PUBLISHED IN THE FALL RIVER HERALD NEWS
JULY 23, 2023
ARTICLE & PHOTOS BY DAN MEDEIROS
FALL RIVER — On Friday evening, Ponta Delgada Boulevard was alive with the beat of drummers, the music of children’s laughter, the hum of conversation — another party thrown by the city’s cheerleaders had drawn hundreds of happy visitors, proving that the waterfront revitalization long promised is happening now.
The 3rd Fridays event, held from 4 to 8 p.m., was the first in a new series held at the Gates of the City on Ponta Delgada Boulevard. Held under the soaring arches, the mixture of shopping with local craftspeople and vendors, food, beer, wine and a show was intended to be “a gateway to nightlife,” according to Patti Rego of Viva Fall River, one of the event’s sponsors.
“We’re just trying to change it up down here,” Rego said. “My hope is that people from Providence and even Newport perhaps will see this as more of a nightlife thing — or a gateway to nightlife.”
Co-sponsors Viva Fall River and the Fall River Arts and Culture Coalition lured in entertainment in the form of the Providence Drum Troupe, over a dozen members strong, who performed a high-energy interactive show that thrilled the crowd with infectious rhythm. While a belly-dancer wove colorful scarves through the air, the troupe’s leader whizzed through the crowd on a combination hoverboard and percussion kit, asking everyone from kids to adults to help him keep the beat.
Rego said she’s bent on bringing different kinds of entertainers to Fall River’s waterfront. “Not because I think we don’t have entertainment here. It’s more so that other places can see how good Fall River is and want to book gigs here,” she said. “We’ve proved in the last couple of years we’re better than whatever people think we are. … You don’t need to go to Providence, you need to come here.”
FOR THE FULL ARTICLE AND PHOTO GALLERY, CLICK HERE.