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I just found out that the Revolving Museum’s current exhibit, “Electrifying:  The Art of Illumination” is on until December 30th.  Here’s the description: Inspired by The Revolving Museum’s building, originally the Lowell Gas & Lighting headquarters built in 1859, this dynamic multimedia exhibition involves artwork of over 100 youth from our art education programs. The show powerfully captures the metaphorical concept of how illumination can spark ideas, dreams, positive self image, social issues, and community expression.  The museum is open Tuesday – Sunday, 11 – 4, closed Christmas Day.  Admission is free. This could be a good downtown activity for the kids during vacation week!   I also learned of a new e-newsletter being put out by the one of the city departments, called “Downtown this Week,”:  it’s informative, the format is clear and uncluttered, and it’s full of good information.  I think this is a timely service.  While I was doing my downtown shopping research, I really couldn’t find one comprehensive website that that was kept updated and that gave a good overview of what’s happening downtown. (The Downtown Lowell Business Association website seems dull and uninspired by comparision.)   From the newsletter you can explore the http://www.lowell.org/ website which has a section for restaurants/bars, art scene (links to COOL), office and loft space and more

My next stop on my Lowell shopping odyssey was Roger’s Pool and Toy (the link refers to the pool business only, but gives hours and directions) on Middle Street.  The smell of chlorine is reminiscent of summer pool days, but, this time of year, the shelves are well-stocked with toys, games and puzzles.  They have Brio, Playmobile, Legos ($19 and up) and more, and the experience is vastly more pleasant than at the generic toy madhouses.  Along with many of the classics, I spotted an excellent game for ages 8 and up, called Mastermind ($15.99) that pre-teens, teens and adults can all enjoy.  Moving along,  Life Alive, the Urban Oasis, is the place to buy a gift certificate for a health-conscious friend. If you haven’t tried their soups and tofu dishes, you don’t know what you’re missing. In addition, they have insipiring magnet quotes ($5) and an array of candles, organic skincare products and vitamins.  Next door is Van Gogh’s Gear, which is open Monday – Friday, 10-6, Saturday, 11-6 and Sunday, noon to 4.  Proprieter Steve Syverson stocks a myriad of supplies for the beginning or established artist.  I noticed a fine, 50 page sketch pad for under $10, with part of the proceeds going to the American Wildlife Fund, as well as some travel sketch books in varying sizes with nice leather covers for under $10.  The set of black sketching pencils ($8.96) and premium pastel pencils ($17.79) made me long to take an art class. You will also find quality color and paint-by-number sets, origami paper and Crayola products.  The Revolving Museum has fabulous “EVOLVE” t-shirts, black with striking red lettering, for $14.95, plus hats and totes, and assorted artist-made jewelry. Their current show is closing, but mark your calendar for their new exciting show, entitled “Toys and Games” which will be opening on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2008. Across the street, the New England Quilt Museum is currently featuring quilts about Lowell in an exhibition entitled “Lowell Inside Out,” which runs through through January 12.  In their gift shop, you will find kits to make tote bags ($39) plus a quilt kit, with everything needed to create a full sized quilt in one bag for $159.  They also have mugs and other memorabilia, scarves and purses, ornaments, stocking stuffers, and a few toys. I really liked the giant floor puzzle (ages 3-6) for $15.99.  By the way, this week is Cookie Week in their museum gift shop, with hot drinks and cookies for shoppers and museum-goers through Sunday.  By visiting the website, you can print a coupon for 10% off purchases. Next up, Merrimack Street… more »

It’s just one week until Christmas and perhaps you still have some shopping to do?  If you are trying to avoid the mall this year, but have run out of time to order online, then why not give downtown Lowell a try?  Start at the Brush Art Gallery, conveniently located in the Market Mills courtyard, by the National Park Visitor’s Center.  When I went downtown early on Tuesday last, the Brush wasn’t open yet, so I browsed around in the Park gift shop (open daily, Mon – Sat, 9-4:30, Sunday, 10-4:30).  You can get pleasing cotton dishtowels, made at the Boott Mills, for $3.95 or $11 for a package of three, or one dishtowel with a small informative book detailing Lowell’s part in the Industrial Revolution for $11.95, which would make a nice gift. They also have park ranger hats ($8.95) and National Park coloring books for the younger set.  National Park T-shirts in heavy cotton, cream colored or green, with a Lowell Trolley on the front, are $14.95, and seem to be only available in the hard-to-find small or medium sizes. 

Back at the Brush (hours:  Tues- Sat, 11 am – 4 pm, Sun. 12 pm – 4 pm), you will find plenty of tempting artist-made merchandise for every price-range.  The prolific, multi-media artist Lolita Demers has interesting glass jewelry, pottery, and glass serving trays which look like flattened wine bottles and are suitable for cheese and crackers, sushi or cookies.  They come in a variety of colors and sizes and are dressed up with ribbons and include a unique cheese-spreader (prices vary; a large one which I purchased for a hostess gift was $19).  Weaver Cynthia Hughes has a beautiful array of scarves in mouth-watering colors, fine silk, cotton or rayon chenille for $75, she also offers gift certificates for a weaving class; for $60, you can make your own scarf.  Jewelry artist Penny Cox is also offering a class in basic wiring for bead jewelry for $50. In her studio there are many beautiful steel wire and copper beaded bracelets and earrings, as well as “Penny Candy” – affordable, fun earrings.  Near the register, I spotted some whimsical wine-bottle stoppers, made of stainless steel with tall bead tops for $19 (not sure of the artist).  In the joint studio of Jay Hungate and Chrissy Theo Hungate, I was charmed by a pair of gargoyle bookends:  modeled on the paladins who protect Apollo’s temple; they have flat tops that could hold a candle, and are $36 each or $60 for the pair.  Who from Lowell wouldn’t want a print of The Owl Diner ($75 framed or $25 unframed) by local artist Vassily Giavos.  He has many prints to choose from as well as original art work of Lowell street scenes.  His latest work has a dreamy, retro style.  Pastel artist Pamela Wamala has note cards (4 for $10, or 6 for $15) — the winter scenes are particularly tranquil– or tiny original pastels in heavy gold frames for $75.  Gay Tracey’s appealing dogs in surprising colors cry out to be brought home to the dog lover in your life, either as a card, print or original.  Deirdre Grunwald uses Celtic designs as a starting point for her paintings and ceramics, and has note cards and prints available as well as original works.  Other artists are Carol Boileau (landscapes in watercolor and acrylics), botanical illustrator Leslie MacPhail, stained glass artist Donna Murray, and photographer Steve Noroian (I own a print of his “Fiery Rowboat” which I love).  Often you can meet and speak with the artists while browsing at the Brush, and, of course, giving locally made gifts by local artists is priceless! (I hope I haven’t left anyone out; do check the website for more information on the artists).

This post is getting rather long and I’ve only gone to two places, but I hope you’ll continue reading to learn what’s on offer for the holidays at Salon City and other establishments on Market, Middle and Merrimack Streets. more »

I’m reminded of lyrics from a Joni Mitchell song, “I wish I had a river I could skate away on.” Today, I could skate on my driveway and would happily do so if it would take me somewhere warmer, both in temperature and spirit. Yesterday, I learned of neighbors who got into a heated shouting match about where to dump their snow, and one ended up calling the police on the other. The police verdict: “Be neighborly.” This morning’s commute to school was also a nightmare—gridlock traffic, beeping horns, and no place for pedestrians. I saw children walking on Westford Street amid cars and buses because the sidewalks were covered with snow. Some people had shoveled their sidewalks, as the law requires, but not enough to provide a consistent walkway. I realize some folks are elderly or incapable of shoveling, but others have no excuse except laziness; and for a storm that hit on a Sunday, it’s shameful to see so many snow-covered sidewalks during Monday’s busy commute. The police should crackdown on these people, targeting the busiest streets and those around schools first—places that absolutely need safe walkways.  If you’re healthy and able, get out and shovel the sidewalks abutting your property. Not because it’s the law, but because it’s the right thing to do. Don’t’ wait until it’s too late and someone gets hurt. Besides, it’s never too soon to be neighborly.

A true New Englander, I stocked up on food supplies early today (along with thousands of others apparently, considering the traffic). My family is all home now and grateful to be here. With the Christmas lights twinkling and the white powder adding its soft magic to my street, my neighborhood looks like a Norman Rockwell painting. Thankfully, I don’t have to go out tonight as everything has been postponed, and I’m looking forward to an evening of baking cookies and hanging with my family. So Old Man Winter do your thing…

This Saturday, WCAP 980 will hold its annual radiothon to raise funds for the Salvation Army from 6 a.m. to noon during the Warren Shaw show. Each year, the call-in radio show generates thousands of dollars for this great organization through cash contributions and the sale of auctioned items that run the gamut from weekend lodgings, restaurant gift certificates, sports events, flower arrangements, and furnaces—all donated by individuals and local businesses. This time of year, especially, there are lots of outstretched hands looking for assistance and deciding who to give to can be difficult. My family always supports the Salvation Army, in particular, because we have seen firsthand the services they provide to folks in need. (Years ago, the Salvation Army provided a night of shelter, food, and encouragement to a young family member who was away from home and low on cash.) Whether it’s temporary shelter, food, warm clothes, toys for needy children, or help for fire and flood victims, the Salvation Army is there for so many families in our community every day. You can be there for them by participating in the radiothon this Saturday, donating at the Salvation Army Corps office at 150 Appleton Street, or contibuting online here. 

I know it’s cold and once you get home, it’s hard to go out again, but tonight is the first Vision Session regarding the Hamilton Canal Project and your input is needed. The meeting will be held beginning at 5:45 pm at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium, 50 East Merrimack Street, 3rd floor, Veterans’ Wing, with free parking at the Davidson Street lot. Over the next 10 years, this project will include 15 acres, cost $500 million, and transform the canal area and the city’s downtown in ways we can only begin to imagine. Trinity Financial, the master developer, invites you to be part of this development process by learning more about their plans and sharing your ideas. So dress warmly, head downtown, and be part of the process—you can’t complain about how it turns out if you don’t! (I’ll be at the school committee meeting—more on that later.)

Last night we saw the Merrimack Repertory Theater’s season opener, The Pursuit of Happiness, which is a thoroughly enjoyable romp through adolescent angst, mid-life crisis, and family binds. Anyone who has ever been a teenager or a parent can relate to this quirky play, with its edgy dialogue, laughs, and insights about accepting disappointment from loved ones and surviving the lives we create for ourselves. Playwright and Massachusetts native Richard Dresser has done an exceptional job. Decades beyond my own teen years while currently parenting one at home, I found the well-written play laugh-out-loud funny and painfully bittersweet. After years of sporadically attending plays (when we could), we finally committed to season tickets, hoping we’d be able to make time to see them all. Well, last night was our first performance as season ticket holders and it was a great way to kick off the year.  Now playing at the MRT until Oct. 28, The Pursuit of Happiness is a definite recommend.

Whatever you think of Kerouac’s writing or his exploits later in life, he was of Lowell, steeped in the city and its rhythms.  Lowell was his muse, and the current exhibit at the Boott Cotton Mills Museum never loses sight of the importance to the author of his hometown.  The centerpiece of the exhibit, entitled “Lowell: Where the Road Begins,” is of course the famous Scroll (the original 120 foot long manuscript of On the Road), which dominates the room in a long, diagonal, glass-topped case.  It is something to see (even the ragged end which was literally ‘eaten by the dog’) but it doesn’t stand alone.  There are fascinating photos of Kerouac, his family and friends, and of Lowell, along with excerpts from his books and letters, articles about him and reviews of his books.  All this provides a rich context for contemplating this young man from Lowell, who at one time took the literary world by storm, who was compared to Whitman and Wolfe, who suffered a long decline but whose reputation has risen again.  One of the most intriguing displays is an old Royal typewriter on which visitors can type a message and pin it to a bulletin board (I liked the one that said:  Jack, you were the first rapper).  NPS Interpreter, Jeff Wyman, pointed out that the typewriter is a favorite with the student groups who visit (one wrote, I’m glad we now have computers.)  Jeff also said that in this last week they have had a surge of visitors from Lowell High and that the students are very engaged with the exhibit, particularly the scenes of Lowell from Jack’s day.  It’s great that the high school and the colleges are getting their students over there; it’s truly an exceptionally well put together exhibit and well worth a visit.  BUT, the exhibit ends SUNDAY, so get down there if you can (the Museum is open daily, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm).  

New York City has its off-Broadway shows and so do we. It just may be the best-kept secret in town (no coverage from the local paper), but that doesn’t mean it’s not a good time: inexpensive, fun, and best of all, full of local talent—some of it right under our noses. Last night was the debut of the Image Theater’s Mill City Minutes 2007, a show of short plays and dances performed by local actors, directors, and writers. Shown in the photo, Team Rithim, a new dance troupe of teens from Lowell and Lawrence, do an amazing dance (energy, synergy and attitude) to their own mix of rap music. The dance was one of two in the show; the other was Catch 22 Dance Troupe, which performed to original music. A great thing about Mill City Minutes is the variety and range of the show—two very different dances and seven short plays, each lasting about 10 minutes: quick snippets and then it’s on to the next story. Overall, the plays were edgy, thought-provoking, touching, or laugh-out-loud funny—just what you would expect from alternative theater and definitely worth the $20 admission fee. In addition, it showcased talent from local folks I didn’t know were involved in theater such as Jim Neary from the school department, June Sweet (our own school committee secretary), Walter Wright (fellow LTC board member), and Kate Harmon (wife of Sean from Harmon’s Paints). The show also included a play written and directed by newcomer Kate Bisantz, a LHS alumna and recent graduate of Emerson College, whose Circle of Fire can only be described as a crazy, witty dash into sarcastic surrealism. (My husband and I loved it.) In fact, we enjoyed the entire evening and recommend you experience Lowell’s other street for theater. Now playing at the McDonough Theater (LHS Freshman Academy) at 30 Paige Street, see Mill City Minutes Sept. 21, 22 at 8 p.m.