Revolutionary Valley Regional Tourism Council

Acton Pride Festival
2024-06-15 12:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | NARA Park, Nara Park, 25 Ledge Rock Way, Acton, MA, 01720, United States
Join Acton Pride for a fun-filled afternoon at NARA’s Beach! Beach admission will be free throughout the event. Games and fun including music! This is a free event open to the general public.

Bedford Cultural District Music Arts Festival
2024-06-15 10:00 - 15:00 | Bedford Town Common -75 Great Road, 75 Great Road, Bedford, MA, 01730, United States
The Bedford Cultural District Partnership (BCDP) will be holding a Music & Arts Festival 2024 on Saturday, June 15th, on the Bedford Common (75 Great Road).
Entertainment, education, and fun for all ages. Features diverse musical groups performing during the day, interactive art projects, open houses, local community booths, activities for kids and adults, and artisans selling or demonstrating their crafts.

Wine-INN Wednesday
2024-06-12 17:00 - 19:00, 2024-05-08 17:00 - 19:00, 2024-04-10 17:00 - 19:00 | The Inn at Hastings Park, 2027 Massachusetts Ave, Lexington, MA, 02421, United States
Lexington’s Inn at Hastings Park, Boston area’s ONLY Relais & Châteaux property, is hosting a complimentary wine tasting of the world’s best wines every second Wednesday of the month throughout 2024 at Town Meeting Bistro’s beautiful bar beginning on March 13, 2024. Meet and learn from the industry’s top experts, leaders, distributors, and winemakers as you sample the delicious aromas and flavors of each month’s featured varietals. Make a night out of it and book a reservation at Town Meeting Bistro after the tasting and order a bottle of your favorite! These events are for adults only, 21 and older.

Summer Garage Sale & Book Sale
2024-06-08 10:00 - 16:00 | Museum of Printing, 15 Thornton Ave, Haverhill, MA, 01832, United States
The Printer’s Garage Sale is full of treasures for the admirer, amateur, enthusiast, and professional alike.
We have printing presses of all sizes, ancillary equipment, cabinets, ink, sooooo much paper, and, of course, type cases (with type) along with books on typography, graphic arts, and printing.
All this and more Saturday, June 8th from 10am to 4pm at the Museum of Printing, 15 Thornton Ave., Haverhill, MA.

Exhibit Opening: The Portuguese In Lowell: The Familiar And The New
2024-06-05 08:00 - 17:00 | Lowell National Historical Park – Boott Cotton Mills Gallery, 115 John Street, Lowell, 01852, United States
Join Lowell National Historical Park and the Saab Center for Portugues Studies at UMass Lowell for the opening of a new exhibit “The Portuguese In Lowell: The Familiar And The New” at the Boott Cotton Mill Museum (115 John St.)
The event will begin at Boarding House Park with a performance by the Holy Ghost Band at 2:30. The band will lead participants to the gallery which will be open from 3-5 p.m. A reception and remarks will take place after the procession to the Boott Cotton Mills Museum.
The exhibit will be on view from June 8. 2024 through February 24, 2025.
For more information visit, https://www.nps.gov/lowe/learn/portuguese-connections.htm.

The Acton 250 Lecture Series presents: The Empire Strikes Back, and Resistance Becomes Revolution with Prof. Robert Allison
2024-05-29 19:00 - 20:30 | Acton Town Hall, 472 Main Street, Acton, MA, 01720, United States
Last September Professor Bob Allison inaugurated the Acton 250 Lectures Series with an account of the Boston Tea Party of 1773 and the pivotal events that sparked the American Revolution. He returns to explain the critical changes occurring in the year 1774 when the Crown’s response solidified the colonial opposition. Register at https://tinyurl.com/AllisonMay29. Remote Participation: You can participate in the Q&A using ZOOM http://tinyurl.com/Acton250-ZOOM or watch live at Acton TV http://tinyurl.com/Acton-TV. This is the fifth lecture in the Acton 250 Series.
Prof. Allison is renowned for his expertise in American colonial history, and the political, social, and economic factors that converged in the 18th century, leading to Massachusetts’ significant role in the creation of the American nation. He has taught history at Suffolk University since 1992 upon receiving his doctorate at Harvard University. He chairs Revolution 250, a consortium of organizations planning commemorations of the Revolution’s 250th anniversary and is a life-trustee of the USS Constitution Museum.
Please see https://www.actonma.gov/250 for more programming information and don’t forget our Acton250 store at https://tinyurl.com/ACTON250STORE. Recordings will be on our website and ActonTV (http://tinyurl.com/Acton-TV) shortly after. Generously supported by the Acton Lions Club.

Eco-Film Series: "Reflection: A Walk with Water"
2024-05-28 18:30 - 20:30 | Lowell National Historical Park Visitor Center, Lowell National Historical Park Visitor Center, 246 Market St, Lowell, MA, United States
Reckoning with the reality of a changing climate, filmmaker Emmett Brennan walks 200 miles next to the Los Angeles aqueduct in search of a vision for humanity worth living for – what he discovers has everything to do with water. – 79min
The 2024 Eco-Film Series is presented by the Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust on the last Tuesday of every month, January through June. This free series is offered annually in partnership with the Lowell Film Collaborative and are screened at the Lowell National Historical Park Visitor Center.
The 2024 line-up covers topics such as: historic enemies uniting to save the Dead Sea, mushroom harvesting on public lands, a 200-mile trek on the L.A. aqueduct, and the extraordinary lives of Steward Udall and Betty Reid Soskin.

Lowell Walks: Hamilton Canal District
2024-05-25 10:00 - 11:30 | Lowell National Historical Park Visitor Center, Lowell National Historical Park Visitor Center, 246 Market St, Lowell, MA, United States
Join historian Richard Howe for a Lowell Walks: “Hamilton Canal District – Past, Present, and Future” on Saturday, May 25, 2024, at 10 am. Join Register of Deeds Richard Howe on this tour of the Hamilton Canal District. Historically home to the Lowell Machine Shop and several large textile mills that made Lowell a powerhouse of production during the Industrial Revolution, today’s ongoing development of the Hamilton Canal Innovation District is key to Lowell’s present and future as a thriving mid-sized city in Post-Industrial city.
Lowell Walks is a series of guided walking tours of Lowell. The series seeks to support community voices as they share their historical knowledge, experiences, and unique perspectives on a diverse range of topics that can broaden or understandings and deeper our appreciation for the city of Lowell. Tours are about 90 minutes, are free, and include a moderate amount of walking. No reservations are necessary, and tours are conducted rain or shine.

Mill City Grows Annual Spring Plant Sale
2024-05-18 10:00 - 14:00 | Greater Merrimack Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau, Greater Merrimack Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau, 115 Merrimack St, Lowell, MA, 01852, United States
Lowell-based non-profit Mill City Grows (MCG) will host its Annual Spring Plant Sale on Saturday, May 18, from 10am to 2pm, at UMass Lowell’s Rist Urban Agriculture Greenhouse & Farm at 69 Pawtucket Street! Free parking is available on site at UMass Lowell’s East Campus Garage. An abundant variety of Lowell-grown herbs, vegetables, flowers, and fruit plants will be available for purchase at this free, public event. Attendees will also enjoy a Farmers Market showcasing local guest vendors Craic Sauce, F-Word Farm, The Merrimack Company, and Fat Moon Mushrooms, plus the Mill City Grows Mobile Market will be selling fresh, seasonal produce. All attendees are invited to enter MCG’s free door prize giveaway at their information table! (One entry per person.) Cash, debit, and credit will be accepted at the plant sale, and SNAP/EBT/HIP will be accepted for fruit and vegetable plants. All proceeds from the event will benefit Mill City Grows programs that expand healthy food access and offer educational opportunities for Lowell residents. Event updates are available at MillCityGrows.org, on Facebook and Instagram at @millcitygrows, and by calling 978-455-2620.

Points of Light Cultural Celebration
2024-05-11 17:00 - 22:00 | Ecumenical Plaza, Ecumenical Plaza, Western Canal, Lowell, MA, 01854, United States
Points of Light is a spring celebration of unity and renewal that brings together the food, music, and traditions of Lowell’s diverse cultures. The centerpiece of the night is a special ceremony in which participants personalize water lanterns that will be released onto the Western Canal, creating hundreds of floating points of light.
Performances will include dance, music, and spoken word from local artists. xTine and the Intents will headline the festival.

Bessie’s Closet
2024-05-05 10:00 - 15:00, 2024-05-04 10:00 - 15:00, 2024-05-03 15:30 - 19:30 | Discovery Museum, Discovery Museum, 177 Main St, Acton, MA, 01720, United States
Friday, May 3 thru Sunday, May 5
Fri. 3:30 – 7:30pm; Sat. & Sun. 10:00am – 3:00pm
Museum Admission not Required
Bessie’s Closet is a free pop-up clothing store open to everyone in our community. Organized in partnership with the Acton-Boxborough United Way and supported by donations from the community, Bessie’s Closet offers new or gently-used clothing and shoes for both children and adults. Anyone who may benefit is welcome to visit Bessie’s Closet. Museum admission is not required, but also not included. All items are available free of charge, take what you need! Items available in Bessie’s Closet are dependent upon donations received.

Bike with a Ranger
2024-05-05 10:00 - 11:15 | Duck Island Wastewater Treatment Facility, 451 First Street Boulevard, Lowell, 01852, United States
Join rangers on National Ride a Bike Day for a 3.4-mile round trip ride along the Centralville River Path. Take in views of the mills and learn about the water that powered them while enjoying some fresh air from the seat of your bike. Pack a snack, bring some water, and get ready to roll!
Trips will start and end at the Duck Island Wastewater Treatment Facility (451 First Street Boulevard) at 10:00 A.M., 1:30 P.M., and 3:00 P.M.. Each trip is approximately 75 minutes. Helmets are required for all participants, and children under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
Bicycles are not provided.
Please register by calling 978-970-5000. All ages welcome!

Surface Tension | May 1-26, 2024 | Loading Dock Gallery
2024-05-04 15:00 - 17:00 | Loading Dock Gallery, 122 Western Avenue, Lowell, MA, United States
This May, Loading Dock Gallery presents Surface Tension, a show of mixed media art by Margarita Krylova and Fernando Fula. Surface Tension features collaborative and individual works which explore universal dichotomies: harmony and chaos; unity and division; beauty and decay.
Krylova and Fula each cultivate a personal vision and style. Fula’s work is surreal, clean, and crisp. Krylova delves into a world of organized chaos. What unfolds when their artistic universes converge? For Surface Tension they created a series of collaborative work, switching pieces in progress, responding to each other’s progress by weaving and collaging elements together. Surface Tension also features pieces by each artist. Together, the work in Surface Tension is a study of the inherent tensions of human existence.
Surface Tension runs May 1 – May 26, 2024 at Loading Dock Gallery, 122 Western Avenue, Lowell, MA, noon-5:30pm, Wednesday-Saturday, until 4pm Sunday. Reception 3-5pm, Saturday, May 4, 2024, 3-5pm, as part of Western Avenue Studios’ monthly Open Studios event. More at www.theloadingdockgallery.com.
Loading Dock Gallery is part of Loading Dock Arts, Inc., a 501c3.

Fife and Drum Weekend
2024-05-04 05:00 - 2024-05-05 16:00 | Lexington Battle Green, 1625 Massachusetts Ave., Lexington, 02420, United States
Attend the 22nd Annual Lexington Tattoo and Muster
Tattoo: Friday, May 3, 6:30 pm on the Lexington Battle Green (1625 Massachusetts Ave.). Free outdoor evening performance of fife and drum music at the scene of the first skirmish in the Revolutionary War. Hosted by the William Diamond Junior Fife & Drum Corps of Lexington and featuring corps including the Kentish Guards, one of the oldest fife and drum corps in the US, and the Middlesex County Volunteers Fife & Drum Corps.
Muster: Saturday, May 4, 12:00-5:00 pm at Hastings Park in Lexington (corner of Massachusetts Ave. and Worthen Rd.). Free outdoor afternoon of music, history and entertainment by two dozen fife and drum corps representing different eras, particularly the Revolution, hosted by the William Diamond Junior Fife & Drum Corps of Lexington. Free parking; walking distance from Lexington’s historic Battle Green, Visitors Center and historic houses.

Eco-Film Series: "Stewart Udall: The Politics of Beauty"
2024-04-30 18:30 - 20:00 | Lowell National Historical Park Visitor Center, Lowell National Historical Park Visitor Center, 246 Market St, Lowell, MA, United States
A visually stunning journey through US environmental history. The film is a captivating story that intertwines US history, politics, tribal policy, and environmental justice and activism. – 73min
The 2024 Eco-Film Series is presented by the Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust on the last Tuesday of every month, January through June. This free series is offered annually in partnership with the Lowell Film Collaborative and are screened at the Lowell National Historical Park Visitor Center.
The 2024 line-up covers topics such as: historic enemies uniting to save the Dead Sea, mushroom harvesting on public lands, a 200-mile trek on the L.A. aqueduct, and the extraordinary lives of Steward Udall and Betty Reid Soskin.

Patrick McCay: A Thematic Retrospective — Explore, Exploit, Express
2024-04-20 13:00 - 15:00 | The Whistler House Museum of Art, 243 Worthen St, Lowell, MA, 01852, United States
The Whistler House Museum of Art is pleased to announce its upcoming exhibition, “Patrick McCay: A Thematic Retrospective — Explore, Exploit, Express.” The show will run from April 20 to August 3, 2024. An opening reception will be held on Saturday, April 20, from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Parker Gallery. Patrick McCay’s work occupies the space between the literal and abstract. Skillfully orchestrated colors pepper the expressive surfaces of chosen icons. Grounded in a scaffold of remarkable drawings and an immediacy of gestural brushstrokes, he tempts and teases with a visual theatricality, adding the dignity of the ‘unknown’ to that which is all too well ‘known.’ McCay focuses his visual explorations within the imposed contours and attentive challenge of thematic expression. McCay is currently a professor at the Institute of Art and Design at New England College in Henniker, NH. Joining him as part of the exhibition are several former and current students, including: David Drinon, former student and current Boston and Cape Ann painter, as well as former Artist-in-Resident at the WHMA; Suzanne Hodge, current student and Western Avenue Studio Artist; and Lucas Grondin, former BFA student at the New Hampshire Institute of Art.

LEX250: Countdown to 250 Concert
2024-04-19 19:00 - 21:00 | Lexington’s Cary Memorial Hall, 1605 Mass Ave, Lexington, MA, 02420, United States
The Lexington Bicentennial Band will present: Wind Music form the British Empire, including music from Gustav Holst, Ralph Vaughn Williams, William Byrd, Gilbert & Sullivan, Kenneth Alford, Frank Ticheli and The Beatles.

LEX250: British Tea & Colonial Talks
2024-04-19 13:00 - 15:00 | Lexington’s Cary Memorial Hall, 1605 Mass Ave, Lexington, MA, 02420, United States
Reenactors and other historical experts will present talks on everything from the different varieties of British Tea to hidden figures and lesser-known stories of the American Revolution.

LEX250: Grand Unveiling of the Countdown Calendar
2024-04-19 12:00 - 13:00 | Lexington’s Cary Memorial Hall, 1605 Mass Ave, Lexington, MA, 02420, United States
This event will mark the formal launch of a year-long celebration leading up to the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Lexington.
On Friday, April 19, the Semiquincentennial Commission will unveil the Countdown Calendar outside of the Lexington Town Office Building, at 1625 Massachusetts Avenue in Lexington, Massachusetts.
The following individuals will speak at the event:
Suzie Barry – Chair, Lex250 Commission
State Senator Michael Barrett
Peter Abbott OBE, Boston Consul General of the United Kingdom
Mustafa Soykurt, Boston Consul General of the French Republic
The Lexington Minute Men will be in attendance, and the William Diamond Junior Fife & Drum Corps will perform.

Build Your Own Birdfeeder
2024-04-19 11:00 - 12:00 | Boarding House Park, Boarding House Park, 40 French St, Lowell, MA, United States
Grades K – 6 • No Registration Required • Hosted by Pollard Memorial Library
Location: Boarding House Park , 40 French St, Lowell
Come build your very own bird feeder! Join the Pollard Memorial Library Bookmobile Team for this hands-on activity as we repurpose plastic bottles into bird feeders that you can take home for the birds in your neighborhood!

Community Conversations: Education
2024-04-15 18:30 - 20:00 | Lowell National Historical Park Visitor Center, Lowell National Historical Park Visitor Center, 246 Market St, Lowell, MA, United States
The City of Lowell has always put quality education for everyone in the forefront. Join us for an evening of exploring what education is, was, and can be, and how it contributes to the vibrant community that we enjoy.
Guest speakers include:
Frank Clark, education ranger at Lowell National Historical Park and the Tsongas Industrial History Center
Greg Haas, Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment at Greater Lowell Technical High School
Caroline Rowe, Lowell Managing Director for International Institute of New England
Community Conversations explores a wide variety of topics that are relevant to our contemporary communities with strong foundations in our past.

Acton Center Walking Tours - Friday, April 12th
2024-04-12 14:00 - 16:00 | Acton Memorial Library, 486 Main Street, Acton, MA, 01720
Please meet Amy Cole at the Acton Memorial Library parking lot at 1:50 PM. The walk is free, but registration is required and capped at 20 attendees for each walk. Registration links:

Saturday, April 6th : http://tinyurl.com/APR-6-Cole
Friday, April 12th: http://tinyurl.com/APR-12-Cole

Patriots’ Day is coming soon! Get in the spirit by taking a nice walk while learning about some important Acton history. Because of the popularity of these offerings last year, extra Acton Center tours have been scheduled with tour leader Amy Cole. Since its founding in 1735, Acton has shown courage in protecting its liberties, as demonstrated in leading the first engagement in the fight for independence. Walking Acton’s historic civic center, you will learn about the people, places and practices that shaped the town’s history and our nation’s as well. Topics will include Native American history, the role of the church, the importance of Captain Isaac Davis and the Acton Minutemen, nearby historic buildings, memorials and more. The mile walk will take a little less than two hours.

Acton Center Walking Tours - Saturday, April 6
2024-04-06 14:00 - 16:00 | Acton Memorial Library, 486 Main Street, Acton, MA, 01720

Weaving Global Textile Justice
2024-04-06 13:00 - 15:00 | Lowell National Historical Park Boott Cotton Mills Museum Counting House, 115 John Street, Lowell, 01852, United States
Join Elizabeth Pellerito, director of the UMass Lowell Labor Education Program, for “Weaving Global Textile Justice” a free crafting workshop.
Learn about the fast fashion industry and the impacts on workers and the environment. Discuss ways workers are fighting back and how people can support them. Following the discussion, learn to weave with used textiles.
No experience necessary and all materials are provided!
For reservations, please email Elizabeth.Pellerito@gmail.com or visit https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScJgk6z6yhC0NvKt9L_iUDz8i2n9tPDy6tVvQuUCRK7bwft9Q/viewform
This event will take place in the counting house of the Boott Cotton Mills Museum located at 115 John Street.
Lowell National Historical Park visitors may park at the Hamilton Canal Innovation District parking garage at 350 Dutton St., Lowell. Parking in this garage (only) is available to National Park visitors at no cost provided they obtain a valid parking voucher at either the Lowell National Historical Park Visitor Center at 246 Market Street, or at the Boott Cotton Mills Museum at 115 John Street.

Munch Madness
2024-03-31, 2024-03-30 | Massachusetts
Your local support means the world to us, and we want to say thank you with an opportunity to win big this month.
Munch Madness is a City-sponsored initiative in partnership with the Greater Lowell Chamber of Commerce to support, encourage, and reward Lowell-based businesses and their patrons.
From March 1-31, 2024, patrons who dine at participating restaurants and businesses and spend at least $25 can earn an entry toward giveaways of sports-, arts-, and culturally-themed events based in Lowell, and a Grand Prize drawing to see who gets to Dine Around Lowell for a Year.
How it works

Spend $25 or more at a participating business between March 1-31, 2024, Submit your qualifying receipt and contact information – simply take a picture, upload, and submit!
Winners will be selected in a random drawing in April 2024.
Make sure to check out our full list of participating businesses and don’t forget to get those entries in! Each qualifying receipt equals an additional entry and chance to win.

Prizes

One Grand Prize Drawing to Dine Around Lowell for a Year: $25-$50 gift cards from all participating businesses!
2 runners up will sports-, arts- and culturally-themed prizes!

Restaurants

Athenian Corner – 207 Market Street, Lowell
Brew’d Awakening Coffeehaus – 61 Market Street, Lowell
Cobblestones of Lowell – 91 Dutton Street, Lowell
Dragonfly Cafe – 165 Throndike Street, Lowell
El Potro Mexican Grill – 124 Merrimack Street, Lowell
FORK included – 176 University Avenue, Lowell
Purple Carrot Bread Co. – 107 Merrimack Street, Lowell
Sahel Restaurant & Lounge – 135 Central Street, Lowell
The Jolly Lobster – 101 Pheonix Avenue, Lowell
The Old Court – 29 Central Street, Lowell
Worthen House Cafe – 141 Worthen Street, Lowell

Are you a restaurant interested in participating? Click here to sign up!
