News Release
NPS / Horrocks
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Happy spring! Here's our most recent newsletter - find out what's new for spring and summer at Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park and Roger Williams National Memorial!
David Lawlor
First Strike Festival - 200 Years of Labor History
Join us on Saturday, May 11, 2024 from 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM for a community celebration of the first wage workers strike in U.S. history. This year marks the 200th anniversary of this important labor event. In May 1824, more than a hundred local workers went on strike for the first time. Learn their story and commemorate 200 years of labor history at Old Slater Mill during the third annual First Strike Festival. All activities are free and open to the public.
Full details are available on here.
NPS / Horrocks
Welcome and Welcome Back!
We are pleased to have Bob Wakeling, Jr. and Owen Marshall returning to our staff for the 2024 season. Bob and Owen worked as seasonal staff members at the parks in 2023. Both are returning to run field trips, mill tours, Roger Talks, and more! If you see Bob or Owen out in the Blackstone Valley, or working the Visitor Center in Providence, be sure to say hello.
Alyssa Houlis, a recent graduate of the University of Rhode Island, is also part of the seasonal team. Alyssa has a background in environmental education and hails from New Jersey. We are thrilled to have her as part of the division of Interpretation and Education.
NPS / Horrocks
Preservation and Maintenance Update
The Maintenance team is also welcoming a new full-time staff member! Ethan Yoos, who began volunteering at the park after attending a festival at Slater Mill, has a permanent position working for the parks in facilities.
"Hark! Don't you hear the fact'ry bell?"
The maintenance team at Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park spent a portion of this past winter completing restoration work on the cupola and tower at Old Slater Mill National Historic Landmark. They also got the bell ringing again!
Special thanks to the park’s hardworking facilities staff for making this happen in coordination with Cultural Resources.
Historically, bells were an important part of mill life. Owners and managers would use the factory bell to alert workers as to the start, middle, and end of their day. Unlike the workers of long ago, we are certainly glad to hear the factory bell.
NPS
Blackstone River Valley NHP Happenings
Old Slater Mill National Historic Landmark is OPEN!
Take a free tour with a park ranger at Old Slater Mill this spring or summer.
No reservations are required (a few dates excluded) and all tours are free and open to the public.
Tours are limited to 25 persons – first come, first served.
Spring Schedule Part II (May 9, 2024 - June 5, 2024)
Visitor Information Station:
Open Thursday, 12:00 P.M. - 4:00 P.M.
Friday - Sunday, 10:00 A.M. - 4:00 P.M.
Guided Tours:
Thursdays: 12:30 P.M., 2:30 P.M.
Fridays - Sundays: 10:30 A.M., 12:30 P.M., 2:30 P.M.
Summer Schedule (June 6, 2024 - September 1, 2024)
Visitor Information Station:
Thursdays - Sundays: 10:00 A.M. - 4:00 P.M.
Guided Tours:
Thursdays - Sundays: 10:30 A.M., 12:30 P.M., and 2:30 P.M.
Blackstone Collaborative
Be the Voice of Kittacuck
Take part in this year’s spring migration parade at Old Slater Mill!
The 2024 Fish Migration Community Parade for Blackstone River will take place Sunday, May 19, from 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM.
Address: 67 Roosevelt Avenue, Pawtucket, RI.
This event is hosted by the Blackstone Watershed Collaborative. All are welcome to join in this rain-or-shine community event featuring drumming, dancing, crafts, music, and more. Led by the Narragansett Indian Tribe and the Hassanamisco Band of Nipmuc, this event intends to bring the community together with partners of the Blackstone Watershed Collaborative, including the Blackstone River Watershed Council/Friends of the Blackstone, Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park, Save the Bay, and others.
1 PM: Food trucks, face painting, and a 20’ model of the river on display. Share information on what you love about the Blackstone Valley and bring a herring pin of your own home (limited quantities available).
2 PM: Immerse yourself in the drumming and dance circle led by the Narragansett Indian Tribe, Hassanamisco Band of Nipmuc, and other local tribal partners. Celebrate herring and other migratory fish's important history to tribal culture for millennia and why bringing them back is beneficial for Pawtucket’s tourism, recreation, economy, & beyond. Tribal members will speak and be joined by invited speakers Mayor Grebien of Pawtucket, RI Governor McKee, EPA Regional Administrator David Cash, RI Senator Whitehouse, RI Senator Reed, and RI State Representative Gabe Amo.
3 PM: Take part in the community parade. Carry colored paper fish around the block in Pawtucket to symbolically “migrate” them upstream over the lower two dams on a one-mile parade route, starting and ending at Slater Mill. Fish costumes, hats, and themed crafts are welcome!
For more information, contact Stefanie Covino at scovino@clarku.edu or visit https://www.blackstonecollaborative.org/kittacuck for a detailed agenda.
NPS / Horrocks
Field Trips and Homeschool Day
While Slater Mill is closed to the public for part of the winter, it is still a busy place. More than 600 students have toured Slater Mill thus far in 2024. More than 1,000 young people have visited since the start of this school year.
Rangers from Roger Williams National Memorial have visited 11 classrooms, reaching over 250 students!
At both sites, our first homeschool day was a big success, with hundreds of young people coming for tours, demonstrations, and workshops. We want to especially thank our partners in the Volunteers-In-Parks program and the Blackstone River Watershed Council for providing support.
Stay tuned for more information on additional homeschool offerings or reach out to Allison Horrocks to do a direct booking: e-mail us.
Summer Walkabout Series
Get out this summer and explore the Blackstone Valley with us! We’ll be traveling to quaint mill villages, through the woods to old canal locks, and ending the season with a Labor Day Weekend preview at Old Slater Mill. All Walkabouts are free and open to the public; no registration is required.
Check out the full schedule here.
New Park Pollinator Program
Did you know that there are pollinator gardens at Roger Williams National Memorial, Slater Mill, and the Kelly House in Blackstone River State Park?
This year, the park will be debuting a new Junior Ranger program designed to teach explorers of all ages about pollinators.
There will also be a special Walkabout on June 20, 2024, at 6:30 PM in time for Pollinator Week. Explore Blackstone River State Park in Lincoln, RI, to learn about ongoing efforts to restore this post-industrial landscape. Check out the Kelly House Pollinator Garden and see how people and pollinators have made this place a “hive of industry.”
NPS / Horrocks
Eclipse 2024
Did you have a chance to watch the eclipse this year? Park staff handed out more than 700 pieces of safety eyewear during the eclipse in Providence, RI and Uxbridge, MA.
Go Fish!
Learn how to fish and get a Junior Angler badge this year.
Free fishing events will be hosted on June 30, July 28, and August 25. Stay tuned for more details! All fishing gear will be provided. There is no need to register for these events.
NPS Photo
Roger William National Memorial Happenings
Roger Talks Resume for the Season
Roger Williams was one of the greatest philosophers of the 1600s. His passionate plea for the separation of church and state still resonates in our public discourse. Both loved and hated by his contemporaries, his legacy remains unresolved. At its core are the questions, how much say does the government have in our personal choices? And who gets to decide?
Starting May 9, 2024, Roger Talks are at 9:30 am and 1:30 pm, Thursday-Sunday. Meet at the well, signs will point the way. Roger Talks run through October 27, 2024. Free - no registration required. See you there!
Yoga in the Park
A Free Yoga practice will be hosted at Roger Williams National Memorial beginning at 9:00 AM every Saturday morning, June through September. This gentle flow class is open and available to everyone. There is limited parking in our Canal Street lot and ample, metered street parking along North Main.
Special Program at the Hahn Memorial
May 19, 2024
11:00 a.m.
The Rhode Island Jewish Historical Association invites you to learn about the Hahn Memorial in the Roger Williams National Memorial in Providence, RI. Judge Jerome Hahn, the second Jewish lawyer in Rhode Island, generously gifted the well to Providence in 1931. Park Rangers Sparkle Bryant and Andrew Schnetzer will deliver the free lecture. Light refreshments will be served.
Last updated: May 9, 2024