By DONNA KENNY KIRWAN

PAWTUCKET — Don’t let stormy weather put a damper on your weekend arts and entertainment plans.

Organizers of the Pawtucket Arts Festival are optimistic that the evening’s Rhode Island Philharmonic “Pops in the Park” concert at Slater Memorial Park will go on as planned, as well as the two-day Stone Soup Folk Fest and Art Fest. "We’ve been monitoring the situation closely, and while it might rain during the day, it is expected to stop before the ‘Pops in the Park’ event,” said Pawtucket Arts Festival Chairman Herb Weiss. He added that the Stone Soup Folk Fest performers will be playing under a tent, and that most of the artists and crafts exhibitors taking part in the Art Fest also have tents, so these two events will also be held “rain or shine.”
On Saturday, the Shanagans will perform at 4 p.m., followed by the Rhode Island Philharmonic Pops Orchestra, which will start at 5:30 p.m. This is the Philharmonic’s last concert of the Summer Pops Series, with resident conductor Francisco Noya. The event is free, but concert-goers are asked to bring their own blankets and chairs.
A $15,000 donation from the Pawtucket Teachers’ Alliance, along with financial contributions from over 150 local businesses, brings the Philharmonic back to Slater Memorial Park. This is the seventh year that the teachers union has provided a substantial donation to the Pops concert.
“The Pawtucket Teachers’ Alliance ‘Pops in the Park’ concert is considered by many to be the premier musical event of the city’s three-week Arts Festival,” said Mayor James E. Doyle. “Just as the festival’s popularity has soared over these years, so has the concert’s attendance, from a few hundred the first year to an estimated 8,000 people who came last year.
“I am so pleased that our friend, Francisco Noya, again returns to conduct the orchestra in our city,” added Doyle, noting that the conductor has become one of the most prominent names in the New England music scene. “I guarantee that he will give you a performance you will never, ever forget.”
“As the major Pawtucket Arts Festival sponsor, we are pleased that our $15,000 sponsorship has enabled the city to bring back the Rhode Island Philharmonic ‘Pops in the Park’ concert this year,” said Charleen Christy, Teachers’ Alliance president. “This large gift ties in with our philosophy of supporting activities that enrich the lives of Pawtucket youths and their families.”
Christy also announced that the Alliance’s executive board had just voted to provide the city with a check for $15,000 to sponsor the Rhode Island Philharmonic’s “Pops in the Park” event next year.
“Pawtucket teachers, residing throughout the city and in surrounding communities, continue to be strongly committed to creating a better cultural community and a place to live and work,” said Christy. “Programs such as the Pops concert are important lifelong experiences that young Pawtucket students should have the opportunity to see and hear.”
David Beauchesne, executive director of the Rhode Island Philharmonic, said, “We are delighted that the Rhode Island Philharmonic Pops will be performing for the Pawtucket Arts Festival’s 10th anniversary. This performance will bring thousands of attendees to Slater Memorial Park, one of the most beautiful sites we perform at for our summer Pops concerts.”
Also in the park, the Rhode Island Watercolor Society will be holding its third annual “Paint Rhode Island” exhibit in its gallery, showcasing local scenes from the area’s top watercolorists. The gallery, located in the former boathouse across from the park’s carousel, is open on Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. and on Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. The exhibit runs from Sept. 13 to Oct. 2.
The Arts Fest, held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., features more than 70 artist booths. There will be raku firing and demonstrations by Dew Claw Studios and a live demonstration of flame-worked and blown-glass pendants by Dichronic Fusion.
The Stone Soup Folk Fest, held from 1-5 p.m., features folk performances by Barnacle, Stingy Brimm, and Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem.