Blackstone Valley Tourism Council: Travel, heritage, visitors, visitor center, lodging, dining, tours, Blackstone River National Heritage Corridor, National Parks, Industrial Revolution, historic sites, economic development in Rhode Island

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Tourism Council News | Sustainable Tourism Lab News

Archived Newsletters

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

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