By PATRICIA A. RUSSELL, Valley Breeze Staff Writer

PAWTUCKET - Now in its 10th year, the Pawtucket Arts Festival has become a destination hot spot for locals and regional folks.

With fireworks, food, a four-time Grammy Award winning entertainer, the Philharmonic Pops Orchestra, one-of-a-kind art exhibits and colorful dragon boat races, it's set to be a premier event in the state.

Each year, attendance at the festival grows, say organizers.

In the beginning, it drew a few thousand attendees, mostly local folks. Last year, more than 30,000 people flocked to the three-weekend event.

"We're starting to see people coming from all over," said Herb Weiss, chairman of the festival, who has been involved with it since its beginning.

Weiss, who is the economic and cultural affairs officer in Pawtucket, said he's heard from people who live in Philadelphia and in California who are making vacation plans to attend the annual event.

State Rep. Peter Kilmartin of Pawtucket and his wife, Kristine, are serving as the festival's honorary co-chairs.

Shortly after the couple had married, Kristine, a Smithfield native, drove through Slater Memorial Park and asked her husband why the city didn't take more advantage of the 209-acre park. She wondered why something like the Scituate Arts Festival couldn't be held there. The Kilmartins mentioned the idea of creating an arts festival to Mayor James E. Doyle and the rest, as they say, is history.

Organizers say the mission of the Pawtucket Arts Festival is to present a series of events that are high-quality visual, performance and participatory art events every year, by Rhode Island, regional, nationally and internationally known artists, that takes place for the enjoyment of Pawtucket residents and visitors to the city.

The festival is an opportunity for the city to showcase its 307-acre downtown arts and entertainment district, the state pier - where the dragon boat races are held - and Slater Memorial Park.

Support and enthusiasm in the business community is evident in contributions, said Weiss.

This year, some 250 local businesses have contributed more than $98,000 toward the festival, in addition to in-kind donations valued at more than $100,000, both of which have helped grow the festival's budget, said Weiss.

Since its inception in 1999, the festival has celebrated and featured a citywide showcase of visual and performing arts. Previous festivals saw attendees flock to McCoy Stadium to see singer-songwriter-poet Bob Dylan or the nationally-acclaimed rock group, Counting Crows.

There have also been venues to meet local writers and filmmakers who have discussed their styles and techniques with audiences. Hundreds of artists have sold one-of-a-kind art works from their mill studios, from the Pawtucket Arts Collaborative Gallery, Rhode Island Watercolor Society Gallery or from booths set up during the festival.

Weiss said a 20-member steering committee gets together at the end of every festival to critique it, so what works in the past remains; and, of course, new entertainment and things to do are added.

"We improve it every year,'' said Weiss, adding that changes in its quality and professionalism are an ongoing commitment.

That's good news for the 40,000 to 50,000 people Weiss expects to come to this year's milestone festival, which offers plenty of free parking throughout the city.

The festival takes place Sept. 3 to Sept. 21 at various locations throughout the city, with the main events taking place at the Pawtucket Visitor Center, Slater Memorial Park, the Pawtucket Armory and the School Street Pier.

Highlights include the Slater Mill Labor and Ethnic Heritage Festival, the antique car show in the Apex parking lot, the Pops in the Park Concert with the Rhode Island Philharmonic and the dragon boat races.

A gala kicks off the festival on Sept. 5 from 6 to 10:30 p.m. at Slater Mill, 67 Roosevelt Ave. The gala includes a performance by two bands, including Slippery Sneakers, and internationally-known musician Buckwheat Zydeco.

For the second year in a row, the gala includes a Taste of Pawtucket. From 6 to 8 p.m., people can gather under 40, 12- by 12-foot, white tents and take a whirlwind tour of local eateries, sampling a variety of culinary delights, local and international.

So many people attended last year's Taste of Pawtucket that festival organizers decided to close a portion of Roosevelt Avenue "to accommodate more people," said Jennifer Kilsey.

A city employee who works in the planning department, Kilsey has been working on the gala committee for several years.

Tickets for the gala cost $15 at the gate and children under 10 are admitted free. Advance tickets, for $10, are available by calling ArtTix at 621-6123 or at the Pawtucket Visitor Center, 175 Main St. Or, call them at 800-454-2882.

The Pawtucket YMCA will offer a variety of children's activities at the gala, which is billed as a "fun, family event," said Kilsey.

There will be an inflatable obstacle course for kids, ages 6 to 13, a climbing rock wall, an inflatable bouncy house for little tykes, and other activities, said Sean Cassidy, senior director at the YMCA.

Cassidy said the YMCA had been holding a movie night independent of the festival's gala but in recent years decided to "pool their resources" with the city's festival. So, in addition to the movie, the YMCA can now offer an array of children's activities, Cassidy said.

The gala will end with a fireworks display, a first.

"We wanted to do something special for the tenth anniversary of the festival," said Weiss, who added that most events are free.

The spirit of the 2008 Beijing Olympics continues the next day, on Sept. 6, with the 9th annual Chinese dragon boat race and Taiwan Day Festival.

To spruce up the School Street Pier on the Pawtucket River and to give it a nautical look, 15 to 20 truckloads of crushed sea shells will be put down on the ground, said Weiss.

The cultural celebration is modeled after the world famous Dragon Boat Festivals held around the world. Also on the pier, there will be events highlighting Asian culture including arts and crafts, entertainment and food and a Chinese dumpling eating contest.

The festival's entertainment lineup also includes a battle of the bands competition.

The Boys Girls Club of Pawtucket partnered with the Pawtucket Arts Festival a few years ago to coordinate it.

"It started out as a competition for city bands but has grown to include bands across the state," said Allan Young, director of operations at the club.

More than 80 mill artists and businesses at 10 locations throughout Pawtucket will open their doors to celebrate "Pawtucket Open Studios," Sept. 19 to 21, as part of the Pawtucket Arts Festival. The event is free and open to the public. Free maps for this self-guided tour will be available Sept. 1 at Blackstone Valley Visitors Center.

With folks worried about the high price of gas, the festival "just down the road, off I-95, is right in Pawtucket," said Weiss.

A complete schedule of all events, locations and times is available at their Web site, pawtucketartsfestival.org , or by calling 724-5200. Additional information is also available at the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council at 724-2200. In addition, free, printed schedules are available at the Pawtucket Visitor's Center at 175 Main St.