Several hundred people crossed a picket line of municipal employees on Friday to join Governor Mitt Romney in officially opening the new MassMutual Convention Center in Springfield. The $71 million project came in on time and under budget, according to James Rooney, the executive director of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority. Speakers addressed the audience in front of a wall of huge orange, green and blue balloons, which were burst with the help of characters from Six Flags New England to reveal a sign that read that the center was now open for business. Invited guests then attended a trade show with 50 local businesses from the tourism and hospitality industry.
Springfield Reminder photos by G. Michael Dobbs
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