Rock The Arts Draws Packed Crowd at River Falls

About 200 people packed River Falls at 74 S. Main St. Thursday night for the Rock the Arts fundraiser for Woonsocket's 125th birthday block party, where organizers revealed the Monument Square installation will be a replica of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

Triumphal arches are believed to have been invented by the Romans. The structures have two piers connected by an arch, crowned with a flat tablet on which a statue or inscriptions are placed. They are used to commemorate victorious generals or significant public events.

Al Beauparlant, co-chair of the 125th Block Party Committee, said two Massachusetts-based firms will begin work on the replica Monday. Lynn Ladder and Scaffolding Co., of Lynn, MA and Top Safe Services of Kingstown, MA, will begin building a steel frame for the arch, which will be walled with fabric painted to resemble stone walls of a triumphal arch with inscriptions specific to Woonsocket. 

The arch, Beauparlant said, will signify the historical triumphs of Woonsocket, and is intended to inspire citizens to overcome the city's recent troubles. The painted walls will depict images of the city's successes. "There will be the victories of the City of Woonsocket," Beauparlant said.

According the Woonsocket Call, the arch will be built at one-third scale, straddle North Main Street at Social Street and depict the US Rubber Company's efforts to create decoy tanks for the allies during WWII, industrial heritage and the visit of French Field Marshal Ferdinand Foch to honor soldiers' sacrifices in WWI, and the immigration of French Canadians during the Industrial Revolution.

Beauparlant called on citizens, in particular young people of the city, to strive to aid Woonsocket through its many challenges. "I call upon the youth of this city to be energized," for the struggles ahead, he said.

Mayor Leo Fontaine also spoke to the crowd. "People asked, times are tough, why are you going to have a party? I said, well, this is our home town, this is what we need to celebrate," Fontaine said, "We're going to put aside the negativity. We're going to turn the talk shows off. We're going to put all the back-biting and the bad comments behind us. We're going to celebrate those great things that our community stands for and has for 125 years."

The evening also featured a buffet dinner with pasta and meatballs, chicken marsala, and shrimp pasta Alfredo. Capping off the dinner were cupcakes and slices from the Triumphal Arch cake. 

After, guests spent some time upstairs perusing several striking paintings and sculptures for sale. 

The fundraiser was the second of five leading up to the City's 125th Birthday Block Party Aug. 29, the sole source of funding for the event. The Block Party Committee has so far raised about $50,000 of the $70,000 festival boasting 10 acts on each of 10 stages between Market Square and Monument Square along Main Street. 

Eleven bands will play non-stop from 7 to 10 p.m., complemented by light shows, performance artists, and vendors. It will be the largest block party on the East Coast, boasted Beauparlant, who organized the city's 100th birthday block party in 1988. 

The next fundraiser, "Then and Now" at St. Ann's Arts and Cultural Center Aug. 14, will feature a slide show of historic Woonsocket images. Admission is $10.