LYNN — On the 175th anniversary of its incorporation as a city, the community gathered at Lynn Common on Wednesday to celebrate its history, honor its future, and witness the rebirth of a long-dormant civic symbol: the fountain at the heart of the Frederick Douglass Bandstand.
Personnel Director Drew Russo, who served as master of ceremonies, opened the event by noting that on May 14, 1850, city government was formally established in Lynn.
“We’ve come a long way in the last 175 years,” Russo said. “Lynn is truly a microcosm of the American urban experience.”
The centerpiece of the celebration was the rededication of the restored fountain — now equipped with programmable spray rings, cascading bowls, and color-shifting LED lights. The project was led by the Lynn Office of Community Development, with funding from the state’s Parkland Acquisitions and Renovations for Communities (PARC) program. Raffaele Construction, Cassidy Brothers Forge, and The Fountain People of San Marcos, Texas, completed the extensive restoration, including ironwork and an updated control system housed in the adjacent comfort station.
“This has been years in the making,” John Moberger of Community Development said. “And the work isn’t just about infrastructure — it’s about public space and civic pride.”
The event featured a strong showing from Lynn’s school community. Students from St. Mary’s High School led the Pledge of Allegiance, and freshman Mirabelle Calaunan performed the national anthem. The Lynn English High School JROTC presented the colors and staged a drill demonstration, while the Lynn Public Schools All City Band performed a patriotic medley. Later in the program, the St. Mary’s chorus performed, and members of the nationally recognized Lynn Tech SkillsUSA program were applauded from the bandstand.
Former city councilor and Lynn Museum board president Joe Scanlon offered a vivid recounting of the city’s formation, noting that Lynn’s transition from town to city was narrowly decided by a 60-vote margin in 1850.
“Lynn was founded on two dominant ideas — freedom and equality,” Scanlon said. “Those principles have endured through every era.”
But it was Lynn’s inaugural poet laureate, Michelle “LaPoetica” Richardson, who stole the show. In a powerful bilingual performance blending poetry and testimony, she urged residents to take pride in Lynn’s diversity and called on youth and elders to claim ownership of their city.
“A community filled with lighthouses on the seashore is not allowed to fail,” Richardson said. “Lynn is not a trash bin. Lynn is love.”
Mayor Jared C. Nicholson closed the program by reflecting on the values embedded in Lynn’s past, including its public opposition to the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act.
“A fountain won’t save us,” he said. “But if anything can, it’s the enduring values we’ve carried for generations — inalienable rights, self-governance, and community.”
The afternoon capped off with the turning on of the long-dormant fountain. With a signal from the control room and cheers from the crowd, jets of water burst into the air. “I swam in that thing, danced in that thing when I was a little kid,” Ward 6 Councilor Fred Hogan said. “Today is gonna be an amazing day — we’re gonna light up that fountain, light up the Common, and light up Ward 6 with joy.”
