Holiday Display Program

Many businesses participate in the City of Lowell’s holiday display contest, but some storefronts are left out because of lack of expertise or because of vacancies. A dozen businesses across downtown responded to an initial email asking if they’d like some help, and we’re helping as many as possible!

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Emanuel Boutique, thanks to volunteer Julia Gavin

We connected donated materials and designers to retail businesses, a bank window, and a vacant window. Look for them throughout downtown!

We’re still raising money to buy supplies for additional businesses in the next week. You can contribute here! We will keep the materials we purchase with the money, so we could re-use them and annually help more and more businesses each year until Downtown Lowell displays become an attraction for the region!

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Vacant storefront at 120 Merrimack, thanks to artist Mary Hart and volunteer Britt Boughner

Donations of old decorations, art supplies, or any other materials would also be super-useful! (Contact info@diylowell.org to let us know if you have anything.) If we collect enough, we will provide modest stipends to our super designers!

If we aren’t able to help you this year, we’re very sorry! But if you’re still interested, we hope we can find even more volunteers and work with more businesses next year! We really want to help everyone bring out their best.

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iWorld, thanks to artist Katherine DuBose

Thanks to All Teams!

Thanks to everyone who attended the Community Idea Summit! The following ideas now have action plans and citizen groups to carry them forward:

Over 50 people attended the summit and dozens more have “raised their hand” and pledged to help in another way! Thanks, too, to everyone who submitted ideas! Every idea got at least one vote, and many missed the top 3 by only 1 or 2 votes! We will keep this website active as an archive for ideas. You may add an idea to the archive here.

Please consider donating to help make the ideas happen. All donations go directly toward projects!

Please email info@diylowell.org if you have any questions or want to help out with a project!

Special Thanks to the following donors ($20+):

  • Merrimack Valley Time Exchange / Coalition for a Better Acre
  • Loom Press
  • Joseph and Donna Smith
  • Made in Lowell
  • Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust
  • Corey Sciuto
  • Elizabeth Greene
  • Felicia Sullivan
  • William Berkowitz
  • Jane Calvin
  • Jack Moynihan
  • Paul Hardin
  • Julia Gavin
  • Sean Thibodeau
  • Sovanna Pouv
  • Gwen Kozlowski
  • Georgia & Glenn Hayes
  • Anonymous
  • Michael Breda

See our complete list of donors here.

 

Community Conversations

The expansion of UML’s South Campus and the opening of Unversity Crossing has had an impact on the Acre as the neighborhood adjusts to larger numbers of students living off campus. The idea of hosting a bunch of informal events throughout the fall to bring students and neighborhood residents together to talk and come to know each other.

Submit your Idea!

This forum is a spot to share your ideas for small-scale events or projects! All ideas will be archived, and visitors may comment on or contribute to your idea. The ideas will be put to a vote--maybe a community team will undertake the idea!

Please feel free to look at our inspiration, this years' ideas, previous years' ideas, and guidelines sections for inspiration!

When you submit an idea, you'll create an account to edit your ideas and post new ideas more quickly. If you've already signed up, make sure to log in before you submit a new idea!
What's the title of your idea?
Describe your idea.
How would your idea benefit the community?
Idea Location
If you have a link to an example, paste it here:
If you have an image of an example, upload it here:
 
Please provide a name, email, and password.
They won't be displayed, but if we have questions about your idea, we will contact you via email. The admin team won't share your information with anyone. Please enter both your first and last name
Please enter a valid email address. We will send a confirmation.
Please create a password. You will use this password to log in.