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Paul in Paris

Paul in Paris By Louise Peloquin Beatles fans, this is for you and is dedicated to the late Malcolm Sharps of Liverpool.   The 2023 edition of The Lowell Review devoted an entire section to the Beatles. Charlie Gargiulo’s “Legends of Little Canada” also evokes their magic. (1) The memories shared…

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Lowell Politics: December 8, 2024

In last Sunday’s newsletter, I mentioned a Lowell Sun report that the city of Lowell had imposed a $300 per day fine on the Eliot Church for failing to clear trash from its property. As I predicted, the matter came up at Tuesday’s Lowell City Council meeting. Councilors self-righteously criticized…

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Notre Dame Inauguration News Flash

Notre Dame Inauguration New Flash By Louise Peloquin Barely 24 hours before the ceremony, The Archdiocese of Paris and the Élysée Palace (France’s “White House”) announced that the weather has flipped the December 7th Notre Dame inauguration ceremony set to welcome over 50 heads of state. Several of the main…

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Notre Dame: The Limestone Phoenix

Notre Dame, the Limestone Phoenix  By Louise Peloquin Victor Hugo’s bestselling gothic novel Notre-Dame de Paris, published in 1831, roused public interest in the deteriorating cathedral and led to its restoration between 1844 and 1864 spearheaded by architect Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc. Just as, on November 8th, the cathedral’s 8 restored bells tore…

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Crime or Insanity?

Crime or Insanity? – (PIP #49) By Louise Peloquin On  April 15th 2019, the New York Times featured the following headline:  “Fire Mauls Beloved Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.” 95 years earlier, Little Canada’s beloved cathedral would have suffered the same fate were it not for a young woman’s acuity and responsiveness. Here is L’Etoile’s front-page coverage…

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Thanksgiving Merriment in Lowell

Thanksgiving Merriment in Lowell – (PIP #48) By Louise Peloquin      After turkey and fixings, Lowell’s French-Canadians pursued Thanksgiving festivities by singing and dancing in their social clubs. Among the traditional dances was a series of complex, rapid and rhythmical steps come from Ireland. “La gigue” became emblematic of Québec…

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