The City of Somerville will host its annual Fourth of July Fireworks Celebration at Trum Field tonight, Wednesday, June 30. Live entertainment at Trum Field will begin at 6:30 p.m. with DJ Brother Cleve playing pop, soul, funk, and other classic tunes followed by Booty Vortex taking the stage at 8:00 p.m. Fireworks will begin at approximately 9:15 p.m. While fireworks attendees are not required to wear masks, anyone who is not fully vaccinated is advised to wear one whenever they are in a crowd. To ensure public safety and pedestrian access to events, traffic and parking restrictions will be in place. For more information, please call 311 (or 617-666-3311), or visit www.somervillema.gov.
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The following parking restrictions and road closures are planned in your neighborhood on Wednesday, June 30, to support the City of Somerville’s Fourth of July celebrations at Trum Field: Broadway: No parking from Cedar Street to Charles E. Ryan Road (eastbound), 8:00 a.m. to midnight. No parking from Ball Square to Magoun Square, 4:00 p.m. to midnight. Street closed from 5:00 p.m. to midnight. Cedar Street: No parking 8:00 a.m. to midnight. Access for abutters only from Morrison Avenue to Broadway, 4:30 p.m. to midnight. Franey Road: No parking and street closed, 3:00 p.m. to midnight. Charles E. Ryan Road: No parking 8:00 a.m. to midnight. Access for abutters only from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Street closed to all traffic 6:00 p.m. to midnight. MBTA Buses 80 and 89 rerouted from 5:00 p.m. to midnight. Visit mbta.com for full detour information. For more information, visit somervillema.gov or call 311 (dial 617-666-3311 from a cell phone or outside the city).
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Happy birthday this week to several locals: This week a lot of local celebrities are celebrating their birthdays. Happy birthday to our own writer and poet Doug Holder, a great guy. He has many friends here in Somerville and we hope he has a great birthday for himself. Another great guy, Len Ferrari, of Century 21 North East, is celebrating this week. Lenny is a great guy and we wish him the best. Happy birthday, Lenny. Also this week, happy birthday to Andy Puglia, a smart man who knows Somerville like the back of his hand. We wish Andy a very happy birthday. Happy birthday to James “Brian” Roche, from a great family here in Somerville. We wish all of our Facebook friends, such as Leslie Phelan, Kristina Rosario, Devon Michele, Suzan Baltozer, John Correia, Carlton Soohoo, Rose Nash and Tamara McAllister a very happy birthday. We hope everyone has a great day. To all the others we may have missed, we sincerely wish them the very best of birthdays.
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Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone, Ward 5 City Councilor Mark Niedergang, and city staff invite you to a virtual community meeting to discuss the proposed expansion and renovation of Somerville Junction Park. City staff will give an overview of existing conditions, present conceptual ideas for potential future uses, and gather feedback from attendees. The meeting will take place on Wednesday, July 7, at 7:00 p.m. Register to attend at somervillema.gov/JunctionParkMtg1.
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All city buildings will reopen to the public on Monday, July 12, with limited staffing. Both visitors to city buildings as well as staff will be required to wear face coverings while inside the buildings. Staff will be available on a walk-in basis in all departments for quick transactions like paying a bill or picking up a document. For matters that will take longer, residents will need to schedule an appointment with city staff. Many city services are also available online and, whenever possible, residents are encouraged to continue to use online services.
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A walk-in clinic for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine will be held Wednesday, June 30, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Clarendon Hill Towers at 1372 Broadway (the Administration Building). No appointment is necessary, but if you prefer you can pre-register at somervillema.gov/vaccine. The clinic is free, and open to all people 12 years or older, regardless of immigration status or health insurance. Identification is not required. All minors must have parent or guardian permission. Anyone 12-15 years old must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Permission forms will be available onsite, or you can download one here. If you need assistance, please call 311 (617-666-3311).
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Free meals all summer for Somerville youth. The summer meal program starts on July 6. Anyone 18 years old and under can visit spots around the city to pick up breakfast or lunch. Please visit the summer meals page to find locations and times. https://somerville.k12.ma.us/summermeals.
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The City of Somerville’s annual SomerMovie Fest returns this year with a series of seven family-friendly films being shown in parks around Somerville. Screenings begin at sundown and the schedule is as follows: Thursday, July 8, The Empire Strikes Back, Seven Hills Park; Thursday, July 15, Mulan (animated version), Nathan Tufts Park; Thursday, July 22, Mrs. Doubtfire, Nunziato Park; Thursday, July 29, The Sandlot, Lincoln Park; Thursday, August 5, Coco, East Somerville Community School; Thursday, August 12, Black Panther, Baxter State Park; Thursday, August 19, Guardians of the Galaxy, Seven Hills Park. While attendees are not required to wear masks, anyone who is not fully vaccinated is advised to wear one whenever they are in a crowd.
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Another campaign launch for mayor was held on June 28 at the Neighborhood Restaurant in Union Square. Candidate for mayor, Mary Cassesso, packed the outdoor patio with supporters on a sweltering summer night. Family, friends, residents and business owners were happy to hear from former State Rep. Denise Provost, who introduced her friend and heard Mary’s story and her robust vision for our city. Among the elected were Senator Pat Jehlen, Ward 3 Councilor Ben Ewen-Campen, School Committee folks Carrie Normand and Sarah Phillips. A host of candidates for office in this year’s election and former elected officials were also there.
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The City of Somerville and its contractor, Simple Recycling, are making several changes to Somerville’s curbside textile recycling service to improve the program for residents and the environment starting Thursday, July 1. Pickups must be scheduled in advance. Under the current model, a Simple Recycling truck drives the entire trash route every day and picks up the pink textile-recycling bags on the curb. Scheduling pickups will significantly reduce the contractor’s driving miles, which will reduce gas usage and emissions, and it will streamline service so bags don’t get missed. Pickups can be scheduled at simplerecycling.com or by calling 866-835-5068.For more information, visit simplerecycling.com or somervillema.gov/textilerecycling.
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Walk-in vaccinations are available at multiple locations: You now can get a COVID-19 vaccination without having to pre-register or make an appointment. There are walk-in vaccination sites all around Somerville, and just outside it as well. Cambridge Health Alliance vaccine clinics have larger supplies of doses and can vaccinate kids ages 12-17. You do not need to be a CHA patient to use these clinics. They are free and open to all. Local CVS pharmacies and the Stop & Shop on McGrath Hwy. are also offering walk-in vaccines. Local Walgreens pharmacies require a brief pre-registration, but can process people quickly if they have open slots and you walk in. Here are the CHA walk-in sites: CHA Somerville Vaccine Center at 176 Somerville Avenue in Somerville, Mon.-Thurs. 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Fri. 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tufts University Gantcher Center at 161 College Ave. in Medford, Wed-Thurs. 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Encore Boston Harbor at 1 Broadway Center in Everett, Mon.-Thurs. 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Fri. 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
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Individuals younger than 18 will need parental or guardian consent to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. A parent or guardian can either accompany a minor age 16 or 17 to their vaccine appointment, or fill out a consent form that the minor can then bring with them to the appointment. Consent forms in multiple languages are available at the state’s website. Parents must accompany children ages 12-15 to their vaccine appointments.
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Help support your neighbors through the Somerville Cares Fund. If you’re lucky enough to have some extra money, please consider a donation to the Somerville Cares Fund. This donation-based fund provides direct assistance to Somerville residents, workers, and parents of school children so that they can cover basic expenses like housing, food, and utility bills. If you’re unable to donate you can still help by sharing information about the Somerville Cares Fund with your friends and family.
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