Archive for September 19th, 2010

September 19th, 2010

Author Russell Banks at the Kerouac Festival, Sept. 30

by PaulM

Acclaimed author Russell Banks will talk about Jack Kerouac and read from his own fiction on Thursday, Sept. 30, 7 pm, at the UMass Lowell Inn & Conference Center. His novels include “Continental Drift,” “Affliction,”  “Cloudsplitter,” and “The Reserve.” A book-signing will follow.

Admission is free for students and seniors; $10 for the public. Contact paul_marion@uml.edu for reservations. The program will be in the Junior Ballroom of the ICC, 50 Warren St., Lowell.

Learn more about Russell Banks at his publisher’s website.

For the full schedule with times and locations of events during the Jack Kerouac Literary Festival, Sept. 30 – Oct. 3, visit www.uml.edu/artsandideas or www.lowellcelebrateskerouac.org

CategoryCulture, Education, History, Lowell | CommentNo Comments »

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September 19th, 2010

A Blast From the Past with a Merrimack Valley Connection

by Marie

 Kevin Landrigan is a Nashua Telegraph columnist. His column appears in the Sunday paper. He is described by the paper’s website as “The Telegraph’s Eyes and Ears in Concord.”

Former Lowell Sun staffer Kevin Landrigan is one of my favorite Sunday reads in the Nashua Telegraph. For many years now he has written a lengthy, weekly political column about the goings-on in New Hampshire politics. He gets the scoop, the inside story and the back story information from the very local to the more national view. (He certainly honed his skills back in the hay-day of the Lowell Sun’s – The Column.)

Today he takes we political junkies in our part of the Merrimack Valley down memory lane with his piece on the current political fortunes of six-term Windham Rep. Anthony DiFruscia – one the principals in the famous multi-candidate 1972 Fifth Congressional District Democratic Primary and subsequent lection. Many will remember the brouhaha caused when John Kerry’s brother Cam Kerry and Viet-Nam Vet activist Tom Vallaley were found in the Lowell building basement shared by both the Kerry and the DiFruscia campaigns. Charges of telephone tampering and dirty tricks were bandied about.

Here’s the current scoop on Mr. DiFruscia:

Jumping ship

At least one targeted moderate Republican lawmaker beaten on Tuesday bailed his party by week’s end.

Six-term Windham Rep. Anthony DiFruscia fell into the cross-hairs of social conservatives for his support of the same-sex marriage law and abortion rights. “As of yesterday, I am officially registered as an Independent,’’ DiFruscia said. “It appears as if the Republican party is imploding.’’

DiFruscia already had a colorful history of party stripes, having been a Democrat activist during the 1970s in Lawrence, Mass., running for Congress in a primary won by Sen. John Kerry, a 2004 nominee for president.

A colorful speaker and trial lawyer, DiFruscia ran for speaker of the House, but his maverick nature got him few votes in the GOP caucus.

“This is just another example of the Republican Party pushing people out that don’t meet their extreme, right-wing litmus test,’’ said Harrell Kirkstein, spokesman for the New Hampshire Democratic Party

 Read the full Landrigan column from the Nashua Telegrah here - there’s lots of great insight in to the politics of our neighbors in the Granite State. Kevin – thanks for the trip down Memory Lane.

CategoryGreater Lowell, History, Lowell, Politics | CommentNo Comments »

September 19th, 2010

Lowell: Hidden History

by Marie

An Irish passport circa 1924 – from the City Hall Attic treasure trove.

In today’s Lowell Sun writer Jen Myers and photograher Dave Brow give us a glimpse into the treasures locked away in the attic of Lowell’s City Hall. From my perspective and interest in Lowell history, I see tackling the chore of cleaning, culling and curating the vast collection of records, artifacts, curiosities and artwork – the perfect project to celebrate the extraordinary history of  Lowell as the City commemorates its 175th birthday in 2011.

Kudos to Manager Bernie Lynch for taking on this situation as a personal project and building on the work started by former City Manager Brian Martin. Indeed, the resources of the City need the combined efforts of the Lowell National Historical Park, the UMass Lowell/Center for Lowell History, the Lowell Historical Society and the Lowell Heritage Parnership as well as the attention and resources of the Commonweath through the Secretary of State, the Mass Historical Commission and the Governor if need be – to finally finish the project, dust out that attic and make way for study, display, reseach and preservation.

I will be serving on the 175th Anniversary Committee and attending the first meeting later this week. I plan to propose the City Hall Attic as an official  “to do” project of the 175th committee.

Read the full article and view the phographs here in the Lowell Sun. There will be more stories to come on this project – in the Sun and here on this blog.

BTW – it seems that nearly 25 years have passed since I was appointed  by the Manager as Vice-chair of the Sesquicentennial Commission to serve with now-Mayor Jim Milinazzo, Mary Bacigalupo, Walter Bayliss, Kevin Coughlin, Bob Malavich, George Tsapatsaris, Lew Karabatsos, Florence Marion, Zenny Speronis, Sandi Walter and others. Tme passes.

CategoryCulture, Current Events, History, Lowell, Politics | Comment1 Comment »