The final tours of historic Lowell Cemetery for this season will be held this coming weekend. The first is on Friday, October 1 at 1 pm. The second is Saturday, October 2 at 10 am. Both tours begin at the Knapp Avenue entrance which is right next to Shedd Park. The tours last approximately 90 minutes, are free, and require no advance registration. There is a good bit of walking involved and the tours occur rain or shine.
Sherwood
This little companion has awakened from a deep and restful sleep, and is eager to keep a watchful eye out for you. (Note accompanying Sherwood (shown above) purchased today at Hungate Sculpture and Design at Western Avenue Studios in Lowell).
I gave up on the Patriots during their fourth preseason game, so I didn’t mind heading out of the house this afternoon to visit Western Avenue Studios and the Whistler House as part of Lowell Open Studios. Western Ave was as crowded as I’ve ever seen it and most of the artists had their spaces open for inspection. Painters seemed to predominate today and sculpting with glass seemed quite popular. There were plenty of familiar faces including my grammar school classmate Joe Quinlan whose space contained some amazing black and white photos of Lowell; Cartoonist Bill Bradbury who talked to me about having my dad as a teacher at Lowell High in the early 1960s, and Guy Lefebvre of Lowell Gallery (on Jackson Street) who was there as a visitor. After spending a couple of hours at Western Ave, I headed over to the Whistler House to see Janet Lambert Moore’s exhibit which was excellent, as always.
If you couldn’t make it to Western Ave today, most of the spaces will be open next Saturday (the first Saturday of the month) from noon to 5 pm.
Tom Byrne is a regular in studio member of the Saturday morning Warren Shaw Show on 980WCAP. This week, Byrne spoke about his involvement in an ongoing Federal investigation that was reported in the Lowell Sun earlier this week. Here are some of the things that Byrne and Warren Shaw had to say:
[Tom Byrne] First of all Warren, I want to thank you and Mr. Smidt and Mr. Poulten for allowing me to be here. It’s their radio station and your show. I have generated some controversy which I’m extremely embarrassed about and the situation is something that I have been advised rather strongly that I cannot comment about directly. But I just wanted to come in; to keep my normal lifestyle. I’m around; I’m about. This whole thing will play itself out. I’m sure everything will work out well. Being me, I wanted to come in here and debate various and sundry things. I’ve been told extremely strongly that I cannot. But I still felt I should come in, number one, to apologize to people that I consider to be friends that have been subject to innuendos and stories that in my estimation, I have to say that, are not true. I apologize profusely to my mother and kids all of which got those letters. There must be bunches of letters around and about because I talk to bunches and bunches of people. Or I did. The phone hasn’t been ringing lately. . . But I feel bad. I want to defend people who shouldn’t have to be defended. I want to defend myself and can’t. I intend to go fully through the process – although I don’t have a choice. I’m going through the process whether I like it or not. And to be as cooperative as I can be with people who decide that they might want to ask questions. All I can tell the people who have listened or are listening who find some of my inanities at least close to being entertaining, that after this is over. I’ll be around. I’ll be here. . . . . . I would be remiss if I didn’t show up here. In my mind, I didn’t do anything wrong. But I cannot talk about it and won’t.
[Warren Shaw] Those who have followed my career know that I was in politics for many, many years and I know a good guy from a bad guy and the legislative delegation which in my opinion has had their reputations tarnished by what was printed in the paper this week, I know all four of these men. Not a one of them are either dishonest enough or stupid enough to involve themselves in something like that. And I think that’s important. I went on that stupid Topix thing that the paper has and there are people there talking about what in my opinion are some of the most respectable people in the community and you cannot get involved with politics and not have somebody at some point try to do something and I’m not talking about Tom Byrne. I’m talking about somebody that may be trying to influence you. Whether you like it or not, it is legal for the former senator [presumably he's referring to Joe Tully here who once served in the state senate] to be employed by Mr. Paley to try to influence the situation. Where it’s a real problem is where there’s money exchanged. And so these things go on and the most honest of public officials would have been written about in the same fashion as the Lowell delegation was. . . . . I feel badly that four people that I consider to be some of the best of Lowell have been cast in that dark light. . . . . I think the unfairness part of the Lowell Sun story was the way it was left in terms of the delegation. It may sell papers and it may grab people’s attention but I don’t know what you do to return the excellent reputations of the persons who represent Lowell in the legislature after a story like that.
1.
Middlesex Community College Friday night drew a large crowd to Lowell Memorial Auditorium for the celebration of 40 years of MCC and 20 years of President Carole Cowan’s leadership there. Congratulations to everyone who helped produce a dynamic event, which had the feeling of a special party more than a testimonial dinner-type event. The socializing, music, food, beverages, and dancing were at the maximum, and the official speaking program was at a minimum. I’d say more than 80 percent of the men dressed by the “black tie” rules. Jack O’Connor wore his white tux jacket, the only one I saw. Designer Elaine Crandall transformed the interior of the Auditorium with colored accent lighting, green plants, club tables, and dancing-theme prints on the curved walls. The band, whose name I don’t know, was top-notch—and from Chelmsford.
2.
The 10th Annual Lowell Open Studios was still going strong at Western Avenue Studios at 4 pm today when my wife and I went over to see the artists. We saw a shuttle bus dropping off people and picking up others for the return trip to downtown. There was a young woman with a Segway in the parking lot at WAS, which was an unusual sight. As we walked down five flights of stairs on the way out, people were still arriving, some of them talking animatedly about which artist they really wanted to see. We heard that the 90-degree heat yesterday may have kept the turnout lower than last year. Do any of our readers have reports from the field?
Jennifer Myers of the SUN yesterday wrote about the statewide group called Preservation Massachusetts sounding the alarm about proposed changes to the Pawtucket Falls Dam on the Merrimack River. Read her article here, and consider buying the SUN if you appreciate the reporting.
City Council, Culture, Greater Lowell, History, Lowell | 
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As long as foreclosures in the region increase, the value of real estate will continue to slide downward. And the number of foreclosures is up. A front-page story in today’s Lowell Sun reports on the trend both in Lowell and statewide. Other reports on foreclosures and overall real estate trends can be found in the Merrimack Valley Housing Report, a free newsletter delivered each month by email to subscribers (the Housing Report is a joint publication of UMass Lowell and the Middlesex North Registry of Deeds). The registry of deeds also makes monthly reports on sales and foreclosure notices freely available on its website and the registry’s blog publishes document statistics at the end of each month.
While there are a variety of sources to turn to for data on foreclosures, not many people understand the foreclosure process, so I thought it might be helpful to give a brief overview:
When a home owner falls behind on his mortgage payments, the lender sends a “notice to cure the deficiency.” If the home owner fails to make the amount owed current or if the parties fail to negotiate some type of modification, the lender begins the foreclosure process with a “notice of acceleration” which causes the entire amount of the loan to be due immediately. Next, the lender files a complaint in the Land Court seeking a declaration that the home owner is not entitled to the protection of the Service Members Relief Act which provides certain protections against foreclosure to those serving in the military. As part of this action, the Land Court gives the lender an Order of Notice that must be (1) served on the home owner; (2) recorded at the registry of deeds; and (3) published one time in the local newspaper. Here’s a sample of an Order of Notice that was recently published:
To: Adrian L. Federico, Trustee of DeStefano Family Realty Trust, AND TO ALL PERSONS ENTITLED TO THE BENEFIT OF THE SERVICES MEMBERS’ CIVIL RELIEF ACT OF 1940 AS AMENDED: The Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union, claiming to be the holder of a mortgage covering real property in Lowell, numbered 169-177 Merrimack Street . . ., has filed with said court a Complaint for authority to foreclose said mortgage . . . If you are entitled to the benefits of the Service Members’ Civil Relief Act of 1940 and you object to such foreclosure you or your attorney should file a written appearance and answer in said court . . .
Don’t miss Rachel Briere’s article in the Lowell Sun Today – “Never missing a beat.” She sets the stage for the greatly revamped upcoming “Lowell Celebrates Kerouac” aka Jack Kerouac Literary Festival in these opening paragraphs:
The dawning of October in New England ushers in a number of unique elements setting the region and city apart from the rest of the country. Colorful foliage spreads across the area like a painter’s brush peppering the landscape with fiery reds, vibrant oranges and soothing yellows that mesmerize both young and old. There is a crisp fragrance of fresh apples and spicy pumpkins that no store bought scented candle can match. And as tan lines fade, smiles seem to remain as fall is born.
In Lowell, autumn means more than just experiencing Mother Nature’s dramatic build to the finale of the end of the year. It signifies the return of the Jack Kerouac Literary Festival. Beginning on Thursday, the Mill City will be littered with events including seminars, readings, talks, tours, concerts and presentations, centered mainly around the Beat Generation icon.
The interview with Paul Marion, the executive director of community and cultural affairs at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, lays out some of the nearly 25 year history of the event that has grown from a tour and some readings to the widely known and celebrated literary festival of today.
Read more about the event here: http://www.lowellsun.com/lifestyles/ci_16179177#ixzz10fLt9Bz4
Read more: http://www.lowellsun.com/lifestyles/ci_16179177#ixzz10fLYCFYI
Click here for the schedule of events, Sept. 30 through Oct. 3.
Culture, Current Events, Greater Lowell, History, Lowell, Poetry | No Comments »
How many films have been made about a poem? Here’s one. Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl” isn’t for everyone’s taste, but it did its part to shake up a lot of people’s thinking and sent a shock wave through the literary world. It’s been described as the second most influential long poem of the 20th century, after T.S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land” (1922).
The writers of the 1950s, ’60s, and later who are known as the “Beat writers” continue to make news and feed contemporary culture. Today’s Globe includes a review by Sam Allis of a new film about Allen Ginsberg’s central poem, “Howl,” whose title was suggested by Lowell’s own Jack Kerouac, and the 1957 obscenity trial that raised its profile. The movie features well known actors such as James Franco as Ginsberg, Jon Hamm (“Mad Men”) as publisher Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s lawyer, David Strathairn (he’s been in many films, including one of the “Bourne” movies), and Jeff Daniels (veteran actor). This is a film that should be screened in Lowell.
Read the review here, and get the Globe if you appreciate the reporting.
(Web photo courtesy of boston.com) James Franco (right, with Aaron Tveit) portrays poet Allen Ginsberg in “Howl.’’ (Jojo Whilden/Oscilloscope Laboratories)
Our blogging colleague at Choosing a Soundtrack has a Friday, Sept. 24, post worth about four minutes of your time. He wrote about Hank Williams’ song “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” and brilliantly inserted an audio recording by a couple of his musician friends that is so easy to access that I want to borrow his idea so we can start “choosing a soundtrack” for this blog. Go to kad barma’s site here, scroll down a little, and enjoy.
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