News

News Release
For Immediate Release: August 1, 2006
Media Contact: Media Contacts: Dr. Robert D. Billington, President
Lesley McLaughlin, Coordinator
(401) 724-2200 / (800) 454-2882

Family Fun: Blackstone Canoe Trail Now “Open”
Through October 31

Facts:

The Blackstone Canoe Trail brings the general public a new way to have fun and learn about the Blackstone Valley at the same time. The objective is to find the 18 sponsored, uniquely painted canoes situated within Blackstone Valley Communities while discovering the Valley’s historical, natural and cultural attractions along the way. Participants are challenged to explore the Valley and find each canoe for the chance to win a brand new canoe.

Eighteen uniquely designed and painted canoes have been placed in communities within the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor waiting to be found by local families and other visitors to the Blackstone River Valley. Collectively these canoes make up the Blackstone Canoe Trail.

“The Blackstone Canoe Trail is a true community effort that brings together in a new way local business, industry and community organizations in support of the Valley and getting the word out about the great things people will find when they visit,” says Dr. Robert D. Billington, President of the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council.

“The very roots of the Industrial Revolution in America began here on the banks Blackstone River, which was America’s hardest working river - and our first polluted river, but with a lot of hard work over the past twenty years, we’ve managed to turn things around and make the River and the Blackstone Valley inviting to explore, and the Canoe Trail is part of that,” says Billington

The Blackstone Canoe Trail is a program of the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, the Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce and the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor. It’s a fun, free program that gives people a chance to explore and learn about the Blackstone Valley, its unique culture and heritage, its ecology and natural history.

Each canoe is situated in or near attractions that provide opportunities to enjoy and appreciate the region’s amusements and its natural, cultural or historical heritage. The trail wends its way along country roads, by historic farms and homesteads, and through the mill villages that give the region its unique character. The Canoe Trail marks locations like The Museum of Work and Culture, Slater Memorial Park, the Slater Mill itself, the Bike Trail at Blackstone River State Park, and the Spring Lake Recreation area, all in Rhode Island, and various locations in Massachusetts, such as the Southwick’s Zoo and the Manchaug Mills in Sutton. (For a complete list visit www.BlackstoneCanoeTrail.com.)

Visitors participate by finding the canoes and taking photos of themselves with each canoe, then visiting www.BlackstoneCanoeTrail.com for details on how to win a brand new canoe.

This fun, free, local activity continues through October 31st.Call 401-724-2200, (outside of Rhode Island call toll free at 1-800-454-2882) for more details.

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Blackstone Valley Visitor Center, On the banks of the Blackstone, 175 Main Street, Pawtucket, Rhode Island  02860 
1-800-454-BVTC (2882)  Local: 401-724-2200 Fax: 401-724-1342 info@tourblackstone.com