THE THUMPING BASS and intermittent shrieks of delight coursing through the neighborhood do not particularly bother Kristina Boldebuck.
She’s charmed by the annual Billerica Lions Spring Carnival one street over, its scenes of classic Americana and the buzzy energy in the air. At night, Boldebuck can look out the window and see an illuminated Ferris wheel rising from behind her neighbors’ homes. The event is such a draw that her two kids came home from college just to attend.
It’s traditions like the carnival, the annual Yankee Doodle Homecoming, and a parade to mark Billerica Little League’s opening day that drew Boldebuck two decades ago to return to the town where she grew up. By all measures, it’s a good life, even a great life. She was able to raise her children near her parents, live within walking distance of a school, immerse herself in a community…