My friend Anne persuaded me that going to the Lowell Folk Festival was the thing to do on this hot sunny summer Saturday. So from Charlton we headed to the city via 290 east and 495 north; the Route 3 connector took us the rest of the way in.

Now in its 22nd year, the three-day Festival attracts thousands of people from all over the Northeast and points beyond. There are musicians and performers galore, ethnic food from all over the world, art exhibits, crafts demonstrations, and plenty of activities to keep the children entertained.

We listened to the Don Roy Trio at the Lee Street Stage, Henry Gray and the Cats at the Boarding House Park Stage, World Strings Traditions at the St Anne’s Churchyard, the zydeco band Jefferey Broussard and the Creole Cowboys at the Dutton Street Dance Pavilion, and toward the end of the day, Red Volkaert (with sign language interpreter) back at the Boarding House Park Stage. Here’s a photo of the crowd at this venue:

Of course the food court areas were very popular, and we were among those eager to sample the cuisine. Anne and I both like Indian food, so we settled on curry and samosas for lunch. For dessert, we tried the fried dough and later cooled off with popsicles. To fortify us on the drive home, we snacked on Middle Eastern hummous with pita bread.

Some of the historical exhibits in the area were closed during the Festival, but fortunately, the New England Quilt Museum was open. A couple of years ago, I took a beginning quilting class which I enjoyed, and I love textiles and sewing anyway, so we had to go in. The current exhibition is titled Collectors Choice: Late 19th Century Vibrations, and vibrate it did. Most of the quilts on display were over a hundred years old! We were stunned by the bold colors and amazed at the craftsmanship of the hand-stitching.

We rode an old-fashioned trolley car alongside the Merrimack Canal from the Boott Mills Stop to the Mack Plaza Stop, shown in this photo:

Here we browsed through Art in the Courtyard, then walked back to our starting point by way of the Crafts Demonstrations. We then walked in circles for a bit, but finally found our way back to the car at the Middlesex Street parking garage. Thank you, Anne, for suggesting this excursion!