Washington Trust Sponsors Roger Williams Park Zoo Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular

Washington Trust is proud to sponsor the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular as it returns to Roger Williams Park Zoo after a 4-year hiatus. A team of 30 professional pumpkin carvers will spend six weeks creating displays that will feature thousands of jack-o-lanterns and hundreds of other carved works of art, which will be set on the Zoo's wetlands trail with special lighting and musical themes. The event takes place Thursday, October 8 through Sunday, November 1, 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.

"We're thrilled to help bring this outstanding event back to the Zoo," said John C. Warren, Washington Trust chairman and CEO. "The Jack-O-Lanterns are a Rhode Island tradition enjoyed by families from all over New England."

A record 10,000 pumpkins will be set up over the course of the event. This year's presentation theme is "Fables of the Great Writers," and will feature sets from Alice in Wonderland, Sleepy Hollow, classic tales of the Brothers Grimm, Moby Dick and more. Other scenes will include an animal orchestra, homage to celebrities who have passed away over the past year, and the famous "Laughing Tree."

Washington Trust employees and "star mascots," will be on the trail on Thursdays, October 8, 15, 22, and 29 to help entertain, pose for photos, and hand out giveaways to the visitors on the trail. The Bank is also offering a chance to win a family 4-pack of tickets to the event, to its E-News subscribers. Customers will need to complete a short survey to be automatically entered to win one of five family 4-packs of tickets. The contest ends on September 18, 2009. To sign up for Washington Trust's E-News, visit http://wwwwashtrust.com/home/personal/enews/aug.

The Washington Trust Company is a subsidiary of Washington Trust Bancorp, Inc., a $2.9 billion corporation headquartered in Westerly, Rhode Island. Founded in 1800, Washington Trust is the oldest community bank in the nation and is the largest independent bank headquartered in Rhode Island. A state-chartered bank, Washington Trust offers a full range of financial services, including business banking , personal banking , and wealth management and trust services through its offices located in Rhode Island, Southeastern Connecticut and Massachusetts. The Corporation's common stock trades on The NASDAQ Global Select® Stock Market under the symbol WASH. Web site address: www.washtrust.com .