Gaspee Days A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT FROM
Beacon Communications
2014
2 • Gaspee Days • May 2014
Celebrating
Gaspee Days 2014
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Gaspee Days • DATE • 3
Volunteers the ‘lifeblood’ of Gaspee Days
By DANIEL KITTREDGE History is at the heart of each year’s Gaspee Days, but it is the work of organizers and volunteers that makes the festivities possible. As 2014’s celebrations kick off with the Arts & Crafts Festival this month - and with the 49th installment of the famed parade set for June 14 - Erin Flynn, president of the Gaspee Days Committee, said strengthening the community focus of the annual events while broadening involvement beyond Pawtuxet Village and across the Ocean State remains a top priority. “We’re trying to celebrate our role in the [nation’s] beginning,” she said. “We’re really looking to get all kinds of people involved … We’re working hard to make it more of a neighborhood event, and more of a statewide event.” Gaspee Days celebrates the 1772 burning of the HMS Gaspee by Rhode Island colonists in protest of the British crown’s enforcement of shipping and customs policy. Now nearing the milestone 50th anniversary, Flynn said carrying on the tradition - and continuing to highlight the state’s key role in the events that led to the nation’s creation - requires the involvement of many people. “We couldn’t do it without our volunteers,” she said. “They’re the lifeblood of our organization … I always think that we don’t thank our volunteers enough.” The roles played by the scores of current volunteers range from helping with parade planning and setup to working at the Alan & Edna Brown Road Race, which is also set for June 14. Some work on multiple aspects of the celebrations, while others give their time on a particular day or for a specific event. The logistical challenges of putting on the celebration can be significant. Last year’s road race, for example, drew 1,300 participants - 400 of whom registered the morning of the event. This year, Flynn said organizers are hoping for 1,600 participants. “That’s unbelievable manpower … There’s a commitment, I think, to Gaspee Days,” she said regarding the role of volunteers. Getting involved offers other benefits as well. Flynn herself joined the effort as a way to meet her neighbors while living in Edgewood, and found Gaspee Days to be a great way to build relationships and connect with the community. “This was a great way to meet people in the neighborhood,” she said. “There are very simple, simple things [people can do to contribute] … You just have
to be a part of the community and want to be a part of something cool.” The upcoming 50th anniversary makes now an especially exciting time to be involved in Gaspee Days. Flynn said the committee’s website is currently being updated, and a logo for next year’s celebration is complete and will be unveiled at the end of this year’s parade. Ultimately, it is history that remains at the heart of the annual celebration - and it is the mission of the
committee and the volunteers to ensure future generations remember their community’s heritage and continue, with their families and neighbors, to honor that legacy. “We could always use more volunteers … We just need to have the community’s support,” she said. “We’ve got to keep evolving.” For information on Gaspee Days and getting involved as a volunteer, visit the committee’s website at www.gaspee.com or call 781-1772.
4 • Gaspee Days • May 2014
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2014 Gaspee Days Events May 24, 25, 26 Memorial Day Weekend Arts and Crafts Festival
2014 Gaspee Days Weekend: June 13, 14 & 15
Saturday May 24, Sunday May 25th, 10 am to 5 pm Monday May 26th 10 am -4:30 Narragansett Parkway in Warwick. The annual Arts and Crafts Festival attracts people from all over RI for three days of browsing and purchasing the wares of the approximately 100 craft exhibitors along Narragansett Parkway in Warwick. All while this is going on, there is a professional food court, free family music, entertainment, and rides for the children located in Pawtuxet Park. The proceeds of the annual Arts and Crafts Festival offset the cost of the Gaspee Days Parade.
June 13, 14 & 15th Colonial Encampment
Live music in the park each day from 1-4 pm
June 14th
in Pawtuxet Park in Warwick. Open for people to walk through and visit life in 1772. The Encampment gives visitors a feel for colonial military life. Militia camp out for the weekend in authentic Revolutionary style. Hosted by the Pawtuxet Rangers, RIM.
June 13th
Gaspee Days Fireworks
Salters Grove, Warwick – Dusk Sponsored by the City of Warwick Department of Tourism, Culture and Development. Rain Date June 14th
May 24 Gaspee Days Arts & Crafts Block Party Fundraiser
May 25th- 6 to 11 pm (rain date Sunday May 25th) Aspray Boat House and Patio, Pawtuxet Park, Warwick, RI Entry fee $5.00, Proof of age required PLEASE NO CHILDREN Come on in and enjoy the beer, music, and neighborhood camaraderie alongside Pawtuxet Cove, in a fundraiser for the Gaspee Days Committee.
Ecumenical Service
8 am Trinity Episcopal Church, 139 Ocean Avenue, Cranston. Non-denominational service with music by the West Bay Chorus.
June 14th
Alan & Edna Brown Road Race
June 14th
49th Annual Gaspee Days Parade
June 14th
The Gaspee Project at Waterfire
June 15th
Sunday in the Park
starts on Broad Street in Cranston at 9:45 am. This state-wide event has grown to become one of the great runs in New England, as participants compete in front of the crowds assembled for the Gaspee Days Parade. Register on line at www.gaspee.com.
Starting 10 am Parade runs along Narragansett Parkway into Cranston ending at Rhodes on the Pawtuxet. Over a dozen Colonial fife & drum corps as well as, Civil War era units, modern day drum & bugle corps, & the Mummers. Parade starts at 10 AM.
All along the route of WaterFire in Providence. 10 pm longboat row re-enactment. Follow event on twitter at #WFGaspee.
Pawtuxet Park, Warwick. Noon to 2 pm. Music & relaxation for Gaspee friends & family. Please bring your own picnic. The Colonial Encampment will be open to visit. Food available or bring your own picnic basket
June 15th
Gaspee Raffle
June 15th
Burning of the HMS Gaspee 4 pm
winners announced at Sunday in the Park event.
Ending the Gaspee Days Festivities, the symbolic burning of the ship that sparked the American Revolution.
Information on any of these events can be obtained by going to the Gaspee Days web site at www.gaspee.com, following us on Facebook at Gaspee Days or on Twitter @GaspeeDay or by calling 401-781-1772. While the committee tries to stay as close to this schedule as possible, locations and times are subject to change. Gaspee Days Committee meetings are held the first Thursday of each month at 7:30 at the Aspray Boat House in Pawtuxet and new members are always welcome.
6 • Gaspee Days • May 2014
Salisbury to serve as Gaspee Days Parade’s
grand marshal
Gaspee Days • DATE • 7
By DANIEL KITTREDGE Earl Salisbury, who will serve as the grand marshal of this year’s 49th Gaspee Days Parade, began celebrating the Gaspee Affair at his Indiana home in the late 1990s after discovering evidence of a family connection to the famed pre-Revolutionary event in Rhode Island. Earl’s research regarding his fourth great-grandfather, Nathan Salisbury, has spanned years. It has taken him to libraries around the country, and to his ancestor’s final home in New York, where it is written on a grave marker that Nathan - who served as a member of the American artillery forces stationed at Warwick Neck during the Revolutionary War - was involved in the famed 1772 attack on the hated British ship. Eventually, Nathan’s story brought Earl to the Ocean State - although before that, without knowledge of the local Gaspee Days celebrations, he’d been hosting festivities of his own for several years. Back at home in the Midwest, Salisbury sought to get his neighbors involved in his own Gaspee block party. A member of the Sons of American Revolution Color Guard, he would don colonial garb, decorate his home and share Gaspee history. There would often be a musket firing or two, he said, followed by a toast. “Copies of recent news articles or pictures of the burning Gaspee would be on the tables, and the smell of the heating grill would waft the air,” he said. “Sometimes after the food had been served, a wooden replica of a square rigger would be introduced to the final flames on the grill.” All the while, he was unaware of the events held in Rhode Island each year. Friends and neighbors had questions, said Salisbury, including whether the Gaspee Affair pre-dated the Boston Tea Party. He would provide copies of information from history books, and several of the people on hand helped him schedule speaking engagements at schools and historical societies. Some of his presentations received coverage in local media, and one of those stories in 1998 made its way to Dr. John Concannon of the Gaspee Days Committee, who subsequently reached out to Earl and invited him to come east. “Before that, I had no idea. We’ve been partying ever since,” said Earl with a laugh. Earl, whose lineage also includes James Henry Salisbury, a Civil War doctor and the investor of Salisbury steak, has been interested in history from a young age. His Gaspee journey began with the discovery of family documents that included his great aunt’s application to the Daughters of the American Revolution. He visited libraries and tracked down histories across the country as he researched his Gaspee connection. He was also featured in a 2003 Wall Street Journal story on the history and festivities surrounding Gaspee Days in Pawtuxet Village. At that time, Earl was convinced of Nathan’s connection to the event. Today, the research has led him to question that conclusion. The New York grave marker, Earl said, was created a century after Nathan’s death, and documents that at first pointed to the Gaspee incident may have instead referenced another attack on a British ship in 1777. Earl said it does appear Nathan’s brother, Peleg, played a role in the Gaspee Affair, although that involved protecting the attackers from British authorities in the aftermath of the event. Regardless, Earl said he is honored to be part of the Gaspee festivities, and spoke glowingly of the community in Rhode Island and Pawtuxet Village. “The people in Rhode Island are so nice,” he said. “It’s a terrific trip.” Gaspee Days organizers said Earl was chosen to serve as grand marshal because of his commitment to sharing the history of the Gaspee. “The Gaspee Days Committee is indebted to Earl Salisbury for his popularizing the story behind the burning of the Gaspee throughout the Midwest. His wit and storytelling are truly remarkable gifts,” reads the announcement from Anne Marie Mullen, the parade committee’s chair, regarding the selection. Erin Flynn, who chairs the Gaspee Days Committee, echoed that sentiment. “We’re delighted,” she said. “It’s an excellent pick.”
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8 • Gaspee Days • May 2014
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Gaspee Days • DATE • 9
Miss Gaspee at heart By JOHN HOWELL “I’m not a prom queen,” says chair of the Rhode Island Board of Education Eva Mancuso with a laugh. But Eva has never been fearful of a competition, or for that matter, controversy. She found herself embroiled in both as a senior at Cranston East. It was 1978. She was 17, and having grown up in Edgewood looked forward to what happens at this time of year. “Gaspee is a part of me,” she said recently during a brief encounter at the State House. “I was Miss Gaspee,” she said with obvious pride. She said Marian McGrath urged her to enter the competition that involved writing an essay. Eva, who went on to become a lawyer, took on the challenge. She wrote about the equal rights amendment. But she wasn’t alone. A male student also entered the contest. He wrote an essay on Indian rights. The committee faced a dilemma: how could a male be crowned Miss Gaspee? Eva’s essay was picked. She won the title. She rode in the parade and she was given the $500 prize. “I was off to URI,” Eva recalls. “It was good book money.” The Gaspee Committee has since done away with the Miss Gaspee contest. But for Eva, the memory of her achievement shines bright. “It was fun,” she said.
10 • Gaspee Days • May 2014
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Suggestions for the parade viewing audience Since 1965, the Gaspee Days Committee has produced the very best community activities celebrating Rhode Island’s revolutionary heritage. The Gaspee Days Parade is ALWAYS on the second Saturday of June between the hours of 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Parade staging/line-up considerations, however, dictate that we close to traffic certain sections of the Parade route by 9 a.m. As you know, traffic jams are a nightmare at these times. If you have guests coming to watch the Parade, or for any other reason, please have them arrive well ahead of time, say by 8 a.m. Of course, no one may leave until the Parade has fully passed. The Gaspee Days Parade consists of 10 to 12 Divisions: Division 1-State of Rhode Island Division 2-Pawtuxet Village Division 3-Colonial & Revolutionary War Groups 1 Division 4-Colonial & Revolutionary War Groups 2 Division 5-Colonial & Revolutionary War Groups 3 Division 6-Colonial, Revolutionary, 1812, & Civil War Groups Division 7-Shriners & Associated Groups Division 8-City of Warwick
Division 9-City of Cranston Division 10-City of Providence Division 11-Modern Groups Division 12-Modern Groups, including the Mummers Groups Of course, the Parade is a complex and dynamic event, so we don’t know the exact order of march for all of these groups until just a few days beforehand. The Gaspee Days 5K Road Race has grown into a big event that immediately precedes the Parade, starting at 9:45. This requires the full closure of the Parade route after 9:30 a.m. Please do not cross the Parkway or in any way interfere with our runners. Please make the effort to control your children at all times. We fear that children may run out into the Parkway and be injured by Parade vehicles. Ensure that your kids understand that they must stay next to you at all times before, during, and after the Parade. Lost children are always a potential problem in any crowded area. If you have children with you, have a plan of what to do if you become separated from your child, and discuss this with them ahead of time. Uniformed policemen are stationed periodically along the Parade route for your assistance if necessary.
12 • Gaspee Days • May 2014
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Gaspee Days • DATE • 13
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To ease boredom prior to the Parade bring coloring books, games, or some other such time filler. Be aware that some adults carry coolers and cigarettes at head level to a child. Young skin is very sensitive to the sun, so carry along sunscreen, hats and sunglasses. If you are supervising a child, please don’t drink alcohol. Open containers of alcoholic beverages in public areas are illegal in both Warwick and Cranston. Please be considerate of our environment and take the trash left around you, home with you. Please do not throw objects at or into the path of our Parade participants. Poppers can injure people if thrown into the face, and show disrespect to people who have traveled great distances to march in our Parade. Silly string is outlawed by city ordinance, and can ruin expensive uniforms on marchers, and damage paint on vehicles. Firecrackers and sparklers are both dangerous and illegal. Our biggest concern is the safety of our Parade audience. Please no not approach, or allow your children to approach, into the Parade Route anywhere near a moving vehicle, float or Parade group. Drivers of these vehicles often cannot see people nearby their float or vehicle. Musical groups need to focus on their music and march and cannot always see people around them. Military re-enactment groups often carry dangerous equipment with them. Pets should be left at home. Animals will get overexcited by the crowds and noise and may become a danger to others and themselves.
Please do not allow persons on bicycles, skateboards or roller blades onto the Parade route. They are dangerous for both our Parade participants and the audience along the sides of the Parade route. If your house is situated along the Parade route, and it will be a hot and humid Parade day, we ask that you consider running a garden hose out to the Parkway for the use of overheated people. Limit abuse of the hose by opening the tap so that only a slow stream of water comes out. Even a small trickle of cold water can rapidly cool down an overheated person. If you encounter persons suffering
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heat related illness, please offer the brief use of an air-conditioned car if you have one parked in your driveway. This is one of the quickest ways to cool down a person with heat illness. Of course, you may have to run the car with the A/C on for a few minutes before putting the person in to cool down. This time can be used to assess the person, offer them cold water to drink, and have the hose water cool them off. Further information on treating heat related illness can be found at www.kidshealth.org. Of course, it may be necessary to call 911 if there is a true medical emergency. Inform the 911 dispatcher about the Parade and that it may be best for the rescue vehicle to approach via the side roads. If your house in located along the Parade staging/line-up area on Narragansett Parkway between Warwick Avenue and Spring Green, you will of course not be able to drive your vehicle directly to or from your house between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. on the day of the Parade. Please inform us ahead of time at 781-1772 if diesel fumes from some Parade vehicles parked outside your house would seriously affect any members of your household. For people that park nearby the Parade route, please understand that you will not be able to drive out of the area via Narragansett Parkway or
Broad Street until well after the end of Parade has passed. The Gaspee Days Arts & Crafts Festival has also grown over the years. This will always be on Memorial Day Weekend, requiring the closure of Narragansett Parkway between Post Road and Canonchet Street between the hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Please forewarn your visitors of the steep fines ($50) for parking illegally. Again, help us keep a safe environment by preventing children from using bicycles, skateboard or roller blades in the Festival area. Be aware that attendance at any Gaspee Days event may involve incidental photography of attendees, performers and participants. The Gaspee Days Committee sincerely appreciates your patience with the festivities throughout the years. We will be celebrating our 49th year in 2014; and no Parade runs smoothly without the combination of a lot of planning, dedication, hard work and luck. So laugh with us, join in the fun, and help us relive America’s “First Blow for Freedom.” For further information on any Gaspee Days Event, please call us at 7811772, or visit our website at www.gaspee.com. Better yet, consider joining the Gaspee Days Committee and become a part of our great community activities.
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16 • Gaspee Days • May 2014