Lowell

It has long been said that there’s a lot to like about Lowell. From the historic mills to memories of writer Jack Kerouac to the famed Folk Festival that takes over the city every July, the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution has many attractions that keep people coming back year after year.

Free Soil Arts Collective has debuted a book of interviews with Black residents of Lowell. “Hidden in Plain Sight: Stories of Black Lowell,” published Dec. 13, delves into the history of the city that’s often left behind in archives and dialogues.

The African Cultural Council has hosted the Lowell African Festival every year since 2000. On Saturday, June 16, the tradition continued on the banks of the Merrimack River. Crowds of festival goers from Lowell’s African communities gathered to eat, drink and dance to the sounds of headlining band Mamadou Diop.