Author Archive

“Onto the other side” –  (PIP #71) By Louise Peloquin Visitors traditionally gather at cemeteries during Memorial Day weekend to pay homage to loved ones passed “over unto the other side.” (1)      Last year, a “peek into the past” covered the 1917 procession which gathered thousands at St.-Joseph Cemetery.…

The Lowell City Council met Tuesday and covered several issues deserving of comment. Councilor Corey Belanger moved that the city “work with community partners to organize a regional fundraiser to benefit the Lowell Folk Festival Foundation.” Addressing the council on this motion, Art Sutcliffe, the Foundation chair, explained that the…

  As the weather warms and the outside turns vibrant green, my thoughts go to the many parks in the city of Lowell and their history. This is a republication of a story I wrote several years ago about Kittredge Park at the corner of Andover and Nesmith streets.  In…

Morning Mondo and A Question  By Jim Provencher  What’s the plan, Poppy, now that you’re getting up there, you going to ash or ground? My six-year-old grandson hits me with these questions out of nowhere, no holds barred morning mysteries, no filter, no curb, no screen. Ashes, I guess—why take…

Last Outpost Layover By Jim Provencher   Stalled at a kind of boundary line awaiting orders Another afternoon of pink grapefruit, soda & gin People die, places endure In a space of dead treelines and dry creekbeds Chipping away at dense blocks of gravity Noguchi-gouged granite, brutally knocking into the heart…

The Kerouac Renaissance: From Lowell to the World By Steve Edington—Lowell Celebrates Kerouac The Jack Kerouac Commemorative at Bridge and French Streets was formally dedicated in the summer of 1988 two years after the organization, Lowell Celebrates Kerouac, was created to carry forth the idea of honoring Kerouac in his…

“Echoes and Musings” – (PIP #70) By Louise Peloquin 24-26 Prince Street did not have AI-powered software to set up L’Etoile’s layout. Ways to “meubler l’espace” (furnish the spaces) had to be found. Advertising was essential as we have seen in previous “peeks into the past.” (1) Jokes and humorous…

The main event at Tuesday’s Lowell City Council meeting was City Manager Tom Golden’s presentation of his proposed FY26 city budget to councilors. The formal public hearing on the budget is scheduled for the council’s May 27th meeting. A concise PowerPoint presentation identified five “major fiscal challenges.” Increase in the…

Notre Dame Revisited By Louise Peloquin      Since Richard Howe’s April 3, 2023 post on Notre Dame (1), we have regularly covered the cathedral’s meticulous renovation. (2)      A journalist aims at investigating and gathering facts. A tourist plans to take in must-see spots. With the latter in mind, I decided to join…

Living Madly: Loneliness, Third Places, and The Back Table By Emilie-Noelle Provost Much has been written about the current “loneliness epidemic.” For the last fifteen or so years, people everywhere have become increasingly isolated from one another, a problem both exacerbated and accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. People are spending…