Your Guide to Gaspee Days 2017

Warwick, RI — It’ll be about a month before the rest of the nation celebrates American Independence on July 4, but Warwick gets a head start, just like it’s done since the burning of the Gaspee, which preceded the Boston Tea Party in 1773 by more than a year.

Tomorrow, the city celebrates “The First Blow for Freedom,” the 1772 burning of the HMS Gaspee by a rebellious band of Rhode Islanders, commemorated every year with Gaspee Day events, including the Gaspee parade at 10 a.m. Saturday, wrapping with the burning of a miniature Gaspee on Sunday afternoon.

On Tuesday, US Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) recited his annual speech about the historic, trailblazing blow for American independence oh floor of the US Senate. The presentation was the Senator’s 10th annual speech on the Senate floor recalling the story of the bold Rhode Islanders who stood up to the British and burned the HMS Gaspee in 1772.  Whitehouse takes to the Senate floor every year to recognize the Gaspee Affair for its role in sparking the American Revolution, as it took place more than eighteen months before the Boston Tea Party.

“Schoolchildren’s history books tell the tale of those Bostonians who dressed up in funny outfits and dumped tea into the harbor,” noted Whitehouse.  “But few Americans know of the bravery of the Rhode Islanders who years earlier fired the first shots and drew the first blood in the quest for American independence.  Rhode Islanders are quite proud of our role in rebellion.”

In 2013, Historian James McNiff presented a short video documentary on the Gaspee Affair on C-SPAN:

Here’s the schedule of events celebrating the historic moments that sparked the American Revolution :

• 9:30 a.m.: Gaspee Days 5K. Following the same route as the 5K along Narragansett Parkway, the Allen & Edna W.

  

  Brown 5K Memorial Foot Race essentially shuts down the village of Pawtuxet for roughly three hours. Organizers recommend getting into Pawtuxet by 8 a.m.; parking after that is hit-or-miss.
• 10 a.m.: Gaspee Days Parade: Following the same route as the 5K along Narragansett Parkway.
• 5:30 p.m.: Gaspee Project at Waterfire: Downtown Providence — the spot from whence the Colonials set out to burn the Gaspee — hosts a special Waterfire on Saturday night.
• All day: Colonial encampment: See what life was like in the 1770s at Pawtuxet Park, where several dozen [at least] historically-garbed folks will gladly show you their digs, threads, and chow.
• At your leisure: In 2013, WaterFire Providence re-created the events of the sinking of the HMS Gaspee by Rhode Island patriots in 1772 on their Twitter feed. You can read it start to finish on their website.

Sunday, June 12:

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  Burning of the Gaspee. CREDIT: Visit Rhode Island via Pinterest

  11 a.m.: Blessing of the Fleet: Held up the shore at the Rhode Island Yacht Club, 1 Ocean Avenue, Cranston, this event welcomes sea-goers and landlubbers alike. Float your way in, or just watch the parade of sails as the boats moor. Mooring and slip fees can be paid online. All fees are donated to the Gaspee Day Committee.

• 4 p.m.: Burning of the Gaspee: Get to Pawtuxet Park by 3:15 to get the best lookout spot. That 4 p.m. is marked by a loud “BOOM” — it’s the Colonials firing blanks from a real-deal cannon; and third, hope that the wind doesn’t kill the flames as they consume the model Gaspee as it floats mere yards from where the original was torched.

Find more information at the Gaspee Days Committee website.

How to get there:

Pawtuxet Village sits astride Broad Street on the Cranston/Warwick line.

For the most direct route from out of town, take I-95 or I-295 to Rte. 37 toward Warwick/T.F. Green State Airport. Go all the way to the end and curl around to Rte. 1, Post Road. Continue on Post Road, crossing over Rte. 117, until you reach the end.

If using a GPS, enter 2206 Broad St., Cranston, RI, 02905.