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Nancy Pitkin is a longtime member of the Pollard Memorial Libary’s nonfiction book club. The next selection for the club is Jane Mayer’s “Dark Side: The Inside Story of How America’s War on Terror Turned into a War on American Ideals.” The club will meet to discuss the book on…
Read More »The following is an excerpt from Mill Power: The Origin and Impact of Lowell National Historical Park, my book just published last week by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. This passage is the conclusion of Chapter Five, “The Economics of Heritage,” which spells out the economic benefits that have been derived…
Read More »Since the mid-1970s, Lowell has been the subject of many regional, national, and global media reports (newspaper, magazine, radio, TV, and web) because of its distinctive national park and award-winning urban revitalization rooted in the preservation and celebration of its industrial, architectural, natural, and cultural heritage. The late Dr. Patrick…
Read More »I’m late in posting, or re-posting, this sketch that I wrote in 1991 and which has appeared a few times on this blog. The loosestrife shows up in high summer along the rivers and in wetlands all over the region. This past week in local vacation travels I noticed patches…
Read More »For the downtown narrative: Rosemary and I last evening ate supper at the Viet-Thai Restaurant across from City Hall. At 6.30-7 pm, there were 30 people in the place. We had cashew chicken and shrimp pad thai with spring rolls to start. Everything very good and modestly priced (appetizer: $3).…
Read More »Yesterday, Saturday, Rosemary and I did a Merrimack Valley “stay-cation” excursion with an excellent lunch at Salvatore’s Italian restaurant on the riverside in Lawrence (Romana & Caprese salads, chicken croccante with teriyaki sriracha glaze, and green pepper & onion pizza, with fresh sangria to drink) and then a free self-guided…
Read More »The Demoulas drama coming at all of us who are watching, either live in Merrimack Valley or via media, is triggering a million memories of our encounters with the family and its business. I’m pretty sure it was in the mid-1980s when Fotene Demoulas invited a group of creative people…
Read More »Last night in the Lowell Summer Music Series at Boarding House Park, Lyle Lovett and friends performed for the third time on the iconic pavilion stage, giving us a stunning and sterling display of musicianship and joie de vivre—a dose of happiness like others that are supplied over and over,…
Read More »Congratulations to all who organized and attended today’s Southeast Asian Water Festival which seemed to be a great success. The crowd this year look larger than in the past few years and the weather was perfect. It’s hard to believe that this was the 18th annual Water Festival and it’s…
Read More »Downtown Lowell two-way traffic in play this morning. Looking good. Lots of signs, cones, cops, message boards, etc. Saw somebody make a right turn onto Central from Merrimack, heading south, smooth running. I think this is going to be a big plus. Change the vibe downtown. Improve navigation. Make it…
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