Sammy Hagar Day!

By Jennifer Myers

Friday was Sammy Hagar Day in Lowell.

The rocker, best known for the years he spent as the lead singer of Van Halen (“Right Now,” “Why Can’t This Be Love”), came to Lowell to play the WAAF Halloween Thrillogy show with Sick Puppies and Buckcherry.

Backstage prior to the show, Sammy presented Amy Pessia and Debbie Callery from the Merrimack Valley Food Bank with a $5,000 donation. Raised by a single mother who relied on hunger relief programs to feed Sammy and his three siblings, Sammy gives back by donating to a hunger relief agency in every city in which he tours. His usual donation is $2,500, but in honor of Food Day, which was last Thursday, he doubled the donation to the Merrimack Valley Food Bank.

Left to right: Debbie Callery, Amy Pessia, Sammy Hagar

Debbie and Amy with Sammy and his wife Kari.

In recognition of his generous donation, Sammy was presented with a mayoral citation and a Lowell City Hall pin. He remarked that, other than his hometown, no other city or town had recognized him.

Sammy and Kari with City Councilor Marty Lorrey who presented the citation.

CITATION

 Be it hereby known to all that

the City of Lowell in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

hereby honors

 SAMMY HAGAR and THE HAGAR FAMILY FOUNDATION

 In recognition of this generous donation to the Merrimack Valley Food Bank, an organization that supplies 3 million pounds of food annually to 80 shelters, pantries and meal programs throughout the region.

 Raised by a single mother who relied on hunger relief programs to feed her family, Sammy understands that no one can rock n’ roll on an empty stomach.

 The City of Lowell commends Sammy for not forgetting his roots and for giving back in such a big way, a quality that is even more impressive than his stellar four-decade long career as a rock star.

Today, October 25, 2013 we enthusiastically celebrate “Sammy Hagar Day” in the City of Lowell and encourage all residents “Right Now”
to rock out and follow Sammy’s example. 

Patrick Ó. Murphy

Mayor

 Joseph Mendonca

Vice Chair

Rodney M. Elliott

Edward J. Kennedy, Jr.

John J. Leahy

Martin E. Lorrey

William F. Martin, Jr.

Rita M. Mercier

Vesna E. Nuon