Woonsocket Radio News Room

Northern RI Council of the Arts

PO Box 1723 Woonsocket, RI 02895

 

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT 

 

2019 MARDI GRAS QUEEN CONTEST

LOOKING FOR CONTESTANTS!

 

The Northern RI Council of the Arts has begun its search for contestants to participate in the 2019 Mardi Gras Queen Contest with some exciting changes in store. Any female, 18 years of age or older or will be 18 by February 1, 2019 is eligible to participate. This is not a beauty pageant. The contestant who sells the most raffle, Coronation and Mardi Gras Celebration tickets attains the Queen’s crown. The 2nd and third high sellers receive the title of Princess. Monetary prizes of $500, $250, $100 for the top 3 winners, plus 10% of all raffle ticket sales and gifts from local businesses will be awarded to all participants. 

 

The Queen’s Coronation, where Queen and Princesses are announced, will take place on Friday, February 15th, 2019 at Savini’s Pomodoro Restaurant in Woonsocket from 6 to 8 pm with complimentary hors d’oeuvres, dessert and coffee. Tickets for the event are only $10. In addition to the Coronation, King Jace XXV will be unmasked during the evening’s celebration.

 

The King, Queen, and their court will preside over the Mardi Gras Ball on Saturday evening, February 23rd, 2019 at the St. Ann Arts and Cultural Center in Woonsocket. Contestants are advised to enter the contest by Saturday, November 17, 2018 to allow time to sell tickets before the events but will not be turned away if they join after this date. 

 

The original Mardi Gras celebration originated in 1954 when a four day event drew crowds up to 150,000 people at the height of its popularity and ended in 1961, after interest had waned over the years. In 1995, NRICA renewed the celebration and continues today. Proceeds from the ticket sales help to offset the cost of the annual Mardi Gras celebration. Contact Nicole Riendeau, at 401-644-7606 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information on becoming a contestant.

 

Details of David Pecker's Involvement in Donald Trump's alleged hush money trial came to light in court Thursday. Pecker took the stand for his third day of testimony, and revealed conversations between himself, the former President, and Associate Michael Cohen. Pecker says he arranged to buy the story surrounding Trump's alleged affair with Playboy model Karen McDougal for $150,000, but backed out of the deal after consulting with election lawyers, believing the payment may break the law.        Students at Columbia University are filing a federal civil rights lawsuit against the school. They filed the complaint with the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights on Thursday, demanding an investigation into the school's actions against pro-Palestinian students. The lawsuit alleges Columbia has mistreated students utilizing their first amendment rights.        The Food and Drug Administration says remnants of the bird flu were found in one in five pasteurized milk samples. Earlier this week, the FDA found fragments of the bird flu in commercially sold milk but said it's still safe to drink, as the pasteurization process kills the virus and only leaves small traces behind. On Thursday officials revealed about 20-percent of their milk samples contained remnants of the virus.        Former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein is having his conviction for sex crimes in New York overturned. The New York Court of Appeals ruled Weinstein did not receive a fair trial. The court found the judge in his trial made an error allowing women to testify about alleged sexual assaults committed by Weinstein that were not part of the charges against him. Weinstein was also sentenced in Los Angeles in February of last year to 16 years in prison after he was convicted of rape and that conviction still stands.        Buying a home is now more expensive than ever. A new report from Redfin found the median home price in the United States is now over 383-thousand-dollars, a record high. The economic research lead with Redfin says prices may drop slightly in the coming months, but buyers should accept that "housing costs are likely to remain elevated for the foreseeable future." The median down payment is also up 24-percent compared to last year, at around 56-thousand-dollars.        Soulja Boy says he wants to help save TikTok. Congress passed a bill on Wednesday that requires TikTok's Chinese-owned parent company ByteDance to sell the app or else it will be banned in the United States. Soulja Boy has offered up a solution, posting "How much yall want for TikTok? I'll buy it." The rapper tagged the social media company in the post.       

Old News Archives