June News from The Spirit

Celebrating Springfield's Biggest, Best and Brightest

Today, we are looking forward to a great day at Franconia Golf Course for the 2018 Spirit of Springfield Golf Classic sponsored by Western Mass News. We have 130 golfers ready to participate in the scramble and at 3pm, Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno will challenge area mayors in a putting contest. Chicopee Mayor Rich Kos has taken home the most wins.

Thanks to everyone who made the World's Largest Pancake Breakfast such a grand success and the team that is working to make July 4, 2018, a Star Spangled Springfield.

Be sure to check out this month's update.

- Judy Matt
President

Star Spangled Springfield Moves to Blunt Park

On Wednesday, July 4, Springfield's Blunt Park will host Star Spangled Springfield, sponsored by MassMutual. The fun will begin at 6pm with family-friendly activities. There will be a brief speaking program at 7pm followed by a concert by Maxxtone. At 9:30pm, all eyes will be on the skies as Fireworks by Grucci give an explosive performance.

Maxxtone will perform an array of musical selections from popular rock, pop and dance songs from the 1970's through today. They are four-members strong and Springfield based.

Music will continue to play a part in the evening festivities as Mix 93.1 FM broadcasts songs selected to enhance the fireworks display. Song selections include "Only in America" by Brooks & Dunn, John Mellencamp's "Our Country," Ray Charles' version of "America the Beautiful" and more. The famous finale will be bursting to "Stars & Stripes."

World's Largest Pancake Breakfast

Enthusiasm was running high at the 2018 World's Largest Pancake Breakfast. The threat of rain did not dampen the spirits of the volunteers and the thousands that arrived early to help Springfield celebrate its birthday.

MGM Springfield General Manager, Alex Dixon who served as this year's Honorary Chair, went up and down Main Street greeting everyone he could. He even took to the ladder to conduct the Sci-Tech Jazz Band. As crews from Gleason Johndrow Landscaping and the Springfield Business Improvement District cleaned up, he hopped in a golf cart to assist.

The World's Largest Pancake Breakfast continues to be team effort beginning with the thousands of dollars or donated products and services, and the time and talents and the volunteers and entertainers.

Check out more photos!

It Takes a City . . .

Preparations for the World's Largest Pancake Breakfast were city wide. On Mill Street, the Hampden County Sheriff's Department prepared nearly a half ton of Carando Classic Italian Bacon. This year, Sheriff Nick Cocchi and his father, Butch, got assistance from MGM Springfield General Manager Alex Dixon and his wife, Yindra, while Al Ferrentino from Carando supervised.

On Carew Street, Mercy Medical Center culinary staff whipped up 500 gallons of batter. The Springfield Business Improvement District and the Springfield Department of Public Works went city-wide picking up donations. This included everything from trash boxes from Republic Services, paper supplies from Baystate Health and Mansfield Paper, to the buckets for the batter.

September 11th Monument Fabrication

The fabrication of Springfield's September 11th

Monument is underway. Charlie Arment Trucking moved the World Trade Center artifact from Springfield to Salmon Studios in Forence, MA. Photographer Chris Marion was there to capture the move.

Over the next several months, Sam Ostroff and his team from Salmon Studios with Bruce Rosenbaum from Steampunk Relmagineer, will create the monument. They will begin by making a life-size model to perfect the appearance and the lighting.

To-date, Springfield's September 11^th Monument Fundraising Committee has raised $118,350 in corporate contributions. The total goal is $300,000 of which the City of Springfield has committed approximately $50,000 for the monument base in Riverfront Park.

Donations can be mailed to Spirit of Springfield/Springfield September 11^th Monument, 1350 Main Street, Suite 1004, Springfield, MA 01103 or made at GoFundMe (link).

BREAKING NEWS

City of Bright Nights Ball is SOLD OUT!

In record-breaking time, the Spirit of Springfield has sold every seat available for the November 10 gala at the new MGM Springfield Resort Casino.

In This Issue

Star Spangled Springfield Moves to Blunt Park

World's Largest Pancake Breakfast

It Takes a City

September 11th Monument Fabrication

Breaking News

Guest Column - Sam, Salmon Studiios

Guest Column

Sam Ostroff

Owner, Laborer, Crisis Management

Salmon Studios

Our company is honored and humbled to have been chosen to create a 9/11 memorial for Springfield's Riverfront Park. The focal point of the memorial is a piece of wreckage from the World trade center site - a massive I-beam that was given to the Spirit of Springfield by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and that was once part of the structure of the twin towers - with patches of concrete and rough edges telling the story of when the beam fell.

In designing this monument, we wanted to be careful to respect the artifact, while still presenting it in a creative and imaginative way. Upon first view of the memorial, visitors are presented with the World Trade Center artifact, balancing delicately on one end in a vertical position.

A large curved, bronze wall provides the backdrop for the I-beam, and is engraved with the names of the first responders who perished in the attack. As night falls, two LED spot lights cast a pair of shadows against the wall, reminiscent of the silhouette of the Twin Towers. The engraved names are carefully arranged to leave a blank space where the shadows will fall - ens uring both the daytime and nigh time viewing are equally compelling.

We recently received and unloaded the I-beam into our studio and are now working to fabricate the different elements of the monument. It was a powerful and moving experience to bring such a piece of history into our work space.

Our goal is to complete and install the memorial by September 2018, and hope that it brings a meaningful and artful presence to Springfield's Riverfront Park.

SUPPORT

Show your support for

Springfield's September 11th Monument

GIVE TODAY!

Dates for 2018

Spirit of Springfield Golf Classic

Friday, June 1

10am

Franconia Golf Course Sponsored by

Western Mass News

Star Spangled Springfield

Wednesday, July 4

7pm to 10pm

Blunt Park

September 11th Remembrance Ceremony

Tuesday, September 11

10am

City of Bright Nights Ball

Saturday, November 10

6:30pm to 12midnight

MGM Springfield