Fading Impressions By Leo Racicot I first noticed ghost signs around town about twenty years ago; I was sitting at the depot when I noticed the faded Hood’s ads on the side of the old Thorndike Factory Outlet building: Hood’s Vegetable Pills, Hood’s Ointment. There were names of other Hood…

Have a Joyous Vacation! – PIP #109 By Louise Peloquin      At a time when a great many Lowellians were actively engaged in World War II,  L’Etoile maintained daily detailed coverage of the conflict and of those involved in the thick of it. While extending happy summer vacation wishes to…

David Daniel passed away on May 5, 2026. He was a prolific writer and a longtime contributor to this blog. He also touched the lives of many people. Remembrances from his friends Steve O’Connor, Jerry Bisantz, Jay Atkinson and Ed DeJesus have previously appeared on this site here and here.…

There was no Lowell City Council meeting this week so I will return to my biographical sketches of the mayors of Lowell. This is the fourth installment which covers the second group of mayors who served under the Plan E form of government from1984 to the present. For those who…

Time of the End of the Season Part VII By Bob Hodge Bob Hodge grew up in Lowell and went on to graduate from Lowell High (1973) and University of Lowell (1990). He was (and still is) one the greatest runners to come out of this region. He’s also a…

All Aboard! By Leo Racicot Our mother never learned how to drive. As she told it, the first time her Lowell High School driving instructor took her out on the road, she drove straight into a ditch and said, “Never again!” As a single girl, she worked at Abbott Worsted in Forge Village, a…

A weekly report on things I’ve read, heard and seen since last Wednesday.  Article: “Could Massachusetts become the first state to repeal legalized marijuana?” by Bryan Hecht, Boston Globe, July 6, 2026. It looks like this November there will be a ballot question asking voters to repeal the ballot question…

Tour de France 2026 – Last Stage By Louise Peloquin On July 4th, the Tour de France took off from Barcelona for the first time, and offered spectators a magnificent view of cyclists whizzing by Antoni Gaudí’s  Sagrada Familia.      This brief is for readers who enjoy following the Tour…

Goddesses and Men By Stephen O’Connor When I was a child, my parents gave me an oversized storybook entitled Pegasus. On the cover, a brilliant white stallion charged heavenward on great feathered wings, bearing the young Bellerophon. I was smitten. My interest in classical mythology has never waned. One Christmas,…