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Last Saturday, Abraham Lincoln confided in me. “Good generals are few and far between. I have to keep telling them ‘Pursue the enemy when they retreat.’ Most of these generals get the enemy to retreat, but then think the job is done and they can rest. If we want to win this war, we have […]
June 5, 2013
Accordion music suffused with the murmur of men conversing grows stronger as I approach the white linen tent on the common. Red, white and blue adorn the tent. The sign over the entrance declares “Hotel Zouave”. Four muskets lean up against each other in front of the tent, bayonet tips meeting at the top, standing […]
June 4, 2013
June 1, 2013. Volunteers portraying members of the 6th Maine Light Artillery regiment wheel the cannon out into the open area of Lynn Common in front of the Frederick Douglass Memorial bandstand. An Infantryman pushes a plunger into the maw of the cannon, packing in the projectile, hopefully nothing lethal. A boy approaches with a […]
May 30, 2011
After more than a week of overcast rainy weather, you appreciate the sun. But out on the Lynnway, the sound of rubber on asphalt seems to supercharge the heat. The sun bleaches everything, including the white concrete overpass. On a late May afternoon, it is relentless. At first, I was just going to cycle to […]
February 9, 2011
On February 11 from 6:30 – 10:00 p.m., come to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Greater Lynn for a special evening of celebration through food, chanting and community as Kitchari Kirtan offered by Tamal Krishna das and Clarence Dow comes to Swampscott for the first time! Even as the Earth begins to turn back towards the Sun, winter is […]
February 5, 2011
The Unitarian Universalist Church of Greater Lynn is pleased to sponsor and host an afternoon of exploring the everyday connections between Jewish and Muslim communities of the Middle East over the past four centuries. In particular, the setting of Hebrew devotional poetry to Turkish Makam music for use in the synagogue demonstrates the deep connections […]
September 10, 2010
“Ramadan Mubarak” is the customary greeting within Islam to wish someone a “Happy” Ramadan. Translated, it means “blessed Ramadan.” Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is a time of fasting, prayer and charity. According to tradition, the Qur’an was revealed to the prophet Muhammad during the month of Ramadan. The Islamic […]
August 22, 2010
Munroe Street was closed to vehicular traffic on Saturday August 21 so that CultureFest II: A World without Borders could present a buffet of music, dance, art, food, community service and social awareness to retail-starved yet re-emerging Downtown Lynn. CultureFest is the brainchild of Juan Gonzalez, owner and chef of Fernando’s on 23 Munroe Street. For […]
August 15, 2010
Festa Italiana is an annual festival that takes place in the first week of August at the Holy Family Church in East Lynn on Bessom Street. My neighbor, Ken, who grew up and then started a family in Lynn, has been going since first grade. He now owns and lives above Osborne Pharmacy at the […]
August 9, 2010
You might remember Third Thursdays as the seminal summer event bringing people from all walks of life to Downtown Lynn for a night of entertainment, food and participatory fun. It was discontinued this year, I think, due to lack funding. Well, August 12 isn’t the third Thursday, but the Downtown Lynn Neighborhood Association is hoping […]
July 5, 2010
The 2nd annual World Folk Festival at Heritage State Park on July 3rd was well attended, though not overcrowded. Still in its infancy, I hope it becomes an event that grows and attracts people from all over the area, like the Lowell Folk Festival. That would be an ambitious undertaking, and many more people would […]
July 1, 2010
This Saturday, July 3rd, the diversity represented in America, and specifically Lynn, will be celebrated with outstanding performers, workshops and delicious multi-cultural food provided by local vendors. The World Folk Fest at Lynn Heritage State Park from 2-7 PM is free (with the exception of the cost of food) and everyone is welcome to attend. […]
June 17, 2010
The East Lynn Community Association and Friends of Lynn Nahant Beach’s Clean Sweep to the Sea rolled through downtown, up Union and Lewis Streets and concluded at Red Rock park last Saturday. Wearing Hawaiian leis to identify themselves, volunteers endured some light misty rain toward the end which forced the two bands to cancel their […]
June 11, 2010
A new Facebook group caught my attention. Lynn Playground Cleanup was founded this month. According to a post on the group’s wall: I will be at the little park on Sheridan Street this Saturday (6/12) doing what I can to clean up. Please join me. I will be there around 10am. Even if you cannot […]
June 4, 2010
As the Clean Sweep to the Sea date draws near, I thought it would be advisable to do some scouting of the routes we’d be cleaning on the morning of June 12. I parked near Fernando’s, deciding that every scouting expedition should begin with with a cup of coffee and a muffin. Fernando’s Culturefest last […]
May 11, 2010
May 2, 2010
The video above features parts of two Khmer classical dances performed at last week’s Khmer New Year festival at the Temple Sanghikaram Wat Khmer on 110 Chestnut St. Please forgive my shaky hands. I should have brought a tripod. _______________________________________ “To understand a people’s culture, you must understand its music.” Confucius This quote was printed […]
April 25, 2010
Welcome to the year 2554 of the Buddhist era! Although the official date usually falls on the 13th or 14th of April, Lynn’s Khmer community celebrated the holiday on Saturday the 24th due to rain the week before. Festivities included traditional dancing, chanting, music, food (surprisingly no Cambodian cuisine, but good ole’ American hamburgers), games […]
April 23, 2010
7:30 AM. Siren sound. Muffled megaphone announcement. Five bursts of siren again. Authoritative static-laced voice. Repeating ad nauseam, getting closer. OK, DPW truck, you’ve got my attention. “Street Cleaning on Essex St. Move your car, or you will get ticketed!” This is Lynn. No signage letting you know the street sweeping schedule. Maybe, if you […]
April 16, 2010
“This is the first time in 20 years that the mayor’s office has opened up to the Khmer community in such a way,” said Kiririath Saing, Director of the Department of Interpretive Services and Community Outreach at Union Hospital. Saing gave a brief speech in front of approximately 75 people crowded onto the traffic island […]
The Lynn-side Edition 
June 9, 2013
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