The City of Lowell will celebrate its 175th anniversary as a city chartered in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts with a gala event at City Hall and environs on Monday April 11, 2011 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. The evening will feature honored speakers, musical performances and City Hall tours. More of this later.

As part of this year-long celebration the city is sponsoring a “Lowell Stories” contest. Here are the specifics:

Lowell Stories: Showcasing Our City’s Past & Present

Lowell’s turning 175! To kick-off the year-long celebration and showcase the City’s heritage and spirit, we want to hear your “Lowell Story.”  Do you have a fun story about a memorable Lowell experience? Maybe an inspiring performance, outing with friends or celebrity encounter?  Or, maybe your family has a unique story about how they came to live in the City? The sky’s the limit…if you have a story to tell, we want to hear it!

One (1) Grand Prize winner will receive 2 Season Passes to the Lowell Summer Music Series!  Plus, three (3) runners up will receive a $50 gift certificate to a Downtown Lowell restaurant.  Many other entries will be featured online throughout the year.

To enter, please complete the submission form below.  Make sure to include a relevant photo of you or something related to your story.

Submissions can also be mailed to: “Lowell Stories,” c/o Single Source, P.O. Box 29, Danvers, MA 01923. Make sure to include your story (150 words or less), and a related photo, plus your full name, email address and daytime phone number.

Entries will be judged based on individuality, creativity and spirit.  So, don’t hold back! Whether your story is sentimental, whimsical or totally hilarious, we want to hear it! 

Don’t wait!  Entries will be collected through May 11^th 

Winners Announced: May 30th

You can get the full rules and enter the contest on line here at: http://lowell.org/Pages/lowell175.aspx