In  2021, new hope emerged as Covid cases began to come down and vaccines became available.  While still cautious, we were able to gather more at restaurants, coffee shops, and other businesses as they opened up again.  

By summer hotels were seeing an increase in leisure traffic particularly on the weekends as events and other activities returned! Here in the Blackstone Valley we saw the return of many of our large and popular annual events such as Cumberlandfest, Woonsocket’s Autumnfest, Glocester Scarecrow Festival and the Blackstone Valley Polar Express. We saw parades fill our streets, music and theater audiences sing and clap along, and museums welcome back visitors to their fascinating spaces. 


Here are some of  this year’s highlights and activities that occurred in RI’s Blackstone Valley:

Old Slater Mill Association transferred Old Slater Mill National Historic Landmark in Pawtucket to the federal government, in a step forward for Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park. In addition, the City of East Providence’s tourism development is now being managed by Blackstone Valley Tourism Council.

The Town of Lincoln had a good year as it celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2021. Friends of Hearthside House also had an anniversary. They celebrated 25 years of protecting and promoting many of the historical assets found along Great Road in Lincoln. Hollywood came to Chase Farm Park creating a 16th century Salem, MA village for Disney’s film, Hocus Pocus II. The building of the set and filming at Chase Farm drew thousands of tourists from near and far to this beautiful park during the spectacular fall season while providing new income for park maintenance.

Other milestones celebrated in the valley: North Smithfield celebrated its 150th and Christian Rezendes’ documentary on Slatersville made the rounds across the state. Pomham Rocks Lighthouse is celebrating its 150th jubilee, and the Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse held its first annual Pomham Rocks Lighthouse Run. 

Our natural resources also had a good year on several fronts. In September, the Blackstone River Needs Assessment was finalized, and the new Blackstone Watershed Collaborative was established to direct future guidance towards cleaner, fishable/swimmable and healthy rivers. 
We reconnected people to the river with our new Blackstone River Expeditions Kayak/Canoe program in partnership with the city of Central Falls. The Blackstone River Watershed Council also established connections to the river through its “Blue Mind” programming with trail development and canoe trips at Sycamore Landing in Manville.
The Rhode Island chapter of the Nature Conservancy established a new trail along the Moshassuck River, the Moshassuck River Preserve, in Lincoln.

Rhode Island Natural History Survey, in partnership with the Cumberland Land Trust, discovered over 700 species during its annual Bioblitz held at Mercy Woods in 
Cumberland this past fall.

Live outdoor concerts returned with Rhode Island Folk Festival and Bold Point Park Waterfront Concerts in East Providence, Leavitt Amp Woonsocket Concert Series, as well as many of the other summer concert series held in communities like Burrillville, Lincoln, North Smithfield, and Pawtucket to name a few.

Indoor music & theater also returned as venues reopened to live audiences! places like Burbage Theatre, Blackstone River Theatre, Rhode Island Stage Ensemble and The Met. Community Players opened its 100th season to a live audience at Jenks High School. Assembly Theatre opened its doors to a national event of music theater. Eggrolls and Jazz at Chan’s was back, and Machines with Magnets and the News Cafe are serving up music again.

Some new attractions and activities were opened/created in 2021.  A new improv group, Kismet Improv, and a Hispanic theater, The Village, opened in the Hope Artiste Village.

R1 Indoor Karting opened two new activities within its complex: The Time Zone, the biggest time machine gaming experience with 25 portals to test your intelligence, and Dart City, an immersive and interactive experience beyond just throwing darts. Pinball wizards enjoyed exploring the new Electromagnetic Pinball Museum in Pawtucket.  


For outdoor activities, we really enjoyed tipping through the tulips at Adams Farm in Cumberland last spring and taking photos of beautiful sunflowers at Butterfly Farm in Lincoln as summer faded into fall. 

We also enjoyed eating several varieties of Empanadas during the first Pawtucket/Central Falls Empanada Fest held at Slater Park. This was a tasty new addition to round out Pawtucket/Central Falls Restaurants Week. 


We have continued to collaborate with other organizations on a variety of activities including with the Blackstone River National Heritage Corridor on Take a Walk in the Park Day, with our fellow regional tourism bureaus on Buy Local RI and with RI Commerce on Hotel Week. 

As the year ends, and Covid cases are once again on the rise, we are hopeful that no matter the challenges, we will strive to support the Blackstone Valley as we move forward into 2022!