LYNN — Lynn Main Streets (LMS) is hosting its annual educational, community-driven gardening planting program, “Spring Has Sprung!” again this year.
This program is intended to enhance entryways and gathering spaces in the city while attracting visibility to downtown businesses and creating community pride and partnerships.
This program began last weekend and will continue this upcoming Saturday, May 28 at 10 a.m. with the Elaine O’Shea Mavros Memorial Sunflower Field being planted at High Rock Tower.
LMS said Mavros was a successful local businesswoman and a champion of women entrepreneurs, and they are “proud to plant the sunflowers in her honor.”
“Spring Has Sprung is an excellent opportunity for people to get involved in not only keeping downtown Lynn beautiful, but as a way to build community, and a sense of place for all those who enjoy visiting our vibrant downtown,” said Carla Scheri, interim associate director for Lynn Main Streets.
On May 21, LMS board members, staffers, and volunteers filled planters in front of Boba Tea in City Hall Square and the planters on the island at Exchange and Munroe Streets, put mulch in the tree beds on Central Avenue, and decorated the planters at the entrance to the LynnArts Building in Central Square.
LMS said the “Spring Has Sprung” program aligns with the city’s initiatives to “provide a sense of belonging and to give opportunities for residents, visitors and business owners to share positive experiences all while beautifying the neighborhoods of downtown Lynn.”
LMS is partnering with many local departments and organizations for this year’s plantings, including the City of Lynn Planning Department, the City of Lynn Department of Public Works, the Downtown Lynn Cultural District, the Lynn Public Library, St. Mary’s High School, Ruth’s Way for Women, and Lynn Museum/LynnArts.
Established in 2019, LMS began when a group of Lynn residents came together with business owners, city leaders, and non-profit organizations who shared the passion for an inclusive vision of a thriving downtown.
The group adopted the Main Street America project framework for community-driven economic development of under-utilized, historic downtown districts, and follows strategies that are currently used in more than 1,200 downtown districts across the country, including economic vitality, design, promotion, and organization.
Allysha Dunnigan can be reached at [email protected].
