Mayor Jared C. Nicholson’s office will host Lynnside Out: Bringing City Hall to You, a citywide festival geared to making municipal resources more accessible, approachable and visible for residents.
The event will take place at the Lynn Museum, Frederick Douglass Park, and by the viaducts on Saturday, Aug. 27 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
There will be free food from Lynn businesses including D’empanadas, Shoreline Pizza, Golden Monkey, B Sweet, and Union Cafe and family-friendly activities including music from a variety of entertainers, face painting, and a bounce house.
More than a dozen City departments will be available to discuss the resources they offer and how residents can access them.
“We’re thrilled to bring Lynnside Out to the City and proud of the team for all their hard work organizing this festival,” said Nicholson. “City Hall is a place for everyone and we want our residents to know that the departments and our office are always available for any support and assistance they may be seeking. Lynnside Out is a great way to connect residents with the initiatives that we are working on at City Hall and to keep them engaged with ongoing projects that require their input to be successful.”
In addition to the mayor’s office, departments featured will include Planning, which will be accompanied by the Vision Lynn team, Personnel, and Parks and Recreation. Other City departments and municipal agencies include:
- City Clerk’s Office, which will offer voter registration
- Community Development
- Department of Elder Services
- Department of Public Health, which will provide free at-home COVID-19 tests
- Economic Development and Industrial Corporation of Lynn (EDIC/Lynn)
- Lynn Housing Authority and Neighborhood Development (LHAND)
- Lynn Public Library
- Lynn Public Schools Welcome Center
“As we work on the city’s first-ever comprehensive plan, we know the importance of hearing from Lynners about what they’d like to see for Lynn’s future,” said Lauren Drago, associate planning director. “Lynnside Out gives us a unique opportunity to connect with people who might not have time to participate in a traditional night meeting.” The Planning Department’s station at Lynnside Out will be providing free ice cream from Union Cafe to visitors who participate in the Vision Lynn activities.
In addition to the City departments, Lynnside Out is supported by a number of community organizations. Creative Collective LLC is the official event planner and has taken the lead in curating a diverse set list of different musicians and entertainers who will be performing at Frederick Douglass Park. Youth from RAW Art Works helped design posters to promote the event during a summer camp and RAW staff will also host a crafting activity. In addition, the YMCA is providing cold water and the City’s Food Security Task Force is offering up to 400 pounds of fresh produce.
In order to promote Lynnside Out, the Mayor’s office and the Planning department distributed more than 500 multilingual flyers to local businesses, distributed lawn signs across the City, and collaborated with RAW Art Works to help design one version of the flyer.
