Lowell Parks: Summer Programs for Kids

In addition to the various summer camp programs in Lowell, the City’s Recreation Office has a number of programs at local parks this summer for kids ages 5 and up. For more information about the programs listed below and other activities, like swimming and tennis lessons, visit the Recreation Office’s website or call 978-674-4175.

Tiny Tots Programs
Ages: 5-9 years
When: Monday through Friday from 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM, July 9 to August 17
Where: Shedd Park, Daley School, Gage Park, Rogers School, Wang School

Preregistration is required. Free lunches distributed to all participants. Programs include arts and crafts, sports and more. To register, you must provide copies of the following information: (1) a registration form, (2) a copy of the child’s birth certificate, (3) a copy of the child’s most recent physical form from your child’s doctor, that includes immunization information. The final registration is scheduled for Saturday, June 30^th at Lowell City Hall from 12:00 to 4:00 PM.

Drop-In Programs
Ages: 10-14 years
When: Monday through Friday from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM, July 9 to August 17
Where: North Common Park/Murkland School, Stoklosa School, Koumantzelis Field behind the Bartlett School, O’Donnell Park next to the Butler/Shaughnessy Schools, Father Maguire Park, and Morey School.

Participants in the Drop-In Programs can come and go from the park as they please.  Programs include sports and arts activities, weather permitting, and include a lunch program. Registration can be done by mail or in-person the first day the child attends the program.

For a complete listing of summer activities in Lowell, including free summer lunch sites for kids 18 years and under, check out the City of Lowell’s Healthy Summer 2012 brochure.

Free Family Fun: Outdoor Summer Concerts

The Lowell Parents Network has provided information before about free concerts for families in Lowell, including the summer concert series for kids at Boarding House Park. Now that it’s June, we wanted to remind you about these outdoor summer concerts that are great for families. We hope to see you there!

Summer Pops Concert at the Shedd Park Pavilion

The Lowell Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) will present its annual Summer Pops Concert at the Shedd Park Pavilion in July. The performance will include light classical, pops, and patriotic favorites. Audience members should bring chairs, and perhaps a picnic to enjoy under the cool shade of the pavilion. The concert is free and has a suggested donation of $10.

When: Sunday, July 8 from 3:00 to 5:00PM
Where: 433 Rogers St, Lowell, MA (Route 38, 1 mile north of I-495)
Parking: Park at the Pavilion, along Knapp Ave or Boylston St.

Questions? Check out LPO’s website, www.lowellphilharmonic.org.

Summer Concert Series in Tyler Park

Lowell’s Friends of Tyler Park will also host its annual summer concert series at Tyler Park in the Highlands neighborhood at 51 Westford Street. Enjoy an evening of nature, neighbors and music at Lowell’s only organically maintained city park. Festivities include face painting, balloons, hot dogs, popcorn, etc., and start at 6:00 PM. Music begins at 6:30 PM. Bring a lawn chair or blanket. The dates and performers are listed below:

• June 21, 2012 – Jen Kearney & The Lost Onion
• July 19, 2012 – Take Two
• August 16, 2012 – Gumbo Diablo

If you have suggestions for other free outdoor summer concerts in the Greater Lowell area, please contact us at lowellparentsnetwork@gmail.com. Thanks!

Urban Gardening with Your Kids

It’s Memorial Day weekend, and the weather has been beautiful. What a great time to start gardening in the city with your kids. Spend time outside together planting a garden, and eventually, you can enjoy fresh produce from your own backyard. Or, maybe you and your family want to help start a community garden—now a reality through a new program here in Lowell. Either way, you can find resources to help urban gardeners, including a new local organization—Mill City Grows.

Founded this year, Mill City Grows works to increase community access to healthy, fresh food through the development of urban food production and distribution networks. Its current projects include the following:

• Gardener Training Program: Throughout the summer and into the fall, Mill City Grows will host a series of workshops on growing your garden. Two upcoming workshops in early June will include information on planting techniques and growing vegetables in Massachusetts: on Saturday, June 2 from 1:30 to 3:00 PM or Tuesday, June 5 from 6:00 to 7:30 PM. Bring the kids and learn together. Suggested donation: $15.

• Rotary Park Community Garden: Located in Lowell’s Back Central neighborhood on Richmond Street, the Rotary Park Community Garden offers garden plots for an annual fee of $15. Spots have been filling up, so contact Mill City Grows at millcityfarm@gmail or 978-656-1678 to see if you can still get involved.

In addition to our local resources, First Lady Michelle Obama has championed gardening and increased awareness through her own kitchen garden at the White House as part of the Let’s Move campaign. Her Kitchen Garden Checklist includes step-by-step instructions for creating your own garden, including healthy recipes for families. Even if you don’t have space for a garden at your Lowell home, you could try urban container gardening—a great option for fresh tomatoes.

Help us share examples of urban gardening in Lowell. Please send an email to lowellparentsnetwork@gmail.com with photos of your family’s garden, and we’ll share them on Facebook. Thanks, and happy gardening!

Free Family Fun: Doors Open Lowell

Spalding House, Lowell’s third oldest surviving house

One of my favorite events is happening this weekend – Doors Open Lowell. This event provides “an insider’s look” into the preservation of Lowell’s historic buildings. It’s held during National Preservation Month, as a way to celebrate our city’s architectural heritage and culture. Starting today through Sunday, various buildings that we normally don’t have access to will be open to the public for tours. This is a great event for families, and it’s FREE!

Here are a few of the Doors Open activities that I think are especially appealing for families with kids:

Friday, May 18

• From 6:00 p.m. to dusk, take a ride on New Orleans’ “streetcar named Desire,” departing from behind the National Streetcar Museum on Dutton Street.

• At 7:30 p.m., check out the rare public showing of the Masons’ celestial lighting display in the Grecian Hall of the Masonic Temple, 79 Dutton Street.

Saturday, May 19

• From 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., there will be a walking tour of the Hamilton Canalway, starting at the Lowell National Historical Park (LHNP) Visitor Center at 246 Market Street. LHNP architect Chuck Parrott will provide a guided tour of the soon-to-be-completed Hamilton Canalway and stop at the historic Swamp Locks Gatehouse.

• From 2:00 to 5:00 p.m., visit 1 Tremont Place with LHNP Park Ranger Dave Redding to discover the exposed historic subterranean waterpower features, which have been underwater since the mid-19^th century.

• From 2:30 to 4:00 p.m., walk the Western Canalway with Chuck Parrott and discover the canal’s history and the many historic sites along its course. The tour starts at the American Textile History Museum Lobby at 491 Dutton Street.

Have you participated in Doors Open Lowell? What are some of your favorite sites to visit?

Family Walks in Lowell

On a nice day, where do you go walking with your family in Lowell? Are there particular routes you enjoy with your kids? There are many great urban hikes you can take with your family in Lowell. Here are a few suggestions:

• Lowell-Dracut-Tyngsboro State Forest: Did you know that part of a nearly 1,200-acre state forest is located in Lowell? You’ll find the Lowell-Dracut-Tyngsboro State Forest in Pawtucketville (a.k.a., “God’s Country,” which I have jokingly heard it referred to). There are six miles of trails, including a Family Loop Trail.

• North Bank of the Merrimack River: If you park at UMass Lowell’s Bellegarde Boathouse, you can take a lovely stroll along the north side of the Merrimack River. Heading east on the path takes you to the Sampas Pavilion and Rynne Beach. The roundtrip to these destinations is about 1.5 miles along the path.

• Francis Gate and the South Bank of the Merrimack River: If you start at the Francis Gate at 715 Broadway Street, you can walk north along the Pawtucket Canal to the Merrimack River. Once you hit Pawtucket Street, take a left and you’ll reach Sheehy Park on the south side of the Merrimack River. There is a nice path along the river and a conveniently located ice cream shop, if you need a snack.

• Downtown Lowell Riverwalk: When we’ve gone to the Riverwalk, we usually park near the Lawrence Mills and head east toward Downtown Lowell and the Boott Mills. It’s about a one mile roundtrip on the pathway, which is great for strollers. On one of our walks, we saw turkey vultures and a great blue heron. Another time, we saw a beaver hanging out in one of the canals. Even in Downtown Lowell, you can find wildlife if you look carefully enough.

• Concord River Greenway: One of Lowell’s newest parks is the Concord River Greenway, which runs along an old railroad track that follows the Concord River. The park is still in development, and the goal is to connect it to the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail—another great option for family walks in Lowell.

Please share your experiences visiting the following sites listed above or let us know your other favorite walking routes for families in and around Lowell.

Volunteer Opportunities for Families

Having kids doesn’t mean you have to stop volunteering. Lowell has many ways in which families can work together to give back to our community. The following provides a few examples of kid-friendly volunteer opportunities to benefit nonprofit organizations in Lowell.

• Merrimack Valley Food Bank: Over the weekend, the Food Bank started their annual Spring Pantry Raid, and there’s still time to get your family involved. This food drive helps the network of organizations supported by the Food Bank, such as food pantries, soup kitchens, and homeless shelters. The volunteer commitment involves two parts: (1) distribute empty grocery bags with flyers attached, and (2) pick up the full bags from the same locations on Saturday, March 24 and drop them off at the designated site for your area. For more information or to volunteer, call Debbie Callery at 978-454-7272 or dcallery@mvfb.org.

• Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust: Do you like spending time outdoors? Does your family have limited time for volunteering? Then you should considering becoming a volunteer land steward for the Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust. The Trust maintains several properties in Lowell that provide much-needed open space for the community, such as the Spalding House on Pawtucket Street. To keep these places looking their best, the Trust relies on volunteers who stop by these properties about once a month. After each visit, volunteers complete an online monitoring form that details their activities (e.g., wildlife spotted, trash removed, etc.). If you are interested in volunteering or have questions, call 978-934-0030.

• Adopt-an-Island Program: Have a green thumb? Want to get your kids involved? Another outdoor option involves the City of Lowell’s Adopt-an-Island program. This program allows people to adopt and maintain a public green space, such as a traffic island or a garden within a public park. For example, the Lower Highlands Neighborhood Group has adopted the flower bed at Armory Park on Westford Street. To learn more about the program, check out the guidelines and application form, as well as the list of available spaces. If you have questions, you can contact Henri Marchand at 978-970-4000.

This list will get you started, but we’re sure that other wonderful volunteer opportunities for families exist in Lowell. If you have other suggestions, please leave a comment below or email us at lowellparentsnetwork@gmail.com.

Exploring and Supporting Lowell’s Varied Parks

Lowell has nearly 80 city-owned parks, many of which have wonderful playgrounds and open spaces for kids. For example, Shedd Park has great play equipment and a children’s water spray park in the summertime. I think Tyler Park has a historic feel, due to the age of the trees and the stately homes surrounding it. My favorite parks though, are the neighborhood playgrounds and ball fields tucked away on side streets throughout Lowell’s diverse neighborhoods (e.g., Moody Street Playground in the Acre or Thomas L. Crowley Park in the Upper Highlands, etc.).

Clemente Park, 803 Middlesex Street

While Lowell has great parks for kids, some Mill City parks could certainly use some attention, and here are some ways you can help. For example, you could organize a park clean-up. Lowell has a network of neighborhood groups that can provide support for things like locating supplies, securing volunteers and publicizing the event. Also, you can request graffiti removal or equipment repair. If you visit a park that has damaged play equipment or graffiti, you can use the City of Lowell’s online complaint/request system or contact the Parks Department directly at 978-970-4065 to have these problems addressed.

In an urban environment such as Lowell, these parks are critical to providing open space for kids to roam around, get exercise and enjoy some unstructured playtime with their buddies. Let’s continue to work together to keep our Lowell parks clean and safe. What are some of your favorite parks in Lowell? Which parks do you think need the most attention? Please share your thoughts and comments below. Or, email us at lowellparentsnetwork@gmail.com.