Celebrating
Over 100 Years!

Learn With Us in Lowell, MA

Next Event: Oct 11

Lowell Celebrates Kerouac – Hassan Melehy

For most of its 200-year history, Lowell has been the home of immigrants. While growing up in the city’s Franco-American community, Jack Kerouac knew people from many groups: Irish, Italian, Greek, Eastern European, Asian, among others. Immigrants and their families...

Lowell National Historical Park Visitor Center
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Parker Lecture Commitee

John Carson
Chairperson
William Samaras
Brian Martin
Dan Guttenplan
Executive Secretary

Ex-Officio

Michael Fiato
Head of Lowell High School
Julie Chen, Ph.D.
Chancelor, UMass Lowell
Daniel Rourke
Mayor, City of Lowell

In Cooperation with:

Boarding House Park
40 French St.
Pollard Memorial Library
401 Merrimack St.
Lowell National Park Visitor Center
246 Market St.
Whistler House Museum of Art
243 Worthen St.
New England Quilt Museum
18 Shattuck St.
Donahue Family Academic Arts Center
240 Central St.
Luna Theater, Mill 5
250 Jackson St.

2025-2026 Events

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Wednesday
8/6
2025
10:00 am

Amazing Magic and Juggling – Robert Clark

Boarding House Park
Robert Clarke (Boston Magician Juggler) trained under "The Suspenders," a juggling group from his hometown in Cape Cod. In 1997, he started street performing seven days a week and understanding how to work all types of crowds - young and...
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Wednesday
8/13
2025
10:00 am

Puppet Show and Comedy – Good News Gus

Boarding House Park
Singer, emcee, puppeteer, and magician — Harry and his monster friends are always the life of the party. Harry and Good News Gus has received accolades from both party-goers and professional groups alike. With young and old, Harry's high-energy interactive...
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Thursday
8/14
2025
10:00 am

Latin Sounds – Mariana Iranzi

Boarding House Park
Mariana Iranzi is a professional bassist, composer, educator, and performer based in New York City. Originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, she took her first steps into the world of music by the influence of her Great Grandfather Julio De Caro,...
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Thursday
9/18
2025
6:00 pm

Former Boston Police Commissioner – Ed Davis

Donahue Family Academic Arts Center
Edward F. Davis has been in law enforcement for 35 years. He served as the 40th Police Commissioner of the City of Boston from December 2006 until October 2013. Commissioner Davis was Boston’s lead police official during the tragic Marathon...
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Saturday
10/11
2025
2:00 pm

Lowell Celebrates Kerouac – Hassan Melehy

Lowell National Historical Park Visitor Center
For most of its 200-year history, Lowell has been the home of immigrants. While growing up in the city’s Franco-American community, Jack Kerouac knew people from many groups: Irish, Italian, Greek, Eastern European, Asian, among others. Immigrants and their families...
Read More »
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Wednesday
11/5
2025
6:00 pm

The Art of James Whistler – Todd Casey

Whistler House Museum of Art
Born and raised in Lowell, Todd M. Casey is fascinated by the history and culture of colonial America. Through his travels through historic cities, he is inspired by the richness of vintage objects and incorporates the myriad of items and...
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Sunday
3/8
2026
2:00 pm

End of Life Issues – Bernice Burkarth, MD

New England Quilt Museum
Bernice Burkarth, MD, is the Tufts Medicine Care at Home Chief Medical Officer. She will share her perspective on end-of-life care and provide education on the difference between palliative care and hospice care. Burkarth received the prestigious Heart of Hospice...
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Thursday
3/19
2026
6:00 pm

Personal Healthcare Discoveries – Julia Fox Garrison

Pollard Library
Julia Fox Garrison is a seasoned keynote speaker and the bestselling author of Don’t Leave Me This Way (or when I get back on my feet you’ll be sorry), HarperCollins Publishers. The book chronicles her struggle to regain control over...
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Sunday
4/12
2026
2:00 pm

The Minutemen of 1861 – Tyler Grecco

Lowell National Historical Park Visitor Center
In the spring of 1861, President Abraham Lincoln put out a call for volunteers to suppress the secessionist rebellion brewing in the south. As a result, thousands of men from local communities like Concord, Acton, and Lowell answered the call...
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Thursday
4/30
2026
6:00 pm

The Truth About Vaccines – Nicholas G. Evans, Ph.D.

Pollard Library
Nicholas G. Evans, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. A 2020-2023 Greenwall Foundation Faculty Scholar, he currently conducts research on the ethics of emerging technologies, with a focus on national security issues. Evans is...
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