Ice-Skating is a great way to do something fun and healthy! Age is not a factor — skating is a great sport for everyone, and it is never too late to learn! Skating is good exercise; it helps build muscles, stimulates your heart, and improves coordination and balance. Combined with a healthy diet, skating can be an important part of your fitness plan. In addition to the healthy aspect of the sport, skating is plain fun.

Before the ice melts grab your friends and family and get out there. Rhode Island has a variety of rinks it should be no trouble finding one close to home. Skate around at the rink located in Kennedy Plaza, which is the same size as the rink at Rockefeller Plaza in NYC! Skating makes it easy to have affordable enjoyment. Don’t know how to skate? No problem, this rink offers lessons at your conenience.

Join the P-Bruins tonight as they scrimmage on the ice and even skate with them after! Check out the Kennedy Plaza website for more upcoming events.

Kennedy Plaza Public Skating Schedule 2010 / 2011

November 20th, 2010 – March 20th, 2011

Monday – Friday 10am to 10pm

Saturday and Sunday 11am to 10pm

Bucci Insurance Group wishes you a safe and enjoyable skating experience!

Do you want to do something special for your loved without spending a lot of money. Your in luck, your local Rhode Island community has some great deals you and your special someone will love! Rhode Island’s Providence Journal has complied a list of some hidden gems that are offering wallet-friendly V-Day deals. Some are even offering deals for those who are unaccompanied this Valentine’s Day.

The Coast Guard House Restaurant, in Narragansett, is offering dinner specials for two Saturday through Monday.

Angelo’s Civita Farnese Restaurant, 141 Atwells Ave., Providence, (401) 621-8171, features a bottle of Candoini Chianti or Pinot Grigio for $10 with the purchase of two entrées from Saturday, Feb. 12, through Valentine’s Day.

Ardeo Mediterranean Taverna, 1 Union Station, Providence, (401) 351-1400, dineardeo.com, offers an appetizer, entrée, dessert and beverage from Friday, Feb. 11, through Valentine’s Day for $69.95 per couple. Entrée choices include three-onion filet mignon, halibut “Paella” stew, pork osso bucco, char-grilled swordfish and prime rib.

Bluefin Grille at the Providence Marriott Downtown, 1 Orms St., (401) 272-5852, marriott.com/pvdri, has a three-course fixed price “Month of Love” menu for February. The entrée choices are pan-seared sugar and spicy salmon; grilled shrimp and scallop skewers; grilled sirloin and oven-roasted coffee-rubbed Murray Statler chicken. The cost is $35 plus tax and gratuity.

Blush Winebar, 332 Atwells Ave., Providence, (401) 270-0050, blushri.com, offers half price off everything for ladies on Valentine’s Day as well as complimentary chocolate-covered strawberries and an open champagne bar from 8 to 10 p.m. for unaccompanied women.

Café Nuovo, 1 Citizens Plaza, Providence, (401) 421-2525, cafenuvo.com, opens Sunday, Feb. 13, from 4 to 10 p.m. and will serve complimentary champagne to all ladies with their dinners. The restaurant will offer a number of special dinner and desserts the entire Valentine’s Day weekend.

Casey’s Grill & Bar, 191 Old Tower Hill Rd., Wakefield, caseysgrill.com, has specials Feb. 12-14 including baked stuffed lobster ($29.99), surf and turf ($20.99) and roasted veal ravioli ($12.99). All include a glass of champagne.

Campanella’s Restaurant, 930 Oaklawn Ave., Cranston, (401) 943-3500, CampanellasRestaurantRI.com, has a Valentine’s Day offer: Order any pasta special, lasagna, spinach sauté, Pasta Louise, Choiffi special or specialty pizza and your sweetheart’s meal is on them (in-house only).

DeWolf Tavern, 259 Thames St., Bristol, (401) 254-2005, dewolftavern. com, offers a four-course tasting menu (view it online) with accompanying wines for $79.95.

Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, One West Exchange St., Providence, (401) 533-9000, FlemingsSteakHouse.com, offers sharing menus Friday, Feb. 11, through Valentine’s Day, in addition to its regular à la carte menu. Each couple dining during Valentine’s Weekend will receive a complimentary $25 Fleming’s Dining Card to use towards a future dinner.

The Garden Grille, 727 East Ave., Pawtucket, (401) 726-2826, gardengrillecafe.com, will offer a five-course fixed-priced ($60) dinner on Valentine’s Day starting at 5 p.m., serving until 10. It will be a collaboration with chef John Dille and Wildflour pastry chef Nicole Parmenter.

Luxe Burger Bar, 5 Memorial Blvd., Providence, (401) 621-5893, luxeburgerbar.com, features a Valentine’s weekend “Red Hot, Red Wine, Red Meat”: an appetizer to share, two Build Your Own Burgers, a dessert to share and a bottle of La Vielle Ferme Rouge wine for $34.95 per couple.

Ocean House, 1 Bluff Ave., Watch Hill, (401) 584-7000, oceanhouseri.com, holds a Valentine’s dinner at Seasons featuring a five-course meal and complimentary cocktails at a reception Saturday, Feb. 12, beginning at 7 p.m. Christopher Burchett of the Salt Marsh Opera will perform romantic arias. The fee is $125; reservations required.

One Bellevue at the Hotel Viking, 1 Bellevue Ave., Newport, (401) 848-3300, HotelViking.com, offers a three-course Valentine’s dinner with wine from Feb. 11 to 14 designed by chef Kevin Thiele for $149 per couple.

Red Stripe, 465 Angell St., Providence, (401) 437-6950, redstriprestaurants.com, offers a Valentine’s Day three-course fixed-price dinner featuring aphrodisiac ingredients including oysters, grilled asparagus, lobster, champagne, pistachios and chocolate ($34.95).

Ri Ra, 50 Exchange Terrace, Providence, (401) 272-1953, rira.com, has a Valentine’s menu available from Friday, Feb. 11, through Valentine’s Day after 5 p.m. Cocktail specials are featured, along with desserts Apple Love and Cupid’s Chocolate Cake, $5.95 each.

Sardella’s Restaurant, 30 Memorial Blvd. West, Newport, (401) 849-6312, sardellas.com, has a Dinner for Two special for $24 on Valentine’s Day.

Trio, 15 Kingstown Rd., Narragansett, (401) 792-4333, trio-ri.com, will serve its full dinner menu and a Valentine’s “Culinary Adventure for Two” on Friday, Feb. 11, through Valentine’s Day. It includes two glasses of Domaine Bertiol Prosecco and a shared appetizer and entrée (Zuppa di Pesce or Sirloin Au Poivre) and red velvet whoopee pie for dessert ($78 a couple).

Z-Bar and Grille, 244 Wickenden St., Providence, (401) 831-1566, offers a three-course Valentine’s Day

Check out projo.com for a full list of restaurant specials. Not interested in dining out, don’t forget about some of the other great activities RI has to offer like the cliff walk or variety of museums.

Are you a restaurant looking to increase business or a customer looking for a great deal? Well, whichever you identify with the Groupon can benefit you. Some of you may have recently heard about the Groupon because of their mildly offensive Superbowl ad. Though primetime marketing may not be their specialty, Groupon is great at promoting businesses within your local community and saving you money.

The Groupon is a little over a year old and is different from any coupon you have used before. Their platform is based on collective action. A new deal is offered locally daily through their website. If enough people sign up for the deal, your credit card is charged through a secure server and you receive a link to print your Groupon. Follow the instructions for that particular deal, and you receive a fantastic savings! Now, getting people to sign up is probably the biggest challenge. Referring your friends is one of the best ways, and if they sign up, you receive $10 in credit. If no one signs up you just don’t get the deal, no hidden charges! One of our most valued partners, My Laundry Hamper, a customer-focused laundry and dry cleaning pickup and delivery service for busy people located in North Kingstown raves about the benefits of the Groupon. Learn more about My Laundry Hamper and their services on our partner page.

Groupon also uses their consumer clout to help out in each local community. They feature local charities and organize support for community causes. Log on to Groupon.com today to start saving!

What better way to celebrate the month of hearts than with an event showing love and appreciation for our home state? Rhode Island’s 8th Annual Winter Bash will bring together over 1,00 people from around the state to celebrate citywide restoration efforts.

The city has been home to beautiful historical architecture and innovative culture for centuries. The Providence Preservation Society encourages you to take pride in this fact. It will take place in Providence’s iconic Davol Square, located in the heart of the Jewelry/Knowledge district. The event will feature live music, signature cocktails, amazing architecture, VIP areas, and much more!  Join the Preservation Society and fellow Rhode Islanders and celebrate like its 1983, Saturday, February 5^th!

For more information visit the Providence Preservation Society website.

December 27^th at 12pm, two days after Christmas, keep the magic going by attending Disney on Ice: Princess Classics performing at the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island.

Disney on Ice presents Princess Classics is an amazing journey to the magical lands of Disney classic fairy tales. Travel to a kingdom under the sea, an enchanted French castle, an Arabian palace and more!

This is sure to be an exciting event for the children and one filled with memories for the adults!

“Businesses don’t plan to fail, businesses fail to plan.” – Bruce Rutter, Chief Executive officer for the state’s Red Cross Chapter

A small-business preparedness conference was recently held, sponsored by the state Emergency Management Agency. In an article by the Providence Journal, they talked about a local Rhode Island Business who attended the conference, Ocean State Hot Coat, and the troubles they went through after the March 2010 flooding. Once their business was consumed by eight feet of water, they had lost everything- all their equipment and supplies, everything they had worked so hard for up until then. Determined to keep moving forward, the owner, Roslyn Dober, took out a company loan from the Small Business Administration and can now proud to say she is already back in business. However, in hindsight, she wishes she had planned a little better. Reopening her business would have been a lot easier if she hadn’t lost all of her contact information for clients and suppliers, also if she had looked into flood insurance.

As stated in the Providence Journal, at the preparedness conference, professionals insisted that small-business owners create emergency plans now. They emphasized not just for floods, but for other disasters as well, snowstorms, epidemics, computer meltdowns, etc.

Her were some tips given from officials at the conference:

• Back up your computers
• Keep copies of financial records, insurance policies, contacts for employees, customers, attorneys, accountants, and bankers someplace safe.
• Evaluate your workspace. Is it in a flood zone? Do you need a generator? Is there a way to run your business off-site in an emergency?
• Have a business continuity plan, and make sure your key employees know the details.
• Examine your insurance policy, with particular attention to what’s excluded, the deductible, and whether insurance covers business interruption.

Want to find out more information on how to insure your business? Contact Bucci Insurance Group, we’d be happy to help!

Providence WaterFire is celebrating its 15^th Anniversary Season! The award winning art sculpture created by Barnaby Evans has been seen and praised by over ten million visitors these past 15 years. These 100 bonfires on three of Providence’s rivers, along with enchanting music for around the world help to set an ambiance for those who walk along Waterplace Park.

Since the first WaterFire in 1994, which was to celebrate the 10^th Anniversary of the First Night in Providence, it has continued to grow and gain popularity. Evans decided to create this on-going fire show because art supporters convinced him to do so. This established WaterFire as a non-profit arts organization. WaterFire survives on the support from volunteers, staff, the city, and the state. Donations from visitors and contributions from corporate leaders is what keep the flames regularly burning bright.

This is a very important public art that brings life and millions of visitors to Providence every year. In order to have many WaterFire shows this summer this independent non-profit arts organization needs our donations. Donations can be given to volunteers at any stands in the Waterplace Park or on WaterFire’s website. A contribution of $5 really makes a difference in keeping this going. On May 1^st, WaterFire also hosts a fundraiser called Strike the Match! Tickets can be purchased ahead of time on their website or at the door. This will be a fun night out of food, music and WaterFire Performance.

Help keep the arts in Providence! Below is a video to get everyone psyched about the WaterFire season ahead. Enjoy the video and enjoy your weekend from your friends at Bucci Insurance!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kAPh2HToO8]