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Rediscover the

Blackstone Valley

We hope you will find some fun ideas and ways to rediscover the valley with our redesigned newsletter!

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Join us on a Caffeine Crawl

through the Valley

Installment #2

Support Our Stages

October is Arts and Humanities Month, something so vital in these times. In support of the month Rhode Island State Council on the Arts is asking that we help celebrate and honor the arts and artists in our communities.

For this newsletter, we are shining a light on our performance stages from live theater to music venues, the Blackstone Valley is home to several performance venues. Many of these venues were the first to close and some of which are still closed due to the pandemic.

Sadly, in addition to the pandemic, some of our local theaters have had deal with personal loss with three actors/directors passing away this year, and we would like to take a moment to recognize them and share our condolences with the RI theater community at large. They are:

·     Brian Mulvey, Past-President, actor, director with Pawtucket's Community Players in Pawtucket. He was also a teacher/librarian in the Pawtucket schools Read more.

·     Tom Epstein, Mostly remembered for his role as King of King Richard's Faire, but was also a long-time member of the former Cumberland Company and also performed with Attleboro Community Theatre and Community Players. Read more.

·     Wendy Overly - Most recently we lost actor/director Wendy Overly who worked with the Gamm Theatre for many years and Burbage Theatre. Read more.

However, our theater/performance venues are resilient. They provide entertainment and are a cultural resource for our communities and deserve our support in these trying times. Here are just a few.

Community Players of Pawtucket, Rhode Island's longest running community theatre, is celebrating 100 years. Normally, they would be kicking off their 100th season. However, instead they are using social media to highlight their 100th anniversary with memories, stories and photos. As they state on their website, "Good times and bum times, we've seen them all, and my dear, we are still here. "More Info

Some spaces have been creative with online performances such as the upcoming production from Burbage Theatre,Pawtucket, "In the Next Zoom" tonight at 7:30 pm. Over the last few months they have held virtual events on Facebook Live to keep their theater going.

Mixed Magic Theatre, Pawtucket has also held virtual events and live-streaming through social media and on their website. During the summer they were able to take advantage of their outdoor space with live performances. They return to virtual performances starting next weekend with a two-part production of, "We, They and The People."

Stadium Theatre, Woonsocket has managed to hold on to smaller live performances in the Grand Hall with live shows running through the end of the year. More Info.

Several other music venues such as Blackstone River Theatre, Cumberland; The Met, Pawtucket and Twin River Event Center as well as smaller theaters like Assembly Theatre, Burrillville and Rhode Island Stage Ensemble in Woonsocket have remained closed and hope to get back on board with live performances in 2021.

We also need to give a shout out to Pawtuckets Poetry and our local libraries for striving to keep literary arts alive.

So as Arts & Humanities month comes to a close I leave you with this one thought: How do we survive without the Arts, Theatre, Dance, Music, Poetry, as well as Museums? They all serve to make us better human beings by reflecting life back at us. If you can help out visit their websites and make a donation. You can find links on our website below.

Peak Season for Fall Hikes

Here in the Blackstone Valley we are probably at peak for our fall foliage season, and what a season!

We have discovered some great leaf-peeping hiking explorations, some we had also shared over spring and summer while a few are new places to get out and explore.

Though we have had some much needed rain to help with the drought, there are still some great weather days so here are a full places to go take a hike and catch a glimpse of this magical and glorious foliage.

Lincoln Woods State Park, Lincoln - A recent walk on the beach along Olney Pond recently delivered a sense of wonder and (aside from nearby traffic) quiet solitude to enjoy the liquid reflections of the autumn leaves. Most impressive are the birch trees that line the way as you make your way to the shoreline.

We saw many other walkers and some on bikes also taking in the beautiful scene along the Les Pawson Loop Road. With less crowds than summer, this is a great place to enjoy a fall hike or bike ride if you prefer.

You may also want to check out Sunset Hiking Trail located near Sunset Stables. Perfect for a late afternoon hike to watch the sunset.

Atlantic White Cedar Swamp, Gold Star, James Bland Burlingame Preserve, Cumberland - This combined preserve consists of four properties acquired by the Cumberland land trust between 2003 and 2017.

Our colleague, David Lawlor, took the photo above while hiking there with friends recently. He says, "The hike was really nice, mostly flat and a great place to bring the whole family." He also gave one warning to watch for bees as there is a nest on the ground just off the trail. Download trail map.

Chase Farm Park, Lincoln - Chase Farm on Great Road in Lincoln had been closed for most of the summer but has since reopened and a perfect spot for a late afternoon hike to catch the sunset as well as taking in the expanse of foliage along Great Road. It may also be a great spot to watch the Orionids Meteor Shower, which takes place through November 7.

Glocester & Burrillville - Our friends at the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor as well as us have found some great foliage over in the Northwest Corner of Rhode island. 

Check out the Posts on Facebook Blackstone Valley RI and Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor

Stone Mill in Harrisville by David Lawlor