Blackstone Valley Tourism Council honors local leaders
LINCOLN – The Blackstone Valley Tourism Council last week celebrated Rhode Island’s “fun-sized” status at its 33rd annual awards ceremony, acknowledging a collection of local residents and businesses that have made the valley a tourist destination.
Receiving awards at Wednesday’s event at the Twin River Event Center were Central Falls Mayor James Diossa, designer and artist Morris Nathanson, and Executive Director of The Samaritans of Rhode Island Denise Panichas, as well as representatives on behalf of R1 Karting in Lincoln, Slatersville Village Green in North Smithfield, and Woonsocket’s Stadium Theatre.
According to Lara Salamano, chief marketing officer for the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation, tourism is a $6 billion industry, attracting 25 million visitors yearly to the Ocean State, calling it an “incredible economic driver to our state and bottom line.”
Receiving the Tourism Council’s Excellence in Tourism Business Award was R1 Karting in Lincoln. Described by Tourism Council President and Chief Executive Officer Robert Billington as “one of the most exciting businesses to establish itself in the Blackstone Valley,” R1 Karting “really rounds out our adventure tourism activities,” Billington said.
“If you haven’t been, you just simply have to go,” Billington said. “Walk into that facility and watch what people are doing. There’s so much excitement, it’s not the old-fashioned go-karts, they’re very, very sophisticated.”
Based on Higginson Avenue in Lincoln, R1 Karting offers bowling, billiards, and a “mega race” track designed by Mike Hezemans, who designed the R1 tracks following 20 years of experience in karting in the Netherlands. Built with asphalt, the tracks make for a smooth ride, better traction, and faster racing with electric karts that use lithium batteries and no gas emissions.
This year’s ceremony featured two inductees to the William Blackstone Society, a group of locals who have spent much of their lives making a difference
in the Blackstone Valley. The two newest society members are Morris Nathanson and Denise Panichas.
Billington quoted Bon Jovi, saying “who said you can’t go home,” noting that Nathanson is truly a hometown boy who made a name for himself in Pawtucket. He also quoted dancer and actor Fred Astaire, who said “Do it big, do it right, do it with style.”
“Morris Nathanson does it big, does it right, does it with style, and he did come back home,” Billington said, adding that Nathanson is a “relentless advocate and a person who simply has no equal. What makes us proud is when we say he’s from Pawtucket.”
Nathanson, as a restaurant designer and artist set the standard for today’s modern live-work space, and was also a founding member of Trinity Repertory Company, is an inspired illustrator with art installations all over the world, was inducted into the Pawtucket Hall of Fame, and recently had a bridge on Exchange Street in Pawtucket named after him.
After receiving his award and embracing Billington, Nathanson said he “truly, truly” loves his home state, saying Rhode Island is about more than beaches, boating, and casinos, but is also a “great home for the arts, people who think and use their heads, and we should do much more to emphasize that.”
Panichas was called “the original Valley girl,” as her love for the Blackstone Valley extends from Pawtucket to Woonsocket, Billington said. Among her accolades have included serving on the board of the Preservation Society of Pawtucket, working on the creation of the city’s centennial celebration in 1986, acting as a consultant with U.S. Sen. Jack Reed to secure a sizable grant to benefit the Stadium Theatre, and now she’s the executive director of The Samaritans of Rhode Island, a suicide prevention agency based out of Park Place in Pawtucket.
“It is all of you, everyone in this room, who has stepped up to help the Samaritans raise awareness about suicide prevention,” Panichas said.
“All of my connections have made a difference in this subject,” she told the audience. “You are all in the suicide prevention business. The single biggest risk factor is a lack of connectedness,” but the Blackstone Valley’s boat rides, bike trails, and train rides serve to bring communities together, she said. “The work you’re doing brings people together.”
The Rising Star Millennial in Tourism award was bestowed to Central Falls Mayor James Diossa, who Billington said he has “way too much fun” working with.
As mayor of Central Falls, Diossa has restored honest governance and fiscal responsibility, pulling the city out of a financial crisis, Billington said.
“He’s restoring confidence in the mayor’s office, energizing a new generation,” Billington said.
Diossa in his remarks said he was “so proud to be from the Blackstone Valley. There are so many from the area who really worked for the big picture. Many great things are happening in the Blackstone Valley, all because of this fun friendship, everyone pulling in same direction.”
The Footprints in History award was given to the Slatersville Village Green in North Smithfield. Accepting on behalf of the town was Town Administrator Gary S. Ezovski, who admitted it was fairly “odd” to have the village recognized in such a way, because townspeople have always known it to be “the center of the universe.”
“We treasure our village … Slatersville exists because energy, ideas, and workforce came together,” he said. “We’ll preserve history and create our future with energy, ideas, and workforce.”
The Excellence in the Arts award went to Woonsocket’s Stadium Theatre, which Billington described by saying “if you haven’t been, you’re doing yourself a disservice.”