LYNN ― The Goldfish Pond Association is celebrating its 41st anniversary with a parade from City Hall to Goldfish Pond on Saturday, retracing the route that the Marquis de Lafayette, a French aristocrat and military officer, rode during his visit to Lynn in the 1800s.
The parade will include a horse and carriage and a period actor playing Gen. Lafayette, followed by a parade of cars driven by members of the Goldfish Pond Association.
In 1824, Lafayette was invited to the U.S. to tour the former colonies, as he was famed for fighting alongside Gen. George Washington in the American Revolution and was a key factor in winning the battle of Yorktown in 1781.
During his visit, he passed by Ingalls Farm, which is now Goldfish Pond.
His visit to Lynn influenced the names of surrounding areas including Lafayette Park and Fayette Street, which was the first named street in the city.
The Association’s President Trish Greene said they wanted to do something different to celebrate the anniversary of the nonprofit organization.
“It is a rare event to see a horse and carriage in the city of Lynn and the Goldfish Pond Association had fun planning this historical reenactment,” Greene said. “We are fortunate to have this funded by the Lynn Cultural Council and we hope that Lynn residents will come out and see the parade and enjoy some anniversary cake.”
The parade will begin at City Hall and proceed down Market Street to Broad Street, then turn onto Lewis Street to Lafayette Park, ending at the pond.
Member of the Goldfish Pond Association and candidate for Ward 3 City Councilor Coco Alinsug said the significance of this parade is to bring a dose of nostalgia and to celebrate Lynn’s past.
“That is the reason why we specifically invited students of nearby Brickett School for them to witness the reenactment and to experience this wonderful piece of history that happened here in Lynn,” Alinsug said.
Goldfish Pond was formerly known as Ingalls Farm, in honor of the first European settler of Lynn, Edmund Ingalls, who arrived with his family in 1630 and built a house near the pond.
It was originally a swampy, lowland area before the city transformed it into the park and pond that it is today, which is maintained by the association.
This celebration of the association’s work and dedication to the pond was originally supposed to take place last year for the 40th anniversary, but was postponed because of the pandemic.
For more information, visit goldfishpond.org.
