NEWS

Feb. 24 event at Rhodes to kick off 250th anniversary celebrations of the burning of the Gaspee

Posted 1/5/22

Two hundred and fifty years ago - on June 9, 1772 - the British H.M.S. Gaspee Schooner was burned by colonists on Narragansett Bay in Warwick. Now in 2022, the RI 250th Semiquincentennial Commission, …

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NEWS

Feb. 24 event at Rhodes to kick off 250th anniversary celebrations of the burning of the Gaspee

Posted

Two hundred and fifty years ago - on June 9, 1772 - the British H.M.S. Gaspee Schooner was burned by colonists on Narragansett Bay in Warwick. Now in 2022, the RI 250th Semiquincentennial Commission, established through the RI General Assembly, signed by Governor Dan McKee and chaired by Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea, is planning a series of state-wide events to celebrate Rhode Island’s 250th anniversary which include the burning of the H.M.S. Gaspee. 

The RI 250th Commission plans to promote Rhode Island’s unique role in the founding of our country and stimulate the local economy through civic engagement and tourism opportunities.

The Gaspee Days Committee, as a member of the RI 250th Commission, will kick off the Semiquincentennial anniversary with a festive gala at Rhodes on the Pawtuxet on February 24.

Gaspee Days chair Steven Miller said Tuesday events of the evening that will include the Pawtuxet Rangers and the Shriners is in the planning stages. Tickets will be $100 a seat and $700 for a table of eight.

Miller said the committee aims to raise $15,000 to $20,000 that would be used to expand on the annual parade in June.

Honorary co-chairs for the event are Governor Dan McKee, Senator Jack Reed, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Congressman David Cicilline, Congressman Jim Langevin, Lt. Governor Sabina Matos, Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea, Attorney General Peter Neronha, General Treasurer Seth Magaziner, Mayor Frank Picozzi, Mayor Ken Hopkins and Mayor Jorge Elorza.

Tickets are available at the Gaspee Days website (www.gaspee.com) or by contacting Tracey Miller at tmiller@gaspee.org. The Gaspee Days kickoff is the first of many events planned for Rhode Island 250th anniversary.

The Gaspee Days Committee is a civic-minded nonprofit organization that operates many community events in and around Pawtuxet Village, including the famous Gaspee Days Parade each June. These events are all designed to commemorate the burning of the British revenue schooner, HMS Gaspee, by Rhode Island patriots in 1772 as America’s First Blow for Freedom.

Gaspee, anniversary

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