SLATER MILL SPARKLES FOR GRANDE FETE AND YOUTH EDUCATION
(Pawtucket, R.I.)?? Slater Mill historic site has given us quite a few great events already this year, but an enchanting twilight gala in early June is perhaps the most important happening of the year.??
On June 4, the annual glittery Grande Fete by the River adds to the coffers of the Slater Mill???s Educational Scholarship Program ??? a funding resource that supports free and reduced-rate museum tours and classroom programming for all students.
This year, at this engaging historic site on the lower Blackstone River, guests with cocktails in hand will be treated to live music and dancing, Latin foods from neighborhood eateries, a clever silent auction and wine grab, and twilight VIP tours of these intriguing and mysterious mills.
???It???s an enchanting evening in a very historical and charming place,??? said Lori Urso, the museum???s Executive Director. ???But it???s more than that. It???s about creating opportunities for students, and partnering on enrichment education in our communities.???
Still, it is an evening with lots of good things in store.
As to the fare, the organizers have assembled a menu representing the best of the area???s Colombian, Guatemalan, and Portuguese cuisines. ???We wanted to bring more of the flavor of our neighborhoods to the event this year, while also promoting these wonderful area restaurants,??? said Urso.
Then there???s the live music and dancing with Klem Klimek???s Buddy System.?? Klimek, an NRBQ veteran saxophonist and a star of the film ???It???s a Complex World,??? has assembled a funky quartet to fill the old mill with R & B, soul and dance music.?? In the band are Four Piece Suit guitarist Milt Reder from Boston, Jesse Williams on bass, and Marty Richards on drums.??
Adding to the fun, a silent auction filled with great swag including an after-work beer with Mayor Grebien;?? a private paranormal investigation of Slater Mill for eight people, led by renowned ghost hunters Carl and Keith Johnson; dinner and show / lunch and museum pairings at partner sites like The Gamm, John Brown House, Murphy???s Law, Chan???s, Second Story, Festival Ballet and other great places; drum lessons with celebrity drummer and RI Music Hall of Fame inductee Marty Richards; a 4??? x 4??? cage of rope manufactured locally at Neocorp; an original framed charcoal portrait by the late Fred Halaal; vintage J. Geils Band LPs autographed by Jay Geils; Dunkin Donuts??? gift cards; a Jack + Cookie handbag, $100 for Cardi???s Furniture, and lots more.
???Their motivations may be altruistic, but this fabulous affair is for all to enjoy,??? Slater Mill event and program manager Erika Davis said of Grande Fete patrons. ???In the short time I???ve worked at the Mill, I have really seen how much people enjoy this place ??? both for its history, and for the beauty of the 18th c. architecture. Under ambient light wrapped in the glow of luminaria it becomes surreal.???
A Grande Fete by the River takes place from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 4, at the Old Slater Mill, 67 Roosevelt Avenue in Pawtucket. Tickets start at $50.00, and are available online at grandefete2016.brownpapertickets.com, or by calling 401-725-8638 x.100.??
Sponsoring the event this year are Hinkley Allen, Pawtucket Credit Union, Neocorp, Navigant Credit Union, Public Archaeology Laboratory, Hope Global, Dr. Peter Baziotis, AAA Southern New England, Colorfast and the Treiber Family Foundation, ???with others to come,??? hopes Davis.?? They join esteemed Educational Scholarship Program benefactors Alice I. Sullivan Foundation, The Felicia Fund, June Rockwell Levy Foundation, Bristol County Savings Charitable Foundation and the City of Pawtucket.