A free weekend of music, art, mills and film on tap for S.A.M.FEST
(Pawtucket, RI) Get yourself to Hodgson Park on the lower Blackstone River in downtown Pawtucket, RI on August 27 & 28, where Slater Mill will treat the community to the third annual Slater???s Art & Manufacture Festival (S.A.M.FEST), as part of the opening weekend of the Pawtucket Arts Festival.
S.A.M.FEST is a free weekend of live music, visual art, open mill tours, and outdoor film under a large tent erected on the campus of the 1793 Old Slater Mill with a striking view of the Slater Dam and the river as backdrop.??
TROY GONYEA
Twenty vendor artists and makers will showcase their wares throughout the weekend. Ocean State Maker Mill will pump little Slater Mills out of their 3-D printers while members of RI Spinners Guild will spin your hair into gold for you (well, not quite). Open Season, Noble Knots, and other food trucks will peddle gourmet grub, and SAM???s Gin Mill will serve refreshing libations.
And then there is, of course, the music.??
Rishell-Raines
???This year we essentially have an American Roots review on the main stage, with six top-notch acts performing everything from Blues to Western Swing, R&B, Rock and Soul. It???s a great variety for listening and all-day dancing??? said Lori Urso, executive director of Old Slater Mill Association.??
Headlining S.A.M. on Saturday afternoon is the award-winning blues act Paul Rishell and Annie Raines with their band.?? The day begins equally as strong, with Joe Cocker Band-veterans Mitch Chakour and Cliff Goodwin at noon, and then Dave Hansen & Western Caravan, a NYC-based western swing band, will dish tunes for the two-steppers.
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WESTERN CARAVAN
On Sunday, even more heavy hitters take the stage, starting with Troy Gonyea, formerly with the Fabulous Thunderbirds and Booker T. & the M.G.???s, opening at Noon, followed by an encore performance of the James Montgomery Band.?? Sunday???s 3:30 p.m. headliner is Boston-based soul singer Jesse Dee, who recently signed with the Alligator Records blues label out of Chicago.??
On Saturday evening, the tent transforms into an outdoor movie house for a double-feature of Moonrise Kingdom, the acclaimed Wes Anderson coming-of-age picture that was filmed with Rhode Island as its backdrop, and Labyrinth, the 1987 cult-classic featuring the late David Bowie.
???I think a lot of us can identify with the youthful quirky tempo of Moonrise Kingdom,??? said Slater Mill Events and Programs Manager, Erika Davis. ???And Labyrinth is a classic that is being revisited today, given David Bowie???s recent passing. Plus it will sound amazing on the P.A. system under the tent.???
As an added bonus, the 1793 Old Slater Mill, and the waterwheel exhibit under the 1810 Wilkinson Mill, will be open and available for guests to walk through for free.??
???S.A.M.FEST is intended to be a light-hearted and fun end-of-summer festival, where patrons can relax by the river with some food and drink, listen to some great music, and just enjoy our historic site,??? says Urso.?? ???People associate Slater Mill with history, obviously, but we support arts and culture among a variety of disciplines, and S.A.M.FEST brings them all together.?????
S.A.M.FEST is completely free and open to all, thanks to the support of Slater Mill and partners including the Pawtucket Arts Festival, the National Park Service, Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, the City of Pawtucket, and Neocorp.??
Slater???s Art & Manufacture Festival is Saturday, August 27 and Sunday, August 28 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday evening from 7:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.?? For information visit
or email info@slatermill.org.