This weekend is the annual Lowell Folk Festival—four stages of free music, a dance tent, craft displays, international food booths, street performers, and a certain energy all its own. It does, however, mean a few challenges for downtown residents, including street closures all around the neighborhood.

There is a long list of street closings available at the likelowell.com site. Even better, is a wonderful interactive map where one can see road closures by day and time.

The block of Market Street directly in front of our complex will be closed from noon tomorrow until late Sunday. What this has meant in past years is sawhorses on the side of our lot entrance closer to the Leo Roy Garage and jersey barriers on the other side. The sawhorses can be moved or circumvented to allow residents to come and go from the surface lot. Access to the Leo Roy Garage should not be affected by the closure.

A reminder that coming and going from the surface lot by driving over the curb next to Canal Place 3 is illegal since it means driving over the adjacent sidewalk.

A final word: The weather this weekend is supposed to be HOT. The Festival usually has “cooling stations” in the form of sprinklers set up in various spots, but everyone should think about having hats and water bottles with them while they’re out and about. Have fun and keep safe!