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July 18, 2010 (Providence Journal)
Stepping out Blackstone Valley eateries feature feast of ethnicity
If you mix the rich cultures of immigrant groups with
some of Blackstone Valley’s fine restaurants, you’ll find some of
the best eating experiences in Rhode Island. The Blackstone
Culinaria — The Secret Ingredient Food Tour began in 2009 and has
since hosted 48 restaurants. It has drawn more than 1,000 people
from all around New England to the region and has netted roughly
$20,000 in revenue to the local economy, according to Blackstone
Valley Tourism Council special projects manager Donna Houle.
More
July 10, 2010 (GoLocalProv)
Celebrating Tastes of Blackstone Valley
- You can keep the faux-international Epcot, I've taking the
Blackstone Valley. It turns out that there is more
variety of cuisine in the nine communities in Rhode Island's
historic corridor than you can imagine, and they're available for
tasting once a week, as part of a fantastic (and affordable) deal
sponsored by the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council. At $19.50 per
person, it's a steal, and with a new spot (restaurant, inn, farm)
every Wednesday, it's now a permanent fixture on my dining out
calendar.
More
May 19, 2010 (Tourism
Cares)
Tourism Cares and Tour Rhode Island Help Save Our Sites
Canton, Mass. (May 19, 2010)-
Tourism Cares, the travel industry charity dedicated to preserving
the travel experience for future generations has partnered with Tour
Rhode Island to raise $1,000 as part of the Tourism Cares Save Our
Sites fundraising initiative. The funds were raised during Tour
Rhode Island’s annual There’s No Place Like Home program. The Save
Our Sites program gave the travellers an opportunity to make
donations while on tour to give back to preserve and enhance
natural, historic and cultural sites around the world that are
important to save for future generations.
More
Pawtucket Foundation
Over 200 guests came out to celebrate the dedication of the Cherry
Trees of the Blackstone on May 1, 2009 at M Residential, 555
Roosevelt Avenue, Central Falls, RI
On May 1, 2009, the Cities of
Pawtucket and Central Falls hosted an inaugural cherry tree
dedication ceremony to commemorate the installation of 60 new cherry
trees. 200 members of the public braved drizzling rain for the
ceremony which was followed by a parade down Roosevelt Avenue lead
by 20 foot tall Cherry Blossom Balloons. The ceremony signaled the
completion of the first phase of a multi-year, public/private plan
to install over 120 blossoming cherry trees along Roosevelt Avenue
between Charles Street in Central Falls to Exchange Street in
Pawtucket.
More
May 2, 2010 (Woonsocket Call)
Abe Lincoln Returns to Woonsocket
PAWTUCKET — It was 150 years ago this month that then-presidential
candidate Abraham Lincoln made a train journey from Providence to
Woonsocket where he delivered one of his most significant speeches
to a crowd of 1,500. On May 15, the Blackstone Valley Tourism
Council is making it possible to experience some of the excitement
of that historic campaign visit with a special event. The 150th
Abraham Lincoln Train Tour will recreate this journey that was made
in 1860 by America's 16th president. Participants will ride on an
excursion car on the Providence & Worcester Railroad, the same
railway line that carried Lincoln from Providence to Worcester.
More
April 28, 2010
(Providence Journal)
First Rhode Island Cherry Blossom Festival is
Saturday
The cherry blossoms came early this year. Unusually warm April
weather encouraged all the young cherry trees along Roosevelt Avenue
to blossom three weeks ago. Nonetheless, the Blackstone Valley
Tourism Council is planning to celebrate the first Rhode Island
Cherry Blossom Festival on Saturday.
More
April 14, 2010 (Pawtucket Times)
Cherry pie bake-off set for May 1
Have a favorite cherry pie recipe? Whether you're a weekend
baker or a professional pastry chef, the upcoming Cherry Pie
Bake-Off at Slater Mill is a contest for you. The Cherry Pie
Bake-Off is part of the Rhode Island Cherry Blossom Festival
scheduled for Saturday, May 1 at 9 a.m. This first time event is one
of several that are designed to celebrate the beauty of almost 100
cherry trees that have been planted along Roosevelt Avenue as well
as to raise money for their continued upkeep and maintenance.
Sponsored by the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council and the Pawtucket
Foundation, the Cherry Blossom Festival features a traditional May
breakfast, a 5K run/walk, a chocolate tasting, and a performance by
a Japanese drumming group, along with the bake-off. The events
generally take place between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.
More
April 13, 2010
(Pawtucket Times)
It's Cherry Blossom Time
PAWTUCKET — It will take a few years, but Roosevelt Avenue
will one day be covered by a springtime canopy of pink cherry
blossoms. At least that is the vision of Louis Yip and Sunny Ng, two
local businessmen who founded the cherry tree project, along with
members of the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, the Pawtucket
Foundation, city officials in Pawtucket and Central Falls and other
supporters.
More
Rhode Show segment on Tour Rhode Island.
More
April 7, 2010 (Valley Breeze)
NEW:
Want local chefs' secrets?
Have you ever gone to nice restaurant, had a fabulous meal, and
wished you could create the culinary delight at home? Thanks to the
Blackstone Valley Tourism Council's Blackstone Culinaria Secret
Ingredient Food Tour, now you can. The council has been hosting
culinary demonstrations at restaurants from across Blackstone Valley
each Wednesday night for nearly a year. The evenings include cooking
demonstrations, samplings, full meals, and, depending on the
restaurant and theme, a night of entertainment.
Restaurant Tours
March 31, 2010 (Valley
Breeze)
NEW:
Teachers offered educational programs along the Blackstone River
The Blackstone Valley Tourism Council RiverClassrooms is offering
area teachers educational exploration programs. In addition to
history or ecology programs, RiverClassrooms along the Blackstone
River can also work with teachers to develop a lesson to fit
specific curriculum needs. Locations may also include a tour of the
Museum of Work & Culture in Woonsocket, or the Capt. Wilbur Kelly
House Museum in Lincoln.
NEW:
Keep the Boat Afloat Campaign
Thursday, April 8, 2010 help us support the Keep the
Boat Afloat Campaign for 2010 by dining out at Uno Chicago
Grill, Smithfield Crossings, 371 Putnam Pike, Smithfield
401-233-4570. Dine-In or Takeout!
March 17, 2010 (Valley
Breeze)
First Cherry Blossom Festival will bloom
May 1
Springtime fun will be the theme of the day when the city hosts
its first-ever Cherry Blossom Festival on May 1. Just as the
nation's capital is famous for its spring ritual of colorful and
aromatic cherry blossoms, Rhode Island's historic Blackstone
River Valley will soon bring the famed tradition to Southern New
England, say organizers.
NEW:
Providence Journal March 20, 2010
Train trip re-creates Lincoln speech in
Woonsocket
On May 15, a special train will leave Providence to make
a trip 15 miles north and 150 years into the past. The excursion is
being organized by the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council to honor
the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s visit to Rhode Island and
his speech at Woonsocket’s Harris Hall. Riders will pay $49.50 each
to take the train with Robb Dimmick, a Lincoln interpreter — never
call them impersonators — who will walk the cars and converse about
the issues of the day. The day being 1860, that is.
More
NEW:
Providence Journal March 18, 2010
Tickets to tour Rhode Island are on sale
See the state. Board a bus. The Rhode Island Tourism Division has
announced its sixth annual "Tour Rhode Island, There's No Place Like
Home" event is Saturday, May 1, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. It's not one
tour, but many tours - 23, in fact. Each one focuses on a different
area of the state, or area of interest within the state. Among the
tours are the arts and culture of Providence; the natural beauty of
South County; and the wineries of East Bay. Robert Billington,
president of the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, took Mrs.
Carcieri's idea and turned it into a program. "This program does a
wonderful job of educating residents to not only our great
attractions and sites," said Billington, "but also the expanse and
quality of our tourism industry. We are fortunate to live here in
Rhode Island and this is a great time to showcase that."
More
Providence Journal February 23rd, 2010
RI's history as an industrial center still
flows through the Blackstone Canal
Remnants of the Blackstone Canal are almost 200 years old
but remain a visible link to the history of Rhode Island's
development as an industrial center. Blackstone Valley National
Heritage Corridor Ranger Chuck Arning takes us on a tour to show
successes of preservation and possibilities for the future.
Providence Journal video by Andrew Dickerman View
Video
Walk Score - Finding a Walkable Place to Live
- 175 Main St.
More
January 31, 2010
Tourism Council Launches Fifth In Series Of
Sustainable Day Tours
The Blackstone Valley Tourism Council conducts the fifth tour in the
series, Tour Your Own Backyard, on Saturday, March 13, 2010.
Featured are the Floral Motifs and special displays of the John
Brown House in Providence; a European Dish Garden demonstration at
the Daggett Farm greenhouse in Pawtucket, and a docent-led tour of
the Roger Williams Botanical Center in Providence.
More
Valley Breeze:
January 28, 2010
Lincoln lives: Local artist raffles off presidential portrait to
'Travel by Train' event
WOONSOCKET - A local artist has donated his latest acrylic painting
of President Abraham Lincoln, valued at $2,000, to be raffled off
during the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council's "Travel By Train with
Abraham Lincoln" event in May. The event will signify the tourism
council's 25th anniversary and will consist of a re-enactment of
Lincoln's actual visit to the Blackstone Valley in 1860.
Tourism Council Launches Fifth In Series Of Sustainable Day Tours
January 29, 2010
The Blackstone Valley Tourism
Council conducts the fifth tour in the series, Tour Your Own
Backyard, on Saturday, March 13, 2010. Featured are the Floral
Motifs and special displays of the John Brown House in Providence; a
European Dish Garden demonstration at the Daggett Farm greenhouse in
Pawtucket, and a docent-led tour of the Roger Williams Botanical
Center in Providence. More
Providence Journal - November 8, 2009
Flu Doesn't Stop Express
The Blackstone Valley Tourism Council kicked off the
holiday season’s rides on The Polar Express by stockpiling the
standard hot chocolate and sugar cookies along with the new travel
musts: hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes and (just in case somebody
asks) surgical masks.
More
Providence Journal - November 12, 2009
A tasty ‘second home’ in old mill building - Roshina Restaurant has
been transformed by owner Rosinha Almeida into an elegant
restaurant.
PAWTUCKET –– The last time I was in the space that is now Rosinha
Restaurant, it was a bare room in the old mill building of the Hope
Artiste Village that was being used as a catering station for the
actors and crew filming “27 Dresses” down the hall.
More
Providence Journal - November 5, 2009
Polar Express begins its ride this weekend
The Blackstone Valley Tourism Council once again brings Chris
Van Allsburg’s children’s story to life aboard a moving train, the
Providence & Worcester Railroad.
More
Providence Journal - October 2, 2009
Blackstone Valley history comes alive
Scores of historical interpreters, dressed in costumes dating back
to the 16th century, gathered at Slater Mill in Pawtucket on Tuesday
for the kickoff of Footsteps In History. The month-long event will
feature more than 100 programs, parades and festivals, beginning
Saturday, in 24 communities in the Blackstone River Valley. “The
program promotes 500 years of history by placing events connected
with the Blackstone River Valley’s history, culture and natural
resources under one umbrella,” said Lisa Mosczynski, spokeswoman for
the event.
More
Belper
News - Sept. 29, 2009
Deep Links for Belper and Pawtucket
Town twinning has been a practice for decades, since it was
pushed in the first half of the 20th century. Thousands of towns,
cities and boroughs around the world are now joined together with
links of commerce, friendship and tourism.Reporter Laura Hammond
found out what these links mean today.
More
Roadfood.com - Bocce Restaurant Sept. 12, 2009
Gigantic dinners of roast chicken and pasta, served family style, are a
Rhode Island custom and the specialty of several institution-sized
eating halls north of Providence. The Bocce Club is where the tradition
began in the 1920s, when people used to come to the Pavoni home to play
bocce.
Providence Journal - Sept. 18, 2009
Family Guy’ writer Danny Smith honored for
promoting Ocean State
Rhode Island native Danny Smith and Seth MacFarlane (an honorary
Rhode Islander by way of RISD) perform together during “An Evening With
The Cast and Creators of Family Guy” in August. Danny Smith is a Family
Guy. He’s also a Rhode Island guy. And for that twofer, he’s going to
get an award. “Danny Smith has done much in his Hollywood career to
promote Rhode Island and our valley to a national audience,” says Robert
Billington, president of the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council. “As a
local native who built his creative talents here in the Ocean State, we
are very honored to recognize him this year.”
More
Valley Breeze - Sept. 17, 2009
Meat pie, dynamite cook-offs flavor the
annual French Farmers Market and Heritage Day
Best cooks: Lynne Laroux and Michelle Marcotte for tourtiere;
Chicago man for dynamites
WOONSOCKET - Contestants in the French Farmers Market's
first French meat pie cook-off, which took place at River Island
Park at Market Square on Saturday, take their tortieres seriously,
much to the delight of their families, and especially the judges at
this year's event. "It's a good thing it's an election year,"
quipped mayoral candidate and cook-off judge Todd Brien. "All the
pies are so delicious, I'm stuffed. Campaigning will help me work
this off."
Sun Chronicle - September 16, 2009
Meat pies vie for supremacy
Woonsocket competition celebrates savory tradition
WOONSOCKET, R.I. - The filling of a French-Canadian meat pie
typically has only five main ingredients: ground beef, ground pork,
mashed potatoes, onions, and seasonings. Yet you'll rarely find two
families that make the traditional fall and winter treat the same
way. Some add ground veal. Some leave out the pork. A few even
omit potatoes, an item most cooks consider essential. And if you use
every spice recommended in every recipe, you'll need to don a
hazardous-materials cleanup suit to get your pie out of the oven.
More
NEW:
Woonsocket Call- September 13, 2009
Dynamite Cook-Off is a highlight of French
Farmers Market & Heritage Day
WOONSOCKET — Historically, Woonsocket was known as “La
ville la plus française aux États-Unis” which translates to “the
most French city in America.” In the 2000 census, 46.1 percent of
Woonsocket residents cited their ethnicity as French or
French-Canadian — and residents don’t hide that fact, they celebrate
it. Offering a nod to the city’s heritage was this year’s 26th
annual French Farmer’s Market & Heritage Day held Saturday at River
Island Park from 9 a.m. to 3 p .m.
“There are so many French people [living in Woonsocket] and the
history of the city has so much to do with the French culture so
festivals and events like this always have something to do with it,”
said Jennifer Gagnon of Woonsocket.
More
NEW:
Providence Journal - September 4, 2009
Rain, economy dampen tourism season in Rhode
Island
NEWPORT — Harry Schatmeyer hopes Labor Day weekend and
the sunny forecast starts a no-vacancy trend at his bed and
breakfast, something he hasn’t seen all summer. Schatmeyer,
who owns Victorian Ladies Inn with his wife, Cheryl, has rooms
booked this holiday weekend, and more customers are scheduled to
arrive this fall. He’s counting on that business to make up for one
of the slowest summer seasons in decades, dampened by the soggy
weather and a weak economy.
More
NEW:
Roadfood.com Restaurant of the Day - Wright's Farm
One of the biggest
restaurants in the world, Wright's Farm serves the now-classic
Blackstone Valley chicken dinner with all the fixin's. It's an
all-you-can-eat affair; the chicken and fried potatoes are
unsurpassed.
... More
Pawtucket Times-July 17, 2009
Family Guy' producer and R.I. native Smith to
receive BVTC award By Frank O'Donnell
Danny Smith tends to keep his head low, keeping off other
people's radar screens. That's why it's surprising to hear he's
accepting an award from the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council.
"Honestly, it's a little odd, because I don't seek attention," said
Smith in a recent interview from his Los Angeles office. "I really have
been doing the same thing for about 20 years. I'm finally on a show that
people know, and I get a lot more attention."
June 25, 2009
BLACKSTONE
RIVER VALLEY READY TO BLOSSOM - Historic region to begin
planting cherry trees
Just as our nation's
capital of Washington, DC is famous for its beautiful and
fragrant cherry blossom trees, Pawtucket and Central Falls are
planting their own, and it begins with private funds. Thanks to
private funding efforts, the birthplace of America's Industrial
Revolution will enjoy a major landscape improvement project with
the planting of 60 cherry trees along the industrial mill area
of Roosevelt Avenue in Pawtucket and Central Falls. And this is
only phase one of a multi-year plan to line the entire corridor
with the flowering trees. The new cherry trees will add a new
look and add value to the manufacturing district that includes
new living and office spaces along Roosevelt Ave.
To demonstrate their commitment to improving the community,
Louis Yip and Sunny Ng of Tai-O Corporation of Central Falls and
Pui-O Corporation of Pawtucket, initiated and provided seed
funding to implement phase one of the ambitious project. The
Cities of Pawtucket and Central Falls along with support from
The Pawtucket Foundation and Blackstone Valley Tourism Council
have formed a Cherry Tree Committee to oversee the project and
develop a public/private master plan to complete the project and
establish a maintenance plan. The committee is co-chaired by
Thomas A. Mann, Jr., Executive Director of The Pawtucket
Foundation, and Dr. Robert D. Billington, President of
Blackstone Valley Tourism Council (BVTC).
Providence Business News
Paths to recreational prosperity - Rhode
Island’s bike paths provide limited economic boost
The smallest state in the nation – just 37 miles wide, east to west – is
home to eight separate bike paths, from Quonset to Woonsocket, totaling
54 miles of paved trails. Plans are in the works for two more in Newport
and Pawtucket, although construction could be some years away.
More
6 New England Vacation
Getaway Ideas Rhode Island may be the smallest state in
the union, yet it offers as varied an experience as any other New
England state. If you want to get outdoors and enjoy some of the
best bike paths in the nation, you need to plan your getaway along
the Blackstone Valley Bikeway. This path winds from the southern
part of Massachusetts all the way down through Providence, RI as
part of the 3000 mile East Coast Greenway.
More
NEW:
Blackstone Valley Rocking
Chair on Flickr This is two rocking chairs inside the
Blackstone Valley Visitor Center and the start of the Bike path in
the back. (For after that long walk or bike ride) There is a Dunkin
Donuts here as well as the State Police. It is located off of
Interstate 295, in Cumberland R.I. Blackstone River Bikeway and
Visitor Center History:
More
10th annual Chinese Dragonboat Races Saturday are
part of the Pawtucket Arts Festival (Providence Journal) There’s no
fire breathing. But there’s life in the dragons, which there nearly
wasn’t a decade ago. As colorful and anthropomorphic as dragon
boats seem, they don’t move without people. In 2000, Pawtucket presented
its first dragon boat races. It had a river and new boats, but no
paddlers.
Enjoy Taiwan Day Arts Festival (Bob Billington on
the Rhode Show)
More
August, 2009
- Chinese Dumpling Contest Video from the 2008 Chinese Dragonboat Race
and Festival (Providence Journal)
More
July 15, 2009 - Providence Business News
GLOCESTER’S QUAINT DOWNTOWN HELPED IT rank
73rd on Money magazine’s annual list of the 100 best places to live in
the U.S. PROVIDENCE – Two Rhode Island towns and one in
Bristol County, Mass., have made Money magazine’s annual list of the 100
best places to live in the United States. The magazine’s editors ranked
Easton, Mass., at 37th place on the list, Scituate at 69th and nearby
Glocester at 73rd.
More
August 2009 - Gourmet
Big Bird in A Little State
Roast chicken is usually demure, but in Rhode Island it’s
outlandish. All around Woonsocket, in the Blackstone Valley north of
Providence, the extremely tiny state sports extremely gigantic
restaurants that serve boundless bowls of chicken along with pasta
and fried potatoes to challenge the most robust trencherman. Meals
are dished out family-style, preceded by garlicky salad and baskets
of bread, usually accompanied by bottles of wine and followed by ice
cream and coffee. And yet the most notable thing about these mighty
dinners is not their magnitude or their reasonable cost (about $12).
What stops you in your tracks is how unspeakably good the chicken
is. More
NEW:
July 10 - New York Times - Escapes
American Journeys - Where ‘Made in America’
Made Its Debut
THE Blackstone
River, which loops like yarn through central New England, once
knitted together some of the country’s most densely settled,
smoke-spewing towns. But on a recent two-day kayak trip I found more
than just evidence of the Blackstone’s grimy past. Blackstone
River, New England Miles of thickly wooded banks slid by without a
trace of a house, a car or even a cellphone tower. Painted turtles
swam leisurely through limpid pools. Great blue herons all but had
the place to themselves, stretching their huge wings to prove it.
Without squinting, it might have been the early 1600s, before
English settlers put their flags down.
Those wild sections speak to a new
phase in the life of the 46-mile-long Blackstone, which flows from
Worcester, Mass., to Pawtucket, R.I. In the last three decades the
Blackstone has shrugged off centuries of pollution and begun to
clean itself up. Runoff dye from some of the 100 mills that once
clacked along its banks no longer tints the river orange, residents
say, and old appliances no longer wind up in its eddies. Dozens of
species of fish, particularly trout, are making a comeback. But
seeing only the trees would mean missing the hidden-in-plain-sight
traces of the Blackstone’s manufacturing heyday, which include
solitary arches hidden by oaks and fragments of walls carved with
runelike dates. More
NEW:
July 10 - Woonsocket Call
Creating a ‘current’ quilt pattern for a
healthy Blackstone
Lincoln woman raffling off quilt to raise money for river
fish ladders
LINCOLN — It was one cold day last December when the idea — call
it a whim, really — came to local environmentalist Judy Hadley. As a
member of the Blackstone River Watershed Council’s Board of
Directors, she decided she wanted to help raise funds for the
estuary’s Fish Ladder Project, which has been at least three years
in the planning and developmental stages. It’s unusual, for sure,
but Hadley proudly exhibited on Thursday a 90-inch x 66-inch quilt
depicting life on the Blackstone, one she created herself, at the
Ryco Creative Sewing Center, located at 25 Carrington St.
“First, I like quilting, and, second, I had made a small quilt a
number of years ago for the Watershed Council just for a general
fundraiser,” said Hadley, who lives in town with her husband,
George. “It took me maybe 30 hours to make. I cut and pieced 357
cotton squares in the pattern I wanted, which is called ‘Around the
World” — I call this ‘Around the Blackstone,’ and sewed those pieces
together, but the actual quilting stitches was done professionally.
That just means the stitching holds the layers together.
More
June 25 - WABI - Channel 5, Main
Check Out Weekend Getaway - Pawtucket is
"Transforming"
Poor Pawtucket. It was the proud home of the nation's first
commercially successful water-powered cotton-spinning mill, making it
the official birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution . But the
city has yet to fully recover from the collapse of the textile industry
that once anchored its economy.
June 20 - Woonsocket Call
A Decade of Celebrating Rhody's Rivers
CENTRAL FALLS — “Look!” someone called out from the back of
the Blackstone Valley Explorer as the boat crept along through Lonsdale
Marsh. Sure enough, explained National Park Service Ranger and tour
narrator Kevin Klyberg, there was a large blue heron perched on the west
bank of the river. The bird was a concrete example of the progress the
Blackstone River has made from its once-polluted state towards becoming
a fishable and swimmable waterway. The free tour on the Explorer was
part of the tenth annual Rhode Island Rivers Day, held this Saturday and
sponsored by the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council (BVTC). Rivers Day
aims to celebrate waterways across the state, with special emphasis on
the Blackstone River.
More
June 11 - Valley Breeze
Local flavor offers cultural cuisine
Blackstone Valley Tourism Council hosts the '2009 Secret Ingredient Food
Tour.'
Maybe it's a sign of the times, but with many folks looking
for unique ways to stay close to home during the summer and early fall,
the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council is hosting the "2009 Secret
Ingredient Food Tour." With its myriad places to find the last
meal of the day in establishments throughout Blackstone River Valley,
the tour offers patrons the opportunity to try cuisines from other parts
of the world.
June 2009 - Lite 105
Larry Bonoff talks Warwick Musical Theatre
with Jones and Heather
Lite Rock 105 listener Donna Houle from Blackstone Valley
told us a great story about her memories of The Tent. Turns out, she
was once a child actor in WMT's production of "The King and I."
More
June 18, 2009 - Providence
Journal
It’s a
busy time of year for paddlers and pedalers
The Appalachian Mountain Club’s
Narragansett Chapter hosts two clam cake rides this weekend.
Paddlers and pedalers are celebrating the arrival of summer with
guided kayak and bike trips organized by Rhode Island conservation
groups. The Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor
Commission and the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council will host the
annual Rivers Day Celebration Saturday at the Central Falls Boat
Landing, 45 Madeira Ave. There’ll be food, and special events for
children, as well as National Park Service Rangers giving special
guided river boat tours. The celebration runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Call (401) 724-2200 for more info.
More
January 25, 2009
Saturday Breakfast Series at Ground Round
The Blackstone Valley Tourism Council will be holding a series of
breakfasts at the Ground Round in Pawtucket. The fare includes a hearty
breakfast buffet of scrambled eggs, hash browns, English muffins,
pancakes, sausage and bacon, cereal, assorted muffins, juice and coffee.
More
January
2009
Tour RI offers Bus Tours Around the State
On May 2, Rhode Islanders will have the chance to take one of
24 bus tours around the state as part of the program, which
received the 2007 Odyssey Award for Geotourism from the Travel Industry
of America.
Providence Journal |
Providence
Business News |
Government Press Release
January 20, 2009 -
Woonsocket Call
From RI to DC: A Road Trip to Remember
By SANDY McGEE ABOARD “THE BUS TRIP FOR CHANGE” — As we
departed downtown Providence around 10:30 p.m. Monday, there was a
fitting image in the distance, a billboard with a single word in large
black type: “HOPE.” And so began this historic journey to
Washington. The Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, which organized the
chartered motorcoach trip, hailed it as the “Bus Trip for Change.” More
than 50 people aboard paid $139 each for the opportunity to be in the
nation’s capital for the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th
president of the United States, the first African-American to hold the
highest office in the land.
More
July 23, 2008 - Providence Journal
Blackstone Explorer offers a cruise-food combo
Central Falls Landing buzzes with people on a recent July
evening. A group of about 28 is filing into the Blackstone Valley
Explorer, a canopied charter boat offering historical and wildlife tours
of the Blackstone River. There is a plate of complimentary pastries and
beverages, including malta, a non-alcoholic drink made from barley and
hops that has a sweet, molasses taste. The dark drink piques the
curiosity of just a handful. The rest are wary.
More
6/5/2008
Make Reservations
NOW for the Annual Blackstone Valley Fall Foliage & Shopping Excursion
to Putnam, CT
Although the summertime vacation season is upon us, it’s time
to plan now for an always exciting and fun autumn season experience, as
the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council (BVTC) presents the Annual
Blackstone Valley Fall Foliage Rail Tour & Shopping Excursion to Putnam,
CT. More
6/11/2008 Providence Journal
Broad Street International Food Tour
Want to take an
international food tour without air fare or travel plans? The Blackstone
Valley Tourism Council is introducing the three-hour Broad Street
International Food Tour. It begins tonight and runs on Wednesdays for 10
weeks. The experience will change every week, depending on the
destination.
More
May, 2008
Blackstone Valley
Tourism Council Accepting Reservations for Education
Programs, Summer Camps, Senior Groups & Charters
Pawtucket, RI—The Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, is
now accepting reservations for programs aboard the
Blackstone Valley Explorer, a 49-passenger riverboat.
More
April 29, 2008
Pumping Up Tourism
The hottest topic in the
tourism business is what impact record-high gasoline prices will have on
the business. Will people decide to cut back their vacations this
summer? Will Rhode Island benefit from people who choose to stay close
to home, rather than spend their money elsewhere? Tourism officials
aren’t quite sure what the answers are to these questions, and they are
coming up with promotions they hope will keep visitors coming to the
state.
More
April 29, 2008
Boardwalk Extends Bikeway through Cumberland Marsh (Providence
Journal) The wooden
boardwalk runs along the upper edge of the Lonsdale Marsh, offering
pedestrians and bicyclists an up-close view of what officials call a
tremendous turnaround in one of the largest marshlands in Providence
County.
More |
Cycleblackstone.com
March 31, 2008
COMMUNITIES OF THE
BLACKSTONE VALLEY SCHEDULED TO TAKE PART IN THE GREAT AMERICAN CLEANUP
Nationwide community improvement
program preserves the beauty of our local environment
Blackstone Valley, R.I., (March 31, 2008)
- Communities throughout the Blackstone Valley will join forces to
participate in the Great American Cleanup during April and May.
Volunteers from various community organizations and environmental groups
around the Blackstone Valley of Rhode Island will hold litter cleanups,
recycling events and beautification events. Keep Blackstone Valley
Beautiful, an environmental initiative of the Blackstone Valley Tourism
Council, is aiding in event coordination and providing supplies such as
bags, gloves, banners and more to volunteers.
More
March 6, 2008
The Curtain
Rises for New BVTC Interactive Theatre
See films and videos anytime, anywhere on
demand on website. Features 1972 Project ZAP documentary seen for the
first time in 36 years highlighting first major cleanup of Blackstone
River. The Blackstone Valley Tourism Council has a
new link on its
website at that offers exciting film and video
documentaries highlighting the heritage and culture of Blackstone River
Valley. Visitors to the website can now link to the BVTC Theater anytime
to see documentaries produced or presented by the Tourism Council.
More
January 4, 2008
Keep Blackstone
Valley Beautiful to Hold Computer and Electronic Collection
Cumberland, R.I. (January 4, 2008) - Keep
Blackstone Valley Beautiful, a program of the Blackstone Valley Tourism
Council, will hold a computer and electronic collection on Saturday,
January 12, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Cumberland at Green-Tech Assets
Warehouse, 30 Meeting St. “If you received any new electronics as gifts
over the holiday season, this collection will provide you with the
opportunity to recycle the old ones,” said Kristin Zawistowski, Keep
Blackstone Valley Beautiful program coordinator and AmeriCorps*VISTA
member.
More
November 2007
Blackstone Valley Tourism Council Ends Successful Season on the River Free Sundays on the River Help Boost
Number of Passengers aboard Blackstone Valley Explorer -- Pawtucket, RI With an increase of over
500 passengers aboard the Blackstone Valley Explorer and 50 overnight
stays aboard the Samuel Slater Canal Boat, the Blackstone Valley Tourism
Council announces a successful season touring the Blackstone River for
2007. More
10/26/2007
(Providence Journal)
Place-making’ forum focuses on local
flavor - Policymakers, city
planners and tourism officials from Rhode Island and neighboring
Connecticut and Massachusetts gathered downtown yesterday for a
forum on “place-making” sponsored by the Blackstone Valley Tourism
Council.
More
10/12/2007 (Providence Journal)
The Blackstone Valley in Living Color
More
10/03/2007
Blackstone Valley Outfitters - October
Newsletter - September Journal
More
9/24/2007
NEW:
Place-Making -
Sustainable Development Tourism Forum -
Programs, Techniques and Practices for Your Organization
Thursday,
October 25, 2007
9/21/2007
Annual Dinner Press Release
9/17/2007
Woonsocket Resident Crowned “Dynamite Queen”
By: Denise Perreault WOONSOCKET – The winner of the
2007 Great Dynamite Cook Off, sponsored by the Blackstone Valley
Tourism Council, was Michelle Schiavo, a 43-year-old mother of three
from Woonsocket who said she “just loves making dynamites.”
More
Report prepared for the Blackstone
Valley Tourism Council on the origin of the Dynamite sandwich
What’s so great about dynamites?
The color, the texture, the taste, and oh, the memories …
9/12/2007
One dynamite sandwich (Providence Journal, Gail Ciampa, Journal Food
Editor)
When the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council put out the word that
journalist Denise Perreault was researching the origin of
“dynamites” for an upcoming cooking contest, four people contacted
her to explain about dynamite. One even sent her a biography of
Alfred Nobel who invented the explosive.
More
9/9/2007
Investigation: The dynamite 'blasted' onto local tables in the
Roaring '20s (Woonsocket Call, Denise Perreault)
In July 2007, the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council retained the
services of investigative journalist and former Call reporter and
editor Denise Perreault to track down the origins of the Dynamite
sandwich, which is a popular food staple in Woonsocket and the
Blackstone River Valley.
9/2/2007
Pawtucket perfect for dragon boating By Ellen Albanese, Boston Globe
Staff
PAWTUCKET, R.I. - Few people think
of this industrial town as coastal, but it sits at the bottom of the
Pawtucket River and the top of Narragansett Bay. That makes it a
great spot for the 8th Annual Rhode Island Dragonboat Race and
Taiwan Day Festival, which takes place Saturday at the School Street
Pier.
More
8/30/2007
Dragon Boats Ready for Race
Enjoy Asian Heritage and Culture
During the 8th Annual Rhode Island Chinese Dragon Boat Races &
Taiwan Day Festival Saturday, September 8, 2007,8:00am-5:00pm,
happening along Pawtucket, RI waterfront.
More
8/29/2007
All Aboard the Polar Express!
Make reservations NOW for popular
family fun event! Get ready for an exciting family fun
journey to the “North Pole” as the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council (BVTC)
offers the annual Blackstone Valley Polar Express, happening along the
Providence & Worcester Railroad.
More
8/28/2007
An Old Way to Cross the Blackstone River Re-Opens (Providence
Journal)
Today, Department of Transportation
Director Jerome Williams and Department of Environmental Protection
Director W. Michael Sullivan joined other state and local officials
at the official opening of the Berkeley Martin Bridge,
reestablishing the former Martin’s Way as a route over the river.
They also re-opened the Blackstone River Bikeway, which now travels
under the bridge, giving bikers and pedestrians a route that doesn’t
cross traffic.
More
8/22/2007
COMPETITION IS “FUSED” FOR DYNAMITE COOK-OFF IN WOONSOCKET, RI
SEPTEMBER 15, 2007 Over four
dozen participants ready to show off their recipes and become
“blasted” into history as the Dynamite King or Queen
Saturday, September
15, will be an “explosive” day inside Woonsocket’s River Island
Park, located at Market Square, as eager participants are “charging
up” for victory at the First Blackstone Valley Dynamite Cook-Off
Challenge. This special event is being held in conjunction with the
25th Annual French Farmers Market & Woonsocket Art Festival,
scheduled for Friday and Saturday, September 14 - 15, 2007.
More
8/5/2007
Using Tourism to Build the Blackstone Valley (Providence Journal)
The Newport mansions, South County
beaches and Providence restaurants get all the attention when people
talk about the tourism industry in Rhode Island. Bob Billington
feels left out. “We are overlooked,” says Billington, president of
the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, the group that promotes
historical, recreational and cultural attractions in the region that
includes nine municipalities from Pawtucket to Woonsocket.
More
5/27/2007
Launching the
Dynamite into Culinary Fame
While the origin of the
local favorite remains a mystery, organizers of an upcoming dynamite
cook-off plan to bring the food to supermarket shelves
7/20/2007
River Tours Aboard - The Blackstone Valley Explorer in Central Falls
through Sunday, August 19, 2007
Bring Your Own
Lunch Cruises in July & August and Summer Evening Nature Cruise with
Audubon Society of RI
Pawtucket, RI - In
addition to its regular public tours on Sundays @ 1, 2, 3 & 4 pm.,
in July and August, The Blackstone Valley Tourism Council (BVTC) is
offering. Bring your own lunch cruises aboard the Blackstone Valley
Explorer on Wednesday, July 25, August 8 and Wednesday August 15 at
12:30 pm. In addition, BVTC is planning a Summer Evening Nature
Cruise with the Audubon Society of Rhode Island on Friday, August 3
from 6:30pm to 7:45pm.
More
7/18/2007
Dragon Boat
Race Team Registrations Being Accepted - Plenty of Time to Join the
Fun! The
Blackstone Valley
Tourism Council (BVTC) is still accepting registrations for the 8th
Annual Rhode Island Chinese Dragon Boat Races, being held Saturday,
September 8, in Pawtucket, RI from 9 am to 5 pm.
More
5/20/2007
NEW:
Boston Globe: 25 Ways To Soak Up Summer
More
3/14/2007
Boston Globe articles on Woonsocket and Rhode Island Chicken Family
Style
Boston Globe Article on Woonsocket: Immigrant city French-Canadian
heritage lends an Old-World air
More
Boston Globe Article on Chicken Family Style: In Rhode Island,
family-style chicken packs the house
More
Boston Globe: Where to Go for Chicken Family Style
More
NEW:
3/18/2007
Providence Journal: New Lincoln Park is
pulling to hit the jackpot
More
Bob Billington
talks about Business Opportunities in the Blackstone Valley on NBC 10
Business Talk (International Dining Brochure) No longer on the
station website
RiversDay to be held on June 16,
2007. More Info
Dean Studios Is Open for Business:
New Rhode Island Film & Television Office soundstage
and production facility opens in Cumberland.
Download brochure
January Newsletter
Lincoln Park Reborn (Evening Times article)
More
News Archive