Country star Zach Bryan just bought an old church in Massachusetts. Here's why.
Country music star Zach Bryan is buying an old church in Lowell to honor the legacy of famous American novelist and Massachusetts native Jack Kerouac.
The Grammy-winner has bought the historic former Saint Jean Baptiste Church. The building was announced years ago as the home of the future "Jack Kerouac Center," but funding issues have delayed the project.
Bryan's purchase ensures that the former church, which was the site of Kerouac's funeral mass in 1969, will be transformed into a "vibrant cultural hub," Kerouac's estate said. Once complete, the 20,439 square-foot space will host exhibits, live music, public readings and other community events.
The country singer reached out last October about buying the church, Kerouac's estate said.
The former Saint Jean Baptiste Church building in Lowell.
Marte Media
Jack Kerouac Center in Lowell
"The Jack Kerouac Center will stand as a lasting symbol of inspiration, forever linking Jack and Zach," Jim Sampras, the literary executor of the estate, said in a statement. "[Bryan's Investment] is a significant addition to the cultural fabric of Lowell and beyond, drawing visitors from all over the world."
Bryan has said his 2022 single "Burn, Burn, Burn" was inspired by Jack Kerouac's novel "On The Road." Kerouac, who was born in Lowell in 1922, was one of the defining authors of the "Beat Generation."
The estate said more details will be announced in the coming months, but right now the work is focused on bringing the building up to code so it can start hosting live music and other events.
An annual festival in Lowell celebrating Kerouac is scheduled this fall from Oct. 9 to Oct. 13.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Best tennis match ever? Carlos Alcaraz's French Open win ushers in new rivalry
Best tennis match ever? Carlos Alcaraz's French Open win ushers in new rivalry Show Caption Hide Caption Jessica Pagula on accomplished Coco Gauff, Emma Navarro, Madison Keys Tennis player Jessica Pegula discusses how amazing it is to have other amazing American women in tennis dominating the sport. Sports Seriously So, tennis fans, how'd you like another decade or so of that? After Sunday's French Open men's final – a 5-hour, 29-minute epic that somehow ended with Carlos Alcaraz holding up the trophy for a second consecutive year – we can now officially close the book on the so-called Big Three era. There's a new game in town. And it's as spectacular to watch as anything tennis has ever seen. Yes, Alcaraz's improbable comeback to beat Jannik Sinner 4-6, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (10-2) is the story of the day. Not only did Alcaraz win his fifth Grand Slam title at just one month into his 22nd year of life – an absurd accomplishment on its own – but he did it by summoning a competitive aura only the all-time greats possess. He is, already, a legend. And that might have been the greatest match in the history of the sport. But the best part of Sunday's match is that it's not the end of the story. In many ways, it's just the beginning. HIGHLIGHTS: Alcaraz outlasts Sinner in epic French Open final The first Slam final between Alcaraz and Sinner not only exceeded every possible expectation, it sets an entirely new narrative for the sport. As Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal faded into retirement – most likely followed by Novak Djokovic in the next year or two – there was deep concern about what would come next after a 1½-decade battle between arguably the three best to ever hold a racket. Now we know definitively. Tennis is in the safest of hands. And barring something unforeseen, these two spectacular athletes are going to be doing battle in Grand Slam finals for many, many years to come. If you managed to watch the whole thing, or even just the last couple sets, it was easy to understand why that's such a tantalizing possibility. Let's start with the level of play. In a word, spectacular. Though Sinner and Alcaraz are each elite individually, combining to win the last six Grand Slam titles, the greatness they manage to draw out of each other is unique. Though different players stylistically and tactically, they have now twice played matches that could be considered among the best in the history of the sport in terms of ballstriking, endurance and the high standard it took to win a single point. When they played a US Open quarterfinal deep into the night in 2022, with Alcaraz emerging after 5 hours, 15 minutes, it showed the possibility of a friendly rivalry between two generational talents that had stretched back to childhood. It has widely been considered the best match of the decade, not just for the length of the match but the drama and the quality they both laid on the line. It only took three years to exceed that standard. Which leads to the second element of this ongoing story. What it took for Alcaraz to win that match – to beat Sinner on this particular day – was a sustained effort that few players in history could have managed. Maybe Djokovic. Maybe Nadal. Maybe. Because even though the all-time greats have all come back from two sets down and saved match points on the way to Grand Slam titles, few have had so little help from an opponent. Sure, there may be a shot or two that Sinner would want back after failing to convert three match points in the fourth set, then failing to serve out the tournament in the next game. But mostly, from that point until the final winner came off Alcaraz's racket, it was mostly about his greatness and his relentless shotmaking. Even in the fifth set, with Sinner clearly tiring more quickly than his opponent, he summoned enough energy to erase Alcaraz's early break of serve and send the match to a final tiebreak where – guess what – Alcaraz continued to pound clean winners off impossible angles. Sinner did not lose this match. Alcaraz just got up off the clay and stole it. We can debate where this final ranks among the 2008 Wimbledon final between Nadal and Federer or the 1980 Wimbledon final between John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg when you factor in all the intangibles. But if we're just talking about the quality of tennis played by two men over that length of time? It would be difficult to say there's ever been a better match. If the world was watching Sunday, it had to love what it saw. And when you realize what's ahead between them – more finals, more trophies, more history – this one felt like a moment to mark in time. One chapter of tennis closes, another begins. And it's going to be as entertaining as any we've seen.
Chicago Tribune
an hour ago
- Chicago Tribune
Route 66: The Arizona Sidewinder, wild burros and a living statue
KINGMAN, Arizona — There is a roughly 8-mile section of Route 66 at the western edge of this state that is considered to be one of the most scenic and white-knuckled drives this country has to offer. It's known as the Arizona Sidewinder, or to locals, simply, The Sidewinder. Eastbound Route 66 leaves California and crosses the Colorado River into Arizona, where it unfurls like a ribbon of pavement approaching the Black Mountains. A Mojave County worker in a small plow truck cleaned debris from the previous night's storm as the two-lane road ascended 2,700 feet to Oatman. Local lore says the town was named in honor of Olive Oatman, an Illinois woman whose family was killed by a Native American tribe in the area and who, the story goes, was eventually adopted and raised by a different tribe. Gold brought the miners who eventually created Oatman, and those miners brought burros to haul rock, water and supplies. When the mines closed, the animals were released into the wild. Several decades later, they've become a popular attraction in town. Shops sell approved pellets and warn visitors against feeding them carrots. On the outskirts, they can bring traffic to a standstill by congregating in the roadway and approaching the open windows of tourists hoping for a photo. People meandered down Oatman's main drag lined with shops selling T-shirts, Arizona honey and 'real American turquoise.' At the center of the road, a group of maybe 50 converged to watch two men recreate a gunfight between 'Outlaw Willie' and 'Patton.' The outlaw lost — his second defeat of the day (the first being when his wireless microphone kept cutting out). Willie (real name Rod Hall, 80) and Patton (Chris Marshman, 70) live in nearby Fort Mojave and have been performing for visitors for 31 years and 25 years, respectively. The gunfight, they say, raises money for Shriners International. Exiting Oatman, Route 66 morphs into The Sidewinder. This serpentine portion of the road is reported to contain nearly 200 curves, many of them perched precariously on cliff edges absent guardrails. Travelers are warned not to attempt to navigate them in vehicles longer than 40 feet. As the road climbed to Sitgreaves Pass, elevation 3,586 feet, the views from a scenic overlook were made more profound by the discovery of a make-shift cemetery with dozens of memorials to deceased loved ones whose cremations were scattered at the site. Ginny died at the age of 95. Jeremy at 14. About 25 miles east of Sitgreaves sits the city of Kingman, population 35,000. Outside the city's railroad museum along its vibrant Route 66 corridor is a bronze statue to Jim Hinckley, an author, historian, tour guide, podcaster, consultant and raconteur. 'I wish they would have waited until I was dead,' joked Hinckley, 68, his face flushed with embarrassment under his wide-brimed cowboy hat. 'It's like attending my own funeral every time I come down here.' Born on the North Carolina coast, Hinckley said his dad, a Navy and Coast Guard veteran, moved the family outside Kingman after throwing a dart at a paper map he folded to ensure it would land nowhere near water. A professional path as winding as The Sidewinder — he's been a rancher, a miner, a rodeo cowboy, a repo man, a truck driver and a mechanic — led him to writing, first about American automobile history and then Route 66. Hinckley helped curate a self-guided walking tour of the city's historic district and provides audio narrations of the sites via a QR code on plaques. One tells the story of a former rodeo grounds on the route where, before the road was designated Route 66, the Chicago Cubs played two exhibition games: One in 1917 against a local team and the second in 1924 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. 'Pretty much everything in my life is tied to this road,' he said. 'I learned to ride a bicycle, learned to drive on this. My early ranch work was on this road. Courting my wife was tied to this road. It's the American experience made manifest. For me, it's just the evolution of myself as well as this country.'
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Speakeasy mystery to kick off NSU's Summer Dinner Theatre
NATCHITOCHES, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – Northwestern State University's Summer Dinner Theatre will present 'I Love You to Death: A Speakeasy Mystery.' Grammy winner Chubby Carrier to talk zydeco at free event The dinner theatre shows will be in a different location this year due to the current system remodel of A.A. Fredericks Auditorium. 'This has allowed us to take a different approach to the show,' said Director Robert Richoux. 'The show will take place at The Venue on Front Street, which means there is no stage, and the cast will be in and out of the audience to make you feel even more connected and immersed in the world of the play.' 'I Love You to Death: A Speakeasy Mystery' was written by Robert J. Leblanc. 'In the play, a boxer, a gangster, a rival, a tortured vaudevillian, a woman on the prowl, and a pair of star-crossed lovers enter the Irish Lyon Social Club. Who will leave the speakeasy alive? The jazz plays, illegal liquor flows, and the bodies and suspects start piling up in this tale of crooked deals, jilted lovers, betrayal, and mayhem. Try to pin the suspect with the crime to find out who did the deed in 'I Love You to Death,'' a press release stated. NSU Theatre and Dance students land summer roles nationwide The cast includes: Siobhan Delaney – Halle Ortego of Lake Charles Iva Delaney – Shay Beatty of Shreveport Romeo Montano – Tyler Sibley of Alexandria Teresa Capo – Angel-Lena Wade of Colfax Sean 'The Lion' Delaney – Jezek Maxwell of Longview, Texas 'This show was chosen because of the venue,' said Richoux. 'I wanted The Venue on Front Street to take on the role of the scenery, and this will allow you to really feel like you are in a speakeasy. The show is very funny, the cast is going to be amazing, and we want you to have a great time with us.' NSU honors Dr. Karl Carpenter for 45-year career in education Shows will be performed from June 17 to 21 and June 24 to 28 at The Venue on Front Street, 530 Front St. in Natchitoches. Dinner and the show start at 6 p.m., with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are available at To learn more, call 318-357-4483. The Summer Dinner Theatre's next show will be 'A Fifties Doo-Wop Snapshot,' which will be performed from July 22 to 26 and July 29 to August 2. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
