Time to celebrate: New England Patriots Super Bowl 51 Lombardi Trophy visits Worcester

June 16--Worcester residents gathered at City Hall on Friday afternoon for a celebration of sports and safety.

The Vince Lombardi Trophy that the New England Patriots earned after a stunning Super Bowl LI victory was on display, as smiling fans decked out in Pats gear waited to pose with the shining silver football.

Pat Patriot and Cheerleader Allison D., a Worcester State University graduate, joined the celebration.

To add an extra special element to the event, the Worcester Police Department officially announced the names of its new mounted unit horses, one of which has a Patriots connection.

As the mounted unit officers braved the rain, officials announced to a small crowd huddled under umbrellas that the horses have been aptly named Major, Midnight, Myra and Justice.

The names were picked by sponsors -- The Hanover Insurance Group, The Kraft Group, Unibank and City to Saddle -- who allowed the city to purchase the horses without taxpayer money.

"Just like the Patriots, the Worcester Police Department is always trying to improve," Police Chief Steven Sargent said.

The city and Discover Central Massachusetts worked together to bring the trophy to Worcester as part of the city's birthday celebration, which officially was on June 14.

It was event No. 34 of city's #Worcester100 initiative, which was created to bring 100 events to the common in 2017. People are asked to post pictures during the events and use the #Worcester100 hashtag on social media.

___

(c)2017 MassLive.com, Springfield, Mass.

Visit MassLive.com, Springfield, Mass. at www.masslive.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.