The Library is Open -- Dress Warmly -- Trick-or-Treating has been Postponed

We are open! We have power at the library and anticipate being open our normal hours (9am-9pm Monday-Thursday, 9am-5pm Friday, Saturday. However, there are crews working on the heating system (unrelated to the storm) so you should dress warmly.

The city has also announced trick-or-treating has been postponed to Sunday November 6th from 6pm-8pm.

Author Event - Paul Hudon - All in Good Time - Thursday, October 27th @ 7PM

We're very excited to welcome local historian, poet, and friend to the Pollard, Paul Hudon this Thursday October 27th at 7pm to read from his recently published collection of poems, All in Good Time (2011, Loom Press). The book is comprised of 365 poems written daily between 2005 and 2006. They range from terse philosophical observations to full blown monologues from unique character's perspectives (invented or otherwise). Hudon's journey across a full year chronicled in daily poetic musings is proof of the power of an inquisitive mind and a honest work ethic. A journey well worth taking.

Paul Hudon is the author of the popular local history volume Lower Merrimack: The Valley & Its Peoples: An Illustrated History. This event is free and open to the public.

Cooking with Gas...or, what you will

Here are a couple of interesting opportunities for those of you who know your way around a kitchen:


COOL has just extended their deadline to November 15th for their Lowell Cooks Contest. The book is slated to be published in the spring of 2012, its aim is to highlight the delectable diversity of our fair city. You can submit your recipe to lowellcookbook@gmail.com and further details are available on the COOL website.



Also, we just received word the ALA is promoting a nationwide Beekman 1802 Heirloom Recipe Contest which is being held in honor of the publication of The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Cookbook. Entries get the chance to win an all expense paid trip to meet Discovery-Planet Green reality TV stars The Fabulous Beekman Boys in Sharon Springs, NY, take a tour of the Beekman 1802 Farm, and have dinner with Josh and Brent. Submissions are due by November 1st. We have entry forms at the 2nd Floor Reference Desk of the library or you can fill one out online and submit it at the 2nd Floor Reference Desk.

Parker Lecture - Stephen Collins Shakescene - Thursday October 20th @ 7pm

Join us for this Thursday at 7pm for Stephen Collins' Shake-scene. Actor Stephen Collins will give a performance stressing the lasting effect of the bards impact on the English language. Shakespeare’s tragedies, comedies, histories, and Sonnets are all represented in this exciting show. This lecture is brought to you by the Moses Greeley Parker Lecture Series.

Non-Fiction Book Club - Just Kids by Patti Smith, Thursday, November 3rd @ 6:30pm

Non-Fiction lovers, of Lowell, it is time to set our readerly sights on the next Non-Fiction gem to be discussed at our meeting November, 3rd @ 6:30pm. This month's selection comes from the memoir section of the non-fiction universe but it is not just any memoir. This is Just Kids by Patti Smith—a 2010 National Book Award winning reminisce from an American cultural icon about her formative years as an artist living in NYC and her close relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. As it says on the jacket: "Just Kids begins as a love story and ends as an elegy. It serves as a salute to New York City during the late sixties and seventies and to its rich and poor, its hustlers and hellions. A true fable, it is a portrait of two young artists' ascent, a prelude to fame."

Say it with me....G-L-O-R-I-A

Movies Movies

As our region slides back into autumnal weather this week we're glad we have some fun indoor activities for you to enjoy. And what is the best indoor activity? That's right, watching great films. We have not one, but two films for you to enjoy this week.


On Thursday, October 13th, at 6:30pm we'll be showing The Colors of the Mountain as part of our ongoing Independent Film night. This film's story is as poignant as its scenery is awe-inspring.


Picking up on the fall classic theme from September's showing of Casablanca, this Saturday October 15th, at 1pm we'll show another fall classic, this time starring Lowell's own Bette Davis. We've picked one of her more famous films, Dark Victory. This one gets a three handkerchief rating for it's tear-jerking capabilities so be prepared.

Museum Pass Spotlight: Museum of Science: A Day in Pompeii

Through the good work of our Friends of the Library group, the Pollard is able to offer many free or discounted passes for area museums, zoos, parks, and cultural organizations. We thought we'd highlight a special exhibit going on right now at the Museum of Science Boston: A Day in Pompeii.

Museum-goers can visit Pompeii before, during, and after the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. For centuries, Pompeii lay buried under a 12-foot blanket of ash and debris until 1749, when workers digging up a riverbed struck part of a building with their shovels, revealing a lost city right under their feet. Now the secrets once hidden under the hardened ash are on display in A Day in Pompeii.

Columbus Day Closure & Delayed Opening this Thursday

In observance of Columbus Day the Library will be closed Monday, October 10, 2011.

We would also like to remind you this Thursday is the first Thursday of the month which means our opening time will be delayed to 11AM to accommodate a morning staff meeting.