LeLacheur Park—Fans Think There’s a Lot to Like!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Spinner’s Home Is Top Ballpark According to Fans

July 31, 2017 - The Lowell Spinners, short season affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, earned a prestigious honor over the weekend.  Edward A. LeLacheur Park, home of the Spinners since 1998, has been named 2017’s Best Short Season Ballpark in the country by Ballpark Digest, the most-read news publication in Minor League Baseball.  The winner was determined by fan vote with the Spinners besting Avista Stadium, home of the Spokane Indians, in the final round.
 
"This is a special award, not merely for our team but also for the City of Lowell which has so many exciting and award-winning things going on right now,” said Spinners owner Dave Heller.  “We are proud to be an integral part of Lowell's revival.”
 
The Spinners have already announced plans for major upgrades to LeLacheur Park during the offseason.  They’ll add a brand new two-tiered party deck area in right field, replace the current field, drainage and irrigation system, and install energy efficient LED field lights.

“LeLacheur Park is one of Lowell’s gems and it’s rewarding to see it recognized by Ballpark Digest,” said City Manager Kevin Murphy.  “It’s a wonderful place for families to spend a summer night watching the Spinners play as the sun sets over the Merrimack River.  Readers of Ballpark Digest now know what we’ve always known—there’s a lot to like about LeLacheur Park!”
 

ART CREATED FROM CONCRETE AND METAL

[LOWELL, MA] - When the Lowell Folk Festival returns to downtown Lowell July 28-30th, visitors will enter festival areas past security blocks and barriers that have been transformed into works of art. The Cultural Affairs and Special Events Office (CASE) has teamed up with local artists to create public art from chunks of concrete as a creative approach to brighten the entries to the festival. 

Eighteen security blocks are being painted by artists Mary Hart, Alexandra Derderian and Ioana Singureanu. CASE provided funding for stipends and materials.

“With the City of Lowell owing much of its multi-cultural heritage to its immigrants, each pattern I selected is meant to honor individual immigrant groups without being too specific about the inspiration,” said artist Ioana Singureanu. “I'm happy to participate in this project and I hope other cities follow Lowell's example of creative integration of safety and art.” 

In addition to the concrete cubes, twelve jersey barriers will be painted by artist Bret Weese. 

“When you give the public something to look at, the way they interact with each other changes, making the community stronger,” said Weese. “If my work is to be defined, I would say it is inspired by the graffuturism movement, which is a more modern and contemporary fusing of abstract expressionism and graffiti.”  

“We are delighted to engage our local artists to create works of art out of basic construction blocks and in so doing, change perceptions about our safety measures,” said City Manager Kevin Murphy. “We look forward to continuing this program and to using these blocks to create a temporary art park when they are not in use for events.”

In addition, a metal storage container, placed in The Mill Yard in the Hamilton Canal Innovation District, will receive an artistic treatment.  The painted container will be used for events equipment storage for Mill Yard events such as Friday Nights, enhancing the area and serving as another piece of public art.

Hollywood Returns to Lowell

Actress Taraji P. Henson (photo thanks to Wikipedia user Bill Ingalls/NASA, some rights reserved).

By Henri Marchand on May 3, 2017 - Hollywood returns to Lowell for five days of feature film production beginning Thursday, May 11.  Screen Gems Productions will be in town at several locations filming scenes for 'Proud Mary', starring Taraji P. Henson, Neal McDonough and Xander Berkeley.

A Golden Globe winner for her role as Cookie Lyon in Fox’s “Empire”, Henson plays a contract killer whose maternal instinct is awakened when she meets a young boy.

The production will shoot scenes May 11-15 in the WCAP studios on Central Street.  The right lane will be blocked during filming but Lowell Police will provide traffic control.

Exterior shooting is scheduled for May 16 on Palmer Street between Middle and Merrimack Streets.  This block will be closed to traffic but Middle will remain open as will Palmer from Market to Middle.  Police will also be on hand to provide support.

Location managers have been working with downtown businesses and the City to coordinate shooting schedules, traffic control, logistical support and street closures.

Release date is scheduled for January 26, 2018 according to IMDb.com.

Other feature films shot in Lowell include 'The Fighter', 'The Invention of Lying', and 'Professor Marston & The Wonder Women'.