Somerville to host the 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony tonight. To mark the 23d anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and the City of Somerville Department of Veterans’ Services invite the community to a 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony on Wednesday, September 11, at 6:00 p.m. in Davis Square. All are invited to gather for the ceremony at the 9/11 Memorial in Davis Square (on the island at the intersection of Highland Avenue and Elm Street).  The observance will honor all victims of 9/11 as well as first responders, workers, and volunteers who rushed to the scene to save lives or to later help carry out the dangerous cleanup. It will include a moment of silence and feature an invocation and benediction by Father Paul Coughlin as well as remarks by Mayor Ballantyne and Veterans Director Jerome Thomas. A bagpipe tribute including Amazing Grace will follow, and attendees will be given individual roses to place on the 9/11 Memorial. The ceremony will be framed by the presentation of and retiring of the colors (national, state, and unit flags) by the Honor Guards of the Somerville Police and Somerville Fire Department.

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Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and the Council on Aging invite you to the annual Senior Picnic on Thursday, September 12, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Trum Field, 541 Broadway in Somerville. Please call Connie Lorenti at the Council on Aging, 617-625-6600 ext. 2319 for your free ticket.

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Happy birthday this week to several locals: Happy birthday to Bob Trane, who is a lifelong resident and a former Somerville Alderman. We wish him a very happy birthday. Also celebrating is Maureen Cuff Bastardi. We wish her a very special day. We wish all of our Facebook friends, such as Maureen McCole, Richard Keller, Felicia Dalelio, Dan Johnson, Alexa Trefonides-Mase, Jeff Meese, Judy Calvey, Cheryl Tucker, Mary Ann Beaton, Gary DiZoglio, Jane Becker, Jessica O’Brien and Gay H. Sheldon 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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Purple lights will light up City Hall in recognition of Recovery Month. The flag and light displays will remain for the entire month of September. Somerville Prevention staff will host Narcan Distribution Events and trainings to distribute free overdose prevention information and harm reduction materials. These include the overdose-reversing nasal spray naloxone (often referred to as Narcan), Fentanyl test strips, CPR face shields, and syringe disposal boxes. For more information and a list of events visit https://www.somervillema.gov/, For more information, please contact Han Hogan-Rigg at hhoganrigg@somervillema.gov and be sure to follow Somerville Prevention on Instagram: @somervilleprevention.

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As of Tuesday, September 3, the Central Library (79 Highland Ave.) temporarily implemented a modified afternoon schedule during weekdays. Weekend hours will remain unchanged: Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays: Closed from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., Wednesdays: Closed from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. For questions about events and pick-up schedules impacted by the temporary schedule change, you can contact them at 617-623-5000 or by calling 311. Learn more at: somervillepubliclibrary.org.

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The Somerville Homeless Coalition is gearing up for its annual Somerville 5K Road Race on October 5, to support the most underprivileged neighbors experiencing homelessness and this year. For 29 years, supporters from across the Greater Boston area have run throughout the streets of Somerville in solidarity to ensure that our clients receive the critical resources and services they need on their journey to securing a forever home. Visit https://somervillehomelesscoalition.org/.

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Somerville Public Schools are now in session for the 2024/2025 school year. Visit SPS district website calendar for more information: https://somerville.k12.ma.us/events/calendar. Visit the 2024–2025 School Year Calendar page for an English, Spanish, Portuguese, or Haitian Creole calendar to print: https://somerville.k12.ma.us/schoolyearcalendar. Visit the Food and Nutrition Services Department page for school meal menus. Breakfast and lunch are free for all students: https://somerville.k12.ma.us/fnsd.

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Ward-based City Hall Community Meetings are back this fall. Hear from Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and city staff to find out what’s happening in your neighborhood, how to get involved, and ask questions about issues that are important to you. All ward meetings are in-person and will begin at 6:30 p.m. An all-ward, fully virtual meeting will take place on Tuesday, October 22. The first meeting will be in Ward 4 on Wednesday, September 18, in the Healey School cafeteria (5 Meacham St.). A meet-and-greet with refreshments will begin at 6:00 p.m. For additional accommodations, please call 311 (617-666-3311). To learn more, visit somervillema.gov/communitymeetings.

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Somerville’s DPW, through the Procurement Department, is seeking contractors to provide snow plowing services for the city from October 15, 2024 to June 30, 2026. Interested vendors may obtain a Request for Application (RFA) packet from the Procurement Department web page, or by emailing a request to procurement@somervillema.gov. Vendors must return their completed RFA packet by Thursday, September 19, 2024, at 2:00 pm for early contract offers.

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This month, the Central Library is pleased to display the artwork of 5 local artists commissioned to create interactive community art for the city’s climate action plan, Climate Forward. Join them for a reception celebrating the exhibit on September 25, from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be provided. The Climate Forward Photo Gallery showcases interactive community art created at the Imagining Climate Forward 2050 event in April 2024. The event was the launch for the city’s updated climate action plan, Climate Forward.

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School is back in session and this year the Somerville Homeless Coalition is asking for crucial donations of school supplies for their young student clients and their families. Right now they are in urgent need of essential supplies such as backpacks, binders, notebooks, highlighters and more. Please check out their current needs list here: https://bit.ly/School4SHC For any donation inquiries please reach out at info@shcinc.org.

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This week’s events at the Growing Center, 22 Vinal Ave. Community Read Alouds, Wednesdays, September 11 and 18, 4:00 – 5:00 pm. Bring a blanket and join our Community Read Aloud series in the garden with community guest readers. All are welcome, books will be suited to 2-7-year-olds. Introduction to Plant and Wildlife Monitoring for Conservation with Earthwise Aware, Saturday, September 14, 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. Join Claire and Earthwise Aware (EwA) citizen scientists and learn how to observe and record the plants, insects, and animals of the Growing Center, and about EwA’s arthropod (insect and spider) and phenology studies. Growing Center Book Group, Monday, September 16 and 30, 7:00 – 8:00 pm. Join the Growing Center Book Club. The book for this series is The Last Fire Season by Manjula Martin.

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City of Somerville, Office of Sustainability and Environment, Somerville Arts Council present Somerville PARK(ing) Day 2024 on September 20 in Ball Square from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. To participate: Pay for your spot, secure your spot, decorate your spot, enjoy your spot then clean your spot. PARK(ing) day is a global, public, participatory project where people across the world temporarily repurpose curbside parking spaces and convert them into public parks and social spaces to advocate for safer, greener, and more equitable streets for people. For more information visit www.myparkingday.org or email ose@somervillema.gov.

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Somerville Animal Food Pantry is requesting donations. Help support your neighbors by making a donation today. Particular need for dry cat and dry dog food. One note on dry food donations: while they appreciate anything they receive, they are better off with multiple smaller bags (instead of one really big bag) of food since they cannot give open bags to distribute food to multiple families. For wish lists and more information visit https://www.communities.rescueallies.com/somerville.

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The Intercambio Language and Culture Exchange Program is starting up again in Somerville. Visit somervilleartscouncil.org/intercambio to learn more about this exciting opportunity to practice a language and connect with others in your community.

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Riverfest 2024 will take place Saturday, September 14, starting at 11:00 a.m., at Assembly Row, 355 Artisan Way. Join in for Riverfest, the annual block party that takes place each September. The event includes live, local music, free family-friendly activities, and concludes with fireworks over the Mystic River. It’s the perfect opportunity to visit your favorite stores and restaurants, make new friends and meet with old ones, and enjoy activations all across Assembly Row. For a lineup of events visit https://assemblyrow.com/event/riverfest/.

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Join the Gilman Square Arts & Music Festival party on Saturday, September 14, from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. (Rain date 9/15) on Pearl St. from Marshall to James. Enjoy live music, meet the local artists of this neighborhood, try some delicious food by various vendors, and enjoy activities for all ages. This community celebration is free and open for all.

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Visit the Arts at the Armory on Saturday, September 14, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. for the Closing Reception for the art exhibition by Feda Eid on view at Rooted Armory Café, 191 Highland Ave. Her work explores the expression of heritage, culture, identity and often tense but beautiful space between, what is said, what is felt and what is lost in translation. Feda is guided by her family’s journey as Lebanese immigrants who fled the country’s civil war and her childhood growing up as an Arab and Muslim in the US.

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The Somerville Flea is back at 52 Holland St. Join in as they celebrate their 12th year smack dab in the middle of Davis Square. Vintage vendors, artisan makers, farm stand and DJ. Find that treasure you never knew you even existed. 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Sundays, August through October.

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East Somerville Main Streets is looking for vendors for their Halloween Block Party on Saturday, October 26, from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. at Chuckie Harris Park. Please sign up through the form (https://forms.gle/BvSwZX8YYUeg3rGB7) for more information. Don’t miss this opportunity to have fun and meet the community.

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Once again, the Somerville Arts Council and the Georgian Studies at Harvard University’s Davis Center join forces to catalyze a vibrant cross-cultural collaboration among four talented artists, two from Somerville and two from the country of Georgia. Exchanging Notes Performance: An Evening of Dance and Drums. Saturday, September 21, first show: 6:30 p.m., second show: 8:00 p.m. SomArts Space at the Hive, 561 Windsor Street, 4th floor, Somerville. Event is free but you will need to register https://somervilleartscouncil.org/.

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Docent tours take place from May through October at three historic sites in Somerville: Milk Row Cemetery (Somerville Avenue), Prospect Hill Tower (above Union Square), and Old Powder House (Nathan Tufts Park). They are open to the public on certain days and evenings. Inclement weather cancels any event. For full schedule and more information on the Docent Program: https://www.somervillemuseum.org/docentprogram.

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Save the date for the Somerville Chamber of Commerce Golf Outing on October 1. The Somerville Chamber of Commerce presents the 2024 GOLF CLASSIC, sponsored by the Winter Hill Bank. The event will take place at the Sandy Burr Country Club, 103 Cochituate Rd., Wayland MA 01778, 7:30 a.m. Registration, 8:30 a.m. Shotgun Start (note early time). Lunch and awards to follow: 12:30 – 2:00 p.m. For golf (individuals, twosomes, threesomes, foursome welcome); and/or to sponsor – opportunities from $175 to $1,500. For more information or to help, email Joanne Haley: Joanne@somervillechamber.org.

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All Wednesdays during the school year are now early release days. You may talk to your child’s teacher or school administrators if you have any questions about drop-off and pickup. Prekindergarten: 12:00 p.m., Grades K–8 (except Next Wave): 1:00 p.m., Next Wave/Full Circle: 12:10 p.m., Somerville High School: 1:33 p.m.

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Somerville Public Schools has lots of openings for educators, classroom paraprofessionals, administrative staff, and an opening for their next Chief Financial Officer. Find a list of open positions and apply here: https://somerville.tedk12.com/hire/index.aspx.

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Visit the Somerville Bike Kitchen, a volunteer-run bicycle repair cooperative, hosting open-shop nights at The Dojo (15 Properzi Way, Somerville). Come maintain your bike or learn more about cycling. Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. Every Thursday from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. join Parkour Generations Boston for Teen Jams at The Dojo. This is a flexible time for teen community members to use the pop-up training space at The Dojo @ Somernova and connect with fellow community members in the process.

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Save the date for the 19th annual “What the Fluff Fest” A Tribute to Union Square Innovation, a madcap festival honoring the invention of Marshmallow Fluff. It celebrates Somerville’s proud tradition of innovation with live music, fluffalicious feasts, sticky games, zany happenings, and much more. The festival is located in Union Square, Saturday, September 21, from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. For more info on the events and offerings at the festival, visit www.flufffestival.com.

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Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and the vibrant public art scene in East Somerville. Join in for a Public Art Walking Tour in East Somerville, presented by the Somerville Arts Council in collaboration with East Somerville Main Streets. This free, 90-minute tour, conducted in Spanish, celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month and invites you to explore the vibrant public art scene of East Somerville. Discover eight captivating stops featuring a mix of sculptures, murals, and painted switch boxes. Tuesday, September 24, 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. Meeting Point: Symphony Park, 46 Pearl St, East Somerville.

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Council on Aging Flu and COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic Dates at the Holland St. Senior Center, 167 Holland St. Senior Only Clinics, please register by calling the COA directly at 617-625-6600, ext. 2300. September 26, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m., October 10, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. Clinics open to the general public, please register via the City of Somerville website October 21 (ages 19+) noon- 2:00 p.m., November 18 (ages 19+) noon- 2:00 p.m., December 12 (ages 19+) 4:00 – 6:00 p.m.

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Hear from Superintendent Ruben Carmona in the first of SPS’s Facebook Live series, Friday September 13, at 4:00 p.m. Dr. Carmona will be joined by Ruth Santos, Director of the Somerville Family Learning Collaborative (SFLC) to update the SPS community on back-to-school events and things to come. Somerville Public School will host Facebook Live events each month, with different guests and themes. Check their Facebook page for updates.

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Join the Somerville Central Library on September 24 at 6:30 p.m. for Death Café. Death Cafés are a group-directed discussion of death with no agenda, objectives or themes, with the objective of increasing awareness of death and helping people make the most of their (finite) lives. Join us in this café led by End-of-Life Guide & Death Doula, Sarah Gladstone. You can learn more and register at https://tinyurl.com/29r6cnew.

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The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) recently detected West Nile virus (WNV) in mosquito samples from Cambridge. While no human or animal cases of WNV or Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) have been reported, it is important to take steps to protect yourself from mosquitoes and mosquito-borne illnesses. For tips and information, visit: mass.gov/dph/mosquito.

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Join Union Square Main Streets and 50+ of your favorite local food producers for the 20th Annual Union Square Farmers Market, 6670 Union Square. Shop local on Saturdays through October 26, except September 21, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on the Union Square Plaza. The market provides visitors and residents with top-quality, fresh, and local produce at fair prices; encourages active lifestyle values; educates consumers about farming and locally sourced foods; and gives customers opportunities to interact directly with farmers. For more information about the Union Square Farmers Market, visit unionsquaremain.org/2024fmseason. SNAP customers get $1 for $1 match up to $15. See the Market Manager tent for more info.

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The Davis Square Farmers Market is now open. Every Wednesday through November 22, 12:00 – 6:00 p.m. visit the Davis Square Farmers Market, across from American Flatbread at 44 Day St. Visit: www.massfarmersmarkets.org/davis. This long-running market features over two dozen Massachusetts farmers and food producers offering a vibrant selection of delicious produce, protein, baked goods, ready-to-eat meals, alongside a host of other locally made products. The market accepts cash, credit/debit cards, WIC/Senior coupons, and EBT cards and offers a weekly $15 SNAP Match.

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