Disney Movie Director, Conway
Tours & Journalists to be recognized by the Blackstone Valley
Tourism Council on September 27
Pawtucket, RI native movie director Kevin Lima is
featured guest at Annual Dinner celebrating 2007 World Tourism Day
Kevin Lima, a Pawtucket, RI native, and noted movie
director for Walt Disney Studios, will be receiving the Blackstone
Valley Excellence in the Arts Award and will be the featured guest
at the 22nd Annual Blackstone Valley Tourism Council (BVTC) Dinner.
The gathering is being held on 2007 World Tourism
Day, on Thursday, September 27, at Kirkbrae Country Club, Old River
Road (Route 126) Lincoln, RI.
Mr. Lima’s current film Enchanted, scheduled for
release this November, represents a culmination of Lima’s eclectic
artistic experiences by being a fairy tale for all ages, which
contains a mixture of traditionally hand-drawn animation, computer
generated characters, romantic comedy, music, song and action
adventure.
Born and raised in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, Mr.
Lima has been drawing as long as he can remember. He traces his
fascination with animation back to his fifth birthday when he
received the book, Preston Blair’s Animation. Inspiration from his
grandmother led him to an association with Marc Kohler’s
professional puppetry theater, The Puppet Workshop in Providence,
RI, and then to a summer with Eve Brook’s Costumes in New York City
creating costumes for the Ringling Bros And Barnum and Bailey
Circus. These eclectic experiences began his life-long fascination
with bringing characters of imagination to life. Lima studied acting
and theater design at Emerson College before going on to graduate
from the California Institute of the Arts Animation Program.
In 1992, ready to direct, Lima helmed Disney’s A
Goofy Movie. The film was a critical and commercial success and
breathed new life into a classic Disney character. He followed this
by directing the hugely successful and critically acclaimed Tarzan.
More than a decade after its release, A Goofy Movie continues to be
one of Disney’s strong DVD’s and the Tarzan franchise has evolved
into a DVD success, an attraction at the Disneyland Parks, a
Broadway musical and a video premiere sequel. Again ready for new
challenges, in 2000 Lima went on to make his live-action directing
debut with 102 Dalmatians starring Glenn Close. He followed that by
directing Julie Andrews in the television features Eloise at the
Plaza and Eloise at Christmastime (2003) for ABC. His work on the
latter film won him the Director’s Guild of America award for
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children’s Programs.
“Kevin Lima is very happy to come back to
Rhode Island to accept this award. He's very excited about it.
He thinks it's neat that he's being honored by an organization
in his hometown region,” said Dr. Robert D. Billington, BVTC
President.
Also, the BVTC will be inducting Bob and Peter
Conway of Cumberland, RI into the prestigious William Blackstone
Society. The brothers are Vice-Presidents of Conway Tours/Grayline
of Rhode Island.
Conway Tours was founded in 1926 by their
grandfather and it has grown into a full service motorcoach company.
Conway Tours/Grayline of Rhode Island is a partner with the
Blackstone Valley Tourism Council in the annual Travel Experiences
trade show, New England's largest group travel trade show since it's
beginnings in 1989.
Conway Tours has also been a partner with the
Tourism Council with the Blackstone Valley Trolley and Water
Cruises, LLC, which initiated demonstration passenger water ferry
service in Rhode Island in 1999.
“Bob & Peter Conway are travel industry
institutions and do so much great work to continue the growth of
tourism in our Valley, Rhode Island and New England,” Dr.
Billington said.
Peter Conway has overseen the revolution of Conway
Tours from a family charter business into a multi-faceted tour and
travel company, offering wholesale package tours, travel agency
services, receptive services, meeting and convention services, and
sightseeing packages.
Peter Conway also serves on the boards of the
Providence & Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau, Gray Line
Worldwide, the Better Business Bureau of RI, the Cumberland –
Lincoln Boys & Girls Club, and the Business & Industry Risk
Management Association.
Bob Conway oversees the maintenance of the Conway
Tours fleet. He is a US Navy veteran with the Construction Battalion
Unit (Seabees) and did two tours of duty in Vietnam.
Bob Conway also serves on the boards of the
Blackstone Valley Tourism Council and the Eastern Bus Maintenance
Management Conference.
The William Blackstone Society, started by the BVTC,
and named in honor of Rhode Island’s first European settler in 1635,
for which the Blackstone River Valley is named, honors leaders whom
have worked to sustain the Blackstone River Valley’s heritage and
culture as a visitor destination
BVTC will also offer other recognitions to local
journalists and to an area historical landmark.
Awards will be presented to former Pawtucket Times
reporters Doug Hadden, Rich Dugas, Dave Casey and Kevin O’Connor and
former Woonsocket Call editor Denise Perreault. The newspersons will
be recognized for their coverage over the years of the tourism
industry in the Blackstone River Valley and the significance tourism
has played on the social and economic development of the region.
And, the Cogswell Clock Tower, built atop Dexter’s
Ledge, inside Jenks Park in Central Falls, RI will receive
Footprints in History designation.
Cogswell Clock Tower was erected in 1904. The Tower
stands atop Dexter's Ledge, which was used as an Indian lookout
during King Phillip's War in 1676. The tower, located adjacent to
Central Falls City Hall, is often referred to by local residents as
the city’s official landmark.
The September 27 celebration gets underway at 5:30
pm, with a Reception and Silent Auction, followed by Dinner at 7 pm
and Awards Ceremonies at 8 pm.
Tickets for the event are available right now at
$55/person or $395/table of eight. Choice of Chicken Francaise or
Mushroom Rissotto for dinner.
People should call the BVTC immediately at
401-724-2200 to order their tickets for the meeting or order online
here.
Established in 1985, BVTC is the state designated
regional tourism development agency for Rhode Island’s Blackstone
River Valley communities of Pawtucket, Central Falls, Woonsocket,
Cumberland, Lincoln, Smithfield, North Smithfield, Glocester and
Burillville.
