As summer vacation floats away

In the weekend Telegram & Gazette, our girl Laurel watches her summer break from school float away.

 

Entering play zone

In this weekend's Telegram & Gazette, our girl Laurel's request for a reconfigured Worcester sidewalk is happily obliged.

 

In praise of Jay's

In this weekend's Telegram & Gazette, our girl Laurel pays a visit across time to the late, great Jay's 5, 10, and $1 Store on Highland Street.

 

At the Worcester Italian Festival

In this weekend's Telegram & Gazette, our girl Laurel and Uncle Timmy strike it lucky at the Worcester Italian Festival Aug. 13 to 16 on Massasoit Road.

 

"It's a bird, it's a plane..."

In this weekend's Telegram & Gazette. our girl Laurel dreams a world after Worcester's Movies on the Common on Aug. 13.

 

Believe it or don't in Leominster

In the weekend Telegram & Gazette, Uncle Timmy registers good-natured skepticism over our girl Laurel's new-found friend at Leominster State Forest.

 

At the Disney concert in Institute Park

In the weekend Telegram & Gazette, the stars align for our girl Laurel's wish at the Mass. Symphony Salute to Disney concert Sunday at 6:30 p.m. in Institute Park.

 

 

Big business

In this weekend's Telegram & Gazette, our girl Laurel corners the lemonade market on a hot Worcester day.

 

"Come home, Turtle Boy!"

In the weekend Telegram & Gazette, our girl Laurel learns about the April 1970 theft and two-year absence of Worcester's unofficial mascot, the Burnside Fountain's "Turtle Boy" statue. 

 

Happy Fourth of July!

In the weekend Telegram & Gazette, our girl Laurel is drawn to the light during the Independence Day celebration July 2 in Worcester. This cartoon originally appeared in 2003 in the former InCity Times, was repurposed in 2013 for the T&G's TelegramTowns weekly and now sports Sunday colors for the weekend edition. Of the 1,000-plus cartoons starring our girl since her debut on April 19, 2002, in ICT, this particularly captures just who she is and remains my favorite. Happy Fourth, everybody!

 

Till we meet again

In this weekend's Telegram & Gazette, our girl Laurel and classmates express their goodbyes as the school year in Worcester ends Tuesday.

 

Taking the bows at Mechanics Hall

In this weekend's Telegram & Gazette, our girl Laurel and fellow children's orchestra members bring down the house at Mechanics Hall.

 

A day at Indian Hill

In this weekend's Telegram & Gazette, our girl Laurel and Uncle Timmy explore Indian Hill, Worcester's only village expressly designed for workers at the former Norton Company.

 

At your service

In this weekend's Telegram & Gazette, our girl Laurel's literally at service during her third-grade volleyball match at the Robert Benchley School in Worcester.  

 

On Memorial Day in Worcester

In this weekend's Telegram & Gazette, our girl Laurel, Uncle Timmy, and neighbors observe Memorial Day.

 

Picture this (and pictures at a Backyard Gallery)

In this weekend's Telegram & Gazette, our girl Laurel lends a colorful touch to a downtown Worcester landmark. She looks forward to seeing you at the first Cold Moon Arts Events Backyard Gallery from 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday, May 17, at Vincent's Worcester, 49 Suffolk St., featuring over 20 local artists and crafters. Her latest book, pictured here, will be available, along with her book on Worcester history, previous books, original drawings, Christmas cards and more. Please stop by! Thank you!

 

Together in spirit on Mother's Day

In the Telegram & Gazette's weekend edition, our girl Laurel and her late mom are together in spirit on Mother's Day.

 

The Seven (?) Hills of Worcester

In this weekend's Telegram & Gazette, our girl Laurel explores the fabled Seven -- and others less storied -- Hills of Worcester.

 

The compleat knight at the Art Museum

In this weekend's Telegram & Gazette, our girl Laurel and fellow Benchley School students behold the compleat knight at the Worcester Art Museum.

 

A dream vacation

In this weekend's Telegram & Gazette, our girl Laurel enjoys a dream vacation with a local accent for April school break.

 

A winner at the school science fair

In this weekend's Telegram & Gazette, our girl Laurel's project at the Robert Benchley School Science Fair scores a considerable hit. She also looks forward to seeing you this weekend at Cold Moon Arts Events' Spring Art Market from 3 to 7 p.m. Sunday, April 12, at BirchTree Bread Co., 138 Green St. Her collection of cartoons on Worcester history, LAUREL'S MAGICAL HISTORY TOUR, will be available together with her 2025 collection picking up the history thread, along with previous books at half price, original drawings and Christmas cards. On-street parking and admission are free. Please stop by! Thank you!

 

Into Worcester's gaslit past

In the Telegram & Gazette weekend edition, our girl Laurel enters Worcester's past by gaslight.

 

Celebrating Goddard's giant leap for mankind

In this weekend's Telegram & Gazette, our girl Laurel and Uncle Timmy celebrate the 1926 launch of Worcesterite Robert Goddard's first liquid-fueled rocket.

 

All on the same page for spring

In this Sunday's Telegram, our girl Laurel has everything on the same page as spring officially and finally arrives.

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Striking it lucky on St. Patrick's Day

In this Sunday's Telegram, our girl Laurel and Uncle Timmy possess the luck of the Irish and then some in Worcester on St. Patrick's Day.

 

 

When the wind blows in Worcester

In this Sunday's Telegram, our girl Laurel puts the March winds to work for everybody's advantage.

 

A day in The Daily Cartoonist

Mr. D.D. Degg of The Daily Cartoonist site made his acquaintance recently with our girl Laurel by way of last Sunday's strip on Olive Higgins Prouty. Tips of the Hatlo hat to Mr. Degg and to local caricaturist supreme Don Landgren Jr. for alerting us of this post:

https://www.dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2026/03/03/new-to-me-local-comic-strip-laurel-by-brian-nelson/?fbclid=IwY2xjawQVWUBleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeFV64tfO3cjjAIKuWcYeuH2Y1-N58O9ejkuxSyPfgJvSenpfWd_ZEyjBVCBs_aem_ypU05lIjyO0-i-NutAdo5w

Meet Worcester native and author Olive Higgins Prouty

In this Sunday's Telegram, our girl Laurel learns about Worcester native, author and poet Olive Higgins Prouty.

 

Dig we must -- again

In this Sunday's Telegram, Uncle Timmy and our girl Laurel dig out after yet another Sunday snowstorm.

 

Now's the time for school vacation

In this Sunday's Telegram, our girl Laurel doesn't lose a moment as school vacation begins in Worcester.

 

Colors of love on Valentine's Day

In this Sunday's Telegram, our girl Laurel brightens a friend's day and way this Valentine's Day, with wishes for a happy holiday!

 

 

Meet Worcester's Olympic gold medalist Albina Osipowich

In this Sunday's Telegram, our girl Laurel learns about Worcester native and Olympic gold medalist Albina Osipowich, with a tip of the Hatlo hat to fellow T&Ger Paul Jarvey.

 

"And now the weather for Worcester"

In this Sunday's Telegram, our girl Laurel has everything in order before the Sunday snowstorm (stay safe, all!).

 

A jump for joy

In this Sunday's Telegram, our girls Cherie and Laurel jump for joy together on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

 

Our girl Laurel on the air

Our thanks to local cartooner and art teacher extraordinaire Scott Nelson (no relation, franchises everywhere!) for the opportunity to talk about cartoons and our girl Laurel on his WCCA TV 194 "The People's Channel" show YAY ART. The first half covers the steps in creating a Laurel cartoon from idea to completion, with the second half set in Scott's studio as he creates a cartoon and a jim-dandy one too! Thanks again, buddy!  https://www.wccatv.com/video/yay-art/yay-art-4-brian-nelson

The remarkable Ms. Margaret Getchell of Worcester

In this Sunday's Telegram, our girl Laurel learns about Worcester native, journalist and children's author Margaret Getchell.

 

All on the same note

In this Sunday's Telegram, our girl Laurel, Uncle Timmy and Grammy are all on the same post-holiday note, with their and our best wishes for a happy and healthy 2026.