BURRILLVILLE – The music group River’s North will headline a fundraiser in July by the Burrillville Land Trust to save Sweet’s Hill at the Townsmen Club in Mapleville.
The event will be held on Sunday, July 25 and will include a barbecue chicken dinner, raffles and entertainment. It is the latest in a series of events aimed at saving the 150-acre East Avenue property from development.
A country music band made up of several well-known local musicians, including brothers Jesse and Ed Desorcy and Chris Quiray, also of Back Rhodes, River’s North also features Makahla Rivers on vocals, performing covers ranging from Janis Joplin to Tyler Childers.
Tickets for the event cost $20, with proceeds to go toward purchase of the property, a lot of historic and ecological importance according to members of the trust. BLT launched a campaign to purchase the $2.2 million lot last October, and has since received a $100,000 contribution from the Levy Foundation, and raised additional funds through a raffle.
“Once the property is sold, it becomes off limits and locked up forever,” said Paul Roselli, president of the nonprofit trust. “Our hope is to open the property for hikers to Black Hut and Spring Lake, to those who enjoy the quiet surroundings of our natural environment, and to those who long for a return to the New England bucolic charm of farms and small villages that encompassed this area long ago.”
Sweet’s Hill or Indian Acres as many long-time residents in the area know, was once one of the largest farms in Burrillville at over 1000 acres.
In its 21 year history, the land trust has acquired just over 229 acres of land in the town of Burrillville.
The land trust produced a campaign video detailing the fund raising effort. The five minute campaign video, written and produced by the board members of the Burrillville Land Trust, can be viewed here.
Doors at the July 25 event open at 3 p.m., with dinner served at 4 p.m. Tickets are available by calling (401) 447-1560 or sending an email to info@burrillvillelandtrust.org and will also be available at the Burrillville Farmers’ Market Saturday, July 3 and 10. A 50/50 lobster raffle also takes place at the fundraising event.
Started in the year 2000, the Burrillville Land Trust is an all volunteer 501 (c)3 public-charity, private land trust with a mission of preserving and protecting the rural character of the town of through acquisition, education and advocacy.
