of Bristol that happened in 1775, and the burning of Bristol (1778),” said Zipf. Beginning the weekend of May 16, reenactors will recreate the day when the British came to town lobbing cannonballs and demanded 200 sheep and 30 fatted cattle. Simeon Potter negotiated them down to 40 sheep, which made the British go away — for a bit. But as we all know, Bristol had not seen the last of them. While plans are still being formulated, Zipf and White envision street fights, a reenactment of the British storming downtown and burning nearly 20 buildings, and sailings on Rhode Island’s own Tall Ship, the Oliver Hazard Perry.
They anticipate that the event will cost about $75,000, most of which they plan to raise through grants and donations, but they did request $5,000 from the Council for the living history portion of the program.
Noting that that amount would put a big dent in the Council’s discretionary fund, the body offered $2,500, to which Town Administrator Steven Contente added $500 from his discretionary fund. “This Council sees value in the big picture,” Calouro said of the plans, expressing hope that they might find money from other sources like the town’s tourism budget to supplement that contribution. The Council’s support for that plan was unanimous.