U.S. Mayors Converge in The Creative Capital

Providence plays host for the first time to the 77th Annual United States Conference of Mayors

Hosted by Mayor David Cicilline and led by Conference President and Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, hundreds of mayors across the country will arrive in Providence this weekend to attend the 77th Annual United States Conference of Mayors (USCM), the largest annual gathering of U.S. mayors.  This is the first time the conference is being hosted by Providence, an important step in introducing the best that The Creative Capital has to offer to its neighbors nationwide.
 
“It is my distinct pleasure to welcome Mayors from across the country and their families to our great city of Providence,” said Mayor Cicilline.  “In the face of unprecedented economic times, American cities must continue to work hard to keep our neighborhoods and businesses vibrant.  Providence is proud to show our guests America’s best shopping, dining, and entertainment venues right here in the Creative Capital.  We are pleased to have the U.S. Conference of Mayors and will do all we can to make your stay enjoyable and memorable.”
 
Meetings during the day, which will take place at the Rhode Island Convention Center, will highlight significant issues facing cities across the United States, including but not limited to the implementation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, illegal guns and gun violence, energy independence, education, and the 2010 Census.  The mayors will also debate and vote on national policy recommendations to forward to Congress and the Obama administration.
 
Evening events have also been planned at top venues around the city, including at the Bank of America City Center, the RISD Museum, Waterfire, the Dunkin Donuts Center, and Roger Williams Park.
 
This year’s conference will also involve the mayors and other volunteers in an afternoon volunteer project on Sunday, June 14th at 1:oo pm, constructing a playground expansion at Riverside Park in the Olneyville neighborhood.
 
The USCM will take place this Friday, June 12th through Monday, June 15th.  For more on the schedule of events and what’s on the agenda, go to www.usmayors.org 

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Mayor Cicilline Invites Residents to Enjoy Fireworks at Roger Williams Park 

 

Fireworks will light the night sky at Roger Williams Park on Monday, June 15 beginning at 9:30pm.  The best area for viewing the fireworks is along Frederick C. Green Boulevard, the road that runs along the perimeter of the park from the Museum of Natural History in Providence to Park Avenue in Cranston (see attached map).

The fireworks display is just one of several evening activities associated with the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) annual meeting in Providence.

 

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Providence Schools to Hold Public Forums on Facilities Planning 

 

The Providence Public School Department will hold two community meetings next week to solicit community input as it undertakes an update to its Facilities Master Plan. Superintendent Thomas Brady, representatives from the City of Providence and Providence Schools, and members of the community will gather to discuss the 2004 Facilities Master Plan, the goals behind it and the progress made. The group will then examine the goals and priorities for the 2009 update to the Facilities Master Plan, which will carry the district forward in creating and maintaining quality learning spaces for all children in Providence Schools.

Community meetings will be held:

 

Tuesday, June 16, 2009
6:00 to 7:30 p.m.
Asa Messer Elementary School
158 Messer Street

and

Thursday, June 18, 2009
6:00 to 7:30 p.m.
Juanita Sanchez Educational Complex
182 Thurbers Avenue

Light refreshments will be provided, as well as child care for children ages 5-12. Translation services are available upon request for speakers of Hmong, Khmer, Lao and Spanish. RSVP is requested but not required. To RSVP, and to request child care or translation services, Providence residents should call the Providence Schools Parent Center at (401) 456-0686.

 

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Feature: My City

A League of Our Own

  

Last Friday, Mayor Cicilline stood in front of the Banjotti fountain at Burnside Park to announce the exciting lineup of public programs that will take place this summer at Greater Kennedy Plaza.  Just a year ago, thanks to the effort of the Greater Kennedy Plaza Working Group, this central section of downtown began a cultural revival into a lively gathering space where live music, local art, and a farmers market – to name a few - would find a summer home at the gateway of our city. 

Among the groups getting their chance to shine under the sun are the fierce women of the highly popular Providence Roller Derby (PRD) League, led by current president Craisy Dukes.  The PRD, which has quickly become a local sensation since they first formed in 2004, practices their high-energy moves and impressive roller-skating skills at the Bank of America City Center, also home to their season games. 

 

Armed with a do-it-yourself motto, the players design and build their own unique colorful uniforms, but perhaps are most celebrated for their even more colorful aliases like Sarah Doom, Machete Betty, Slamarella, Axe E. Dental, and F’Shizzy Borden.  Not to mention, team names like The Rhode Island Riveters, The Sakonnet River Roller Rats, The Killah Bees, The Old Money Honeys, and The Mob Squad.   City News got to roll with Ms. Dukes this week to get a look at the inside track of Providence’s own roller derby jammers.

 

When and how did the Providence Roller Derby League form?

It started back in 2004 by a girl named Sarah Doom.  She learned how to play roller derby when it was experiencing its first resurgence out in Tucson, Arizona.  At the time she was a student at Brown, headed out in a year or two to Boston to finish her Ph.D.  She knew she could get things started easier in Providence than in Boston.  She put some flyers up and I believe got 7 or 8 girls from RISD to meet downtown and she showed them a video of what she had done in Tucson.  From there, they started practicing.  The league has grown ever since and has never stopped. 

 

How many teams are in the league?

Right now there’s 3 home teams and 2 travel teams.  I participate on the Sakonnet River Roller Rats, which we abbreviate as just the Rats.  I’m also on the Rhode Island Riveters, which is the all-star travel team. 

 

Last Friday, you and other members of the PRD joined the Mayor at Kennedy Plaza to kick off the summer events that are happening downtown.  The league plays its bouts at the skating rink and the RICC.  What’s the best part about being able to play in the heart of our capital city?

Oh man! Physically, it’s centrally located obviously.  It feels like we’re skating in a coliseum.  There are even these stone rafters that come down.  Everyone floats by that area of town for one reason or another.  You capture the energy of the city when you skate outside.  It’s different because even though people in the league get frustrated with onlookers who are enjoying a free show without paying for it, it’s also our best advertising.  It becomes a part of the fabric of the arts and culture of Providence and it’s just there for people to see and enjoy.

 

Some people today might be familiar with the days of roller derby, from its television popularity in the 70s, where you saw players engage in a full-on contact entertainment sport, pushing and shoving each other off the track.  What’s the difference between that and the rules of your game today?

Pretty much the only thing shared between roller derby of yore and today’s roller derby are that there are roller skates involved and that it’s still called roller derby.  Beyond that, they’re night and day.  There’s an entire set of rules that legitimize the contact sport aspect.  Those have been growing since the inception of the league. 

 

For example, in the old roller derby, you could trip someone or elbow her in the face or clothesline her.  Now you’re not allowed to punch anyone in the face, nor are there alligators in the middle of the ring.  It’s somewhat of a divorce from the idea of roller derby as a blend of pro-wrestling and spectacle.  But we do like to maintain the sort of punk, organic, grassroots entertainment and performance art aspect of it.  We try to strike the best balance between the spectacle of it all – so we have our colorful uniforms, our crazy makeup, and our crazy announcers – and the sport of it.  That’s where the rules come in and the athleticism and the many hours of practicing a week. 

 

How did you get involved?

I saw a flyer stapled to a telephone pole on Thayer Street when I was working at the Brown Bookstore and I caught the last official bout of the first season of PRD.  I was just took from there and I said, ‘I have got to do this!’  I never stopped and that’s sort of a similar story to the rest of the girls on the league.  It sorta’ grabs hold of you and doesn’t let go.  This will be my fourth season.

 

What do you enjoy most about the game?

I enjoy observing the transformative power of derby.  People enter the league for all different reasons and from all different backgrounds.  They stay with the league and you can see them change.  You can see them change physically, mentally, emotionally.  To me, that is the ultimate experience of a sport. 

 

I love knocking people down and I love wearing knee-highs and short shorts.  But to me, it’s a much deeper, richer, and more meaningful experience because anyone can come in and just knock people around, but the enduring player will be engaged on a mental and physical level. 

 

We gotta’ talk about the players and their roller derby names.  You have some incredibly catchy and creative pseudonyms in the league.  How do you guys come up with them and what’s behind these titles?

It’s our excuse to name our alter egos, I guess! For many players, it becomes part of their identity inseparable from who they are outside of roller derby.  People come up with their names in all different ways.  Some people use clever plays on words.  Some people, like this girl named Hot Sauce, doesn’t really particularly like Tabasco Sauce and there’s no rhyme nor reason to her name, she’s just spicy.  My name, Craisy Dukes, comes from the fact that I wear cutoff daisy dukes all the time.  So there’s a bunch of different ways and reasons for our names. 

 

And are some of the girls really as tough as their names sound? Like Machete Betty, Slamarella, Axe E. Dental, F’Shizzy Borden …

Oh yeah – Machete Betty – she is small but mighty! She has one of my top favorite names and of course, Sarah Doom still remains my favorite.  It just says it all – watch out!

 

What do you want your young female fans to know about this sport? What sort of positive example do you hope to set for them as they cheer you on the track?

That sport is an outlet for expression on all levels - expression of emotions like anger or frustration, or just expressing sheer strategy and prowess.  It’s also an artistic expression.  The base of roller derby is DIY, or do-it-yourself, thinking.  Make your own uniforms.  Find scraps.  So we encourage you to express your creative talents. 

 

Roller derby is a forum for expression that is unique, unlike any other, unlike playing football or soccer.  It’s just a more upbeat way to express oneself.

 

For those who might be interested, how can one join the sport? What are your eligibility requirements?

You gotta be at least 21 years old, a girl (unless you want to referee), and we have a couple of recruitment nights scheduled for the next three months.  The most recent one we have confirmed is for Thursday, June 18th from 7:30 to 10:00 p.m. at the Narragansett Ocean Club roller skating rink in South Pier Road in Narragansett.  If people want more info, or want to join, they can email our recruitment coordinator at FoxieRenard147@gmail.com. 

 

What does the future hold for the PRD?

World domination!

 

Catch Craisy Dukes and the rest of the Providence Roller Derby jammers at their next home bout on July 17th between the Sakonnet River Roller Rats and the Mob Squad.  Doors open at 7pm at the Bank of America Skating Rink downtown.  Tickets are available at www.brownpapertickets.com.  $10 in advance, $12 at the door.  Kids 5-12 pay half price.  The PRD practices at the skating rink from Mondays to Wednesdays, weather-permitting, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.  Public is invited to watch.  For more, go to: www.providencerollerderby.com.

 

  
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