Pawtuxet Village celebrates annual Gaspee Days commemoration

WARWICK, R.I. (WLNE) — Pawtuxet Village’s annual commemoration of Gaspee Days returned Saturday with a 5K and parade.

The celebration that marks the unofficial start of summer commemorates the anniversary of the burning of the HMS Gaspee in 1772.

The day began with a non-denominational gathering at Trinity Episcopal Church in Cranston before the 5K foot race stepped off at Broad Street.

The parade travels down a two-mile stretch of Narragansett Parkway and includes fife and drum players, firetrucks, miniature cars, and colonial groups in uniform.

The day’s festivities conclude with a Burning of the Gaspee presentation at Pawtuxet Park in the evening.

The Gaspee Day’s Symphony in the Park will be held Saturday, June 17 at Pawtuxet Park and will be followed by a fireworks display that was cancelled last Saturday due to inclement weather.