Published in Senior Digest in September 2004

Almost six years ago, newly weds Peter and Kristine Kilmartin took a drive through Slater Park. Kristine, a Smithfield native, asked her new husband why the city did not take more advantage of its largest park. “Why couldn’t the city do something like the Scituate Arts Festival in this beautiful park,” she quizzed Peter, a state representative.

This simple question would ultimately lead to the creation of Pawtucket’s annual arts festival, which has become the largest city sponsored event in the 209-acre park at other city sites.

The Kilmartins turned to Mayor James E. Doyle with their idea of creating an arts festival and received his blessings. Pawtucket’s annual festival was born in 1999, with Peter and Kristine being appointed honorary chairs.

Initially tied to Providence’s Convergence in 1999, festival organizers consisted of Pawtucket officials, artists and civic leaders, who spun off from Convergence in 2002 and created an arts festival Pawtucket style. Since its inception, the Pawtucket Arts Festival has offered a citywide showcase of visual and performing arts, interactive workshops, music, theatre and dance performances.

Through the strong support of the local business community, the art festival’s budget has grown steadily in six years, usually set at $20,000 in 1999 to a sky-rocking budget of $105,000. 

More than 230 businesses located in Pawtucket and surrounding communities have donated over $70,000 including almost $200,000 of in-kind donations, making this year’s festival the biggest ever. In addition, more than 55 local restaurants will provide donations of food and drink for the opening gala.

Festival organizers say that attendance to the Pawtucket’s Arts Festival has grown, too, over the last five years.  In 1999, the festival drew just over a few thousand people.  Last year, an estimated 30,000 people traveled to Pawtucket to attend one of the festival’s many events.

The 1999 opening gala attracted about 35 people to the Pawtucket Public Library. In a recent meeting of festival organizers, Rick Goldstein, a mayoral aide recalled, “We had more food than people.” Last year, more than 1,000 people attended the opening gala at the Blackstone Valley Visitor Center, 175 Main St.

Crowds at the dragon boat races held at the School Street pier, have steadily increased over the years, too, from 2,000 at the first races to more than 15,000 last year.

Another big draw last year was the Rhode Island Philharmonic concern in Slater Park. Sponsored by the Pawtucket Teachers’ Alliance, the performance attracted more than 6,000 people.

This year’s festival is scheduled from Sept. 1-26, and events will be held at sites such as the Visitor Center, Slater Mill, Veterans Memorial Amphitheater, Slater Park and School Street Pier.

Although considered an official city event, the festival’s executive planning committee has reached out to the artist community for assistance to developing the artistic and musical programming for the three-week event. “We continue to grow the tradition of having the Pawtucket Arts Festival involve our artists,” says Patricia Zacks, who chairs the Slater Park Fall Fest and services as President of the Pawtucket Arts Collaborative.

“This year we saw a record number of artists wanting to get involved,” she said, noting that her program committee was artist driven. Nine artists, some of whom are members of the Pawtucket Arts Collaborative, sit on the festival’s 14-person executive program committee.

According to Zack’s festival attendees will enjoy quality artistic and musical events provided by many local artisans. With the exception of the opening gala buffet and the Mirror Image Film Festival, all events, which will be of interest to people of all ages, are free.

The jam-packed schedule includes a variety of music, including the Rhode Island Philharmonic pops concern, Patty Larkin and other well-recognized folk singers, the 18-piece SOS Big Band, the Narragansett Bay Chorus, Cape Verdean musician Jao Cerilo, the Rockin’ Soul Horns, Rhode Island’s hottest rhythm and blues band and Latin-American inspired poetry and music by Aurea.

Four art exhibits will be held at the Pawtucket Arts Collaborative Gally, the Rhode Island Watercolor Society Gallery and the two Slater Mill galleries.  There will be a retrospective show, featuring 30 bronze sculptures of Jack Gresko, trolley tours of dozens of artist studios, a free performance of “Enemy of the People” courtesy of the Sandra Feinstein Gamm Theatre, the All-Children’s Theatre production of “The Legend of Juan Bobo,” Arts Fest 2004 – an arts and craft show – and an opportunity to meet filmmakers during the six-night Mirror Image Film Festival.

Another event is Slater Mill’s Ethnic and Heritage Festival, which will feature Revels’ Circle Song. The touring ensemble will present “An American Journey,” using song, dance and story to tell about the early century voyages that brought immigrants from Ireland, Italy, and Eastern Europe to this country.

One of the signature events of the festival are the dragon boat races, scheduled from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sept. 11^th at the School Street Pier. “This year we received larger and wider boats,” boast’s Bob Billington, president of the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, the Pawtucket-based nonprofit tourism organization that oversees the races and the related cultural artistic and musical events. “Nobody has this type of boat in New England,” Billington claims.

Billington says with the phenomenal growth of the festival and closer ties with the government of Taiwan forged by Congressman Patrick Kennedy, this year’s festival will have even more Taiwanese and cultural  events. Added events include an exhibit 30 of the best photographs taken by Taiwanese amateur photographers of different scenes of the country.  G-TECH will host six deaf artists, who will exhibit their work and technique during the races, and a Taiwanese kite master will fly a 1,000-foot kite over the site.

As to non-Taiwanese activities, Billington notes that Pawtucket wood sculptor Billy Rebele will carve an eagle out of a log with his  chain saw, and artist Chris Kane will again organize a metal pour at the pier.

Mayor James E. Doyle said the pops concert scheduled for Sept. 18 from 4 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. is another anchor event of the festival. A $15,000 donation from the Pawtucket Teachers’ Alliance and sponsorships from 46 local businesses enabled the city to bring the prestigious Rhode Island orchestra back to Slater Park, the mayor said.

“Teachers residing throughout Pawtucket and in surrounding communities are strongly committed to building a better cultural community and a place to live,” says Mary Ann Kaveny, president of the Pawtucket Teachers’ Alliance. “Programs such as the pops program are important life experiences that young students should have the opportunity to see and hear,” she added.

Kaveny says that the concert is a great venue for grandparents to bring their children and grandchildren. “We believe that this is the best family-oriented event that is held annually in the city,” she said.

City Councilor Don Grebien, who co-chairs the executive planning committee with his wife Laureen, sees the upcoming festival as a vehicle to bring the city’s growing artistic, blue collar and ethnic communities together.

“The President Arts Festival ties in well with the city’s efforts to create an artist friendly city, Grebien says, making Pawtucket a regional destination site.