“Cheers Through the Years” at Gillette

Mark Farinella
The Sun Chronicle
July 2, 2010

The Hall at Patriot Place has addressed several aspects of the Patriots’ history since it opened, and now it’s the cheerleading squads’ turn. An exhibit at the Hall will be devoted to that history and will make its debut July 8, and our Keith Nordstrom was scouring the files on Thursday looking for the photo of four local women (including Foxboro dance instructor Mary O’Brien Miller) who were on the squad in 1978 when the team re-booted and re-emphasized the cheerleading squad. that photo graced the cover of our 1978 football section, which was the second one published by The Sun Chronicle and the first to take on the appearance of a magazine.

He found the photo, which you can see at right. The young ladies (now in their 50s) are, from left, Patti Dunham of Franklin, Miller, Diane Laquidara of Franklin and Laurel Jones of Mansfield.

Here are the details of the upcoming exhibit in Foxboro:

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THE HALL AT PATRIOT PLACE TO UNVEIL CHEERS THROUGH THE YEARS EXHIBIT
July 8 exhibit opening will include the unveiling of the new Patriots Cheerleader uniforms

Did you know that in a single year the Patriots Cheerleaders perform more than 8,400 high kicks, do more than 12,000 abdominal crunches and run more than 20 miles worth of Gillette Stadium ramps? How about that the average Patriots Cheerleader has been dancing for more than 15 years? Or that the Patriots once had a mascot named Super Patriot? Cheers Through the Years, the new Patriots Cheerleader exhibit at The Hall at Patriot Place presented by Raytheon, tells the story of what it takes to be a Patriots Cheerleader, looks back on the history of the squad and examines some of the cheerleaders’ unique contributions to the community.

WHAT: On July 8, The Hall at Patriot Place presented by Raytheon will host a special event to unveil Cheers Through the Years to both current Patriots Cheerleaders and Patriots Cheerleader Alumni. Cheers Through the Years will feature life-size cheerleader images, team and individual photos, video from auditions and swimsuit calendar shoots, uniforms from different eras and other artifacts. The exhibit will open to the public on July 9, 2010 and run through the end of September. Also at the event, the current Patriots Cheerleaders will unveil their new uniforms, redesigned for the 2010 season.

WHO: Current Patriots Cheerleaders, Patriots Cheerleader Alumni and youth cheerleaders from the South Attleboro White Hawks

WHEN: July 8, 2010 at 7 p.m.

7:15 p.m. — Speaking program and group photo

7:45 p.m.– Additional photo ops, interviews and a tour of the exhibit

WHERE: The Hall at Patriot Place presented by Raytheon (Patriot Place, Foxborough, Mass.)

MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES: First look at the new Patriots Cheerleader uniforms, redesigned for 2010; Interviews with current and former cheerleaders; Tour of the exhibit with The Hall at Patriot Place Executive Director Bryan Morry and Patriots Cheerleader Director Tracy Sormanti.