WaterFire would like to thank all of our guests who attended Monday’s joint press conference to announce our and the West Broadway Neighborhood Association’s 2013 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency brownfields cleanup grants. It was a great event and we were pleased to welcome special guests, board members, sponsors, and volunteers to our new home at 475 Valley Street.
WPRI was there to cover the event.
The entire Rhode Island Congressional Delegation was on hand along with EPA administrator Curt Spalding for the presentation of the big checks. After the checks were handed out the doors were opened and guests were welcomed into our new building by members of the Extraordinary Rendition Band and Big Nazo. Fertile Underground and Foremost Baking Company were on hand with Equal Exchange coffee and fresh-baked pastries. Guests could also sample some delicious specially made Rhode Island Coffee Milk ice cream from Rhode Ilin Ice Cream.
We were also fortunate to have Roger Desrosiers of the Poconocutt Nation at the event; Roger performed a smudging ceremony all around and inside of our new home and was offering blessings to guests before they entered the building. Smudging is a sacred smoke blessing that is a ceremony for cleansing and purification for the physical and spiritual bodies. Smudging calls on the spirits of sacred herbs and plants to drive away negative energies and to restore balance.
About the author
I've worked at WaterFire Providence since 2003. For the first 9 years of my career, I worked in the Production Shop learning all of the details that go into the physical production of the event. In 2012 transitioned to the role of managing WaterFire's social media and web presence. I now head up WaterFire Providence's digital projects including, web, social, databases, and our physical IT infrastructure.
