When May arrives, it’s finally spring. And with the winter we’ve endured, we need warm days and flowering bushes and shrubs more than ever.
And there are art and arts-oriented activities around the region to keep everyone occupied and excited.
Residents and visitors are invited to explore Fitchburg during the 2026 Hidden Treasures Festival of Nature, Culture & History, a month-long, collaborative celebration presented by Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area.
As part of the festival, multiple Fitchburg organizations will host free public events and activities during May that showcase a “hidden treasure” in the community — highlighting stories, places, landscapes, and creative traditions that help define Fitchburg’s sense of place.
Featured events in Fitchburg include Henry David Thoreau reading “Civil Disobedience” at Fitchburg Public Library on Monday, May 4. On Sunday, May 17, Gathering Hearts: A Community Vigil of Culture, Resilience, and Solidarity organized by Friends of Fitchburg Abolitionist Park will be held and on Saturday, May 30 there’s a drumming workshop with Crocodile River Music at Fitchburg Art Museum.
“These events offer a wonderful opportunity for people to connect with the places and stories that make Fitchburg special,” said Patrice Todisco, Freedom’s Way Executive Director. “Hidden Treasures invites the public to see the community in a new way.
”Sponsored in part by Rockland Trust Bank, Hidden Treasures events and activities are free and open to the public and are part of a larger festival featuring 101+ activities by nearly 100 partners in Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire. The 2026 festival also aligns with ongoing Revolution 250 commemorations, highlighting the region’s central role in the founding of the nation while connecting those stories to the landscapes and communities that still shape daily life today.
A full schedule of Hidden Treasures events — searchable by date and town — is available at FreedomsWay.org/HTF.
….At Lowell’s Western Avenue Studios, the Loading Dock Gallery is abloom with “Full Bloom 8”which opened Wednesday and runs through May 31. A reception is Saturday, May 2, 3-5 p.m. in conjunction with the monthly First Saturday Open Studios.
Flowers hold a quiet mystery. They are fleeting, luminous and generous, reminding us of what is briefly beautiful in our lives. Their glow feels like an invitation.
Loading Dock Gallery welcomes the warmth of summer with this exhibition, which is a vibrant celebration of flowers, birds, insects, gardens, and the wonder found in small, radiant moments. Featuring work by Loading Dock Gallery members, this exhibition captures the color, energy, and renewal that define the season.
As daylight lingers and blossoms unfold, artists turn their attention to nature’s cycles of growth and transformation. The works in “Full Bloom 8” evoke memory, hope and the simple joy that gardens bring. Though nature’s beauty exists to lure pollinators, it also calls to us — drawing us closer, inviting reflection.
Join us for a show alive with color and light. It will be open Wednesdays-Fridays 12–5:30 p.m. and weekends 10 a.m.–3:30 p.m.
For more information, visitwww.theloadingdockgallery.com.
Nancye Tuttle’s email address is [email protected].
