Gaspee Days 2015

Gaspee Days 50th Anniversary

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3 May 2015 Gaspee Days 50th Anniversary

50 years on, Gaspee Days celebrations continue bringing local history to life

By DANIEL KITTREDGE

C

arol Demming, co-chair of the Gaspee Days 50th Anniversary Committee, remembers how unique and striking she found the first Gaspee Days Parade in 1966.

The colonial-era dress, the fire and drums corps – features now thought of as essential to the annual procession were, at the time, very new.

“It was just exciting,” she said. “You saw some of it in the history books … it was history coming alive,” she said.

Demming has been to nearly every Gaspee Days Parade since. Now, with the 50th anniversary of the parade and its accompanying festivities having arrived, there is a similar sense of enthusiasm.

“People are recognizing that it’s the 50th, and they’re looking for it,” Demming said. “People take part in the history.”

Festivities this year begin May 14 with the Gaspee Days State Proclamation Ceremony, scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at the State House. The Pawtuxet Village Proclamation Ceremony will be held at noon on May 16 in the Pawtuxet Park Gazebo, and historic walking tours of

Pawtuxet Village will be held the same day.

The Arts and Crafts Festival will be held on Narragansett Parkway over Memorial Day weekend, running from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on May 23-24 and from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on May 25.

A Block Party Fundraiser for the Gaspee Days Committee will be held from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. on May 23, with a rain date of May 24, at the Aspray Boat House and Patio in Pawtuxet Park. The event is 21-plus, and proof of age will be required. The cost of entry is $5.

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FESTIVITIES - PAGE 20

Gaspee Days 50th Anniversary

May 2015 4

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Social Services, GED & Job Training, Head Start & Child Care, Home Heating & Energy Assistance, Financial Literacy, Substance Abuse Counseling, Youth & Family Development, WIC Nutrition Program and Food Bank

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Gaspee Days 50th Anniversary

Family Medicine, Dental Care, Behavioral Health Services,

May 2015

Celebrating 50 Years of Lending a Helping Hand to those in need in our community

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Gaspee Days 50th Anniversary

May 2015

th Gaspee Days

CELEBRATIONS

Permission to use artwork from Stephanie Concannon © 2010

The 50th Gaspee Days

ARTS & CRAFTS FESTIVAL May 23, 24 & 25 Saturday & Sunday 10am-5pm • Monday 10am-4:30pm

Narragansett Parkway, Warwick

GASPEE BLOCK PARTY May 23 • 6-11pm (Rain Date: May 24th)

Aspray Boat House, Pawtuxet Park, Warwick Entry Fee: $5.00 (Proof of Age Required)

Friday, June 5th with the

PAWTUXET PARK

Courtesy of

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50th Annual Parade JUNE 13 • 10 AM

(

2015 Calendar of Events FRIDAY-SUNDAY, JUNE 12-14, 2015 COLONIAL ENCAMPMENT Pawtuxet Village gives visitors the opportunity to get a feel for colonial military life.

Hosted by Pawtuxet Rangers, R.I.M. SATURDAY, JUNE 13, 2015 ECUMENICAL SERVICE 8 am at Trinity Episcopal Church 139 Ocean Ave., Cranston A non-denominational service, Music by the West Bay Chorus.

SUNDAY, JUNE 14, 2015 SUNDAY IN THE PARK 12:30pm to 4:00pm Pawtuxet Park Music – 12:30 to 2:30pm The Hitmen

ALLAN & EDNA BROWN 5K ROAD RACE Starts at 9:30 am on Broad St. Cranston to Narragansett Parkway To register go to www.gaspee5k.org 50th ANNUAL GASPEE DAYS PARADE 10:00 am at Narragansett Parkway & Spring Green Rd., Warwick. Colonial fife & drum corps., drum & bugle corps & the Mummers.

GASPEE DAYS RAFFLE Drawing June 14th Take a chance on some great prizes while helping to defray the cost of the Gaspee Days celebrations.

BURNING OF THE HMS GASPEE 4:00 pm on the waters of Pawtuxet Cove.

Closing the Gaspee Days celebration with the symbolic burning of the H.M.S. Gaspee

(((((((((((((((((( Find us on

For more information on any Gaspee Days event, call

at Gaspee Days

Follow us on

(401) 781-1772 or go to

gaspee.com

@GaspeeDays

Gaspee Days 50th Anniversary

In June 1996, due to extensive interest, he created “Second Fire” in Providence for the International Sculpture Conference and the Convergence International Arts Festival.

With hundreds of volunteers and the broad support of the community, he then established “WaterFire” as an ongoing arts installation in Providence in the summer of 1996, where it has continued ever since, supported by a dedicated non-profit arts organization, the community and thousands of volunteers.

WaterFire has been widely cited as for its importance in transforming Providence into a destination city and being the “crown jewel” of its renaissance.

The 50th annual Gaspee Days Parade will be held on June 13 at 10 a.m.

For more information on Gaspee Days, visit gaspee.com.

For more on Evans, visit waterfire.org /about/barnaby-evans-artist.

May 2015

Barnaby Evans

Was the burning of the H.M.S. Gaspee the first WaterFire in Rhode Island? If so, then the selection of Barnaby Evans, creator of WaterFire as Grand Marshal of the 50th annual Gaspee Days Parade is a perfect choice.

Gaspee Days Parade co-chairs John and Patrice Concannon who made the selection think so.

“Barnaby Evans has been a strong supporter of the Gaspee Days celebration,” parade co-chair John Concannon said.

For the past few years, a WaterFire has been scheduled the same night as the Gaspee Days Parade. Evans has worked diligently to incorporate colonial activities in the parade day WaterFire to highlight the role the Gaspee Affair played in history.

Evans designed his first proposal for WaterFire in 1993 for a site in Berlin. Evans created WaterFire in its first version in 1994 in Providence as “First Fire.”

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WaterFire creator to serve as 50th Gaspee Days Parade Grand Marshal

Gaspee Days 50th Anniversary

May 2015 8

WINNING ENTRY: The Gaspee Go-Getters square dancing club won the coveted Best of Parade float award in 1966.

Gaspee Days 50th Anniversary

tary, mailed invitations to all local organizations and civic groups asking them to send one representative to the first meeting in October 1965. Thanks to Edward Yatsko, who was associated with Mason & Winograd on Warwick Avenue, the committee began meeting on the second floor. This building was soon named Gaspee House, and the committee met here for sometime.

There were 60 people at the first meeting, and 33 would sign the original charter. The celebration was a weekend of activities from June 3-5, 1966. The committee received $5,500 from the State and the cities of Warwick and Cranston.

The name Gaspee Day Committee was suggested by Hap Knowles, and the charter was written by Eugene McCaffrey, who would later become mayor of Warwick.

Sidelights: The first Gaspee Day was proclaimed

by Gov. John H. Chafee as June 4, 1966, the first Saturday of the month.

Area restaurants spiced the occasion’s colonial flavor with such delicacies as

May 2015

It all began on a hot and humid night in September 1965 when a group of 15 men women, representatives of businesses, civic, and patriotic groups in the cities of Cranston and Warwick met at the John Carder Tavern (home of Mr. and Mrs. L. Hazard Knowles) in Warwick.

All present listened to an energetic man convey his idea of an annual celebration of the burning of the hated British revenue schooner Gaspee by colonial patriots in June, 1772.

The man was David Stackhouse, chairman of the Warwick Heritage Committee, who believed it was time to arouse people’s interest in the history of Pawtuxet Village.

“The Gaspee was burned right here on our doorsteps,” he explained, “but how many people know or even stop to think about the significance behind it. This act saw the first blood shed before the Revolutionary War and was the first step in gaining our independence. Let’s celebrate it.”

Stackhouse, with the help of Hazel Kennedy, who he asked to serve as secre-

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A look back at the first Gaspee Days Parade

A LOOK BACK: A photo of the first Gaspee Days Parade is on display in Cameron’s Pawtuxet Pharmacy. bear venison, johnnycakes, hasty pudding, Indian pudding, and pumpkin pie.

Drinks included “flip”, an ale mixed with egg, and “sillabub,” a frothy mixture of wine or cider with milk or sweet cream.

The Grand Marshall of the first Gaspee Day Parade was 92-year-old Walter Whipple of Warwick, a direct descendant of Abraham Whipple who led the Gaspee Raiders in 1772. He wore a tri-corner hat and drove in an antique car with his daughter.

In 1966, the 18th century cannon from the Newport Artillery boomed from the Pawtuxet Bridge as the bells in the steeple of the Pawtuxet Baptist Church tolled from 1 to 2 p.m. A memorial service was held at the Church at 11 a.m. and the parade began at 2 p.m.

Four members of the William Shields VFW Post, Warwick, made three replicas of the 13-star Betsy Ross flag and presented them to the committee. One Gaspee Day, they were flown over the State House and the city halls in Warwick and Cranston.

May 1966 was the first year for a threehour powerboat marathon on Narragansett Bay, running a triangle from Gaspee Point across the Bay to Bullocks Point and back along Pawtuxet Neck. Trophies were awarded, and these races continued for six years.

An all-day historical symposium was held the first two years at either the Pawtuxet Baptist or the John Waterman

Arnold House, home of the Warwick Historical Society. Luncheon followed at The Bank Cafe.

For many years, there was a display of historical memorabilia at the Pawtuxet Baptist Church.

The second year, the Committee formed a speakers’ bureau with three men who visited schools and organizations, showing slides of the first celebration.

On June 3, 1966, the first band concert, followed by fireworks, was held at Salter Grove.

A statewide poster contest for junior and senior high school students was held the second year. The winner was a South Kingstown High School student who received a $25 savings bond.

Warwick’s First Ward Republican Club held the first clambake in Salter Grove on Sunday June 5, 1967. It became so popular that it had to be limited to 300 people. The Republicans donated the profits to the building committee, and $400 was raised the first year.

For several years, the Ward One Democrats held a carnival near the Zayre Store (now Shaw’s) on Warwick Avenue.

Proceeds also went to the Gaspee Committee.

The first Children’s Costume Contest trophy was donated by Councilman Fred Connell and was awarded in 1968.

(Text and photos courtesy of Gaspee Days Committee)

10 May 2015 Gaspee Days 50th Anniversary

Night with the orchestra The Warwick Symphony Orchestra will bring its sounds to this year’s Gaspee Days festivities, performing a free concert from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on June 5 at Pawtuxet Park. The rain date is June 6.

The orchestra, a non-profit organization comprised of more than 60 volunteer musicians, is dedicated to allowing musicians to continue pursuing their development after formal schooling, and to bringing live performances into communities that otherwise might not have access to such events.

“How lucky we are to have our own symphony in the city,” said Erin Flynn, president of the Gaspee Days Committee.

Additionally scheduled for June 5 are fireworks at Salter Grove, beginning at dusk and also with a June 6 rain date. Carol Demming, co-chair of the 50th Anniversary Committee, wanted to stress that the fireworks will be at Salter Grove, and those attending the concert may need to relocate slightly to view the display.

“They’re going to have to move, but they’re not going to have to move very far,” she said.

The concert and fireworks are sponsored by the Warwick Department of Tourism, Culture and Development. For more information on the Warwick Symphony Orchestra, visit wsori.org. (Photo courtesy of Warwick Symphony Orchestra)

May 2015

Along the tour, you will meet Ephraim Bowen, the man whose gun fired the fatal shot into the skipper of the Gaspee. You will also meet the family who owned the first bank in Rhode Island; observe training exercises of the Pawtuxet Rangers, our very own militia unit; learn about the daily life and death of the wealthy and the working class; and meet the magistrate and the prisoners. You will also have the opportunity to learn healing methods from the doctor or perhaps take in a pint at the Carder Tavern.

Fifty-five children in grades three through six from E.T. Wyman Elementary and St. Peter’s schools assume the roles of documented residents of colonial Pawtuxet.

At each site along the tour, you will be greeted by these well-rehearsed students dressed in lavish period costumes relating historical facts and folklore using skits that portray villagers from Pawtuxet’s past.

Guided tours allow you to greet the residents of Pawtuxet Village and be educated as you follow the very footsteps of the patriots who procured our freedom. You will

be amazed at what you didn’t know about Pawtuxet’s role as a seaport and industrial hub in our nation’s earliest years, and astounded by the residents who made it that way.

The walk this year will be held on May 16. Guided tours will leave every 10 minutes from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. from the Gazebo at Pawtuxet Park, located at intersection of Post Road and Narragansett Parkway.

The cost is $5 for adults and $3 for children five to 12. The rain date will be Sunday, May 17.

Gaspee Days 50th Anniversary

The annual Walking Tour of Historic Pawtuxet Village is a lesson in history like no other! Now in its 15th year, the event has become the traditional kickoff for the Gaspee Days’ celebrations.

Three years before that other colonial hero, Paul Revere, made his famous ride, a band of colonists from Pawtuxet torched the British ship HMS Gaspee after running aground on Namquit Point. This marked the first armed conflict of the American Revolution.

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Walking Tour of Pawtuxet Village set for 15th year

12 May 2015

‘A big family’: Volunteers remain at heart of Gaspee Days celebration

Gaspee Days 50th Anniversary

By DANIEL KITTREDGE For five decades, Gaspee Days has served as a celebration of history and community.

And through all those years, it is the tireless efforts of organizers and volunteers that have made the festivities possible.

“The Gaspee Committee is a family,” said Carol Demming, who co-chairs the 50th Anniversary Committee along with Pat Peshka.

Demming said contributions come from a number of people beyond the core group that plans the annual events. Many Pawtuxet residents, she said, “come out of the woodwork” to help with everything from setting up chairs to assisting with radio communication during events.

“We couldn’t do it without these other people,” she said.

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VOLUNTEERS - PAGE 17

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May 2015

Gaspee Days 50th Anniversary

14 May 2015 Gaspee Days 50th Anniversary

PAID POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENT

PAID POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENT

Congratulations on 50 Years of Gaspee Days!

ED LADOUCEUR Councilman Ward 5

Paid for by Friends of Ed Ladouceur, Robert Mayor, Treasurer

15 May 2015

By TIM FORSBERG Celebrants of Gaspee Days owe a debt of gratitude to the late historian David Stackhouse, whose organizational efforts were instrumental in creating the celebration as it is known today.

A resident of Warwick for many years and a graduate of Brown University with a master’s degree, Stackhouse was appointed by Mayor Horace Hobbs to form a Warwick Heritage Commission in 1965.

As part of the this work, he proposed creating a historic district in Pawtuxet Village, which at the time was seeing a number of pre-colonial homes in the area torn down to make room for parking lots and other commercial enterprises.

In 1973, the village was entered into the National Register of Historic Places, and the idea of preservation has been endorsed by residents, elected officials and commercial interests ever since.

Stackhouse also hit upon the idea of creating a colonial celebration for the village to highlight the then unrecognized burning of the H.M.S. Gaspee nearby on Namquid Point.

As a Pawtuxet resident, he and a group of 15 men, women, businesses representatives and other civic groups from Cranston and Warwick met at the John Carder Tavern, the home of Mr. and Mrs. L. Hazard Knowles in Warwick, in September of 1965.

According to the Gaspee Day’s Committee history, all present listened to the energetic man convey his idea of an annual celebration of the burning of the hated British revenue schooner by colonial patriots in June 1772.

“The Gaspee was burned right here on our doorsteps,” he explained, “but how many people know or even stop to think about the significance behind it. This act saw the first blood shed before the Revolutionary War and was the first step in gaining our independence. Let’s celebrate it.”

Collecting $60 cash from those present, the Gaspee Day Committee became an operating organization, and a dozen committees went to work on the details, including requests for funds from Cranston, Warwick and the state of Rhode Island.

“We got $1,000 from the city of Cranston and two or three thousand from Warwick,” Stackhouse said in a June 1976 interview with the Warwick Beacon, “and they had no idea what they would see for their money. It was an awful lot of hard work, but it worked – they all loved it.”

In a 1978 letter, Stackhouse credited the inspiration for the celebration of the Gaspee Affair to weekly radio broadcasts

by Jack Haley, who worked for the Narragansett Brewery and did historical sketches. He wrote that the Gaspee Affair was celebrated at the 50th anniversary of the founding of the republic in 1826, and by the 100th anniversary, “it had become ensconced in Rhode Island lore as the ‘First Blow for Freedom,’ but had been celebrated intermittently since.”

With a total cost of $7,000, the first Gaspee Day celebration went on to win an award from Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge. One year later, a similar award from the National Association of Travel Organizations named Gaspee Days as one of the top 20 tourist attractions in the country.

Gaspee Days 50th Anniversary

Stackhouse sparked Gaspee celebrations

16 May 2015 Gaspee Days 50th Anniversary

Tipping his hat to Gaspee Days

By JOHN HOWELL There’s a story to the top silk hat that has become a trademark of the Gaspee Days Parade.

Henry Brown didn’t start with the story, and that’s because he wasn’t really thinking of telling it.

Brown is a founding father of the Gaspee Days Committee. He clearly remembers receiving a letter from David Stackhouse inviting him to a meeting in the home of Hazard Knowles.

Stackhouse would have called him, but claimed his number was unlisted, although it wasn’t. The year was 1965. It was the beginning of a celebration that has transitioned over the past 50 years into not only a commemoration of the burning of the Gaspee – an event that has earned the reputation as the nation’s “first blow for freedom” – but also, as Brown finds more significant, a chance to bring families and neighbors together in a wonderful celebration of community.

At the time, however, the focus was to shine a spotlight on a little-known event in America’s history. Stackhouse, as Brown recalls, felt people really didn’t appreciate, if they knew at all, what colonists started when they rowed out and set fire to the grounded HSM Gaspee on the shoals of Namquid Point on June 9, 1772.

“He said [the Gaspee episode] had just been put on the back burner,” Brown said, with an appropriate use of metaphors. “He said he didn’t think people realized the importance of the burning.”

The first celebration was three days, and grew from there. Brown had a hand in it, although at the time, he was more or less shamed into doing something. The role he assumed eventually earned him a title and the hat, although that was more of an afterthought.

“Eddie Yatsko put me on the spot,” Brown said, referencing another of member of the founding committee. “He said you have to do something.”

Brown didn’t know what he was expected to do, but it was suggested that since he was a member of the Ward 1 Republican Committee, the committee might run a clambake. Brown figured that idea had potential.

Brown’s introduction to clambakes came on Prudence Island as a boy and as a friend of the Herreshoffs. There were summer days where the boys would dig clams and then, after heating rocks on an open

FAMILIAR FACE: Former bakemaster and city historian Henry Brown, right, waves to the crowd during a recent Gaspee Days Parade. (Warwick Beacon photo) fire, would pile on seaweed plus the clams and other ingredients to be baked under a tarp spread over the pit.

Brown figured he could do that. It wouldn’t be all that difficult, but just to be certain he visited Francis Farm in Rehoboth to see how they did a traditional New England bake. As it turned out, one of his best advisors was a cousin, Daniel Hale. Hale told Brown to be sure to include fruitwood when building the fire, as its smoke would lend a sweet flavor to the bake. He also told Brown to be careful about his selection of stones. Hale told him to avoid granite, as once heated it could explode.

Brown took his instructions seriously.

He conferred with the Alteris, who operated the sand and gravel pit where office buildings and hotels align Metro Boulevard today. From the sand and gravel operations, he selected soccer-ball sized rocks for the clambake. The first of the bakes was in 1967. The Ward 1 Republicans ran it for the next 17 years at Salter Grove Park.

That first bake was for 50 people. It wasn’t an easy sell. Brown sold 30 of the tickets, which went for $10 or $12 and included a lobster. The event was such a success Brown increased it to 75 people the second year. It was a sellout, and by the third year, tickets were gone as soon as he had them.

Brown laughs at the thought.

“This woman called me demanding that

I sell her a ticket,” he said. He explained there was none left, but she was outraged and wanted to know why she was being discriminated against.

Brown, who confesses to being somewhat of a tease at times, came up with an explanation.

“You weren’t born on the half shell,” he told her. Of course, it didn’t make sense, but either the woman didn’t want to appear ignorant or figured Brown was crazy.

She stopped protesting.

Brown not only enjoys tweaking those who take themselves seriously, but also is a great collector of things.

That’s evident from the moment of stepping into his home overlooking Occupasstuxet Cove, just around the point where the Gaspee was set ablaze.

On welcoming a guest, he points to the carpet under their feet. Like everything in the Brown home, it has a story. The carpet is a frayed oriental. The design is basically intact, although stained black and threadbare in spots.

Brown asked one visitor what she thought of the carpet, and her response was, “it looks like it came out of a dump.”

“You know,” said Brown, “it came out of the Block Island dump. You know, when you go to the dump, you always come home with something. Well, this is what I got.”

When it comes to local ephemera, and

that includes everything to do with Gaspee, Brown keeps it all. He handed over a three-ring binder busting with letters, newspaper clippings, parade programs, buttons, memorial coins and even a tiny volume printed in 1826 with what he believes is probably the first published account of the burning.

In the binder, as one might suspect, is a flyer from a clambake. A secret to the bake, which Brown is happy to share, is that after placing a layer of seaweed over the hot rocks, the first ingredient are the clams.

“When they open up, it’s their water that makes the steam, not the seaweed,” he said.

Brown was not alone in running the bake.

Other members of the Ward 1 Republicans, including Gordon Wilmot and Don Hunter assisted. By the time of the nation’s bicentennial celebration, the bake was a grand scale event with more than 750 tickets sold.

At some point during the years of the bake, Brown and a friend visited a “junk shop in Olneyville” that had a variety of second-hand hats for sale. Brown spotted the silk top hat that he wears annually to ride in the parade as a founding member.

He tried it on. It fit perfectly, but he put it back.

When he returned to his car, the hat was on the rear seat. The friend had bought it, telling him that as bake master, he should have it.

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CALL FOR YOUR ■

Volunteers

(Continued from page 12) Erin Flynn, president of the Gaspee Days Committee, said a core group of roughly 40 people take part in the planning. The committee holds monthly meetings, and is comprised of “all volunteers with jobs and lives and families.”

Flynn echoed Demming in noting that many others are involved in a variety of ways, assisting with everything from the Alan & Edna Brown Road Race to parade setup. Some, she said, help with many aspects of the festivities, while others give of their time for a day or a particular event.

“We jokingly refer to them as Gaspee elves,” she said with a smile, calling the level of commitment and involvement “just so impressive.”

Organizers take pride in keeping the event local and locally supported, without large-scale corporate sponsorship.

Flynn said striking a balance between planning and fundraising can at times pose a challenge, but maintaining the character of the event is well worth the effort.

The factors that draw people to Gaspee

Days are as varied as the ways in which to get involved, Flynn said, from keeping the tradition alive and ensuring the history of the Gaspee is told to simply meeting and bonding with neighbors. She said a major focus going forward is promoting involvement among the community’s youth.

“We have to look at how to attract and retain younger members,” she said.

Demming said the description of those involved with Gaspee Days as a family stems from the connections that go beyond the annual events. Volunteers support one another, celebrate together and rally around anyone experiencing tough times, she said.

“You’ve got a big family” when involved with Gaspee Days, she said.

An invitation-only appreciation reception for volunteers is scheduled, and Demming said there are also plans to send aloft several “wish lanterns” – made of paper and candles – as a “symbol to remember the members who have gotten us here.”

“It’s 50 years of tradition … the neighborhood just embraces it,” she said.

For more information on Gaspee Days and getting involved as a volunteer, visit www.gaspee.com of call 401-781-1772.

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Gaspee Days 50th Anniversary

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Explore New England’s rich past at Gaspee Days Maritime History Symposium Maritime historians, U.S. historians, librarians, archivists, museum specialists, graduate students, and all those interested in maritime history are invited to take part in the 50th anniversary Gaspee Days Maritime History Symposium.

The gathering this year will be held Friday, May 29 and Saturday, May 30 at the Wyndham Garden Hotel, located at 220 India St. in Providence. The site is situated at the historic India Point waterfront of Providence and is a short walk to world-class restaurants, WaterFire, museums, theaters, galleries and shopping.

The symposium will feature sessions that examine the legacy of Rhode Island’s Gaspee Affair and other maritime topics related to New England’s maritime culture and history. Come experience the enticement and rich history of Providence and Rhode Island.

Presentations include: Marti Klein, California State University, Fullerton, faculty, Department of Liberal Studies: “Temporary Mobility, Travel Narratives, and the ‘Pull’ of the Sea” Christopher P. Magra, associate professor of early American history, Department of History, University of Tennessee: “Seeing their trade distressed: Press Gangs, Profits, and Revolution”

Joel Sokolsky, professor of political science, Royal Military College of Canada, and David Manning, author of Global Arms Series: “The Newport Connection, a Study of the International Officer Programs at the United States Naval War College”

John Laurence Busch, Independent Historian: “Was It Something in the Water?: Connecticut’s Trailblazing Steamer Sons” Richard Bailey, captain, and Jessica Wurzbacher, executive director, Oliver Hazard Perry: “SSV Oliver Hazard Perry - Where the past meets the future” John Concannon, webmaster and historian, Gaspee Days Committee: “The Conspiracy to Destroy the Gaspee” D. K. Abbass, director, RI Marine Archaeology Project: “What’s the Gaspee and What’s Not, What’s Passé and What’s Hot, and Why the Public Should Care” Peter and David Emerick, Glovers Field Musick, Uxbridge, Mass.” “Lumps of Pudding, Pieces of Pie: Martial music of the 1770s with a seafaring heritage” Symposium chair and moderator: Steven Park, PhD, maritime studies and history, and director of academic Services, University of Connecticut-Avery Point.

Symposium co-chair: John Concannon.

Reduced room rates at the hotel are available to conference attendees. The cost of the symposium is $40 per person, with any profits benefiting the Gaspee Days Committee. A cocktail reception will be held Friday, May 29 at 6 p.m. overlooking Providence’s waterfront.

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MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND ~ OUTSIDE PATIO OPEN ~ Saturday, May 23: Outside Patio – 1-4 PM – Chris Haslam (from Essex, CT) Singing Sea Shanty songs!

Saturday, May 23: Bill Gannon 8:30 PM Sunday, May 24: Outside Patio – The Legendary Alger Mitchell 2 PM

GASPEE FUNDRAISER BLOCK PARTY

Mark your calendar for

Sponsored by O’Rourke’s Aspray Boat House Saturday, May 23 • 7PM

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Featuring Travis Colby-8PM

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Festivities

(Continued from page 3) On weekends and Tuesdays during the two-week period between the arts and craft fair and parade, the Aspray Boat House in Pawtuxet Park and the Pawtuxet Rangers Armory Hall at 59 Remington St. in Warwick will host an exhibition of historic Gaspee-related items.

“It’s a really interesting look at some of the old events,” Demming said.

The Gaspee Days Maritime History Symposium is scheduled for May 29-30 at the Wyndham Garden Hotel in Providence.

A special addition to this year’s festivities comes June 5, when the Warwick Symphony Orchestra will perform at Pawtuxet Park from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. A fireworks show will be held the same night at dust at Salter Grove in Warwick. The rain date for the concert and fireworks is June 6.

A Colonial Encampment hosted by the Pawtuxet Rangers will take place June 1214 in Pawtuxet Park, providing visitors an opportunity to get a sense of colonial military life. The encampment is free and open

to the public, and will feature educational programs, children’s games, military drills and more.

The Gaspee Days Ecumenical Service, a tribute to America featuring the West Bay Chorus, will be held at 8 a.m. June 13 at Trinity Episcopal Church at 139 Ocean Ave. in Cranston.

Later that morning the Alan & Edna Brown 5K Memorial Road Race will kick off at 9:30 a.m. on Broad Street in Cranston.

Registration begins at 7:30 p.m. Organizers anticipate more than 2,000 entrants in this year’s 5K. The centerpiece of this year’s festivities, the 50th annual Gaspee Days Parade, begins at 10 a.m. on June 13. The route runs along Narragansett Parkway in Warwick and into Cranston, ending at Rhodes on the Pawtuxet.

Demming said Dr. John and Patrice Concannon, who chair the parade committee, “have really worked hard” on this year’s procession. Efforts have been made to bring back floats and participants from the first parade.

On June 14, a Blessing of the Boats will be held at 11 a.m. at the Rhode Island Yacht Club. Erin Flynn, president of the Gaspee Days Committee, said the event is meant to provide “Gaspee Days supporters who are boaters an opportunity to celebrate in their own way.”

On the same day, a “Sunday in the Park” gathering will be held from noon to 3 p.m. in Pawtuxet Park. During that time, winners of the Gaspee Days raffle will be drawn. Tickets are available from any committee member at a cost of $1 each, or six for $5.

Festivities culminate at 4 p.m. June 14 with the ceremonial burning of the HMS Gaspee at Pawtuxet Park.

Flynn thanked a number of local businesses and organizations for their role in making the festivities a reality, applauding the “overwhelming support we’ve received from the community.”

For more information on any of the events, visit gaspee.com, check the Gaspee Days Facebook page or call 401-781-1772.

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Gaspee Days 50th Anniversary

Gaspee Days 50th Anniversary

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May 2015

Gaspee Days 50th Anniversary

Gaspee Days 50th Anniversary

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