There’s always a Lowell connection, right? Farewell, David Bowie, rock star, pop star, culture star, endlessly inventive artist. When I heard the news today, I was reminded of a story told to me by Lowell singer-songwriter extraordinaire Bob Martin. He was breaking into the music business in the early 1970s,…
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Around 1996, there was a lot of activity flowing from an idea about transforming Lowell into “The Flowering City,” with a new effort to enhance the parks, forest, waterways, gardens. The thinking was that the community was ready to shift its attention from 20 years of bricks-and-mortar rehab and redevelopment…
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I saw the new Star Wars movie yesterday at the Lowell Cinema. The Force Awakens is a very good movie, well worth seeing. This is the seventh movie in the Star Wars series although you don’t need to know that to enjoy this film. If you are old enough to…
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Rosemary and I were lucky enough to get tickets to the sold-out New Year’s Eve celebration organized by the ever-active Made in Lowell group led by Tobi Marx and his team. At least 350 people converged on the majestic stone “cathedral” that was once St Jean Baptiste church (also Nuestra…
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Seems official if there are web links to get free tickets being posted on Facebook. The Donald is due in Lowelltown. John Cassidy of The New Yorker magazine has a cutting take on candidate Trump, one of the increasing number of media sideswipes that have not been effective in slowing…
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The entry below is being cross posted from Marjorie Arons-Barron’s own blog. It’s that time of year: movie time. The industry wants its best products out before the New Year to compete in the Oscars. The only question for my husband, my sister and me is whether to go to…
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Save the date if you are a fan of The Brush Art Gallery & Studios and the Lowell cultural renaissance. On Saturday, January 16, at 1 pm, the Brush Gallery is hosting a panel discussion about the roots of this amazing arts project that will begin its 35th year in…
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Web image by anthony92931 courtesy of commons.wikimedia Along with Henri Marchand’s “fruitcake” essay and my “Oranges at Christmas” essay, the re-appearance of this poem has become part of the Christmas tradition for our blog. I wrote the first draft of this poem in 1976, and worked on it on-and-off for a long…
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This essay was first heard on the “Sunrise” radio program of WUML, 92.5 FM, at UMass Lowell around 2007. Executive producer Chris Dunlap assembled writers in the area for the daily essay feature, a popular component of the morning public affairs show. I’ve shared this essay with rh.com readers for several…
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