HOWL October 2015

VOL. 2, NO. 10 OCTOBER 2015

FREE

UP & AUTUMN A preview of the seasons’ sights, sounds and flavors

JACK IS BACK Lowell Celebrates Kerouac

SPIN THIS

RiceCrackers Punk Riot & Lowell’s Prince of Gloom Pop

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FEATURES 12 THE BEAT GOES ON An insider’s guide to Lowell Celebrates Kerouac and a look at the beat author’s favorite local haunts.

18 BEER HUNTER HOWL’s own Terry Badman taps into the best bars for craft beer.

24 PARANORMAL WITNESSES The New England Ghost Project reveals the region’s 13 most haunted places.

28 DESTINATION RECREATION Tour the region’s best apple orchards.

EVENTS 4 OKTOBERFEST Get ready for one big German-beersoaked party.

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5 SEASON OF THE HITCH A month-long tribute to The Master of Suspense at The Luna Theater.

MUSIC & MORE

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6 FOR THE RECORD Meet Justin Goodrich, Mill City’s Prince of Gloom Pop. 7 ON THE DOWNLOAD Get into October’s groove with these New England bands.

8 PUNK RIOT The RiceCrackers are breaking down walls and taking names.

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30 HAUNTED HAPPENINGS A guide to the season’s best scream parks and haunted tours.

On the cover: Allison Turcotte enjoying cider doughnuts from Parlee Farms in Tyngsboro. Photo

by Allegra Boverman.

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HOWL SOUND & SCENE www.howlmag.com

EDITOR & PUBLISHER Rita Savard PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Jim Lichoulas III MANAGING EDITOR Sarah Hand MULTIMEDIA ART DIRECTOR Richard Francey DEPUTY ART DIRECTOR Mark Coletti ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Terry Badman PHOTOGRAPHY Allegra Boverman Allyson O’Keefe Cara DiFabio Nancy Ho Shadow Darkwell DESIGNERS Carl Johnson Amelia Tucker STAFF WRITERS Nick Tsui Victoria Wasylak Chris Flisher EDITORIAL INTERNS Nikkie Corzo Emma Barry Kenya Semexant EVENT DIRECTOR Heather Barker heather@howlmag.com

SEASON OF THE HITCH

RESTAURANT WEEK RETURNS

Good evening. Things are about to get spooky around Lowell. Let’s be real. The best part of Halloween season is the army of bloody murders, ghosts, gouls and monsters on TV. All this month, The Luna Theater is bringing The Master of Suspense back to the big screen with Alfred Hitchcock screenings every Sunday for only $5. See Vertigo Oct. 4, Rear Window Oct. 11, The Birds Oct. 18 and Psycho Oct. 25. Showtimes are 2:05, 5:05 and 8:05pm. For more info check out lunalowell.com

Area restaurants are prepping to please your palate for the annual Greater Merrimack Valley Restaurant Showcase Week. The event kicks off Sunday Oct. 4 and runs through Sunday Oct. 18., and features more than 20 restaurants offering dining deals with fixed-price two and three-course menus. Try something new and revisit old favorites while sampling the cultural and culinary value of the valley. For more info, including menus and hours, visit merrimackvalley.org

ACHTUNG BABY! OKTOBERFEST IS HERE

SPIN THIS

Grab your lederhosen and get ready for a weekend of beer, sausage and Oom Pah Pah big bands at the Lowell Oktoberfest presented by Made In Lowell. Rain or shine, the fun kicks off Saturday October 17 at City Hall Plaza with a ceremonial tapping of the first keg. Sample 16 oz. brews from Bitburger, Schöfferhofer, Kulmbacher, Radeberger and more. Catch music from the Mad Bavarian Brass Band and watch the shenanigans behind the city’s first-ever mini-seifenkistenrennen (German soap box derby). Find live music, dancing and plenty of lager Saturday from 3-9pm and Sunday, 125pm. Admission is $5. For more info check out lowelloktoberfest.com

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SPIN THIS

Four Legged Faithful Halloween Show The Back Page 4 | HOWL Magazine | howlmag.com 15 Kearney Sq.

Catch two great Halloween homecomings starting with Doctor Gasp and the Eeks, Sugar Blood Jinx and Western Education 8pm Thursday, Oct. 22 at Olympia’s Zorba Music Hall, 439 Market St. $10 cover. Then on Halloween Night see the long awaited reunion of Four-Legged Faithful, four guys with scarygood harmonies. For a band without a drummer, these guys achieve an incredible level of intensity using foot percussion and layered rhythms throughout every measure. Saturday, Oct. 31 at The Back Page, 15 Kearney Sq. No cover.

OKTOBERFEST

Presented by Made in Lowell City Hall Plaza | October 17-18

RESTAURANT WEEK Throughout Lowell October 4-17

SEASON OF THE HITCH The Luna Theater 250 Jackson St., 4 fl.

Sundays in October howlmag.com | HOWL Magazine | 5

FOR THE RECORD

JUSTIN GOODRICH Mill City’s Prince of Gloom Pop Puts It All Out There

By Victoria Wasylak | Photo by Shadow Darkwell

J

ustin Goodrich is at his second gig at Able Ebenezer Brewing Co in Merrimack, New Hampshire, and he didn’t bring any copies of his new CD. “It’s always unorthodox with me, it’s never what you’d expect,” he says as he unloads an acoustic guitar, amp, and $2 boots from his car.

This isn’t your average gig, but then again, Goodrich isn’t your average singer/songwriter. Once hailed as the master of “gloom pop,” Goodrich’s tastes and influences vary as much as punk-rock riot girl Joan Jett to the sweet vocals and dark vision of Roy Orbison.

“Rock and roll could be f—king anything. I mean, what the hell was that?” he says, gesturing to his turntable where he’s spinning Patti Smith’s “Hymn,” an oddball track from her album Wave.

Except Goodrich’s latest dose of the unexpected didn’t come as much of a surprise. For more than a year, he meticulously contemplated whether or not to re-record his past work, which between low sound quality and teenage vocals, no longer meets Goodrich’s ever-so-high musical standards.

His latest album, April’s Steadfast Hearts and Borrowed Time, is a collection of re-recordings of select bits of his older material, which he released before baring it all this summer when he put his entire catalogue of music online – for better or for worse.

“The thought of doing that has been terrifying me for years now,” he says of adding his old releases to his online portfolio.

Goodrich has been recording his own music since age 16, when he started his own angry rock outfit – merely titled JPG at the time – to translate his adolescent angst into typical teenage screech-rock.

“I used to play all metal – that’s how I learned to play the guitar,” he says, whamming on his Taylor guitar, which is usually reserved for uncanny and swift serenades. But in the back of his musical mind, there’s scraps of Gun ‘n’ Roses, Metallica, and Goodrich’s first lord and savoir – Jon Bon Jovi – waiting to be resurrected.

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At this point in his life, an insightful 28, his tastes have shifted from riff-heavy-rock, towards all things melancholy, and his musical deities now take form in HIM’s Ville Valo and the timeless singer/songwriter Mary Timony.

Although stylistically worlds apart from his current music, Goodrich decided he couldn’t allow those songwriting bits of times past go to waste in the corners of his old hard drive. Between the 10 tracks from 2002 to 2012 he re-recorded for Steadfast Hearts and Borrowed Time, and the rest he released as-is, Goodrich’s entire musical past is now available online. As far as vulnerability goes, he might have well as streaked across the Internet.

“It’s like re-living my entire life bit by bit,” he says wistfully of the process, which includes not only rifling through old music that was totally self-written, but self-recorded and self-mastered too. When you’re a one-man band, the memories are more than abundant.

SPOOKY MUSIC

By Victoria Wasylak

Download music from these New England bands and you’ll have a rockin’ soundtrack that’s perfect for Halloween, or anytime you want to turn up the volume loud enough to raise the dead.

BEWARE THE DANGERS OF A GHOST SCORPION!

No vocals, just surfer jams with a twinge of horror rock that’ll make you shimmy.

“That’s why I have a hard time deciding to re-record things, it’s always been a timeline of my life in more ways than just the writing,” Goodrich says.

Of course, it’s hard not to feel a tinge of nostalgia when going through songs named “I Love You In Roses,” which was once a high-school declaration of infatuation, and “Realizing Your Crime,” one of the first songs Goodrich ever wrote.

EVIL STREAKS

Tracks featuring charming B-52s-esque Farfisa beats and raw vocals address important subjects like Ouija boards and pumpkin carving parties.

Josh Foster, one of Goodrich’s long-term friends and fellow musician, has seen his musical progression first hand since grade school.

“Over the years he’s taken his influences, refined them and turned them into something completely unique,” Foster says. “Justin knows how to craft songs that draw you in and stick with you long after the last note rings out.”

GHOSTS AND SHADOWS

Celestial vocals and goth rock create an angst laden 90s-punk vibe.

Goodrich’s new music, while slowly developing, is alive and well too. When it comes to plucking his guitar and penning new tunes, he holes up in his Loft 27 bathroom, where the acoustics are good, and the lights are a moody purple (he’s duct taped colored filters over his lights to keep things eerie).

Although if it’s dark enough outside, you’ll catch him playing in a hushed, dimly-lit bar to the kinds of audiences who embrace melancholy stories that still manage to sound bright on Goodrich’s six string.

GHOST BOX ORCHESTRA

Delicious drudgery that stems from psychedelic instrumentals.

Inside the New Hampshire brew hall, a new fan shouts out, “You rock, Justin! Do you have any CDs?” Goodrich just smirks and sighs.

Listen at justingoodrich.com.

HORSE-EYED MEN

Eerie carnival music, mixed with odd Americana that makes for a fantastic carousel ride.

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BREAKING DOWN WA THE RICECRACKERS’ PUNK RIOT

By Victoria Wasylak

P

unk rockers are known for being at the core of musical badassery, yet Berklee School of Music outfit The RiceCrackers cordially sit in a booth at Pavement coffeehouse for their HOWL interview.

“Can I swear?” lead guitarist Huxley Rittman asks, hesitating slightly. “Within reason?”

There’s a formula for most Boston students who want a music degree: go to Berklee, form a band, make zines and play at basement shows. You know, the usual.

But somehow The RiceCrakers stirred things up across the country, ended up starting a mosh pit outside a bar, and peeing behind a church on Whidbey Island, Washington. And then there’s the time that Rittman caused some collateral damage to an old repair shop.

“We get caught up in the moment a lot – be it in the form of shrieking, or just…breaking walls,” Rittman said of a mishap during their summer tour. “Everyone started clapping, so we were dragging out that last note, and then I threw myself into the wall.”

The band, who just capped off an American tour this summer, prides themselves in their tongue-in-cheek name, a sort of joke amongst the members, three of four of which identify as half-Caucasian, half-Asian.

“It’s halfway a joke, halfway not a joke. There’s no mixed kids in the [punk] scene, so why shouldn’t we be represented?” lead singer Olivia West said.

Their debut EP, Kolohe Kid, doesn’t shy away from the topic of race, either. Last track “My Asian Grandma” is an in-your-face romp that describes West’s grandmother in playful quips. West alternates between swan-song vocals on the verses, to spitting out aggressive lines on the refrain and calling her grandmother a “motherf**king P-I-M-P.” The fuzzy, underground-style shredding seals the punk-rock deal on the track – and the rest of the album. “Perspective” is a ska-tinged stew, and “Mall Girls” raucously pokes fun at the token group of popular girls.

The album, written about “things that irked me and made me feel alive,” as West said, was recorded during one seven-hour day in Merrimack, Massachusetts and released this summer prior to their tour. Yet somehow, the EP spread around in West’s home state before the group had even played it live for them.

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ALLS & TAKING NAMES “That show was crazy, I loved it,” West said of their gig in Washington with Mommy Long Legs. “For the last song, everybody knew the words to ‘My Asian Grandma,’ and I was stunned.”

“The name is kind of a joke, it’s not what defines our music.” Bass player Yoshi Ady said of the band’s name, which often takes the forefront of the band’s press, instead of their music.

“You want to be represented, but you also don’t want to be tokenized, so it’s a fine line,” West added.

Ady, who grew up with the old-school punk scene in Hawaii, looped new addition Korey Wong as the group’s drummer. Wong practiced from Hawaii before even meeting West and Rittman, and played the first show with the band at Out of The Blue Too Gallery in Cambridge in September.

In fact, all of the band’s members hail from miles away, united in Boston only by their classes at Berklee. West is from Washington, Ady and Wong from Hawaii, and Rittman is from Singapore.

“Moving here from Seattle, I had a hard time finding shows,” West recalls of her introduction to the Boston music scene. Since then, the band has mainly stuck to basement shows and because many of their other shows end up getting shut down - but such is life for a grungy yet sharp-shooting punk quartet.

“You play your roles, and I’ll play mine / Comply and everything will just be fine,” West taunts on “Perspective.”

As far as this band of mutts from Boston is concerned, the roles of convention — and maybe a wall or two — are meant to be broken.

YOU CAN SEE THE RICECRACKERS: Thursday October 8 at the Berklee Café, Boston Sunday October 11 at Flywheel, Easthampton Saturday, October 24 at the Banana Hammock, Allston (basement venue) Monday, November 23 at Out of The Blue Too Gallery

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THE BEAT GOES ON

LOWELL CELEBRATES KEROUAC! FESTIVAL

ack Kerouac shot to fame after his jazz and drug-infused novel On The Road hit stores in 1957.

Nearly 60 years later, Kerouac’s muse (he penned 25 books before his death at age 47 in 1969), continues to influence new generations of musicians, writers and artists. The lure of Kerouac’s road is universal. And every year, beats of all ages gather from all corners of the globe to Kerouac’s birthplace in Lowell, Mass. in search of new experiences, the romance of the road, friendship and to dance to

their own authentic music.

Artist Barbara Gagel’s solo exhibit evokes Kerouac’s meaning and mood.

Photo Cara DiFabio

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FESTIVAL SCHEDULE THURSDAY, OCT. 8 3PM | EXHIBIT OPENING, KEROUAC RETRIEVED:

Items from the John Sampas Collection. Allen House, 2 Solomont Way, UML South Campus.

6-8PM | TRADITIONAL KEROUAC PUBS TOUR:

Old Worthen to Ricardo’s to Ward Eight to Cappy’s Copper Kettle.

Meet leaders at the Worthen, 141 Worthen Street.

8:30PM | TRADITIONAL LCK KICK-OFF:

Music-and-Readings. Cappy’s Copper Kettle, 245 Central St. Alan Crane and friends, including Colleen Nicholas, will perform with David Amram. Readers of Kerouac passages will do the interludes.

Always a kick!

FRIDAY, OCT. 9 9:30AM | THE ANNUAL KEROUAC POETRY & PROSE COMPETITION:

Held at Jack Kerouac’s alma mater, Lowell High School. Students will read their poems and prose entries. David Amram will share his memories of collaborating with Jack Kerouac. Note: This event is not open to the public--students and invited guests only. Lowell High School Theater, 50 Father Morissette Blvd.

2:30PM | TALKING JACK:

Readings and discussion. The shop is open—come with whatever Kerouac related topic or idea you’d like to have some conversation about. UML Inn & Conference Center Lobby, 50 Warren Court.

Look for the LCK group by the fireplace or on the patio, depending on the weather. Led by Kurt Phaneuf.

4-6:30PM | OPENING ART RECEPTION: IN MY OWN WORDS—IMAGES FROM KEROUAC INTERVIEWS:

From the book “Safe in Heaven Dead”, edited by Michael White. A solo exhibition by Barbara Gagel with black and white conceptual images in the encaustic medium. Using the early 1930s Underwood typeface Barbara evokes Kerouac’s meaning and mood, “tossing words into the void.” Ayer Lofts Gallery, 172 Middle Street.

8PM | KEROUAC AND JAZZ:

A chronological musical presentation of Kerouac’s favorite jazz compositions performed by musicians MIke Payette, Dan Webster, Chuck Langford, Steve Clements, and singer Lesley Richardson.

Readings with music gives insight as to how jazz influenced Kerouac’s writings. The New Uncharted Gallery. 103 Market Street.

ON THE ROAD OUR FAVORITE PLACES AND LANDMARKS WORTH SEEING ANYTIME OF THE YEAR TO REFLECT ON JACK.

CLIMB A SECRET STAIRWAY

Tucked behind the Franco American School, The Grotto is a hidden gem mentioned in Kerouac’s Dr. Sax and was also paid a visit by Beat poet Allen Ginsberg and Bob Dylan in the 1975 documentary Renaldo and Clara. Open to the public since 1911, it was modeled after the original legendary grotto of Massabielle near Lourdes in southern France. At night, the pathway is still illuminated by glass enclosed statues representing the 14 stations of the cross, and, at its base, is a faux cave where prayer candles flicker 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. A stone staircase along either side of the ivy-covered rock hump climbs to the focal point — a towering crucifix. It was here that Ti Jean glimpsed Sax in the shadows behind the Stations in his “wild and hincty cape.”

357 Pawtucket St.

VISIT KEROUAC’S GRAVE

Sometime in 1954, Kerouac wrote a list of 31 commandments that he supposedly tacked to the wall of Allen Ginsberg’s hotel room a year before Ginsberg’s famous Howl poem was published. One of them was “be in love with your life.” Life and love is filled with ups and downs, and while Kerouac battled his own demons, he was also a force that burned brightly, and who left behind a piece of his soul in his written works. His later years were lived mainly in seclusion in St. Petersburg, Fla., where he died of a gastric hemorrhage in October 1969. He was 47.

Buried in Lowell’s Edson Cemetery, his simple stone slab is engraved with the words: He Honored Life. Forty-five years later, visitors who never met him but who were influenced by his work leave mementos, notes, empty wine or whiskey bottles in salute.

TAKE A WALKING TOUR

This time of year Lowell is known for ghosts and good times. Kerouac frequented several downtown taverns. You can check them out on an official pub tour or visit these haunts yourself: The Worthen, 141 Worthen St., one of the city’s oldest watering holes with an antique fan-belt system still in working order. This friendly neighborhood bar has cheap $2 drafts and is rumored to be haunted by the ghost of Edgar Allen Poe; Ricardo’s Café Trattoria, 112 Gorham St., was once called Nicky’s Bar and is now rumored to be haunted by the ghost of Kerouac; Cappy’s Copper Kettle, 245 Central St., a real time-warp bar with an in-house phone booth, every year Kerouac fans gather here to remember Jack with music and poetry.

FEEL THE PULSE OF THE CITY’S NIGHT SCENE

Jazz and live music fueled Kerouac’s spontaneous prose.

From The Safe to The Back Page to La Boniche, Ricardo’s, Ward Eight, Life Alive and Brew’d Awakening, you’ll find original live music every weekend to get your own creative juices flowing, or just get your groove on.

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(CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS)

SATURDAY, OCT. 10 9:30AM 9:30AM | COMMEMORATIVE AT THE COMMEMORATIVE:

French and Bridge Streets. Topic: “Jack’s Bridges—Lowell and Beyond.” Lowell’s many bridges, over the Merrimack and Concord Rivers, fare prominently in Kerouac’s Lowell-based novels. They also serve as a metaphor for the many bridges Jack created in his literary life. One example: His essay “I’m a Bippie in the Middle” in which he sees himself as a bridge between the Beats and the Hippies. This is the theme to be explored in this year’s Commemorative at the Commemorative.

10:15AM | “BIRTHPLACE-TO-GRAVESITE” BUS TOUR:

Visiting his homes and other important Kerouac sites, finishing at gravesite. Led by Roger Brunelle. Leaves from Commemorative. $10 Donation. Reservations at 978-970-5000.

11AM | STORIES FROM THE ROAD:

An exhibition at the Zeitgeist Gallery. Selected artists have been asked to display creative works of art illustrating the stated theme.

Artists will give a brief talk about their work, accompanied by David Amram. Hosted by Judith Bessette. The Zeitgeist Gallery is located at 167 Market Street.

2PM | ANNUAL PARKER LECTURE WITH DR. TIM Z. HERNANDEZ “SEARCHING FOR THE REAL MEXICAN GIRL:

.

In 2010 author Tim Z. Hernandez located the real woman behind Jack Kerouac’s “Terry” from On the Road. At age 92 Bea Franco (now deceased) was living in relative obscurity in Fresno, California. In this presentation Hernandez will share his journey from research to writing of his award winning book, Mañana Means Heaven (University of Arizona Press, 2013), as well as the choices one must make when writing a counter-narrative to Kerouac’s portrayal of California’s Mexican communities in the late 1940s.

Dr. Tim Z. Hernandez in an award winning author, research scholar, and performance artist. He is the recipient of an American Book Award for poetry, the Premio Aztlan Prize for fiction, the Colorado Book Award, and the International Latino Book Award for historical fiction. In 2011 the Poetry Society of America named him one of sixteen New American Poets; and he was a finalist for his work on locating the victims of the 1948 plane wreck at Los Gatos Canyon as recalled in Woody Guthrie’s song “Deportee.” The Lowell National Historical Visitors Park Visitors Center Theater. 246 Market Street.

3:30PM | KEROUAC’S LIBRARY HAUNTS & HOOKY TOUR:

Led by Bill Walsh, Pollard Memorial Library, 401 Merrimack St. Meet at the Merrimack Street entrance.

4:30PM | OPEN MIKE AT THE OLD WORTHEN UPSTAIRS:

141 Worthen Street. Poets, musicians, and readers are welcome!

Emceed by Cliff Whalen.

KEROUAC FESTIVAL

6-8PM | CHAMBER MUSIC PRESENTATION WITH DAVID AMRAM AND LOCAL MUSICIANS:

Classical saxophonist and soloist with the Boston Pops and New York Philharmonic Ken Radnofsky, pianist Damien Francoeur-Krzyzek, and violist Consuelo Sherba are confirmed for an evening performing Amram’s classical chamber music, in addition to Amram speaking, reading from his three books and leading programs related to his collaborations with Jack Kerouac which will include locals artists all performing together. Cake will be served for David Amram’s 85th birthday after the concert.

ON THE ROAD, AGAIN MORE OF OUR FAVORITE PLACES AND LANDMARKS WORTH SEEING ANYTIME OF THE YEAR TO REFLECT ON JACK.

8:30PM | WOODSTOCK POETS ANDY CLAUSEN AND PAMELA TWINNING ACCOMPANIED BY LOCAL MUSICIANS:

The Old Court Pub—Upstairs. 29-31 Central Street. A $10.00 dollar donation requested.

SUNDAY, OCT. 11 10:30AM | MYSTIC JACK TOUR:

Led by Roger Brunelle. Visit the church, school, and home that were so important in his early years as described in “Visions of Gerard.”

Meet in front of St. Louis Church, 221 W. 6th St. $10.00 donation requested.

1:30-4PM | ANNUAL AMRAM JAM:

Our annual event featuring David Amram performing with a cast of many volunteer readers, poets, and musicians. You can feel the spirit of Kerouac moving here! Cake will be served for David Amram’s 85th birthday after the event at 4:30. Lowell Beerworks, 203 Cabot St.

EAT COTES BEANS

Want to know what it was like growing up and eating dinner at Kerouac’s table? Visit Cote’s Market, 175 Salem St., a family owned and operated business for nearly 100 years. Every Saturday come rain or shine, people line up for traditional French Canadian food like pork and salmon pie, but especially beans to go. Clerks will tell you they dish out about 300 pounds of beans a week. Regulars say there’s a reason for this — the small white beans are slow cooked for about nine hours to perfection in loads of salty pork fat. Kerouac would approve.

EXPLORE THE MIGHTY MERRIMACK

French Canadian Traditional Folk Music. Lowell Beer Works.

Growing up in a mill town along the Merrimack River had a deep impact on Kerouac’s writings. Even after leaving Lowell, he would return, and find himself writing and pondering on the banks of the Merrimack and Concord rivers. Walk the river walk year round (beginning behind The Boott Cotton Mills Museum, 115 John St.) or catch a boat tour at the Lowell National Park Visitor’s Center, 246 Market St., that details all the drama and intrigue of the Merrimack’s history — open from spring through Columbus Day weekend.

8:30PM | GHOSTS OF THE PAWTUCKETVILLE NIGHT:

PERUSE THE POLLARD LIBRARY

5-6PM | SAXOPHONIST JEFF ROBINSON AND MUSICIANS:

Reading San Francisco Blues. Lowell Beer Works.

6:30-8PM | MICHELE AND BERNIE CHOINIERE:

Led by Roger Brunelle. Visit Kerouac sites in Pawtucketville neighborhood and possibly the mystical Grotto. Group leaves from Cumnock Hall—University of Massachusetts, Lowell, North Campus. 1 University Avenue. $10.00 donation requested.

MONDAY, OCT. 12 10AM | LCK KEROUAC LOOP WALK FROM THE KEROUAC COMMEMORATIVE:

Bridge St. to St. Louis church, W. 6th St., Centralville.

12-4PM | WALKING JACK:

Continuing the Kerouac Loop Walk. From St. Louis School past Kerouac homes and landmarks in Centralville and Pawtucketville, finishing at Old Worthen Tavern for toasting to Jack.

Explore the building at 401 Merrimack St. that awakened Kerouac’s literary consciousness. He pays homage to the hallowed halls and dusty stacks in Dr. Sax, where he writes, “By Saturday morning the sun is shining, the sky is piercingly heartbreakingly blue, and my sister and I are dancing over the Moody Street Bridge to get out Saturday morning Library books. All the night before I’ve been dreaming of books — I’m standing in the children’s library in the basement, rows of glazed brown books are in front of me, I reach out and open one — my soul thrills to touch the soft used meaty pages covered with avidities of reading —at last, at last, I’m opening the magic brown book…”

REMEMBER JACK

Visit The Kerouac commemorative at 75 Bridge St., Bridge St., where granite pillars stand under the shade of trees, and are engraved with passages from Kerouac’s writings, including his so-called “Lowell books” — The Town and The City, Dr. Sax, Visions of Gerard, Maggie Cassidy and Vanity of Duloz.

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THE BEER HUNTER TERRY BADMAN TAPS INTO 10 GREAT BEER BARS

G

ood food and drink stimulate the mind and conversation.

Sharing each other’s company and a plate of nachos or wings is one of the most human things you can do. It’s why we look forward to the weekend, and the reason we spend 40 hours a week working for The Man. Your time is precious. So why spend it at a sub-par restaurant with lackluster food and bad booze?

You deserve better: BETTER, my friend. Those looking for great food, top-shelf beer, and a fantastic time should start here.

Here are some of the best local spots to nosh and get your drink on. Because you earned it.

TREMONTE PIZZERIA

44 Palmer St., Lowell, MA

This criminally underrated beer spot not only has my favorite bar pie in the city – the insanely epic sausage and broccoli rabe – it’s consistently equipped with one of the best rotating tap lists in town. Featuring an outdoor patio and the throwback cobblestones of Palmer Street, it’s a chill spot to sit back with a slice and a glass of Captain’s Daughter double IPA. (978) 453-1110 | tremontepizzeria.com

NASHUA GARDEN

121 Main St., Nashua, NH

A boss sandwich shop that also pours killer pints?

YES! Featuring top-shelf sandwiches named for New England sports legends including “The Esposito” – a tasty assortment of Italian meats and provolone cheese – and the cheeky “Buckner” – two slices of white bread with nothing in the middle – this is a must stop for sandwich, sport, and brew enthusiasts.

Fresh Grapefruit Sculpin ale and a sub? Aw yeah.

(603) 886-7363 | facebook.com/thenashuagarden603

RED RAVEN

3 Nagog Park, Acton, MA

I’m a sucker for rye ales. And this gastropub with deck seating near scenic Nagog Pond is the only place you can find the Red Raven Rye IPA, made by the good folks at Cochituate Brewing Company. Pair great beer with their Raven Artisan Cheese Board, and the former Vermonter in me gets all kinds of dairy high and nostalgic for cows and farmland. (978) 274-2231 | www.redravenacton.com

THE ALE HOUSE

33 Main St., Amesbury, MA

This mill town staple is one of the best beer destinations in Massachusetts. You may stumble on the more limited releases from MA locals like Brewmaster Jack, or snag a pint of von Trapp Vienna Lager, hailing from the green hills of Stowe, VT. And hey: they also serve poutine. That’s hand-cut gravy fries and cheese curds for all you non-believers. It’s a pint’s perfect partner. (978) 388-1950 | www.amesburyalehouse.com 18 | HOWL Magazine | howlmag.com 18 | HOWL Magazine | howlmag.com

DUDLEY’S

GRILL NEXT DOOR

THE place to go for brunch downtown. Their take on the classic Lowell Boott Mill sandwich – fried egg, cheese, meats, and home fries on a fresh Portuguese bun – is worth an early rise on Sundays (Pro tip: get it with kielbasa). Dud’s also boasts the freshest brews around, including beers from Lowell’s own Navigation Brewing.

And I challenge you to find a bartender who makes better bloody marys than Spanky. (No. Stop, you’re wrong.

Spanky is best).

(617) 615-7492 | www.dudleysoflowell.com

This hidden gem is located on the outskirts of town, but features one of the largest rotating tap lists around.

With roughly 36 different beers available– including offerings from Founders, Stone, Dark Horse, and Brouwerij Huyghe (makers of the Belgian ale Delirium Tremens)—you simply must make this a regular stop in Haverhill. Oh, and buffalo chicken mac ‘n cheese.

Because obviously.

(978) 241-7337 | www.thegrillnextdoor.net

19 Merrimack St., Lowell, MA

BARLEY HOUSE

132 N Main St., Concord, NH

653 Broadway, Haverhill, MA

THIRSTY FIRST

280 Central St., Lowell, MA

Perfection is their Dublin Burger. Charred black peppercorns, whiskey gravy, blue cheese, and fried onion strings make for one of the best burgers you’ll find anywhere. Paired with the Barley House’s own pale ale or a pint of Able Ebenezer out of Merrimack, NH, you are down for one of the best burger experiences you’ll have in this lifetime.

(603) 228-6363 | www.thebarleyhouse.com

Formally Ward Eight, this spot continues the tradition of serving high-end brews and food at good prices.

Enjoy a patio pint of Slumbrew Happy Sol on a summer day, or a Left Hand milk stout on a cool evening. Be sure to try a “Funky Apple” gourmet grilled cheese sandwich, complete with gorgonzola, green apple, caramelized onion, and a balsamic reduction. It’ll bring you to your happy place.

(978) 454-7600 | http://facebook.com/ThirstyFirstLowell

GRILL 110

STRANGE BREW TAVERN

I’m not a fancy guy. But sometimes, you need a little fancy. As the slightly more upscale entry on our list, with eclectic offerings like lobster risotto, chimichurri steak, and raw oyster happy hours, Grill 110 serves up quality plates of food. And with Jack’s Abby tap takeovers and pints of Rhode Island’s Foolproof Brewing on hand, you’re sure to leave well-fed and happily lubricated.

(978) 256-2777 | www.110grill.com

There are lots of great things about Manchester. This is one of the best. Offering more than 100 beers, this is the casual, homey place for no-frills pub grub and brewskies. Featuring NH breweries like 603, Henniker, Moat Mountain, and Tuckerman’s, there is zero chance you’ll leave thirsty. Grab a basket of fried pickle chips, some beer cheese, and “hawgwings” to complete this excellent noshing experience.

(603) 666-4292| www.strangebrewtavern.net

116 Chelmsford St., Chelmsford, MA

88 Market St., Manchester, NH

Photo by Nancy Ho howlmag.com| |HOWL HOWLMagazine Magazine| |1919 howlmag.com

SPRINGDELL FARMS

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BACK TO NATURE,

THE SPRINGDELL WAY PAULA, JAMIE AND JODEE CRUZ ARE THE NEW GUARDIANS OF SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

By Rita Savard | Photos by Tory Germann

T

raffic might be backed up on Littleton’s Great Road, but some 30 yards away from honking horns and gridlock, life moves at an easier pace for creatures on four legs.

Goats, sheep, pigs and chickens roam cage free and frolic, including a 1,000-pound pig named Patty, which, at the sight of her human friends, beelines for a friendly scratch on the head and a tasty treat.

Welcome to the cultivated rusticity of Springdell, where dirt-dusted beets are status symbols and the animals lounge, play and feast. As a third-generation farmer, Paula Cruz, along with her daughters Jamie and Jodee and her son, David, is leading one of the region’s most ambitious grass-fed-beef operations.

“The future is local,” Paula says. “To create an economy of scale, small farms are teaching sustainability and banding together to share resources and help each other grow in other communities.”

The byproduct of today’s local food is that local hands, like the Cruz’s, are more likely to be producing, harvesting, packing and marketing. And that, adds Cruz’s oldest daughter, Jamie, has a lot to do with a change in the way people think about food.

“Our customers like to know their farmer, and know that they can ask questions about where their food comes from and get honest answers,” Jamie says.

The land at 571 Great Road has been farmed since 1781 and owned by the Theodoros family since 1931, when Greek immigrants James and Marea Theodoros purchased it during the heart of the Depression.

Whenever someone would show up and offer to buy the land, “Grandpa Jimmy” made sure to stretch the truth and tell them tell them how rocky and poor the soil was.

“Terrible for farming, he’d say,” laughs granddaughter Paula Cruz.

James and Marea managed to ride out those tough years and kept their land and, with the help of James’ brother Tasso Theodoros, added corn, strawberries, grapes, watermelon and several other varieties that turned the old “dirt path” into a blossoming fruit and vegetable farm.

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“When you spend your life growing your own food, feeling secure in where it comes from and knowing it’s safe to feed your own children, well, I wanted to help bring more healthy food options into other people’s kitchens,” she explains. “There is a lot of bad stuff going into crops and livestock on large farms all over the country. Our mission here is to respect the land and nurture the land and the creatures that live off the land and in turn, the land provides.”

Now Paula watches over an entire herd of hormone-and-antibiotic free Black Angus cows from birth to butchering.

Growing up on a farm, everyone has chores to do. Before she was 10, Paula was taught to work on tractors with her grandfather and her uncle. She liked solving puzzles, taking things apart and putting them back together again. When she was old enough, she studied to be an automotive machinist. The first female in her class, she quickly rose to the top, thanks to already having years of hands-on experience under her belt.

When she received a call that her grandfather had fallen ill, it was strawberry season. Paula returned home to help on the farm.

“I never intended to stay here, but farming is in my blood,” she says. “It’s not just about money. We feel a genuine connection to the land.”

In 1981, when Grandpa Jimmy died, Paula took over the role as head operator, and would eventually dive into a lifelong passion — raising livestock the way nature intended.

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In 2003, she began developing her herd of Black Angus, which can be seen grazing along the vast grassy pasture outside the Gibbet Hill Grill restaurant in Groton.

Some of the cattle are Paula’s personal pets — rescues and misfits that became a permanent part of the herd.

On a walk through the pasture, a giant bull sees Paula coming a mile away and trots over. He lies down in front of her and she strokes his snout.

“Watching cows chew cud lowers your blood pressure,” she says. The bull snorts and nudges Paula’s hand back to his face.

Some of the cows are part of the original Gibbet Hill bloodline. And all, she says know human kindness from their first day to their last.

“That is the backbone of our farm,” adds Paula’s daughter, Jamie.

Paula Cruz with her herd in Gorton.

Growing up on a farm, you also learn about life and death young. Grandpa Jimmy was a stout guy, big and muscular. Paula remembers him waking her up in the night.

“I need you,” he’d say.

And she’d be in the barn, helping a female sheep through a difficult birth.

The family business taught her to juggle the past and the future. These days, there are mornings when she might be helping to deliver calves, then tackling sustainability.

Farmers like Cruz have given legs to the locavore movement, which has skyrocketed in New England thanks to chef’s redefining the region’s cuisine with farm-to-table menus that spotlight the local farms where their ingredients come from and point out offerings like grass-fed beef and humanely raised livestock.

Teaching is a large part of Springdell’s sustainability program. Jamie spearheads year-round classes and summer programs to school kids in caring for animals and growing fruits and vegetables. The farm’s popular Community Supported Agriculture program also keeps seasonal produce on people’s tables all year long.

of the country, where herders are still predominantly men, Paula would always remember her grandmother Marea’s sage advice.

“If you lose your cool, you lose your edge,” Marea once told her. “Always call it like you see it, without losing your cool. Let them call you a bitch, but don’t ever let them call you a dumb one.”

Now three Cruz women are the guardians of generations of family handiwork, and someday, Paula’s youngest daughter, Jodee, will most likely take over the herding operation.

Women, Paula says, have always been an integral part of farming, you just didn’t see them taking the lead as much in years past.

Most of what they eat and drink is produced on the premises, and nearby. The farmers are happy to let you see their animals, and tell you how their sausage is made, perhaps let you get your hands dirty in their vegetable fields if you want to.

At one time, farming might have been a man’s world, but not anymore. At cattle shows in other parts

“It’s the way we’ve been doing it for more than 80 years,” Paula says. “We’re pretty determined, I guess.”

Learn more at springdellfarms.com.

Jamie Cruz pats Patty the Pig

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SCREAM FEST WHO YOU GONNA CALL? JUST IN TIME FOR HALLOWEEN, OUR FAVORITE LOCAL PARANORMAL INVESTIGATORS, THE NEW ENGLAND GHOST PROJECT, HAS GIVEN US A LIST OF THE REGION’S MOST HAUNTED PLACES.

HAMMOND CASTLE, GLOUCESTER, MASS. Built in 1929, Hammond was the home of American Inventor John Hays Hammond Jr. The castle also served as his laboratory and housed his bizarre collection of Roman and medieval artifacts, which included ancient tombstones, the sarcophagus of a Roman child and a skull from one of Christopher Columbus’s crew members.

John and his wife dabbled into the supernatural and with help of a medium, held séances in an attempt to contact spirits. There were even some rumors that surfaced that spoke of experiments in necromancy — the raising of the dead. Hammond died in 1965 and now the castle is a museum with a life of its own. Disembodied voices and other eerie noises have been heard echoing through the castle’s walls. Unexplainable cold spots have sent chills up the spines of unsuspecting visitors, and some have reported seeing a ghost or two within the castle’s hall and corridors.

80 Hesperus Ave. | 978-283-2080 hammondcastle.org THE COUNTRY TAVERN, NASHUA, N.H. In 1741, the Country Tavern was the home of Elizabeth Ford, the wife of an English sea captain who was away at sea for months at a time. One day, after a ten-month journey, he returned home to find that his wife had a baby. Realizing that he couldn’t have been the father he flew into a fit of rage and murdered them both. He threw Elizabeth down the well and buried the baby beneath a tree.

In the 1980s the house became a restaurant, but it seems Elizabeth has never left. Staff and guests have reported witnessing salt and pepper shakers, silverware and plates appear to move by unseen hands. Glasses and cups are tossed off the shelves, while doors open and close without human intervention. Elizabeth’s spirit has been viewed in an upstairs window. Those who have seen her describe a slender woman with white hair and wearing a long, white flowing dress.

452 Amherst St. | 603-889-5871 | countrytavern.org DUNGEON ROCK, LYNN, MASS. In 1658, a pirate ship arrived in Lynn Harbor with four passengers.

They disembarked with a mysterious chest and headed up the Saugus River in a small boat. The local British troops intercepted them and captured three of the four men. The fourth man, named Thomas Veal, escaped with the treasure. The three captured men were hanged but the British were never able to find Veal. He went deep into Lynn Woods and found a cave in the rocks, where he survived by mending shoes for a living. Sometime later, an earthquake hit causing the entrance to the cave to collapse, killing Thomas. Two-hundred-years later, a spiritualist by the name of Hiram Marble reported that he had received a message from the ghost of Thomas Veal. Hiram purchased several acres of land around Dungeon Rock and moved his family there. With the aid of Veal’s ghost, he and his son began to search for the treasure. Both Hiram and his son Edwin died, never finding the treasure. To this day, strange lights and bizarre noises have been witnessed by those visiting the rock. Lynn Woods, 106 Pennybrook Road | flw.org

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13 LOCAL HAUNTS

By Ron Kolek and Maureen Wood

THE WORTHEN HOUSE, LOWELL, MASS. The Worthen House was built in 1889 by John O’Donnell and is Lowell’s oldest tavern. The unique triangle shaped building has had many uses over the years, including a dry goods store and speakeasy. This local watering hole also has been frequented by some notable names, like Jack Kerouac and Edgar Allen Poe. Staff and regulars say some of the tavern’s former patrons and employees have returned to “haunt” it. This can be seen by the strange things that often occur there: like the heavy tequila bottle that is forever falling to the floor but never breaks, and the rocking chair in the attic that moves by itself. There is also a well worn teddy bear that when placed on the rocking chair ends up sitting on the floor. When, medium Maureen Wood investigated the tavern, she told the tale of a nine-year-old boy named Mathew who fell to his death from an open window, and who now calls the Worthen home. But who else has come to join him?

141 Worthen St. | 978-459-0300 | worthenhousecafe.com WINDHAM RESTAURANT, WINDHAM, N.H. The sign over the door of the Windham Restaurant reads “Food & Spirits” and there appears to be more to that statement than meets the eye. The restaurant is located in an old house built around 1812 by the Dinsmore family, but it is the more recent history that interests customers. Chairs and place settings seem to rearrange themselves. The sound of children’s footsteps echo through the second floor hall and the infamous ghost of man wearing a blue suit has been seen from time to time. Blonde waitresses have reported having their jewelry removed by invisible hands and items often disappear with no rational explanation. Who are these ghosts?

Several investigations point to a young boy named William and a very angry gentleman named Jacob who is rumored to have papers buried in the basement. The owners have learned to live with their phantom visitors, while customers often visit to get a taste of the “Food & Spirits.”

59 Range Road | 603-870-9270 | windhamrestaurant.com AMERICA’S STONEHENGE, SALEM N.H. America’s Stonehenge, located in Salem, N.H., has always been an unusual place. Originally known as Mystery Hill, the storied location has been a puzzle for centuries. Little is known as to who built it or what happened there. This maze of stonewalls and chambers is one of the oldest megalith sites in North America (4,000 years old). The site includes an alter, a working observatory, and an oracle chamber. But who built this site and why did they abandon it? Over the years, people have said red eyes can be seen lurking in the woods surrounding the structures. There have also been many reports by people walking in the woods who believed to have overheard the sound of drums and chanting in the night air, only to find no one else around.

105 Haverhill Road | 603-893-8300 | stonehengeusa.com

THE SPRAGUE MANSION, CRANSTON, R.I. The stately Sprague Mansion is the home of the Cranston Historical Society. Since it has been opened to the public, it has been plagued by many unexplained phenomenon. Visitors to the mansion report the sound of footsteps in the vacant floor above them and some have reported seeing the translucent image of a man in period dress on the main staircase. Often, one will wander into a cold spot, so cold that they can see their own breath. The ghost is reported to be that of convicted murderer, John Gordon, who was found guilty of killing Amasa Sprague, the owner of the mansion in December 1843. Gordon was the last man executed in Rhode Island. But was he really guilty? Some believe it is Gordon’s restless spirit who wanders through the mansion, unable to rest until the truth can be found.

1351 Cranston St. | 401-944-9226 | cranstonhistoricalsociety.org LIZZY BORDEN HOUSE, FALL RIVER, MASS. The Lizzy Borden home is infamous for the murders of Lizzy Borden’s father, Andrew, and her stepmother, Abby, who were both bludgeoned to death by an axe on August 4, 1982. Andrew, his face nearly unrecognizable, was found on a sofa in a sitting room. While Abby, lay face down on the floor of her bedroom, her head nearly severed from 19 axe wounds. Lizzy reported finding her father’s body to the police and soon thereafter became the prime suspect in the crime. Yet one year later, in 1893, Lizzy was acquitted of all charges. To this day there has been no one charged with the crime. This macabre setting is now home to a bed and breakfast museum frequented by curious tourists. Those who visit report paranormal activity. Guests have reported being awakened by hands dragging along their feet. Lights flicker. Unexplained voices have been heard. And sadly, it seems that both Abby’s father and her stepmother have yet to find the rest they so rightfully deserve, as guests often report seeing their ghostly apparition glide from room to room.

230 2nd St. | 508-675-7333 | lizzie-borden.com

THE JOSHUA WARD HOUSE, SALEM, MASS. Built in 1784 for retired sea captain turned local merchant, Joshua Ward, the Ward house was built on land that was once owned by George Corwin, the High Sheriff of Essex County, Massachusetts.

Corwin was the man responsible for signing warrants that led to the arrests and deaths of those accused in the Salem witch trials.

Under Corwin’s watch, 19 men and women were executed. His last victim, Giles Corey, refused to admit to any wrongdoing.

Determined to hear a confession, the sheriff ordered that Corey be crushed under the weight of heavy stones. Corey, with his dying breath, cursed Corwin and all those who would later become sheriff. Coincidence or curse, at the age of 30, Corwin died of heart failure. His widow, fearing that Corwin’s remains would be vandalized, buried him within the basement of their home until he could have a proper burial. During the years since, there have been many reports of paranormal activity. One witness caught sight of a woman sitting in a chair with a gray dress and dark hair. When the witness looked again, the woman vanished. The spirit of a wrongly accused witch perhaps?

148 Washington St. | salemweb.com (continued on p. 26)

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13 LOCAL HAUNTS STAR ISLAND ON THE ISLE OF SHOALS, RYE, N.H. First sighted and given its name by English explorer Capt. John Smith, the Isle of Shoals had originally been used for seasonal fishing camps by indigenous Americans. Settled in the 17th century by the Europeans, it soon became a sought after fishing location for the young British and French colonies. One of the islands making up the Isle of Shoals is none other than Star Island, home to Betty Moody’s cave. Legend has it that Betty Moody, a mother of two young girls, sought refuge during an Indian raid. In an attempt to silence the frantic screams of her girls, Betty clamped her hands tightly over her children’s mouths. So tightly in fact, that she suffocated them both.

It’s said by many that just before a terrible storm descends upon the island, the mournful wails of Betty Moody can be heard echoing within its walls. starisland.org HOUGHTON MANSION, NORTH ADAMS, MASS. Deep in the heart of the Berkshires, the mansion was once home to the former mayor of North Adams, Albert C. Houghton. One warm summer day in 1911, chauffer John Widders was driving the Houghton family to an outing. They were traveling down a narrow mountain road when they were suddenly forced to divert around a work crew. The Pierce-Arrow struck a soft shoulder, sending the automobile tumbling down the embankment. Sybil Hutton died at the scene. Mary Houghton, Albert’s daughter, succumbed to her injuries, never making the trip to the hospital. Both Albert Houghton and Widders escaped with minimal injuries. However, a few days later, John Widders took his own life. His body was found in the barn behind the mansion, a single bullet wound to the head. As for Albert, unable to bear the loss of his family, he is reported to have died of a broken heart a short time later. It’s believed that the Masons who inherited the mansion got more than just a three-story Victorian in the deal. Footsteps, slamming doors, knocking in the walls, disembodied voices and being touched by invisible hands have all been reported by staff and guests.

172 Church St. | 413-329-0327 | houghtonmansionghosttours.org TORTILLA FLATS RESTAURANT, MERRIMACK, N.H. This building, once comprised of two separate houses, was joined to create enough room to house what is now known as Tortilla Flats restaurant.

During the Civil War, one of the structures provided a safe haven for fugitive slaves as part of the Underground Railroad. This building is so steeped in history it’s no surprise to the staff to have patrons nervously ask about the image of the woman they see reflected in the window. The New England Ghost Project, along with a German television show, investigated and recorded the strange goings on at Tortilla Flats. One waitress spoke of a thick black and oozy, tar-like substance that — seemingly out of nowhere — was streaked across the nape of her neck. She spoke of the unexplained voices of children that would often catch diners off guard. While others chimed in, “don’t forget to mention the objects that move of their own free will.” One woman, who hesitated at first, added that late at night, when the restaurant is empty and the staff is closing up, she just can’t escape “the feeling of being watched.”

595 Daniel Webster Hwy. | 603-262-1693 | tortillaflatnh.com CONCORD COLONIAL INN, CONCORD, MASS. Rumor has it that the Inn is built on a Native American burial ground.

The structure is comprised of three buildings and is located across from Monument Square in historic downtown Concord. The oldest of the three structures, built by Captain James Minot prior to 1716, stands to the left of the building. To the right, built in 1799, is the building Henry David Thoreau and his aunts once called home. The center building was used during the Revolutionary War to store weapons. In 1855, it became a boarding house, and in 1900 it became the Colonial Inn. An Inn that has increasingly become known throughout New England and the country as one of the most haunted hotels in Massachusetts, specifically room No. 24. While there are many curious guests lining up to sleep in this room, there are many, including some staff, who refuse to enter due to reports of shadowy apparitions, books flying off shelves, power surges and people being touched by unseen hands.

48 Monument Sq. | 978-369-9200 | concordscolonialinn.com

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The Worthen House, Lowell | Photo by Tory Germann

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GOOD TO THE CORE A GUIDE TO THE AREA’S BEST ORCHARDS AND FARMSTANDS Nothing says fall in New England like picking your own crisp, juicy apples — not to mention plenty of freshly mulled cider and all the piping hot cinnamon and sugar sprinkled cider doughnuts you can eat. Here’s a round-up of pick-your-own orchards and farmstands serving up the season’s best bounty.

ATKINS FARM Corner of Rte. 116 & Bay Road, Amherst A family farm in Western Massachusetts known far and wide for their delicious apple cider doughnuts. Although the farm stand is open year round, nothing beats visiting in fall when you can take the scenic back roads drive via US 202 (take exit 29B toward Leominster off I-495 S).

Mon - Sat, 7am to 8pm; Sun, 7 am to 7 pm 413-253-9528 AUTUMN HILLS ORCHARD 495 Chicopee Row, Groton Not interested in long lines and crowds?

This is apple picking off the beaten path with beautiful hilltop views stretching across the hills of Central Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire. Trails and paths wind around the farm with picnic tables on the high ridge to sit, relax and enjoy the scenery.

Cider and bottled water available for purchase. Apples are around $1.30 per pound.

Sat. & Sun. 10am to 5pm | 978-448-8388

HILL ORCHARD 4 Hunt Road, Westford A friendly local farm where you can pick your own apples from now until Columbus Day. The farmstand carries a nice selection of pies, jams and frozen farm picked berries.

Weekend apple picking, 10am to 4pm Wed, Sat & Sun, 10am to 5pm; Thurs & Fri 10am to 6pm | 978-692-9894

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LUPIEN’S FARM 240 Westford St., Chelmsford Since 1957, the Lupien family has been growing apples in Chelmsford. Paw through their many varieties and a mouthwatering selection of homemade pies and cakes. We especially love their apple turnovers.

7 a.m. to dusk | 978-256-0654 NASHOBA VALLEY WINERY 100 Wattaquadock Hill Road, Bolton Pick your own apples then go sample some apple wine or apple favored brandy. $25 for a half bushel (approximately 45 apples) and $15 for a peck (around 22).

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. | 978-779-5521

PARLEE FARMS 95 Farwell Road, Tyngsboro Besides the perfect selection for picking — more than 20 varieties including honey crisps — you’ll find an animal farm, hayrides and Mary’s Country Kitchen & Bakery, where you can sample award-winning apple cider doughnuts.

Tues - Fri 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sat & Sun from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. | 978-649-3854

RED APPLE FARM 455 Highland Avenue, Phillipston A trip back to simpler times, this central Massachusetts farm has it all — sweet cider, doughnuts, pick-your-own, apple sundaes and even farm-fresh kettle corn. The Rose family, who has owned the land for four generations, relies on wind and solar power to run the farm’s electricity. Fall BBQ and hayrides every weekend.

9a.m. to 6p.m. daily | 978-249-6763

SHELBURNE FARM 106 W. Acton Road, Stow A fantastic farm store where you can watch the apple cider doughnuts go straight from the kitchen to your hand. Check out their tasty selection of homebaked goods, jams, honey and the most amazing farm-fresh sharp cheddar cheese around. A popular and busy family spot on weekends so if you don’t want to wait too long to sample the fare, visit during the week.

9a.m. to 6p.m. daily | 978-897-9287 SMOLAK FARMS 315 South Bradford St., North Andover Heaven for cider doughnut lovers, pick your pleasure here — plain, sugar coated or sugar and cinnamon coated. There’s also 20 varieties of apples to pick from.

8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. | 978-682-633

Photos by Allegra Boverman

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HAUNTED HAPPENINGS

By The Howl Street Team

Why should kids have all the fun on Halloween?

From storied haunted houses to Halloween screamparks and creepy happenings, here’s a roundup of places where the stout of heart can hobnob with goblins, witches and the undead.

ASYLUM OF HORROR With their tagline “Enough to make a grown man cry,” this Fall River freakshow presents a factory full of rooms haunted by tormented spirits. It’s also a favorite among thrill seekers thanks to a unique blackout experience that has guests literally crawling through the dark and forcing them to confront their deepest phobias. Bring extra pants. You might need them.

Tix $18 adults, $15 per child 10 and under with an adult 18 Pocasset St., Fall River | 508-324-7709 | asylumofhorror.com

HAUNTED OVERLOAD Ranked one of the top haunted attractions in the country, you’ll find this spooky Halloween display from the mind of Eric Lowther down a secluded tree lined drive in rural Lee, N.H. What lurks in the woods? Venture into the dark and you’ll stumble across maniacs and monsters amidst a backdrop of towering scarecrows, rundown hillbilly shacks and creatures not of this world.

Fri-Sun 7pm, Sat-Sun 11am Tix $22 per person online, $27 for walk-ins.

DeMeritt Hill Farm (Rte.155) Lee, N.H. | 603-8682111| hauntedoverload.com

BARRETT’S HAUNTED MANISON Horror props and state-of-the-art gadgets make this haunted mansion a favorite screamfest. Each year, new attractions are added to keep it fresh.

Also, check out the mansion’s annual Blackout events (reservations required), when all lights go dark in the house and ghouls are let loose to roam. Tix $23.

1235 Bedford St. (Rte. 18), Abington | 781-8714573 | bhmansion.com

FRIGHT KINGDOM New England’s largest indoor haunted attraction lets you explore Vampire Castle and a carnival of corpses in the 3D haunted house, has you running from flesh-eating zombies at Apocalypse Z and delivers some twisted scenes at Bloodmare Manor.

Fri-Sat 7 to midnight; Sun 7 to 10pm. Tix $17 to $34 depending on day and time you visit.

12 Simon St. Nashua, N.H. | 603-809-1173 | frightkingdom.com

BARNSTABLE VILLAGE GHOST HUNTER’S TOUR Take the three-hour tour of this haunted Cape Cod town that stops by the infamous Barnstable House, storied for being home to 11 ghosts. One of the house’s early owners was a sea captain whose wife found their daughter drowned in a well while the captain was away at sea. Grief stricken, the wife starved herself to death in an upstairs bedroom. Visitors have claimed to see the ghost of the captain helping children down the stairs, objects moving by themselves, footsteps and doors slamming.

Mon & Fri 7pm, parking at the old jail on the grass. $20 for adults, $10 children 8-12, kids under 8 free.

3353 Main St., Barnstable | 508-771-2725 | caiprs. com/barnstable

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SALEM SOJOURN Known as “Witch City,” Salem, Mass. is especially creepy this time of year. All month long you’ll find psychic festivals, a broom flying contest, scary storytelling, costume balls, haunted cruises in Salem Sound, graveyard and haunted house candlelight tours and plenty of family-friendly events for kiddies — and adults — who scare easily.

(508) 744-0013 | hauntedhappenings.org

SPOOKY WORLD Six separate haunted houses all located in a creepy field in New Hampshire.

Thurs-Sun all haunted attractions open at 7pm; Funway Park activities open Fri at 3pm, and at noon Sat-Sun. $34.99 general admission, VIP $59.99 454 Charles Bancroft Highway, Litchfield, N.H. | 603-424-7999 |spookyworld.com USS SALEM HAUNTED SHIP 739 Washington St., Qunicy | 617-479-7900 A labyrinth of terror on a real-life battleship, this Halloween haunt was featured on the hit show Ghost Hunters. The ship is located at the United States Naval Ship Building Museum.

Fri-Sun 6:30 pm. $15 adults, $10 for seniors and children 11 & under 454 Charles Bancroft Hwy. Litchfield, N.H. | 603424-7999 | hauntedship.com WITCH’S WOODS They’re baaack. Greater Lowell’s original Halloween Screampark serves up spooky fun with a haunted hayride, Castle Morbid, Nightmare Mansion, The Keeper’s Crypt, Jack O’Lantern Jamboree and Horrorwood Chamber of Chills.

Thurs-Sun 6:30 pm. Parking is free. $32 per person. Look for discount coupons at local Market Baskets and the calendar at witchswoods.com.

79 Powers Road, Westford | 978-692-3033 | witchswoods.com

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hitchcock sundays in october at

the luna theater

vertigo

rear window october 11th

october 4th

the birds october 18th

psycho october 25th

$5 tickets and showtimes at 2:05, 5:05, and 8:05 for more information, tickets, and showtimes visit; lunalowell.com

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