1.

Middlesex Community College Friday night drew a large crowd to Lowell Memorial Auditorium for the celebration of 40 years of MCC and 20 years of President Carole Cowan’s leadership there. Congratulations to everyone who helped produce a dynamic event, which had the feeling of a special party more than a testimonial dinner-type event. The socializing, music, food, beverages, and dancing were at the maximum, and the official speaking program was at a minimum. I’d say more than 80 percent of the men dressed by the “black tie” rules. Jack O’Connor wore his white tux jacket, the only one I saw. Designer Elaine Crandall transformed the interior of the Auditorium with colored accent lighting, green plants, club tables, and dancing-theme prints on the curved walls. The band, whose name I don’t know, was top-notch—and from Chelmsford.  

2.

The 10th Annual Lowell Open Studios was still going strong at Western Avenue Studios at 4 pm today when my wife and I went over to see the artists. We saw a shuttle bus dropping off people and picking up others for the return trip to downtown. There was a young woman with a Segway in the parking lot at WAS, which was an unusual sight. As we walked down five flights of stairs on the way out, people were still arriving, some of them talking animatedly about which artist they really wanted to see. We heard that the 90-degree heat yesterday may have kept the turnout lower than last year. Do any of our readers have reports from the field?