Live Lawrence! Presents Canal IllumiNations

LAWRENCE, MA  -- Live Lawrence! culminates its third season on Sunday, October 12, 2008 with Canal IllumiNations, a family-friendly festival centered around Lawrence's historic North Canal. The event will take place from 5:00-8:00 PM at Lawrence Heritage State Park, along the Canal, between Mill and Jackson Streets.

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, Canal IllumiNations will feature music, dance and other entertainment that reflects the diverse Latino community in Lawrence. The entertainment is free and will feature live performances by headline artists, Zili Misik (Afro-Caribbean), Hector Cuevas and the Boston Latin Band (salsa, merengue) and Veronica Robles and her Mariachi Band, as well as performances by Capoeira, a Brazilian martial arts troupe, and Dominican dancers, the Mirabal Family Comparsa. Movement City, a youth program of Lawrence CommunityWorks, will also perform.

Canal IllumiNations gets its name from the tradition of floating handmade lanterns, created by local school children and others, down the Canal. Children at Lawrence-area schools, youth centers and art classes, including the Lawrence YMCA, the Lawrence Boys and Girls Club, Esperanza Academy and the Essex Art Center, are creating the lanterns from a combination of new and recycled materials. There will also be a lantern-making station at the Lawrence Heritage State Park Visitors Center on the day of the event, available to all attendees. At sundown on October 12, there will be a lantern-lighting ceremony and parade along the North Canal, creating a beautiful display.

A variety of food, as well as hot and cold beverages, will be available for purchase.

Also on October 12, Cambridge College, in association with Live Lawrence!, the Colombian Cultural Committee and other cultural organizations in the Merrimack Valley, will host "A Journey Through Latin America," a celebration of music, dance, arts and crafts showcasing local talent. The event will precede Canal IllumiNations, beginning at 1:30 PM at 60 Island Street in Lawrence. The afternoon event will feature folkloric dancing performed by local youth and students, books from Latin America, food, poetry and karaoke. For more information, call 978-738-0502.

Canal IllumiNations is presented by Live Lawrence! Live Lawrence! is a partnership between the City of Lawrence and cultural, educational and environmental organizations dedicated to promoting and preserving Lawrence's rich history, diversity and cultural traditions. In addition to Canal IllumiNations, Live Lawrence! sponsors cultural events throughout the summer and fall months, including Traveling Cafes and the Farmers' Market Concert Series at the Lawrence Farmers Market.

The partners in Live Lawrence! are: Cambridge College, Northern Essex Community College, Lawrence Heritage State Park, Essex Art Center, Groundwork Lawrence, Lawrence CommunityWorks, Lawrence Cultural Alliance and the Lawrence History Center. Live Lawrence! is managed by Groundwork Lawrence and made possible through funding from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the City of Lawrence's Community Development Block funds, the Lawrence Cultural Council, and the White Fund, in addition to corporate and individual donations. For more information about Live Lawrence!, visit http://www.livelawrence.org.