Sun. Oct. 14

 Last day! ack Kerouac is Lowell's favorite son. Maybe he wasn't back when he lived and wrote there - remember he rather famously left town from 1947-50 researching "On the Road" - but he sure is somebody the old mill city can celebrate today, this being the 50th anniversary of the publication of said book. (He started writing in 1951; it was published in '57.) Kerouac taped sheets of paper together so they would run through his manual typewriter - remember those? - to keep the flow of his writing uninterrupted. It became a classic novel,inspiring the beat generation, which inspired the hippie generation which spawned the punks .. well, it's fair to say a lot of the social upheavel and challenging of the status quo stemmed from Kerouac's mighty pen, even if you don't know it. Lowell is giving you the opportunity to learn - and have fun. There's a free exhbit open from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. (until 7 on Thursdays) at the Boott Cotton Mills Museum at Lowell National Historical Park. The famous "scroll" is there. Indianapolis Colts owner James Irsay bought it at auction in 2001 for $2.4, and is loaning it out for a - slight groan - on the road tour that began in Orlando in 2001 and concludes in 2009. Now, it's in Lowell. The exhibit shuts down Sunday, Oct. 14.

Boott, 115 John St. Lowell 978-446-7162 www.ontheroadinlowell.org