Steve O’Connor, author of “Smokestack Lightning”, learned much about life while working as a clerk at the Davis Square Drug Store back in the 1970s: When my son approached the age at which he began to become convinced that he needed his own car, I put some vexing questions to…
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Note from Henri Marchand: Like its subject this essay has been around, appearing first as a Sunrise radio essay, re-wrapped as a “Guest Column” piece in the Sun and showing up on this blog last year. At Paul Marion’s request I re-gift it once more to all who either love…
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This reminder was sent by Jim Dyment of VYU arts magazine and the Whistler House Museum of Art: “Another neighborhood comes back to life as the Appleton Mills building on Jackson Street nears completion. It’s been under construction for months and this project is one more step in the process…
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The word downtown is that Steve O’Connor’s collection of short stories, “Smokestack Lightning,” is one of the hot local gift items for last minute shoppers. It’s a little big to go in a stocking, but fits nicely under the tree. Available at Barnes and Noble, Brew’d, Dharma Buns, Welle’s Emporium,…
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Tony Sampas photographed the Isso Shri Swaminarayan Temple at 1705 Middlesex Street during last night’s snowfall. This building formerly housed a Good Will warehouse facility and might be a familiar sight to anyone who has spent some time at the Edwards Street soccer field.
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It seems somehow appropriate that on this, the first day of winter, we finally got some snow. Certainly there’s not much of it – just a dusting. But at least it’s visible. Last night I began to wonder if the weather forecasters had messed up with their nonchalant predictions. On…
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America’s First Poet, she is called. Anne Bradstreet of North Andover, originally part of Andover in the mid-1600’s when she moved to the frontier with her family from Cambridge (then Newtowne). She had sailed from England in 1630 with her husband to avoid religious persecution as Puritans. She was 18…
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With great anticipation Paramount released nation-wide the Lowell based movie The Fighter last weekend. To put it in perspective…The highest grossing film over the weekend was Tron Legacy earning $43.6 million; second highest Yogi Bear with $16.7 million and third was The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader…
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Several weeks ago, Tony Sampas shared some photos of the Francis Gate by night. He returned to the gatehouse during the day and took these pictures.
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This essay was first heard as a radio essay on the “Sunrise” program of WUML, 92.5 FM, at UMass Lowell. Executive producer Chris Dunlap assembled writers in the area for the daily essay feature, a popular component of the morning public affairs show. I shared this essay with rh.com readers last…
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