City Commisison asks Liberty Hall to tweak birthday plans

An event to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Liberty Hall building will be tweaked but will continue on after Lawrence city commissioners expressed support Tuesday.

Commissioners at their weekly meeting balked at the idea of closing down a portion of the 600 block of Massachusetts Street on June 22 to host a street party event to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the building.

But commissioners urged Liberty Hall officials to file new plans that would move the street party portion of the event to Seventh Street between New Hampshire and Massachusetts streets. As proposed, the street would be closed from 1 p.m. to midnight.

Commissioners also said they would be open to allowing the event to take over the parking spaces on the east side of the 600 block of Massachusetts Street.

Rob Fitzgerald, event manager for Liberty Hall, said he would work to make the changes to the event.

He said details about the party haven’t been set, but he expects to have a kids zone full of games, some live music and probably some birthday cake. The city also has been asked to approve alcohol sales on the portion of the street that will be closed.

The party will take place the same night that The Flaming Lips will play a sold-out show at Liberty Hall. The street closing request is expected to be back on the commission’s June 5 agenda.

The Liberty Hall building opened 100 years ago as the Bowersock Opera House.