Final preparations made for Feast of St. Jean de Baptiste
Celebration takes place Monday on Main Street
WOONSOCKET – The last fundraiser for the Feast of St. Jean de Baptiste drew over 200 people to River Falls Restaurant and Feast organizer Albert Beauparlant said it will help provide a perfect evening on Main Street for city residents on Monday.
The feast’s final fundraiser also celebrated the 130th Anniversary of Woonsocket’s incorporation as a city, Beauparlant noted, and included a display of artwork depicting the 10 Woonsocket historical figures who will be on Main Street from the Stadium Theatre to Chan’s Fine Oriental Dining when the Feast gets underway the afternoon and evening of June 25.
Former Mayor Leo T. Fontaine, who worked with Beauparlant to put on the city’s massive Main Street party for the city 125th Birthday in August of 2016, said he was looking forward to Monday’s festival while attending the fundraiser with other local residents and officials.
“It doesn’t amaze me that Albert was able to put together another big city event
but to focus it so much on helping the city’s children is going to make it a special one and I am looking forward to it,” Fontaine said.
The feast, modeled after the French Canadian festivals hosted in the city from the late 1800s into the 1940s, will feature not only the historical figures to help local children learn about the city’s rich background of noteworthy residents, but will also have a wide range of family support kiosks and booths and include a free cookout for the attending kids and their families.
There will be rides, face painting, and entertainment on seven stages while the feast, kicking off with the ringing of church bells throughout Woonsocket, is held between 4 and 9 p.m.
Fontaine believes Beauparlant will come through with a winner once again.
“I think that the effort that they are putting into making it not only a fun event but also an event that will help children and their families will be the key to its success. I know Albert and I know he has it all under control,” Fontaine said.
City Council President Dan Gendron was also at the fundraising event and said he too expects Beauparlant to pull off another big night for the city.
“It’s going to be a great event and it is going to be nice because all of the focus is on the kids,” Gendron said. “They are going to be feeding and nurturing local kids and also providing social services support and education,” he said.
The art work on display during the fundraiser was created by local students at the Beacon Charter High School for the Arts and Woonsocket High School under the guidance of city artist Daniel Guernon of Grendal 2040 Arts.
The portraits are of Field Marshal Ferdinand Foch, Supreme Allied Commander of World War I, President Abraham Lincoln, Baseball Hall of Famer and city native Napoleon “Nap” Lajoie, Author Edwin O’Connor, U.S. Rubber founder Joseph Banigan, Precious Blood Church founder Monsignor Charles Dauray, Woonsocket Mayor and Rhode Island Governor Aram Pothier, city industrialist Edward Harris, Opera Singer Eileen Farrell, and the city’s religious stigmatist, Marie “Little Rose” Ferron.
Abraham Lincoln came to speak in Harris Hall just before his election as President in 1860, and Marshal Foch visited the city after World War II on the invitation of Gov. Pothier as part of his effort to draw European businesses to the city.
Guernon said he approached the high school students with ideas for creating the portraits.
The portraits were on display in Harris Hall, a forum built by Edward Harris and still used for City Council meetings today, on Monday and will also be seen at the feast.
“I made a presentation to 300 kids between the two schools and then worked with the artists over the course of a month,” Guernon said of the art project.
Brooke Boulet, one of the artists from Beacon who created the portrait of Edwin O’Connor, the author The Last Hurrah,” the story of a politician losing his hold on his community, said the work was very rewarding. “It was challenging,” she said. “But it felt like a big accomplishment when I completed it,” Boulet said. can’t find McCoy Stadium. But a ballpark situated on a visible parcel off of Interstate 95 at the gateway to Rhode Island, he said, is going to generate plenty of revenue.
“I’m no economist, but I believe it should generate more money in a place where you can see it and think about it. It’s a no-brainer,” Ucci said.