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A Christmas Eve memory in this excerpt from the 1957 essay “Not Long Ago Joy Abounded at Christmas” by Jack Kerouac: “. . . Christmas was observed all-out in my Catholic French-Canadian environment in the 1930s much as it is today in Mexico. . . .When we were old enough it was…
Read More ». “The Christmas Fruitcake” by Henri Marchand . I think there is no yuletide tradition so endlessly lampooned and so deliciously mocked as the once esteemed fruitcake. Everyone loves chestnuts roasting on an open fire and even plum pudding gets an annual endorsement by the beloved Cratchits, but mention fruitcake…
Read More »I was 20 years old in 1974, a sophomore studying political science at Merrimack College. when John Kerry announced he would not make a second attempt to be elected to Congress in the Fifth District. I had been a volunteer in the 1972 campaign, helping in a modest way in…
Read More »“Venice of the North: Boott Cotton Storage” by Richard Marion (c) 2012 See more artwork at www.richardmarion.net
Read More »The UMass Lowell Libraries will host a free five-part reading and discussion series focusing on three of Jack Kerouac’s Lowell-centric novels: “The Town and the City,” “Visions of Gerard” and “Maggie Cassidy.” The series, which begins Jan. 29, will feature UMass Lowell English Prof. Todd Tietchen leading discussions of each…
Read More »“The Bridge Review: Merrimack Valley Culture” is an online bio-regional magazine that was launched in the late 1990s. After publishing several issues, the original editors rested. The beauty of the web, of course, is that the previous issues remained available to interested readers. With the coming of the 2012 Bread…
Read More »Patrick J. Mogan (Photo (c) by James Higgins) We learned earlier today about the passing of Dr. Patrick J. Mogan—teacher, planner, dreamer, and tireless enthusiast for Lowell. I had the privilege of working for him and with him. He was a mentor and guide to me. His purposeful and joyful commitment…
Read More »Following is one writer’s highlights in cultural experiences in Lowell and the Merrimack Valley this past year. These are events I attended, so this list is not an attempt to rate the best in the arts and culture for 2012. That’s for another post. Send in your favorite and unforgettable moments,…
Read More »In the same year that UMass Lowell and the National Park Service celebrated Charles Dickens’s famous visit to Lowell in 1842, the University hosted the author who is arguably the Dickens of our time when it comes to readership and popular interest—that would be Stephen King, the guy who grew…
Read More »Spin the time machine and what comes up spurs recollections. Here’s an excerpt from the Fall 1978 issue of “Millstream,” the newsletter of the Lowell Museum, which operated out of the Wannalancit Mills complex on Suffolk Street in the 1970s. My co-blogger Marie Sweeney was president of the Lowell Museum…
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