From Manchester, NH to Lowell, MA, historical society archives document a young Merrimack Valley that scarcely resembles what we know today. Faces, styles, and landscapes have changed. Businesses, fortunes, and families have come and gone. But in sepia-toned photographs, one familiar image appears again and again—that of the Merrimack River itself.
The 110-mile river rolled through the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries while our ancestors settled its banks, seized independence, and launched the great American experiment. In the nineteenth century, it powered the mills that transformed the valley into an industrial mecca. It greeted thousands of immigrant workers, and absorbed them all—Irish, French Canadian, Greek, Polish, Jewish, and Portuguese.
It inspired art, courage, and ingenuity. And it overflowed in dramatic fashion during the flood of 1936.
Since then, the view beyond the riverbanks has continued to evolve. A second wave of immigrants, predominantly of Southeast Asian and Latino descent, now calls the valley home. About sixty percent of Lawrence’s population is Latino, and the city has the nation’s highest concentration of Dominican Republic émigrés. Lowell’s Cambodian population is second only to that of Long Beach, California.
Yet as a whole, as of the 2000 U.S. Census, Caucasians still comprised 92.5 percent of the valley’s population. That number leaps to 95.6 percent if you exclude the area’s five most populated cities: Manchester, Lowell, Nashua, Lawrence, and Haverhill.
Not surprisingly, our largest cities also share the greatest economic hardships. The median household income of Lawrence, Lowell, and Manchester combined is less than that of Boxford alone, $113,212. In Lawrence, twenty-one percent of the city’s families live below the poverty level. Right next door in Andover, the median household income is $87,000.
But census statistics alone cannot provide a complete picture of the valley and its one million residents. Defining the region is no simple task. How does one summarize an area that includes West Newbury, with a population barely exceeding 4,000, and Manchester, with a population of 107,000? What are the common topics of conversation at both Mary Ann’s Diner in Derry and Palmer’s Restaurant and Tavern in Andover?
In some ways, the Merrimack Valley is a microcosm of America, a miniature melting pot influenced by a wide range of cultures, values, and beliefs. We have farms and orchards, as well as shopping malls and nuclear power plants. Some of us spend hours a day commuting through traffic. Some of us live on dirt roads. Some of us rent, while others live in a house on a hill. Some of us scrub floors at that house on the hill.
One need only browse two local websites—www.valleypatriot.com and www.leftinlowell.com—to witness the range of our views. Published just miles from each other, the opinions represented could come from alternate universes. We mix the Live Free or Die attitude of New Hampshire with the Legislate Everything attitude of Massachusetts. We are Puritan and progressive. We ban smoking in public places and we allow motorcyclists to ride without helmets.
The valley hosts five professional sports teams: the Lowell Spinners, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, the Manchester Monarchs, the Lowell Devils, and the Manchester Wolves. That’s pretty impressive for a relatively small region, but if that’s not enough, you can jump in your car and drive to Fenway Park with relative ease. Or you can head the opposite direction to New Hampshire International Speedway. Merrimack Valley residents enjoy an abundance of restaurants, parks, trails, and entertainment venues, but we also have access to the big city hustle of Boston and the serenity of the White Mountains.
Then there’s that river. The Merrimack is surrounded by wilderness, colonial homes, mills, and Interstates 93 and 495. Its tributaries and canals connect us to our history and each other. And it provides a subtle but steady reminder that what happens upriver directly affects what happens downriver. Like the Merrimack River itself, that reality will endure any future shift in demographics, politics, or economics.
A is for Archie
The valley has been home to a number of celebrities, including Jay Leno (Andover), Adam Sandler (Manchester), and Robert Goulet (Lawrence). The most recognizable may be Archie Andrews, the perpetual teenager and star of Archie Comics since 1942.
The redhead was created by cartoonist Bob Montana, who attended Haverhill High School from 1936 to 1939. Many of Montana’s fictional characters came from Haverhill High, including Riverdale High Principal Waldo Weatherbee, inspired by former Haverhill Principal Earl McLeod. Montana died in 1975 at the age of fifty-four.
LeLacheur Field, Lowell MA
B is for Baseball
Basketball and skiing are the official sports of Massachusetts and New Hampshire. But considering the popularity of the Red Sox, the Manchester-based New Hampshire Fisher Cats, and the Lowell Spinners, one could argue that baseball is king in the valley. There is even talk of a minor league team and a vintage baseball team coming to Lawrence.
Methuen resident Brian Sheehy, 24, a teacher at Greater Lawrence Technical School, is captain of the Essex Base Ball Club. His Danvers-based team wears old-fashioned uniforms and tours the region with other vintage teams, competing under rules from 1861.
“Baseball is so big here,” Sheehy says. “So one of my goals is to get a team in Lawrence. A lot of our players are from the Merrimack Valley, and some of the best fan response we get is at games in the Merrimack Valley.”
C is for Currier Museum
Already a must-see for art lovers, the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester shut its doors last summer to accommodate a twenty million dollar expansion project. The museum is not expected to re-open until the end of 2007. In the meantime, it has loaned out pieces from its collection, which includes works by Monet, Matisse, and Picasso. It also opened Currier Downtown on Hanover Street, which hosts a museum store and family art programs. Architecture enthusiasts can visit the Currier-owned Zimmerman House, which is the only New England home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright that is open to the public.
D is for Duston
Hannah Duston is both a historical icon and a cultural Rorscharch test. The Haverhill colonial was kidnapped in 1697 by Abenaki Indians, who killed her infant daughter. Along with a teenage boy and her nurse companion, Duston was forced to hike from Haverhill to just north of Concord, N.H. Once their captors fell asleep, Duston and her fellow prisoners killed and scalped ten of them. Duston returned to Haverhill by canoe, and became the first American woman to have a statue erected in her honor.
“I guess you could call her the earliest woman of the women’s movement,” says Tom Spitalere, chairman of the Haverhill Historical Commission.
In recent years, Duston’s legend has become a point of debate. Abenaki Nation leaders dispute the story’s accuracy, and some Haverhill residents believe she is unworthy of the city’s recognition.
“Some people believe she slaughtered the Abenakis, and some people believe she used self-defense,” Spitalere said. “So to some people she’s a heroine, and to some people she’s not very well-liked at all.”
E is for Emiliana Gelateria & Café
Chad Gibson conducted bike tours in Italy. Mike Hanley was a tourist. And the rest is a delicious history.
After the two men struck up a friendship, they decided to open Emiliana Gelateria & Café at the Derry Meadows Shoppes on Manchester Road (in Derry). Since 2004, their customers have been falling in love with gelato, Italy’s less-fatty answer to ice cream. Emiliana’s also serves grilled Panini, salads, pastries, and coffee drinks. There is free wireless Internet, a play area for children, and live acoustic music on select weekends.
F is for Feaster Five
Since 1987, valley runners have worked up their appetites at the annual Feaster Five Thanksgiving Day Road Race in Andover. The Merrimack Valley Strider running club created the race, which initially drew about 500 participants. Today it attracts about 7,000, according to coordinator Dave McGillivray. Participants take pledges, generating about $25,000 a year for charity. Their reward is an apple pie, which is given to everyone who crosses the finish line at Brickstone Square.
G is for Golden Gloves
Get ready to rumble. The 61st New England Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions starts in January at Lowell Memorial Auditorium. During eight shows over six weeks, 140 boxers from Vermont, Connecticut, and Massachusetts will fight for a ticket to the national finals. Trainer Arthur Ramalho, of West End Gym in Lowell, has been involved with the tournament since 1968.
“Marvin Hagler and (Rocky) Marciano both fought in the New England Gloves. So you see young fellas like that taking the next step to the future,” Ramalho says. “It’s a great night of entertainment, and there isn’t a bad seat in there.”
H is for Harrison’s Roast Beef
Kelly’s gets the publicity, but many would argue that the best roast beef sandwiches in Massachusetts are served right here in the Merrimack Valley. Harrison’s Roast Beef in North Andover has been giving no-nonsense service since 1984. During lunch and dinner hours, the line grows quite long. But the staff keeps it moving, operating like a well-oiled machine. “Everyone here takes pride in the quality of each sandwich,” according to owner Mike McMains.
Boott Cotton Mills Museum, Lowell MA
I is for Industry
The valley’s character was born in the industrial boom of the 1800s, which resulted in the mills that stand along the Merrimack River. Though the industries that created those mills are gone, the valley’s future is still linked to them.
“They’re a resource that defines the entire region, from Nashua to Lowell,” says Philip Lupsiewicz, media and communications coordinator for Lowell National Historical Park. “People saw fit to not destroy those simple, utilitarian buildings. And now there’s a renewed interest in them and the opportunities they can create for housing and business.”
J is for Joe’s Playland
Anyone for Skeeball? Located right off Salisbury Beach, Joe’s Playland offers new game technology and old classics. It also boasts an eclectic selection of prizes, from lollipops to vacuum cleaners. The Abdulla family has owned and operated the arcade for more than ninety years. Fred Abdulla says they can go another ninety.
“The ocean and the beach are our biggest assets, and they’re not going anywhere,” says Fred. “So we’re not either.”
K is for Kerouac
Born and buried in Lowell, Jack Kerouac helped launch the counterculture movement of the 1960s with his novel On the Road, published in 1957. Along with bohemian writers Allen Ginsberg and William Burroughs, Kerouac led the “Beat Generation,” and drew much of his material from his youth in Lowell. He is honored every fall during the Lowell Celebrates Kerouac Festival.
But Kerouac is just one valley writer from a long tradition of literary accomplishment. Robert Frost, John Greenleaf Whittier, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Anne Bradstreet all called the Merrimack Valley home. Following their leads are young writers such as Kate Hanson of Andover and Dennis Ludvino of Tewksbury, both twenty-six years old. The two UMASS-Lowell graduates publish Renovation Journal, a bi-annual collection of poetry and personal essays that just launched its sixth issue.
“Starting out, we thought a lot about the history of literature in this area,” says Ludvino. “The mix of cultural trends with that unapologetic blue-collar attitude gives this place a great feel for writers.”
L is for Lawton’s Frankfurt Stand
In forty-six years of living, Scott Curley had no experience in the food business. But he had lots of experience eating hot dogs. When he saw Lawton’s Frankfurt Stand was for sale, he couldn’t resist.
“I grew up in Lawrence, and Lawton’s is a historical landmark there,” says the Methuen resident. “It’s been there since 1929, and we get customers from all over the country.”
In January 2006, Curley purchased the business, which hangs over North Canal on 606 Canal Street. The interior’s not much to look at; there’s no indoor seating and barely room to stand. But Curley wasn’t paying for looks. “When we purchased it, the previous owners had to write down the formula they use to fry the hot dogs in,” he says. Unfortunately, Curley won’t share the “secret recipe” that gives the franks such a distinct taste.
Downtown Haverhill in the evening
M is for Mother Nature
Mother Nature is constantly reminding us who’s in charge in the Valley. If you’re looking for consistent and predictable weather conditions, this is not the place for you. But if you’re a fan of all seasons, you’ll get an adult dose. From blinding snowstorms to stifling heat waves, from floods to droughts, we get it all. And often, in dramatic fashion.
N is for Nashoba Valley Ski Area
Nashoba Valley will never be mistaken for the Swiss Alps. But the Alps will never be there when all you want is a refreshing ski after work. The Westford slopes are a convenient destination for local skiers and snowboarders. For the less adventurous, the ski area also offers the snow tube park. And if that even proves too daring, you can settle into the comfy confines of the Outlook Restaurant.
O is for Osgood
The Osgoods were among the ‘first families’ of Andover, settling in the town in 1645. John Osgood held the first Town Meeting in his home, and generations later, Samuel Osgood served as Postmaster General under President George Washington. Today we use email. And the drama of Town Meetings unfolds in high school gyms. But the Osgoods are immortalized in Andover and North Andover, which split in 1705 and both named streets after the family.
P is for Pauls
Former presidential candidate Paul Tsongas, who died in 1997 at the age of fifty-five, helped lead the revitalization of Lowell. As a city councilor, county commissioner, U.S. Representative, and U.S. Senator, he was a relentless advocate for the city where he was born and raised.
Today, Paul Neal is at the forefront of Lawrence’s revitalization, albeit in a much different way. Since becoming coach of Lawrence High’s basketball team in 1998, Neal has been a mentor and rock for his players, guiding them through a variety of challenges off the court. In 2005, USA Today named Neal one of the nation’s “Most Caring Coaches.” That year, he led the Lancers to the state semi-finals. But the real work came after the season, when star guard Hector Paniagua was paralyzed in a drive-by shooting. Neal organized the effort to support Paniagua’s recovery, and watched months later when Paniagua graduated in a ceremony held at the Paul E. Tsongas Arena.
Q is for Quilting
Like knitting, quilting has grown trendy throughout the nation in recent years. But the utilitarian art form has always been popular in the Merrimack Valley. The New England Quilt Museum is in Lowell, and there are quilting groups throughout the region. Amesbury resident Carrie Zizza, a member of the Merrimack Valley Quilters Guild, says quilting is a therapeutic pleasure that connects the valley to its past.
“You’ll hear some of the older members talk about their mothers who worked in the textile mills and brought home scraps to make quilts,” she said. “So when they quilt now, it’s sort of like returning to that safe place of being home with mom.”
R is for Ricardo’s
You can get a little overwhelmed by the wine selection at Ricardo’s Café Trattoria in Lowell. But that’s OK. Owner Richard “Ricardo” Rourke is happy to match your meal and tastes with one of the 6,200 bottles in his wine cellar. Rourke travels Italy’s vineyards every year to expand his collection. He also teaches a wine course at Middlesex Community College. His Gorham Street restaurant has been open for eight years, with an extensive menu of Italian delights. And if wine’s not your thing, Rourke says, “We stock 120 different types of vodka. There’s not a martini in the world that we can’t make.”
S is for Stonehenge
Whether you consider America’s Stonehenge a mystical site or just a big collection of rocks, there is no debating this fact: those alapacas are some funky-looking mammals. In addition to the alapaca farm and the famous stone configurations, the Salem site offers snowshoers 105 acres of trails. No one knows the origins of the stone structures, but they are believed to be among the oldest man-made constructions in the United States.
T is for Tuk Tuk
It’s worth going to Tuk Tuk in Tewksbury just for the sheer joy of saying, “I’m going to Tuk Tuk in Tewksbury.” But the best-named restaurant in the Merrimack Valley also happens to serve some mighty tasty Thai cuisine.
Owned by Sakda “Soul” Sopchockchai, Tuk Tuk’s popularity is growing, primarily through word-of-mouth publicity. The jolly fifty-six year old owner does not advertise, and pedestrian traffic outside the building is scarce. The quaint hidden treasure is tucked between a convenience store and liquor store at Keri Plaza on Shawsheen Road. But once customers get a taste of the food and atmosphere, they usually come back, and often with friends.
Tuk-Tuk is entering its third year of business, and is open for lunch, dinner, and take-out. Soul hopes to open more restaurants in the valley featuring larger dining rooms and ballroom dancing.
“That’s my dream,” he says. “I have sixty-nine more years to do it. I’m going to live to be 125, and then I’ll turn the key off.”
The Chain Bridge, Amesbury MA
U is for University
The University of New Hampshire and the University of Massachusetts both have campuses in the Merrimack Valley. Other local options for higher learning include Merrimack College and Northern Essex Community College. But all levels of education are well represented here. Among the more famous are Phillips Academy in Andover, the high school alma mater of President George W. Bush (and his father); and Atkinson Academy in Atkinson, America’s first co-ed school.
V is for Veterans
Military service has long been a priority in the Merrimack Valley, and our gratitude is displayed every Veteran’s Day in public squares throughout the region. Don Mullin, of the Veterans Northeast Outreach Center in Haverhill, estimates there are between 18,000 and 20,000 veterans currently living in the valley. And that tradition continues with the many local men and women serving in Afghanistan, Iraq, and across the globe.
W is for Winterfest
From June through September, each weekend in the valley seems to be filled with at least three festivals. But in 2001, Lowell found a way to lure revelers into the snow with the first annual Winterfest. The two-day party, held every year in February, features live music, a soup competition, and fireworks above City Hall. But the highlight is the Human Dog Sled Competition, where 64 six-member teams race against each other for the best times and best costumes.
X is for X-Factor
Of course, the X-Factor in the valley is the river that creates it. The backdrop of our daily lives
is also the setting for books by two legendary writers: A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers written by Henry David Thoreau, published in 1849; and Dr. Sax written more than a century later by Jack Kerouac. More than any other factor, the force of nature that is the Merrimack River defines our region.
Sunrise over Plum Island
Y is for Yankee Doodle
One verse of this legendary tune is believed to be about Billerica farmer Thomas Ditson, Jr. British soldiers captured Ditson in 1775 while he was trying to buy a musket to join the Billerica Minuteman Company. The British tarred and feathered Ditson, and marched him through Boston while playing “Yankee Doodle.” U.S. Congress has declared Billerica “America’s Yankee Doodle Town,” and every September the town hosts the Yankee Doodle Homecoming Festival.
Z is for Zombie
We’ve come a long way from soda shops and Riverdale High. The city that gave us Archie the all-American teen also gave us death rock
musician and horror film director Rob Zombie. Born in Haverhill with the name Robert Cummings, Zombie created the band White Zombie and directed the movies The House of 1,000 Corpses and Satan’s Rejects. And last summer, Zombie toured with Godsmack, a hard rock band that also shares roots in the valley. But whereas Zombie left the valley and has no intention of coming back, members of Godsmack, which released its latest album titled “IV” in April, hail from the Lawrence area and still hold it in high regard. In fact, one member is frequently sighted at local hockey rinks.
A Portrait of the Merrimack Valley – Defining people and places of the region we love to live in
The 110-mile river rolled through the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries while our ancestors settled its banks, seized independence, and launched the great American experiment. In the nineteenth century, it powered the mills that transformed the valley into an industrial mecca. It greeted thousands of immigrant workers, and absorbed them all—Irish, French Canadian, Greek, Polish, Jewish, and Portuguese.
It inspired art, courage, and ingenuity. And it overflowed in dramatic fashion during the flood of 1936.
Since then, the view beyond the riverbanks has continued to evolve. A second wave of immigrants, predominantly of Southeast Asian and Latino descent, now calls the valley home. About sixty percent of Lawrence’s population is Latino, and the city has the nation’s highest concentration of Dominican Republic émigrés. Lowell’s Cambodian population is second only to that of Long Beach, California.
Yet as a whole, as of the 2000 U.S. Census, Caucasians still comprised 92.5 percent of the valley’s population. That number leaps to 95.6 percent if you exclude the area’s five most populated cities: Manchester, Lowell, Nashua, Lawrence, and Haverhill.
Not surprisingly, our largest cities also share the greatest economic hardships. The median household income of Lawrence, Lowell, and Manchester combined is less than that of Boxford alone, $113,212. In Lawrence, twenty-one percent of the city’s families live below the poverty level. Right next door in Andover, the median household income is $87,000.
But census statistics alone cannot provide a complete picture of the valley and its one million residents. Defining the region is no simple task. How does one summarize an area that includes West Newbury, with a population barely exceeding 4,000, and Manchester, with a population of 107,000? What are the common topics of conversation at both Mary Ann’s Diner in Derry and Palmer’s Restaurant and Tavern in Andover?
In some ways, the Merrimack Valley is a microcosm of America, a miniature melting pot influenced by a wide range of cultures, values, and beliefs. We have farms and orchards, as well as shopping malls and nuclear power plants. Some of us spend hours a day commuting through traffic. Some of us live on dirt roads. Some of us rent, while others live in a house on a hill. Some of us scrub floors at that house on the hill.
One need only browse two local websites—www.valleypatriot.com and www.leftinlowell.com—to witness the range of our views. Published just miles from each other, the opinions represented could come from alternate universes. We mix the Live Free or Die attitude of New Hampshire with the Legislate Everything attitude of Massachusetts. We are Puritan and progressive. We ban smoking in public places and we allow motorcyclists to ride without helmets.
The valley hosts five professional sports teams: the Lowell Spinners, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, the Manchester Monarchs, the Lowell Devils, and the Manchester Wolves. That’s pretty impressive for a relatively small region, but if that’s not enough, you can jump in your car and drive to Fenway Park with relative ease. Or you can head the opposite direction to New Hampshire International Speedway. Merrimack Valley residents enjoy an abundance of restaurants, parks, trails, and entertainment venues, but we also have access to the big city hustle of Boston and the serenity of the White Mountains.
Then there’s that river. The Merrimack is surrounded by wilderness, colonial homes, mills, and Interstates 93 and 495. Its tributaries and canals connect us to our history and each other. And it provides a subtle but steady reminder that what happens upriver directly affects what happens downriver. Like the Merrimack River itself, that reality will endure any future shift in demographics, politics, or economics.
A is for Archie
The valley has been home to a number of celebrities, including Jay Leno (Andover), Adam Sandler (Manchester), and Robert Goulet (Lawrence). The most recognizable may be Archie Andrews, the perpetual teenager and star of Archie Comics since 1942.
The redhead was created by cartoonist Bob Montana, who attended Haverhill High School from 1936 to 1939. Many of Montana’s fictional characters came from Haverhill High, including Riverdale High Principal Waldo Weatherbee, inspired by former Haverhill Principal Earl McLeod. Montana died in 1975 at the age of fifty-four.
LeLacheur Field, Lowell MA
B is for Baseball
Basketball and skiing are the official sports of Massachusetts and New Hampshire. But considering the popularity of the Red Sox, the Manchester-based New Hampshire Fisher Cats, and the Lowell Spinners, one could argue that baseball is king in the valley. There is even talk of a minor league team and a vintage baseball team coming to Lawrence.
Methuen resident Brian Sheehy, 24, a teacher at Greater Lawrence Technical School, is captain of the Essex Base Ball Club. His Danvers-based team wears old-fashioned uniforms and tours the region with other vintage teams, competing under rules from 1861.
“Baseball is so big here,” Sheehy says. “So one of my goals is to get a team in Lawrence. A lot of our players are from the Merrimack Valley, and some of the best fan response we get is at games in the Merrimack Valley.”
C is for Currier Museum
Already a must-see for art lovers, the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester shut its doors last summer to accommodate a twenty million dollar expansion project. The museum is not expected to re-open until the end of 2007. In the meantime, it has loaned out pieces from its collection, which includes works by Monet, Matisse, and Picasso. It also opened Currier Downtown on Hanover Street, which hosts a museum store and family art programs. Architecture enthusiasts can visit the Currier-owned Zimmerman House, which is the only New England home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright that is open to the public.
D is for Duston
Hannah Duston is both a historical icon and a cultural Rorscharch test. The Haverhill colonial was kidnapped in 1697 by Abenaki Indians, who killed her infant daughter. Along with a teenage boy and her nurse companion, Duston was forced to hike from Haverhill to just north of Concord, N.H. Once their captors fell asleep, Duston and her fellow prisoners killed and scalped ten of them. Duston returned to Haverhill by canoe, and became the first American woman to have a statue erected in her honor.
“I guess you could call her the earliest woman of the women’s movement,” says Tom Spitalere, chairman of the Haverhill Historical Commission.
In recent years, Duston’s legend has become a point of debate. Abenaki Nation leaders dispute the story’s accuracy, and some Haverhill residents believe she is unworthy of the city’s recognition.
“Some people believe she slaughtered the Abenakis, and some people believe she used self-defense,” Spitalere said. “So to some people she’s a heroine, and to some people she’s not very well-liked at all.”
E is for Emiliana Gelateria & Café
Chad Gibson conducted bike tours in Italy. Mike Hanley was a tourist. And the rest is a delicious history.
After the two men struck up a friendship, they decided to open Emiliana Gelateria & Café at the Derry Meadows Shoppes on Manchester Road (in Derry). Since 2004, their customers have been falling in love with gelato, Italy’s less-fatty answer to ice cream. Emiliana’s also serves grilled Panini, salads, pastries, and coffee drinks. There is free wireless Internet, a play area for children, and live acoustic music on select weekends.
F is for Feaster Five
Since 1987, valley runners have worked up their appetites at the annual Feaster Five Thanksgiving Day Road Race in Andover. The Merrimack Valley Strider running club created the race, which initially drew about 500 participants. Today it attracts about 7,000, according to coordinator Dave McGillivray. Participants take pledges, generating about $25,000 a year for charity. Their reward is an apple pie, which is given to everyone who crosses the finish line at Brickstone Square.
G is for Golden Gloves
Get ready to rumble. The 61st New England Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions starts in January at Lowell Memorial Auditorium. During eight shows over six weeks, 140 boxers from Vermont, Connecticut, and Massachusetts will fight for a ticket to the national finals. Trainer Arthur Ramalho, of West End Gym in Lowell, has been involved with the tournament since 1968.
“Marvin Hagler and (Rocky) Marciano both fought in the New England Gloves. So you see young fellas like that taking the next step to the future,” Ramalho says. “It’s a great night of entertainment, and there isn’t a bad seat in there.”
H is for Harrison’s Roast Beef
Kelly’s gets the publicity, but many would argue that the best roast beef sandwiches in Massachusetts are served right here in the Merrimack Valley. Harrison’s Roast Beef in North Andover has been giving no-nonsense service since 1984. During lunch and dinner hours, the line grows quite long. But the staff keeps it moving, operating like a well-oiled machine. “Everyone here takes pride in the quality of each sandwich,” according to owner Mike McMains.
Boott Cotton Mills Museum, Lowell MA
I is for Industry
The valley’s character was born in the industrial boom of the 1800s, which resulted in the mills that stand along the Merrimack River. Though the industries that created those mills are gone, the valley’s future is still linked to them.
“They’re a resource that defines the entire region, from Nashua to Lowell,” says Philip Lupsiewicz, media and communications coordinator for Lowell National Historical Park. “People saw fit to not destroy those simple, utilitarian buildings. And now there’s a renewed interest in them and the opportunities they can create for housing and business.”
J is for Joe’s Playland
Anyone for Skeeball? Located right off Salisbury Beach, Joe’s Playland offers new game technology and old classics. It also boasts an eclectic selection of prizes, from lollipops to vacuum cleaners. The Abdulla family has owned and operated the arcade for more than ninety years. Fred Abdulla says they can go another ninety.
“The ocean and the beach are our biggest assets, and they’re not going anywhere,” says Fred. “So we’re not either.”
K is for Kerouac
Born and buried in Lowell, Jack Kerouac helped launch the counterculture movement of the 1960s with his novel On the Road, published in 1957. Along with bohemian writers Allen Ginsberg and William Burroughs, Kerouac led the “Beat Generation,” and drew much of his material from his youth in Lowell. He is honored every fall during the Lowell Celebrates Kerouac Festival.
But Kerouac is just one valley writer from a long tradition of literary accomplishment. Robert Frost, John Greenleaf Whittier, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Anne Bradstreet all called the Merrimack Valley home. Following their leads are young writers such as Kate Hanson of Andover and Dennis Ludvino of Tewksbury, both twenty-six years old. The two UMASS-Lowell graduates publish Renovation Journal, a bi-annual collection of poetry and personal essays that just launched its sixth issue.
“Starting out, we thought a lot about the history of literature in this area,” says Ludvino. “The mix of cultural trends with that unapologetic blue-collar attitude gives this place a great feel for writers.”
L is for Lawton’s Frankfurt Stand
In forty-six years of living, Scott Curley had no experience in the food business. But he had lots of experience eating hot dogs. When he saw Lawton’s Frankfurt Stand was for sale, he couldn’t resist.
“I grew up in Lawrence, and Lawton’s is a historical landmark there,” says the Methuen resident. “It’s been there since 1929, and we get customers from all over the country.”
In January 2006, Curley purchased the business, which hangs over North Canal on 606 Canal Street. The interior’s not much to look at; there’s no indoor seating and barely room to stand. But Curley wasn’t paying for looks. “When we purchased it, the previous owners had to write down the formula they use to fry the hot dogs in,” he says. Unfortunately, Curley won’t share the “secret recipe” that gives the franks such a distinct taste.
Downtown Haverhill in the evening
M is for Mother Nature
Mother Nature is constantly reminding us who’s in charge in the Valley. If you’re looking for consistent and predictable weather conditions, this is not the place for you. But if you’re a fan of all seasons, you’ll get an adult dose. From blinding snowstorms to stifling heat waves, from floods to droughts, we get it all. And often, in dramatic fashion.
N is for Nashoba Valley Ski Area
Nashoba Valley will never be mistaken for the Swiss Alps. But the Alps will never be there when all you want is a refreshing ski after work. The Westford slopes are a convenient destination for local skiers and snowboarders. For the less adventurous, the ski area also offers the snow tube park. And if that even proves too daring, you can settle into the comfy confines of the Outlook Restaurant.
O is for Osgood
The Osgoods were among the ‘first families’ of Andover, settling in the town in 1645. John Osgood held the first Town Meeting in his home, and generations later, Samuel Osgood served as Postmaster General under President George Washington. Today we use email. And the drama of Town Meetings unfolds in high school gyms. But the Osgoods are immortalized in Andover and North Andover, which split in 1705 and both named streets after the family.
P is for Pauls
Former presidential candidate Paul Tsongas, who died in 1997 at the age of fifty-five, helped lead the revitalization of Lowell. As a city councilor, county commissioner, U.S. Representative, and U.S. Senator, he was a relentless advocate for the city where he was born and raised.
Today, Paul Neal is at the forefront of Lawrence’s revitalization, albeit in a much different way. Since becoming coach of Lawrence High’s basketball team in 1998, Neal has been a mentor and rock for his players, guiding them through a variety of challenges off the court. In 2005, USA Today named Neal one of the nation’s “Most Caring Coaches.” That year, he led the Lancers to the state semi-finals. But the real work came after the season, when star guard Hector Paniagua was paralyzed in a drive-by shooting. Neal organized the effort to support Paniagua’s recovery, and watched months later when Paniagua graduated in a ceremony held at the Paul E. Tsongas Arena.
Q is for Quilting
Like knitting, quilting has grown trendy throughout the nation in recent years. But the utilitarian art form has always been popular in the Merrimack Valley. The New England Quilt Museum is in Lowell, and there are quilting groups throughout the region. Amesbury resident Carrie Zizza, a member of the Merrimack Valley Quilters Guild, says quilting is a therapeutic pleasure that connects the valley to its past.
“You’ll hear some of the older members talk about their mothers who worked in the textile mills and brought home scraps to make quilts,” she said. “So when they quilt now, it’s sort of like returning to that safe place of being home with mom.”
R is for Ricardo’s
You can get a little overwhelmed by the wine selection at Ricardo’s Café Trattoria in Lowell. But that’s OK. Owner Richard “Ricardo” Rourke is happy to match your meal and tastes with one of the 6,200 bottles in his wine cellar. Rourke travels Italy’s vineyards every year to expand his collection. He also teaches a wine course at Middlesex Community College. His Gorham Street restaurant has been open for eight years, with an extensive menu of Italian delights. And if wine’s not your thing, Rourke says, “We stock 120 different types of vodka. There’s not a martini in the world that we can’t make.”
S is for Stonehenge
Whether you consider America’s Stonehenge a mystical site or just a big collection of rocks, there is no debating this fact: those alapacas are some funky-looking mammals. In addition to the alapaca farm and the famous stone configurations, the Salem site offers snowshoers 105 acres of trails. No one knows the origins of the stone structures, but they are believed to be among the oldest man-made constructions in the United States.
T is for Tuk Tuk
It’s worth going to Tuk Tuk in Tewksbury just for the sheer joy of saying, “I’m going to Tuk Tuk in Tewksbury.” But the best-named restaurant in the Merrimack Valley also happens to serve some mighty tasty Thai cuisine.
Owned by Sakda “Soul” Sopchockchai, Tuk Tuk’s popularity is growing, primarily through word-of-mouth publicity. The jolly fifty-six year old owner does not advertise, and pedestrian traffic outside the building is scarce. The quaint hidden treasure is tucked between a convenience store and liquor store at Keri Plaza on Shawsheen Road. But once customers get a taste of the food and atmosphere, they usually come back, and often with friends.
Tuk-Tuk is entering its third year of business, and is open for lunch, dinner, and take-out. Soul hopes to open more restaurants in the valley featuring larger dining rooms and ballroom dancing.
“That’s my dream,” he says. “I have sixty-nine more years to do it. I’m going to live to be 125, and then I’ll turn the key off.”
The Chain Bridge, Amesbury MA
U is for University
The University of New Hampshire and the University of Massachusetts both have campuses in the Merrimack Valley. Other local options for higher learning include Merrimack College and Northern Essex Community College. But all levels of education are well represented here. Among the more famous are Phillips Academy in Andover, the high school alma mater of President George W. Bush (and his father); and Atkinson Academy in Atkinson, America’s first co-ed school.
V is for Veterans
Military service has long been a priority in the Merrimack Valley, and our gratitude is displayed every Veteran’s Day in public squares throughout the region. Don Mullin, of the Veterans Northeast Outreach Center in Haverhill, estimates there are between 18,000 and 20,000 veterans currently living in the valley. And that tradition continues with the many local men and women serving in Afghanistan, Iraq, and across the globe.
W is for Winterfest
From June through September, each weekend in the valley seems to be filled with at least three festivals. But in 2001, Lowell found a way to lure revelers into the snow with the first annual Winterfest. The two-day party, held every year in February, features live music, a soup competition, and fireworks above City Hall. But the highlight is the Human Dog Sled Competition, where 64 six-member teams race against each other for the best times and best costumes.
X is for X-Factor
Of course, the X-Factor in the valley is the river that creates it. The backdrop of our daily lives
is also the setting for books by two legendary writers: A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers written by Henry David Thoreau, published in 1849; and Dr. Sax written more than a century later by Jack Kerouac. More than any other factor, the force of nature that is the Merrimack River defines our region.
Sunrise over Plum Island
Y is for Yankee Doodle
One verse of this legendary tune is believed to be about Billerica farmer Thomas Ditson, Jr. British soldiers captured Ditson in 1775 while he was trying to buy a musket to join the Billerica Minuteman Company. The British tarred and feathered Ditson, and marched him through Boston while playing “Yankee Doodle.” U.S. Congress has declared Billerica “America’s Yankee Doodle Town,” and every September the town hosts the Yankee Doodle Homecoming Festival.
Z is for Zombie
We’ve come a long way from soda shops and Riverdale High. The city that gave us Archie the all-American teen also gave us death rock
musician and horror film director Rob Zombie. Born in Haverhill with the name Robert Cummings, Zombie created the band White Zombie and directed the movies The House of 1,000 Corpses and Satan’s Rejects. And last summer, Zombie toured with Godsmack, a hard rock band that also shares roots in the valley. But whereas Zombie left the valley and has no intention of coming back, members of Godsmack, which released its latest album titled “IV” in April, hail from the Lawrence area and still hold it in high regard. In fact, one member is frequently sighted at local hockey rinks.