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Let’s hope for sunshine because Lowell High School will host 22 teams at a regatta on the Merrimack River tomorrow and it’s always more fun when the sun is shining. Beginning with a boat christening at 8:30 a.m. in honor of the parents of LHS Rowing who raised the funds to buy it, the all-day competition will be centered at the Bellegarde Boathouse. The racing begins at 9:30 a.m. and will culminate in an awards ceremony at 6 p.m. at the Sampas Pavilion. Despite fierce competition among the 22 teams—many from wealthier communities that often have newer boats, more coaches, and fancier uniforms and equipment, LHS crew students hold their own and win often. Join the LHS crew community and support our team as we continue to excel in an activity that is growing in popularity across the state. It also provides more college scholarships to our students than any other sport. Go Red Raiders crew team! 

My niece emailed me this site for finding the cheapest gas stations in your area. All you do is punch in your zip code and the stations with their addresses appear in price ascending order. I was pleased to discover that my $60 fill-up yesterday was at the second cheapest station in Lowell, which also happens to be in my life path…By the way, according to today’s numbers for our area, the lowest price for unleaded gas was $3.499 and the highest was $3.659.

My 15-year-old son went to his first concert last night (Paramore and Jimmy Eat World) at the Tsongas Arena, and this Friday he’ll attend his first high school dance with a girl… I have now fully entered the Twilight Zone of parenting a teen. While I don’t pretend to know all about setting appropriate boundaries and have not completely forgotten my own youth, I can relate to my parents’ confusion in raising a beloved stranger in an alien culture. As with all my endeavors, I’ll give it my best shot, which means being involved in his life and informed about the world around him. To that end, I’ll attend tonight’s forum on Underage Drinking and Prescription Abuse at the Senior Center, 276 Broadway, 7-8:30 p.m., sponsored by the Lowell Substance Abuse Round Table. Attendees will learn current trends in substance abuse among youth as well as participate in a panel discussion, interactive games, and activities designed to help us learn how to prevent substance abuse. Parents, teachers, youth and community members are invited.

On your way home, stop by the Revolving Museum at 22 Shattuck Street for the opening of their new show, Artbotics, and experience more than 20 interactive works of art produced by students from the Lowell Public Schools and UMass Lowell.