CITYWATCH Is the Waterfront festival on the rocks? BY RUDY CHEEKS

For the past 15 years, the popular Hot Club bar in the Corliss Landing area of Providence has hosted the Providence Old Harbor Waterfront Festival. Originally, the festival was co-sponsored by the city and the Hot Club and admission was free. About five years ago, sponsorship shifted to three other clubs in the area (the Fish Company, Steam Alley, and the former Grappa).

The Waterfront Festival, featuring performances by top national and local acts, a variety of food offerings and, of course, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, drew thousands. Needless to say, some neighbors were not thrilled and, in 2002, the Fox Point Neighborhood Association, a group of about 500 area residents, challenged the festival’s permit at the city’s Board of Licenses.

The Festival got its 2002 license, but also agreed to fence in the area, charge a $5 admission, and maintain a stronger police presence (last year the bill for the off-duty police officers was $23,000). This year, the Neighborhood Association mounted a successful challenge to the license. On July 23, the Festival’s permit was denied in a 3-to-1 vote by the Board of Licenses.

Josh Miller, owner of the Hot Club and a major force on Providence’s restaurant and entertainment scene, then applied for an entertainment license for the Hot Club alone. Last Friday, August 1, that request was denied and, Miller says, "I went ballistic."

What Miller found particularly infuriating was that, on the same day that the Hot Club’s request for a separate license was turned down, the Board granted a license for the annual Dominican Festival. "I would argue that the Dominican Festival has had incidents far more provocative than what we’ve encountered here," Miller said. (A shooting at the Dominican Festival in 2000 was captured in a stunning photograph by former Journal photographer Rachel Ritchie.)

Miller also feels that the opposition to any festivals on the Old Harbor Waterfront is not truly representative of the majority of the area’s residents. "There are about 10,000 people in the neighborhood and the Fox Point Neighborhood Association represents about 500 of them. Even then, they were only able to get a little over 100 [people] to sign a petition against the festival. And none of the business people on Wickenden Street were among them."

To underscore their commitment to the neighborhood, the clubs that sponsored last year’s event donated $6000 of the proceeds to the Fox Point Boys &Girls Club.

The Neighborhood Association’s president, former state Senator John Roney, has called the Waterfront Festival "the single-most disruptive event" in his years representing the district.

But all may not be lost. Miller, who will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Hot Club this year, says he has been talking with city officials and feels there is a good chance that the fest will go on. "We’re looking into other venues like the Fleet Skating Center or Waterplace Park, or maybe even a scaled-down one-night event at the Hot Club." Miller hopes the imbroglio can be resolved soon.