Stormwater Innovation Center to Host Rain Harvest Festival

Providence, R.I. (August 28, 2023) – Join a celebration of water, science, and art at the fourth annual Rain Harvest Festival hosted by the Stormwater Innovation Center and City of Providence Parks Department! This free community event in Roger Williams Park will feature environmental activities and workshops, performing artists and musicians, a rain barrel raffle, games, a food truck, and more! All ages are welcome!

Performances by Rhode Island Black Storytellers (RIBS), artist and poet Sussy Santana and old-time musicians Alpaca Lunch will engage and entertain audiences throughout the festival.

Environmental scientists, educators, and stormwater experts will share their knowledge and encourage public participation with tours of stormwater projects, hands-on workshops, demonstrations, walks, tours, and more! These science-based programs and workshops will be led by experts from the Audubon Society of Rhode Island, The Nature Conservancy, Save the Bay, Narragansett Bay Commission, Groundwork RI, URI Coastal Institute, RI Resource Recovery, 15 Minute Field Trips, Roger Williams Park Botanical Center, Dwell Lab Augmented Reality, and others!

Festival attendees will receive same-day free admission to both the Roger Williams Botanical Center and the Museum of Natural History and Planetarium in Roger Williams Park. The Museum will also offer a special scavenger hunt on September 24 as part of the festival.

A Food Truck will be available near the Boat House for dining convenience in the park.

The City of Providence Parks Department’s investment in over 40 projects to clean polluted stormwater runoff within Roger Williams Park has inspired this yearly event, which highlights the importance of clean water and climate resiliency in our communities.

For more information and a complete schedule of the Rain Harvest Festival performances, workshops, and tours, please visit:
https://www.stormwaterinnovation.org/rainharvestfestival 

* The festival rain date will be Sunday, October 1, 2023 from 12:00 – 3:00 p.m.

The Rain Harvest Festival is made possible by a Rhode Island Department of Transportation partnership.

About the Artists:
Rhode Island Black Storytellers (RIBS) is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the awareness, appreciation, and application of Black Storytelling in Rhode Island through performance, as well as through educational and cultural experiences.

Sussy Santana is a poet. Her work explores healing through writing and performance. She has published three poetry collections: Pelo Bueno y otros poemas. RADIO ESL an audio book, and Poemas Domésticos. Her work explores the bi-cultural identity through text and performance. Her poems have been featured in multiple anthologies and literary magazines.

Alpaca Lunch is a group of old-time musicians based in Rhode Island and Connecticut who gather to play historic folk music using traditional instruments, including fiddle, banjo, and guitar, among others. Their old-time music always lends itself well to times of joyous celebration or commemoration of the changing seasons. Come listen to these musical storytellers as they capture this musical style’s deep Appalachian roots, passed down through generations.

About the Stormwater Innovation Center:
Roger Williams Park is home to the Stormwater Innovation Center (SIC), developed in partnership between the City of Providence Parks Department, Audubon Society of Rhode Island, The Nature Conservancy, the University of Rhode Island Cooperative Extension and the University of New Hampshire Stormwater Center.

The goal of the SIC is to demonstrate to communities throughout Rhode Island and Southeast New England strategies for improving urban water quality and associated wildlife habitat through innovative green stormwater practices. A wide range of green infrastructure has already been implemented in Roger Williams Park to reduce stormwater contaminants from entering the ponds and degrading water quality. The Stormwater Innovation Center provides hands-on training for municipal staff, engineers, construction companies, and scientists to learn from the successes and failures of their design, implementation, and maintenance.