Gala planned for newly renovated mill; Heritage Starlight Celebration is Friday.

Byline: Linda Bock

NORTHBRIDGE - The local chamber of commerce has invited community members to enjoy an evening under the stars on the plaza of the newly renovated Whitin Mill in Whitinsville.

The renovated mill features an artisan space, performing arts theater, training space, restaurant space and an art gallery. It also contains the social service agency Alternatives Unlimited Inc.'s administrative offices, an employment office and affordable housing for people served by Alternatives - all of which surround a riverside community plaza.

The UniBank-sponsored Heritage Starlight Celebration is hosted by Alternatives at the Whitin Mill, 54 Douglas Road in Whitinsville. Organizers of the Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce are crossing their fingers that rain predicted for Friday will hold off so that people will be able to see the stars from the outdoor plaza.

Tom Saupe of Alternatives said it will be the first public event at the Whitin Mill since the approximately $9 million renovation. Alternatives converted the historic mill into a new complex that is ready to open.

The Heritage Starlight Celebration will be held from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday. There will be a wine and beer tasting sponsored by Sutton Liquors, an art auction by Blackstone Valley artists, hors d'oeuvres by Creedon & Co. and music by the Heritage String Band.The evening also features the grand opening of the Alternatives Heritage Art Gallery at the mill complex, a pumpkin carving contest and a Best Pumpkin Dessert in the Valley contest. Area restaurants and bakeries are invited to participate in the pumpkin dessert contest. The art gallery has exhibits featuring historic Blackstone Valley baseball teams. Cambridge-based Austin Architects will sponsor the pumpkin carving contest and Uxbridge-based Nydam Landscaping is the sponsor of a centerpiece design contest. Sutton-based Whittier Farms and Northbridge-based Foppema's Farm are donating the pumpkins for the contest.

Organizers expect 70 entrants from Sutton, Millbury, Grafton and Douglas high schools, and Whitinsville Christian School to compete for most historic-artistic pumpkin, most glamorous pumpkin and scariest pumpkin.

"This is the first of what we hope will be an annual event that will remain a wine and beer tasting each year,'' said Sandra L. Haagsma, director of member services for the Whitinsville-based Blackstone Chamber of Commerce. "But our plans are to move it around to various historic mills in the Valley each year. This will give people an opportunity to get behind the doors of valley history and see the renovated mills."

Alternatives will provide tours of the mill complex, and many door prizes will be given away during the event.

Alternatives, a nonprofit health service agency, operates more than 40 programs across Central Massachusetts. It announced plans for the multimillion-dollar Whitin Mill redevelopment project on the Mumford River in 2004. The agency provides vocational, residential and transportation services to people with disabilities in Central Massachusetts. Since 1976, Alternatives has helped hundreds of people make the transition from state institutions back into their communities.

Industry began at the site in 1772, with the building of the Old Forge, which was subsequently used as a cotton mill. It became the 1826 Brick Mill, which stands today. The mill's oldest buildings are on the Massachusetts Register of Historic Places and are protected by a deed restriction with the Northbridge Historical Commission.

Heritage Starlight Celebration tickets are available at the chamber, 110 Church St., Whitinsville, through tomorrow, or call [phone] to make reservations. Register online at: www.blackstonevalley.org. Tickets are $60 per couple or $35 apiece.