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Blackstone Valley Community Invited to The Gerry Gaudette Pavilion Dedication!
Blackstone Valley Community Invited to The Gerry Gaudette Pavilion Dedication!
The Whitin Community Center (WCC) invites all Blackstone Valley residents to join them for the dedication of The Gerry Gaudette Pavilion on Sunday, September 23, 2007 at 2:00 pm. The event will be held in Whitin Park, adjacent to the Whitin Community Center, at 60 Main Street in Whitinsville. The event is free and will include light refreshments, presentations, and music from Rebecca Wright and her children and the Blackstone Valley Chorus. At 4:00 pm, Women of Note, a local all-woman barbershop quartet, will hold the first official community event, a concert, at the Pavilion.
The pavilion is a feature of the master landscape plan adopted by the WCC Board of Trustees for the restoration and adaptive re-use of Whitin Park. The pavilion also serves as a memorial to Gerry Gaudette, a leader and lifelong resident of the Blackstone Valley, who passed away in 2003. With a passionate eye for progress, Gerry led the Development Advisory Committee of Whitin Community Center on a path of raising capital and community interest towards the revitalization of historic Whitin Park. Gerry’s dedication and his strong leadership have come to life in the beautiful park that stands today.
The Gerry Gaudette Pavilion was built near the location of The Teahouse on the John C. Whitin Estate. The pavilion was designed by Manitou Architects of Boston and recalls several design elements of the original teahouse.
John C. Whitin married his second wife Sarah Elizabeth (Pratt) in 1875. The little teahouse, nestled here in the shade of Norway Maples, served as a retreat where Mrs. Whitin would entertain her guests.
From the mid 1940s through the 1960s the teahouse was used as a site for a variety of programs for children. It became known as the Girl Scout House and was a favorite meeting place for many youth programs.
By the 1970s, the teahouse was no longer structurally safe, and it was demolished. The Gerry Gaudette Pavilion stands today as a reminder of this retreat from time past. The Gerry Gaudette Pavilion was built to enhance community life by providing a site for programs, social gatherings, and personal respite. Construction of the pavilion was made possible through contributions of many who were inspired by Gerry’s vision. The pavilion stands in memory of a dear friend and is a tribute to all people of this community who continue to make the Blackstone Valley a wonderful place to work and live.
According to Mrs. Barbara Hopkins Gaudette, “Gerry really supported the improvements planned for the park and wanted to see it all happen. The pavilion was a very important thing for Gerry and he would have loved to see it built and enjoyed by the public. Building it fulfilled one of his dreams.”
The Gerry Gaudette Pavilion would not have been built without the tremendous support and volunteer efforts of the Gaudette family, Katie Stark, Denis LaTour and Town and Country Builders, Nick Jane, Norman Gadoury, Alison Specter, Maria Thomas, The Arthur Fletcher Whitin Fund, Manitou Architects, Koopman Lumber, Sterling Concrete, Caya Construction, Jeff Grenier, Granutec, Inc., Shining Rock Golf Community, and many others. We are most grateful to everyone who donated their time and talent to the completion of this pavilion.
The Whitin Community Center is a private, non-profit, community-based organization that has served the residents of the Blackstone Valley since 1922. The Whitin Community Center is committed to enhancing the health and well being of individuals and families and to encouraging a strong community in the Blackstone Valley through social, recreational, educational, and outreach programs that bring community members of all ages and backgrounds together. As the Blackstone Valley’s most complete family and recreation center with approximately 4,000 members, two pools, a gymnasium, racquetball and tennis courts, a fitness center, child care and after school programs, and a seven-acre park, we can offer you many forms of physical activity to choose from. Additional information can be found at www.ourgym.org.
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