By Dennis Shaughnessey, dshaughnessey@lowellsun.com
BOSTON -- Lowell, meet Lowell.
Like kids in a candy store, city officials got the thrill of a lifetime yesterday, just prior to the Boston Red Sox game at Fenway Park.
City Manager Bernie Lynch presented third baseman Lowell with a $5,000 check to the Mike Lowell Foundation, which supports families in their fight against cancer, as well as inner-city programs for young people in Boston and Florida. Lowell -- the player -- is a cancer survivor.
Mayor Edward "Bud" Caulfield and City Councilors Rita Mercier and Bill Martin presented Lowell -- the player -- with the key to the city, a Lowell High School baseball jersey with the name "Lowell" emblazoned on the back, and several T-shirts that read, "There's a lot to like about Lowell."
"That was absolutely awesome," said Mercier, who was attending her first-ever Red Sox game.
The dignitaries made their way to home plate, and Lowell -- the player -- strutted out of the dugout, trotting over to the group as the announcer introduced the delegation and proclaimed the day, "Mike Lowell Day," to the raucous applause of 37,000 fans.
As Caulfield presented Lowell with the framed key to the city, he leaned over and said, "What we'd really like is for you to come up for a visit sometime. I can assure you that we will roll out the red carpet for you."
"Let's make that happen," Lowell said.
Joining the group at home plate were about a dozen youths from the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Lowell, who watched the game from the Dunkin' Dugout in center field, courtesy of Tom Adie, a local businessman who owns 26 Dunkin' Donuts shops in the Greater Lowell area.
"We started talking about doing something like this a couple of months ago," Lynch said, "and the more we talked about it, the more we decided we really needed to do this as a way to promote the city."
He added that LZ Nunn, director of the city's Office of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, helped pull it all together.
"This is a partnership that we hope can flourish," Lynch said. "We were able to raise some money for youth programs. We got some kids down here from the city. It was a great day all-around."
And when it comes to promoting the city, there is nobody who heralds the rallying cry better than Caulfield, who appeared on WEEI 850AM Sports Radio during the Red Sox broadcast with announcers Joe Castiglione and Dave O'Brien.
"Mike Lowell has immense compassion, and the city of Lowell is full of compassion," Caulfield said. "We wanted to come down here today and thank him for his kind work with inner-city kids and in his fight against cancer."
For his part, Castiglione knew that Lowell -- the city -- is the home of Jack Kerouac, the Lowell Folk Festival, the Summer Music Series and, of course, the Lowell Spinners, the Boston Red Sox Class A affiliate.
"We also have many great museums and shops and just a group of first-class citizens," Caulfield said, extending an invitation to Castiglione and O'Brien to make the 23-mile trip north sometime.
"We'd love to, Mayor," Castiglione said.
That task completed, the contingent settled into the Dunkin' Donuts luxury box to watch the Red Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles, 2-1, and reclaim first place as the team heads into the All-Star break.
"Can you believe this?" Mercier gushed. "My very first game, and I'm up here in a luxury box. I may want to come back if I can sit here all the time."
Officials are hoping that "Lowell Day" at Fenway Park can become an annual event, forming a new partnership with the city, Dunkin' Donuts and the Fenway Sports Group.
"This is an exciting opportunity for the city," Lynch said. "We want to let Red Sox fans know that Lowell is a destination place for live music, professional sports, cultural festivals and a vibrant arts scene. People say, 'There's a lot to like about Lowell,' and I can't hear it enough."
This story appeared in the Lowell Sun on Monday, July 14, 2008