Author Archive

Lowell Years in Review: 2014, 2015 & 2016

2014 in Review At its inaugural ceremony in January, the new city council unanimously selected Rodney Elliott to be the new Mayor of Lowell.  The new council consisted of reelected incumbents Elliott, Rita Mercier, Ed Kennedy, Bill Martin and John Leahy and newcomers Dan Rourke, Bill Samaras, Jim Milinazzo and…

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Christmas in Lowell: 1921

What was Christmas like in Lowell one hundred years ago? Here are some stories that appeared in the local newspapers in the days leading up to Christmas as well as some ads for local merchants: First Day of Winter: Warmer tomorrow! The weather man promises to repent and make full…

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The Christmas Fruitcake Returns

The Christmas Fruitcake: An Ageless Traditionby Henri Marchand A note from the author: Like its subject this essay has been around, appearing first as a Sunrise radio essay on WUML-FM, re-wrapped as a “Guest Column” piece in the Sun newspaper, and showing up on this blog for the past few…

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 Recollections of Noël

Recollections of Noël By Louise Peloquin When the priest at Notre Dame de Lourdes church * put on violet vestments on the first Sunday of Advent, Noël was on the horizon. My family attended French Mass which always included traditional hymns from Québec and France. Our Advent favorite was: “Venez…

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A Christmas Encounter with the Drifters

Crawdaddy Remembers A 1953 Christmas Encounter With the Drifters By Bill Crawford My dad yanked me in hard out of the cold. It was mid-December 1953, and the black Gotham City skies were spitting down snow flurries. We were waiting to rendezvous with my mom who left us for a…

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A Perfect Day

A Perfect Day By Malcolm Sharps Malcolm Sharps recalls a day in London in the seemingly much safer world of forty years ago: My girlfriend was from Brazil.  Or rather, to me, she wasn’t just from Brazil, she was Brazil, the embodiment of the country, she was bossa nova, she…

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Boarding School Blues: Chapter 26

Boarding School Blues: Chapter 26 By Louise Peloquin Ch. 26: Bon appétit! Gargantuan appetites wiped out the feast Tante Lucie had spent days preparing. Blanche watched spellbound as the ovenware plates were filled, cleaned, refilled and cleaned again. The sight of loaded forkfuls so quickly devoured made her feel a…

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