THE OLD MILL GETS ITS GLOW ON FOR A GRANDE FETE
(Pawtucket, R.I.)?? A taste-of-the-town international tapas, live jazz, swag auction, and grown-up grab bags enliven a very hip Grande Fete by the River, Slater Mill???s annual party for the fabulous that results in the iconic annual Slater Mill field trip for thousands of students in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
???Not to mention the way the mill looks when we make it sparkle for this one night of the year,??? said Lori Urso, the museum???s executive director. ???Where else can you see a luminous and twinkling collection of authentic early 19th century cotton spinning machinery inside the first cotton mill in America? Nowhere, frankly,??? she adds proudly.
While Slater Mill for many of us awakens the fond memory of our own 4th grade field trips there ??? a tradition that goes back to the 1950s in Rhode Island ??? this event is very much for the adults. Slated for Saturday, June 3, 7:30 to 10:30 in the evening, the Grande Fete raises funds for the museum???s Student Admissions Fund, a resource that subsidizes all student visits to Old Slater Mill, providing free admission for the neediest schools, and reduced admission for all schools.
Attendees will be treated to a savory international tapas spread representing four continents, all from restaurants in the greater Pawtucket/Central Falls region.??
The music, a blend of contemporary jazz and jazz fusion, comes courtesy of the Boston Jazz All-Stars, featuring four of New England???s (and Berklee???s) finest, led by pianist Tim Ray, and guitarist Bruce Bartlett, with Marty Richards on drums and Jesse Williams on bass.
???One of my favorite nights of the year!??? said Erika Davis, program manager for Slater Mill. ???The mill, river and garden are stunning, lit with candles and moonlight, and there???s something really warm and pleasing about the smell of the old wooden mill. The evening really stays with you.?????
Old Slater Mill, 67 Roosevelt Avenue in Pawtucket. Tickets start at $50.00, and are available online at grandefete2017.brownpapertickets.com, or by calling 401-725-8638 x.100.??
Sponsors to date include Teknor Apex, Hinkley Allen, Neocorp, Pawtucket Credit Union, Public Archaeology Laboratory, Ecological Fibers, Hope Global, Dr. Peter Baziotis, and Chatterton Insurance.?? The mill welcomes additional corporate sponsors to join them, and our Student Admissions Fund benefactors Alice I. Sullivan Foundation, The Felicia Fund, June Rockwell Levy Foundation, Bristol County Savings Charitable Foundation, Mary Dexter Chafee Foundation, and the City of Pawtucket, in supporting youth enrichment education and the Old Slater Mill.