Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and the host committee for the 2004 Democratic National Convention announced Monday the launch of Celebrate Boston 2004, a month-long festivity consisting of social and cultural events leading up to the DNC in July.
Menino said the celebrations will “show [the] diversity of Boston and the strength of our city.” He added that it will “show delegates what Boston is built upon and the strength of our neighborhoods.”
Celebrate Boston is sponsored by Boston 2004 Incorporated, a host committee that includes of some of the city’s most prominent figures, including Celtic great Bill Russell, African-American scholar and Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Boston Pops Orchestra Director Keith Lockhart.
Lockhart stood with the host committee and announced that the Boston Pops will perform at the gala concert event on the eve of the DNC.
He said Boston is a “model of what great America should be in finance, academia and medical research.” He added that the “convention is a living embodiment of creating an America that works.”
Menino said the media campaign began Monday and the advertising campaign will kick off at the end of June. The celebration begins with the July 4 festivities and continues throughout the month.
The mayor said he hopes the celebrations will not only publicize the July convention but also provide an economic windfall for the city.
The host committee and Menino said they hope the convention will generate business for companies owned by minorities as well as women.
Community leader and committee member Frieda Garcia said she hopes the convention will display the “diversity” of Boston and “help fill the needs of people in the neighborhoods who want to be involved.”
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