Brass Solidarity and the Leftist Marching Band lead attendees of the Honk Festival out of 7 Hills Park to kick off the festival. — Photos by Joseph Klepeis

The 21st Annual HONK! Festival of Activist Street Bands took over Davis Square this past weekend. This year’s festival featured 35 U.S. bands performing on-site, along with livestream participation from several international bands. With perfect fall weather, it was a wonderful day for the community to come together, enjoy the music, and celebrate the energy, creativity, and spirit of activist street bands.

Local officials and others at a ribbon-cutting for the brand-new Neighborway on Tufts Street in Somerville. — Photos by Keith Foster

By Keith Foster

Last week, the City of Somerville hosted a ribbon-cutting to mark the completion of the Tufts Street redesign and reconstruction and Leonard Grimes Park. The redesign included street improvements: a new mural and upgrades.

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries and letters to the Editor of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff, or publishers)

By Bill White
Former Somerville City Councilor for 24 years

Evidently, Mayor Wilson is continuing in his efforts to destroy our residential neighborhoods!  Already, developers can build buildings such as those shown in the photos as of right.  No one can deny that they cause the eviction of tenants, eliminate rental units and replace them with large luxury condominiums.  They create concrete jungles, provide almost no green space and are on top of next-door neighbors.

Community members are invited to join Mayor Jake Wilson, the City Council, and the School Committee during the 2026 Neighborhood Connect meeting series. The next meetings will be Thursday, October 15, in Ward 6 at Somerville Community Baptist Church (31 College Ave.). Meetings run from 6 to 8 p.m. Free pizza and refreshments will be available starting at 6 p.m. The final meeting in the series will be Ward 2, on Wednesday, October 21. Meetings will kick off with quick citywide updates and a brief welcome from the Mayor and Ward Councilor before breaking to allow attendees to move about for one-on-one and small group conversations. Unsure about which ward you live in? Find out with the MySomerville address lookup tool at somervillema.gov/mysomerville.

Somerville Public Schools (SPS) is offering free Preschool and Kindergarten Screenings for young children residing in Somerville who are not enrolled in the public schools.

The 12th Annual Arabic Heritage Celebration took place last week at Somerville High School. — Photos courtesy of Somerville’s Office of Immigrant Affairs

By Eliot Josti

On October 10, the city of Somerville hosted another event dedicated to diversity and understanding. The 12th Annual Arabic Heritage Celebration, held at Somerville High School, was a big success in connecting the community to local vendors, arts, and resources.

Eagle Feathers #365 – Washington Irving

Washington Irving was born in 1783 in Manhattan near the Hudson River during the last week of the Revolutionary War and died 76 patriotic years later. During his lifetime, he was known as a man of stories and letters.

With the passage of time, more and more cities and states in America are officially recognizing Indigenous Peoples’ Day in lieu of the traditional observance of Columbus Day.

Somerville has been on board for a few years now, and more of our neighboring communities across the Commonwealth, including the City of Boston, are joining in each year.

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Recently, I caught up with Somerville artist Nirmal Raja to talk about a project she is working on that will be presented by the Somerville Museum in January.