Welcome to Concord, Massachusetts – a town that’s basically a Hallmark movie come to life, minus the predictable plot twists.

The festival kicks off at 7 p.m. Wednesday with a free screening of "Charles Ives' America" at the Normal Theater; several concerts and a lecture are to follow at ISU.

Speaking of literary history, Concord is like the Hollywood Walk of Fame for 19th-century authors. Everywhere you turn, there ...