Recap: Providence in October

The month of October was a busy month in Providence, R.I., where the community attended two events hosted by two different organizations. The first event was hosted by the Knights of Vartan on Oct. 6, where they invited Stephen Elmasian, co-chair of the ANC of RI, to speak at an event titled “Why is it important for the united states to pass a genocide resolution?” The lecture gathered an audience of close to 100 people. Elmasian touched upon the importance of the entire community in Rhode Island working together to achieve our Hai Tahd goals, rather than feeling it was the responsibility of one section of the Armenian community or for one church in the community. He also brought up the fact that a part of the credo of the Knights of Vartan stated that their purpose was the recognition of the Armenian Genocide; this was a common goal, he said, that both organizations should work towards. We are having an impact by not giving up our fight for justice, he stressed.

IMG00011-20101006-2000 — Stephen Elmasian during his lecture.

The second event, on Oct. 23, was the 4^th Annual Wine Tasting hosted by the Armenian Cultural Association of Rhode Island. The event was held at Gallery Z with over 60 people attending, roughly half from the Armenian community and half by the non-Armenian community in Rhode Island. Berge Zobian was gracious enough to allow the organization to use his studio for the event where various international wines, Armenian cognacs, Armenian beers, vodkas, and liqueurs were served to guests. The Aprahamian brothers from Worcester, Mass., were also present and their art work was exhibited throughout the gallery. Soft-traditional Armenian music filled the venue, and delicious appetizers were donated by various restaurants adjacent to the gallery. This event has been growing year after year and is becoming an established yearly event in Rhode Island. The Armenian Cultural Association of Rhode Island would like to thank all those who attended the event and will host their 5^th Annual Wine Tasting event around the same time next year.