Revolutionary Valley Regional Tourism Council

Sunday Stroll Walking Tour: Hancock Street Architecture
2024-08-18 11:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | Buckman Tavern, 1 Bedford St, Lexington, MA, 02420, United States
When the Battle of Lexington was fought in 1775, Hancock Street was a country lane with just two houses. The next 150 years saw many houses built with various architectural styles. Come take a stroll and learn about the Georgian, Federal, Greek Revival, Italianate, and Gothic Revival homes that populate the street today.
Leaves from Buckman Tavern rain or shine, total walking distance about one mile.
$10 members, $15 nonmembers

Lowell Walks: Mill Girls & Boarding House Keepers
2024-08-24 10:00 - 11:30 | Lowell National Historical Park Visitor Center, Lowell National Historical Park Visitor Center, 246 Market St, Lowell, MA, United States
With the construction of a new mill city, a large labor force was needed to fill minimum wage positions being rapidly created. The boarding house system allowed mill agents sent out into the New England countryside to recruit a new workforce of young women with promises of paid work, available food, shelter, and the care and supervision of a boarding house keeper.
Join a ranger for the upcoming Lowell Walks, a guided walking tour. 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.
All tours will meet the ranger at the park Visitor Center (246 Market 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.

Lowell Walks: Portuguese in Lowell
2024-09-14 10:00 - 11:30 | Portuguese American Civic League of Lowell, Central Street, Lowell, Massachusetts, 01852, United States
Join researchers and archivists from the University of Massachusetts Lowell’s Portuguese American Digital Archive, Nikki Tantum, Gray Fitzsimons, and Nicole Catarino on a walk around the Back Central neighborhood. In the late 1800s, increasing demands for cotton cloth production provided jobs and opportunity for the first Portuguese immigrants arriving in Lowell. In the decades that followed more Portuguese immigrants moved to the city and wove their lives and cultures into the neighborhood of Back Central, creating a new community that still exists today.
This walk will highlight these stories just as the photography exhibit “The Portuguese in Lowell: The Familiar and the New” does, but through a different lens. This exhibit highlighting photographs captured by Pedro Letria is on display at the Boott Cotton Mills Museum through February 2025.
Join us for this upcoming Lowell Walks event, a guided walking tour. 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.
Free parking is available where the tour meets: Portuguese American Civic League of Lowell, 512 Central Street.

1774 and All That: Reflections on a Long Year of Revolution
2024-09-19 19:00 - 20:00 | Concord Museum, Concord Museum, 53 Cambridge Tpke, Concord, MA, 01742, United States
On September 19, 2024, the Concord Museum will commence its highly anticipated fall forum series with a special discussion featuring Mary Beth Norton, renowned historian and award winning author of the landmark text 1774: The Long Year of Revolution. This exciting event marks the beginning of a series of programs hosted by the Concord Museum leading up to the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution.
Norton will explore the pivotal period leading up to the American Revolution and the dramatic events that occurred between December 1773 through April 1775, including the Boston Tea Party and the Battles of Lexington and Concord.
In 1774: The Long Year of the Revolution, Mary Beth Norton chronicles the 16 months, during which colonists loyal to King George III began discordant “discussions” that led to their acceptance of the inevitability of war. Norton will be joined in conversation by the Society of Colonial Wars of Massachusetts to discuss this transformative era and its impact on American history, highlighting its significance in leadup to the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution.

Stone Walls of New England with Kevin Gardner
2024-09-28 10:00 - 11:00 | Moses Greeley Parker Memorial Library, Dracut, Arlington Street, Dracut, MA, 01826, United States
Kevin Gardner is a lifelong resident of Hopkinton, NH. Like a lot of independent rural Yankees, he’s been a jack of many trades, a builder, logger, writer, teacher, radio voice, even an actor and director.
For more than forty years he has been a stone wall builder in a family business widely known for traditional New England stonework, particularly for historic restoration of antique structures. In 2001 Kevin published The Granite Kiss: Traditions and Techniques of Building New England Stone Walls. His second book, Stone Building: How To Make New England Style Walls and Other Structures the Old Way, was published in May of 2017. He has also published poetry, songs, and essays, including “Land of Stone”, an examination of several historic sites in the Monadnock Region, in the 2006 anthology Where The Mountain Stands Alone.
From 1985 to 2010, Kevin was also an award-winning performance critic, feature writer, and producer for NH Public Radio. His pieces on arts, history and culture have aired on National Public Radio and the Christian Science Monitor broadcast network. In 2004, Kevin was a co-host of the nationally syndicated radio series Storylines New England, an interview and call-in program about our regional literature. He has written and produced other special programming for NHPR as well, including a 45-minute radio drama adapted by NH poet Julia Older from her own long poem, Tales of the Francois Vase.
Kevin is also a longtime professional actor, director, and teacher of theatre. He has taught at the New Hampton School, the NH Institute of Art, and at St. Paul’s School. Since 1999 he has been the Master Teacher of the course Shakespeare for Performance in St. Paul’s summer Advanced Studies Program. He is also a regular Guest Director at Plymouth State University, a former performance evaluator for the NH State Council on the Arts, and a frequent adjudicator of local, regional, and national theatre festivals. New Hampshire Magazine named him the state’s Best Theatre Critic in 2008.
Register at www.dracutlibrary.org/events if you want the Zoom link to attend remotely.

El Encuentro Latino Film Festival
2024-10-04 - 2024-10-05 | Nancy L. Donahue Theatre in Liberty Hall, 50 EAST MERRIMACK STREET, Lowell, MA, 01852, United States
El Encuentro Film Festival, presented by UNITAS, invites you to celebrate the vibrant world of Latino storytelling through film during Hispanic Heritage Month.
Join us on Friday, October 4th & Saturday, October 5th, 2024, at the Richard and Nancy Donahue Theater at Middlesex Community College in downtown Lowell, MA. This in-person festival is a dynamic showcase of both emerging and established Latino voices, blending creativity with culture.
With its deep roots in Latino independent film, El Encuentro is more than just a festival—it’s a celebration of artistic expression and cultural exchange. Attendees can look forward to exclusive film premieres, insightful conversations with filmmakers, and live performances that highlight the richness of Latino culture.
Tickets are available for $15 for the general public and $10 for students, and can be purchased via Eventbrite or at the door. Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of a cultural experience that bridges communities and amplifies Latino voices.

Into the Thaw
2024-10-17 19:00 - 20:30 | Lexington’s Cary Memorial Hall, 1605 Mass Ave, Lexington, MA, 02420, United States
In 2024, Minuteman National Historical Park and Walden Pond were named as among the top 11 endangered historic sites in America, in part due to climate change. The alterations to our natural environment during the climate crisis have far-reaching consequences to the preservation of history as well as the natural landscape.
More than 40 years ago, the park ranger Jon Waterman took his first journey to Alaska’s Noatak River. Astonished by the abundant wildlife, the strange landscape, and its otherworldly light, he spent collective years of his life exploring Arctic North America on extended sea kayaking, packrafting, skiing, dogsledding, and backpacking journeys—often alone for weeks at a time. After three decades away from the Noatak, he returned with his son, and amid a now-flooded river bereft of the once-plentiful caribou, he was shocked by the changes. The following year, 2022, he took one final journey to film and document the climate crisis across the North in his new book, Into the Thaw (Patagonia Press) —the subject of his October 17 image-intensive presentation. A frequent National Geographic grantee and NEA Literary Fellow, Waterman (Lexington High class of 1974) is the author of 17 books.
This presentation generously sponsored by Lester E. Savage Real Estate
$10 members, $15 nonmembers

Sounds of Labor in Lowell: Agriculture and Early Industry
2024-10-19 14:00 - 16:00 | Lowell National Historical Park Visitor Center, Lowell National Historical Park Visitor Center, 246 Market St, Lowell, MA, United States
What does the history of work in Lowell sound like, and how can you tell that story through music? Come be part of the musical composition process in the first of a series of workshops on the soundscape of Lowell through its many eras! Join contemporary composers working on new pieces specifically for Lowell National Historical Park as they explore the labor of the Agriculture and Early Industry eras. Attend a ranger-led talk, attempt hands-on activities, and have a chance to discuss the compositions in progress. No musical knowledge necessary!
Participants can plan to meet at the Lowell National Historical Park Visitor Center (246 Market Street). A guided tour will walk to the Boott Cotton Mills Museum (115 John Street) and attendees can expect about half a mile of walking.
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.
This program is made possible through a grant from the National Park Foundation through generous support from the Mellon Foundation, and with our programming partner, Mosaic Lowell. For more information on this project, please visit: https://www.nps.gov/lowe/getinvolved/supportyourpark/the-measure-of-work-sounds-of-labor-in-lowell-project.htm

Acton 250 Committee presents: One for the Revolutionary Road: Taverns and the American Revolution
2024-11-12 19:00 - 20:30 | Acton Memorial Library, 486 Main Street, Acton, MA, 01720
Northeastern University Professor Malcolm F. Purinton discusses the role of the tavern in local society as the colonies headed into the American Revolution. There were few places more important in colonial and revolutionary America than local community taverns that played witness to local, regional, and national events in American history. Decisions made in these cozy environments had important and far-reaching consequences ranging from protest planning to actions such as the Boston Tea Party.
Recordings will be on our website and ActonTV https://actontv.org/on-demand/education shortly after the event. Please see https://www.actonma.gov/250 for all programming and don’t forget our commemorative store https://tinyurl.com/ACTON250STORE!
Generously supported by the Acton Lions Club and Acton Memorial Library.

Daniel O’Donnell Cary Memorial Hall
2024-11-24 15:00 - 17:00 | Lexington’s Cary Memorial Hall, 1605 Mass Ave, Lexington, MA, 02420, United States
Daniel O’Donnell’s remarkable career has moved on to a new level with his success as a TV presenter, just another facet to his ever-expanding list of entertainment achievements.
The Donegal based singer, who is one of the most prolific and successful recording artists in the UK charts, is the only artist in the world to score a hit in the UK album charts every year since 1988, an unprecedented and unbroken 35-year span, and in doing so, he has outshone everyone from Michael Jackson and Madonna, to U2 and the Rolling Stones.
Daniel’s latest “I Wish You Well’ released on 4 Nov ’22, entered the official UK Album Charts at #16, a great achievement in itself In a very competitive week, especially when you take into account that the main chart is collated from CD, Vinyl and Digital/Streaming sales, but not only that, in the CD-only Chart, Daniel entered at #5, ahead of Taylor Swift and The Beatles !! and entered the Independent Albums chart at #2.
Including this latest release, Daniel has now amassed 48 Top 75 albums, including 42 Top 40 albums, 30 Top 30 & 20 Top 10 albums, with 18 of the latter being this century, a feat that has not been achieved by any other recording artist, and has now sold well in excess of 15 million worldwide.
He has sold more than 4.6 million albums & videos / DVDs in the UK alone since the start of this millennium, and more than 6.6 million units since The Official Charts Company/Chart Information Network took over the running of the charts in 1994.
‘Daniel O’Donnell 60’, released in celebration of his 60th birthday in 2021, shot straight into the chart at #4, keeping good company with the likes of The Beatles, Adele and Coldplay. As with the ‘Daniel’ album before it, this recording was produced by legendary record producer Nigel Wright, who co-produced the recordings of many of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musicals, including the film versions of Evita and The Phantom of the Opera, along with many artist albums and TV music shows.
Daniel has also achieved eight number one hits in the UK music video/DVD charts over the length of his career, makes regular appearances in the Billboard World Music Chart, received an honorary MBE from Queen Elizabeth, appeared on Top of the Pops, had his life celebrated on This Is Your Life, been given the Freedom of Donegal, has been inducted into Ireland’s Music Hall of Fame, and received multiple Entertainer of the Year/Person of the Year Awards in Ireland and the UK – to mention but a few of the many accolades.
Daniel also burst into superstardom in the USA & Canada back in 2002 with his first ever PBS special – The Daniel O’Donnell Show. That began a special relationship between Daniel and PBS that has now lasted some 20 years. Since that first airing, Daniel has had fifteen more specials, with ‘Daniel O’Donnell & Special Guests’ being his record breaking sixteenth, which was filmed at the Millennium Forum in Derry and which is currently still airing on many PBS channels throughout the USA. Daniel’s seventeenth special, is in he planning stages and should be aired sometime in the spring of 2023.
Daniel has always had very high viewership ratings in pledge drives across the USA for public service television, and as a result of this and his many other activities in America, his popularity there has grown substantially over the years.

Bullet Strikes from the First Day of the American Revolution
2025-01-29 19:00 - 20:30 | Acton Town Hall, 472 Main Street, Acton, MA, 01720, United States
The Acton 250 Committee presents Joel Bohy, a historic arms & militaria specialist at Blackstone Valley Auctions and Estates. Joel will discuss the arms and ammunition used by both British and provincial forces on April 19, 1775, as well as the battle damage that remain. Using modern shooting incident reconstruction, archaeology, live fire studies, and new research, we can shed new light on the heavy fighting along the route of the British retreat back to Boston.
Joel Bohy is a historic arms & militaria specialist at Blackstone Valley Auctions and Estates and a frequent appraiser of arms & militaria on the PBS series Antiques Roadshow. He is an active member of the American Society of Arms Collectors, the Company of Military Historians, The Colonial Society of Massachusetts, an instructor for Advanced Metal Detecting for the Archaeologist, and an advisory board member of American Veterans Archaeological Recovery.
Remote Participation: You can watch live at Acton TV http://tinyurl.com/Acton-TV. Recordings will be available at Acton TV https://actontv.org/ and on our website https://www.actonma.gov/250 where you’ll find all programming information and a link to our commemorative store.
Sponsored by the Acton Lions Club

Crip Camp
2025-02-18 13:00 - 15:30 | Town of Acton Health and Human Services Building, 30 Sudbury Road - Rear, Acton, 01720, United States
A free showing of an award winning film free documentary film at the Health and Human Services bldg, 30 Sudbury Road- rear, Acton, MA. Please register in advance via EventBrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/crib-camp-a-special-free-screening-of-an-award-winning-documentary-film-tickets-1219928070699?aff=oddtdtcreator
This special free screening of the Award Winning Documentary Film “Crip Camp” A disability revolution. The film takes a look back in time at the beginnings of the Disabilities Rights Movement.
This film was directed by Nicole Newnham and Jim LeBrecht and Executive Producers President Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Tonia Davis, Priya Swaminathan and Howard Gertler.

“The Light of Seven Days”: An author event with Mass Book Award-Honoree River Adams
2025-03-12 18:00 - 19:30 | Chelmsford Public Library, Chelmsford Public Library, 25 Boston Rd, Chelmsford, MA, 01824, United States
Join the Chelmsford Public Library for a special event with Mass Book Award-honoree River Adams! River will share their acclaimed and richly textured novel, The Light of Seven Days.
Living with her Babby after her parents’ death, 10-year-old Dinah Ash is invited to train at Leningrad’s legendary Vaganova Ballet School. In the world of elite dance, she works hard, falls in love, and weathers the Soviet Union’s ubiquitous antisemitism, but despite an impressive talent, she quickly learns that dancers of her “profile” don’t make prima ballerinas. Love of Leningrad, ballet, friends, family, and books sustain Dinah until history intervenes.
The Soviet war in Afghanistan, the rise of perestroika, and a re-emergence of Nazism leave her vulnerable and exposed. Realizing escape is her only option, she applies for refugee status in America. Dinah’s adjustment to life in the US is a test as much of her identity as of her perseverance. Is who she is something Dinah can forge on her own? Or is identity imposed by upbringing, public opinion, and the myths of our cultures? As Dinah struggles with the questions of religion, race, and worth, her choices and the people she encounters will determine whether the dream of a better life can survive the weight of the past.
This program is sponsored by the Mass Book Awards Speakers Bureau and is presented in collaboration with the Massachusetts Center for the Book.
River Adams (they/them) grew up in late Soviet Russia, pursuing a career as a concert pianist, and came to America at the age of 19 as a Jewish refugee. They graduated from Delaware County Community College in Pennsylvania, earned their BA at Rosemont College and their MTS at Harvard Divinity School, then returned to Philadelphia to teach religious studies and work as a medical interpreter for Russian-speaking patients. Today, having earned an MFA from Emerson College, they live in Massachusetts; care for their noisy family of eight humans, two dogs, and a cat; and write. They are the author of many published short stories and essays and a biography of Leonard Swidler, There Must Be YOU (Resource Publications, 2014). Their debut novel, The Light of Seven Days (Delphinium Books, 2023) was named finalist by the National Jewish Book Awards and an honor title by the Massachusetts Book Awards.
For more information, visit their website: riveradamsauthor.weebly.com

Concord’s Secret History (World Premiere Screening)
2025-04-12 20:00 - 21:30 | The Umbrella Arts Center, 40 Stow Street, Concord, MA, 01742, United States
April 12 – 8PM
April 14 – 2:30PM
World premiere of new documentary about the history of slavery in the region surrounding Concord, Massachusetts, in co-production by Kogainon Films (USA) and GTVdocs (UK). The documentary reveals a long-suppressed secret, set in Concord, Massachusetts—the birthplace of the American Revolution, where the first shots were fired on April 19, 1775. While Concord is often celebrated for its role in the fight for freedom, few are aware of the untold stories that extend beyond its borders. The film also explores hidden narratives from both Medford and Harvard University, offering a richer, more complete picture of the region’s colonial past.
The premiere will take place in Concord on April 12, 2025 at The Umbrella Arts Center, followed by distribution to over 500 PBS member stations across the United States via PBS+. After the screening, the filmmakers and historians involved in the project will participate in a facilitated talk-back, providing an opportunity for deeper engagement and discussion.
Partners: Concord250, Concord DEI, The Umbrella Arts Center

Concord250 Event: Concord Triptych Film Screenings
2025-05-17 15:00 - 18:00 | The Umbrella Arts Center, 40 Stow Street, Concord, MA, 01742, United States
May 17, 2025, 3PM
The Umbrella Arts Center Main Stage Theater 144
Five Sisters Productions and the Tufts University Half the History Film Project return to The Umbrella Arts Center to present a program of three locally shot short films about impactful women in Concord history.
The featured films will be:
Margaret Lothrop and the Wayside (Premiere screening with new score)
Ellen Garrison: Scenes from an Activist Life (Return engagement)
Women of the Old Manse (Sneak peek)
Related family activities include FREE optional childcare (space pending) with teacher-led thematically related crafts during the screening, and a table display of Rise Up!, a new children’s book by Barefoot Books on revolutions and protest in U.S. history.
Partners: The Umbrella Arts Center, Tufts University Half the History Film Project, The Robbins House, Barefoot Books, Concord 250, The Old Manse
FREE

American Fiction - The Umbrella Film Series
2025-05-21 19:30 - 21:30 | The Umbrella Arts Center, 40 Stow Street, Concord, MA, 01742, United States
Enjoy the best of classic, independent, and foreign films curated by The Concord Film Project, with pre-show dinner options.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2025 at 7:30pm
In this acclaimed satire, Monk is a frustrated novelist who’s fed up with the establishment that profits from Black entertainment that relies on tired and offensive tropes. To prove his point, he uses a pen name to write an outlandish Black book of his own — a book that propels him to the heart of hypocrisy and the madness he claims to disdain.
Dramedy/Satire
Directed by Cord Jefferson (2023)
1 hr 57 mins
Rated R
Film Tickets: $10
Optional pre-ordered dinner at 6:30; Film tickets and additional concessions available at the door.
Delicious meal options are available as an add-on from Adelita! Pre-show dinner options from Adelita are an additional $31; the deadline to order meals is Tuesday, May 20 at 12:00pm; dinner quantities are limited.

A River Transformed Walking Tour
2025-06-16 14:00 - 15:30, 2025-06-17 14:00 - 15:30, 2025-06-23 14:00 - 15:30, 2025-06-24 14:00 - 15:30, 2025-06-30 14:00 - 15:30, 2025-07-01 14:00 - 15:30, 2025-07-07 14:00 - 15:30 | Lowell National Historical Park – Boott Cotton Mills Museum, 115 John Street, Lowell, 01852, United States
Discover how the power of the Merrimack River was harnessed into textile production in the 19th century. This tour combines a walk along the riverwalk accompanied by a park ranger with a guided visit to the River Transformed Exhibit at the Suffolk Mill.
June 15-August 31, 2025
Monday and Tuesday at 2 p.m.
Visitors should plan for a 75-minute tour, all of which will be spent on your feet. Visitors can expect to walk as much as 1.5-miles on paved paths and are encouraged to bring water. This tour meets and ends at the Boott Cotton Mills Museum (115 John St.)
This tour is free. To reserve your spot, call (978) 970-5000 or check in at the Boott Cotton Mills Museum front desk.
