January News from the Spirit of Springfield

Celebrating Springfield's Biggest, Best and Brightest!

2023 was another special year for the Spirit of Springfield. We continued our mission to bring the community together in celebration with pancakes, fireworks, music, and holiday lights. It was the Spirit of Springfield’s 34th season of events and Bright Nights at Forest Park’s 29th.

We are grateful for all who have supported our efforts from sponsors and volunteers, to the City of Springfield and its many departments. With these resources, we were able to entertain more than 400,000 people.

We are looking forward to more fun and festivities in 2024! Happy New Year!

-- Judy Matt

President

Inaugural Celebrations

Springfield inaugurated Domenic J. Sarno for the sixth time and 13 City Councilors on Monday, January 1, 2023. The Mahogany Room in Symphony Hall was filled with supporters, well-wishers, family, and friends for the historic occasion.

Representative Richard E. Neal brought greetings from the U. S. Congress. There were Prayers of Unity presented by Dr. Kamal Ali from Westfield State University, Rabbi Noach Kosofsky from Lubavitcher Yeshiva Academy, Bishop Talbert Swan from Spring of Hope Church, and Pastor Eliezer Serrano from Restoration City Church. The invocation was offered by Roman Catholic Bishop William D. Byrne. As they did at his first inauguration, Mayor Sarno’s daughters, Cassandra and Chiarina, led the Pledge of Allegiance.

The festivities continued that evening at Bright Nights at Forest Park where Mayor Sarno welcomed guests to enjoy the holiday light displays.

On Friday, January 5th, the Inaugural Gala will be held at the Springfield Marriott from 5pm to 10pm. Guests will enjoy musical performances by Richie Mitnick with Joseph Saimeri, Sci-Tech High School Band, and Michelle Brooks-Thompson.

These events are proudly produced by the Spirit of Springfield with support from MassMutual, American Medical Response, Baystate Health, Charlie Arment Trucking, Eversource, Gleason Johndrow Landscaping, Marriott Springfield Downtown, Mercy Medical Center, and WinnCompanies.

Bright Nights Successful Season

The lights are off after another successful season for Bright Nights at Forest Park. The Springfield Department of Parks, Buildings, and Recreation Management will now begin the arduous task of wrapping up six miles of roadway lighting, and thousands of feet of extension cords before they even begin to dismantle the displays for storage.

During the season, Bright Nights hosted a sold out road race, thanked thousands who attended Military & Emergency Responders Night, hosted Santa every night through Christmas Eve, added more entertainment to Santa’s Magical Forest, and brought back horse-drawn wagon and carriage rides.

Thank you to the sponsors, hardworking employees, Springfield Police and Hampden County Sheriff’s Department, Springfield Department of Public Works, M. J. Norton Security, the volunteers donated time and talents, and all who made Bright Nights at Forest Park one of their holiday destinations.

The lights will be brighter than ever when the switch gets flipped for Bright Nights at Forest Park’s 30th spectacular season on Wednesday, November 27, 2024.

Bright Nights Behind the Scenes

How does the music get played in Bright Nights? Who makes the web cameras stream? Who creates the television and radio advertisements? These are just some of the services provided by some talented and dedicated volunteers.

The music is selected and curated by music connoisseur and collector Keith O’Connor. He works with his colleagues at Baystate Health, Charlie Breguet and Patricia Gagnon, to put it all together. Political consultant Anthony Cignoli stands in for Santa with his “ho, ho, ho’s.” It is Springfield Police Sergeant Ricky Viruet and retired Springfield Police Sergeant Sean Sullivan that get it to play in the cars as they drive through the park. They also setup and maintain the streaming cameras with an assist from George Rooney in the Springfield’s IT Department.

Charlie Berguet also donated his time and talents to create the Bright Nights at Forest Park television advertisement with the scooter-riding Santa, and it was Patricia Gagnon’s voiceover in the advertisement and spots heard on iHeart Media’s many radio stations.

Thank you to all!

More Honors for Bright Nights!

Travel & Leisure Magazine's website compiled a list of the best holiday light displays in each state, from Bellingrath Gardens in Alabama to Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Bright Nights at Forest Park was selected for Massachusetts honors. For Florida, Disney World was selected.

Big Y Employees Go To Bright Nights

As a thank you for selling Bright Nights at Forest Park tickets, some Big Y employees were treated to a trip through the holiday light displays. They boarded buses in West Springfield, Massachusetts, and Clinton, Connecticut, and headed to the park.

They sang carols, had some snacks, and enjoyed the holiday excursion.

Looking Back at 2023

There were pancakes in May, golf in June, fireworks in July, a booklet launch, gala, road race, holiday lights in the park, and new lights on the Memorial Bridge all in November, and concerts in March and in December. This was all accomplished by a team of four full time employees at the Spirit of Springfield.

The non-profit organization honored Springfield Police Superintendent Cheryl Clapprood, naming her the World’s Largest Pancake Breakfast Honorary Chair. The attendance at the event was one of the biggest. We filled the field for the Spirit of Springfield Golf Classic. Independence Day was celebrated with music, face painting, and fireworks. A 29-page booklet was published to tell the story of Springfield’s September 11th Monument. Downtown Springfield was decorated for the holidays with new lights on the Memorial Bridge, in Memorial Square, and Stearns Square.

We filled the Aria Ballroom at MGM Springfield for the City of Bright Nights Ball with Western New England University President Dr. Robert Johnson serving as the evening’s chair. Bright Nights came to light for the 29th season with more entertainment and activities. Springfield Symphony Hall hosted the U. S. Air Force Concert Band of Washington, D.C. in March, and the 215th Army Band of the Massachusetts Army National Guard in December.

All of these events were produced with the generous support from Springfield area businesses.

U. S. Army Field Band Concert

Coming in 2024! The U. S. Army Field Band and the and Soldiers’ Chorus will be performing in Springfield Symphony Hall on Saturday, April 20th at 3pm. The concert will be free with tickets.

The band has 65 musicians, and the chorus has 20 voices that tour the country and the world. It is “considered by music critics to be one of the most versatile and inspiring musical organizations in the world. Its members, selected by highly-competitive audition, represent some of the finest musical talent in America. More than six decades as the military’s most traveled musicians have earned them the title, “The Musical Ambassadors of the Army,” as noted on their website.

In this Issue

Inaugural Celebrations

Bright Nights

Successful Season

Bright Nights

Behind Scenes

More Honors for

Bright Nights

Big Y Employees Go to Bright Nights

215th Army Band Concert

Springfield Inaugural Festivities

Guest Column

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno

September 11th Monument Booklet

Guest Column

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno

City of Springfield

First off, I want to wish everyone a happy and healthy new year!

On January 1st, the Spirit of Springfield and the City of Springfield held its inaugural ceremony at our historic Symphony Hall where the City Council and myself as Mayor were sworn in.

As we kickoff 2024, I want to take a moment to thank the residents and business community for their continued belief and support in me and my administration. I am truly humbled and honored to continue to serve as the longest elected mayor in our great city’s 388-year history. I live and love this job 24/7, and I continue to have the drive, passion and energy to move our Springfield forward for the betterment of everyone.

We have accomplished many great achievements and milestones over the years and I am looking forward to celebrating many more to come. From the opening of the new civic center parking garage downtown, to building a new Gerena School in our North End neighborhood, and investing millions into our neighborhood parks, just to name a few, my administration will continue to invest into these important economic development projects that will enhance the quality of life for our residents and business community.

As we look to celebrate and come together at the various events put on by the Spirit of Springfield throughout the year, I want to thank Judy Matt and the incredible team at the Spirit of Springfield for their continued and dedicated heartfelt efforts – you cannot put a price tag on the morale boost and pride all of their events give to our Springfield and beyond. Thank you.

God Bless you, God Bless your families and God Bless our City of Springfield.