This poem is from the winter of 1983-84, when I was living in Southern California just south of Laguna Beach. Dana Point was a small coastal town that has since expanded to the extent that there is now a Ritz Carlton there. When I was there it was the bottom edge of…
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These days there continues to be a kerfuffle in certain places when mentions or symbols or images of Christmas make their way into our public schools. While perusing the December 24, 1971 edition of the Lowell Sun, I came across a story about a play presented at Lowell’s Reilly School.…
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“Venice of the North Series: Boott Cotton Warehouse, Eastern Canal” by Richard Marion (c) 2011 See more artwork at www.richardmarion.net
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Holidays to me are characterized by rituals: Cookouts on the Fourth of July, visiting the cemetery on Memorial Day, enduring the mainstream media’s incessant “War on Christmas” stories every December. Personally, I’m comfortable wishing folks a Merry Christmas, but I also sympathize with those who are hesitant to do so.…
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Lots of familiar faces, with the opening photo of the Christmas tree smokestack from Tony Sampas. Thanks to Phil the Ranger and all the LNHP folks for their kind sentiments [youtube]7pQ78UmGFow[/youtube]
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Paul McCartney on Tuesday returned to his roots in Liverpool for a concert at the Echo Arena on the dockside along the Mersey River. Read one fan’s report on the concert and hometown atmosphere from the a very active website devoted to McCartney, The Beatles, and their friends. For the obsessives among us,…
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In April, 1861 the troops that had organized in Lowell at the call of President Lincoln, assembled as the Massachusetts Sixth Regiment in front of the State House in Boston. There Governor John Andrew – in a custom followed since revolutionary days – presented them with their regimental colors. As MassMoments reminds…
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I wrote the first draft of this poem in 1976, and worked on it on and off for a long time. I had in mind the extensive outdoor lighting displays in Dracut (the town) and Lowell, but, especially as it evolved, the dense array of Christmas decorations in Pawtucketville, between Mammoth Road and…
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For those of us who believe in government as the civilized way to make decisions about matters in life that affect us all, the action at the Lowell City Council this evening is reason for optimism. Our municipal representatives and professional staff in collaboration with the various labor unions in the city found their…
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Above from left: Brian Martin, Bill Martin, Jim Milinazzo, Rita Mercier, Niki Tsongas, Richard Howe Sr, Bud Caulfield, Armand LeMay; from October 2010 in front of Lowell City Hall. Tonight is the final city council meeting (for now, at least) for three councilors. The meeting begins at 6:30 pm and…
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