We want to remind all of our valued readers – and everyone else, of course – to keep washing their hands and take all suitable precautions while risks of exposure to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) still exists. The city’s website has a lot of valuable updated information on the virus and SCAT TV will be running podcasts in the next few days with information from the CDC. We will also be updating our website with any new updates and will run the podcasts.

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A big thanks from all of us to Jackie Rosetti, who leaving her job as Deputy Director of Communications for the City of Somerville. She will be missed, and everyone will miss those robo-calls from here whenever there is something going on in the city. We wish her the best with her new job at Medford City Hall.

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Happy St. Patrick’s Day, also known as Evacuation Day here in the Greater Boston area. We hope everyone has a great holiday and a great time with all the celebrations A lot of people are disappointed with the canceling of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in South Boston due to the fear of spreading the Coronavirus through the large crowds. Everyone will still be celebrating in their own way. Here in Somerville, Liam at Sally O’Brien’s and Bob McWatters invite the public to join them on St. Patrick’s Day at Sally O’Brien’s, 335 Somerville Ave., to hoist a pint of Guinness and enjoy some Irish music. We know that other well-known Irish pub’s here in the city will also be celebrating, so enjoy, have a good time – and wash your hands!

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The Somerville Garden Club March meeting will take place tonight, Wednesday, March 11 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. The program will include short demonstrations on the growing and care of some “easy to care for” and some “not so easy to care for” houseplants. There will be a demonstration and discussion on the care of orchids by Bill Bennett, and the manager of the greenhouse at Pembertons will talk about a variety of other common houseplants. There will be lots of time for questions. In addition, the raffle will include plenty of houseplants of many types and varieties to choose from using a free raffle ticket. If it is cold the night of the meeting, please bring a paper bag to protect your new houseplant from the cold. There will also be the usual plant roundtable. All Somerville Garden Club meetings are free and open to the public. Meetings are held at the Tufts Administration Building (TAB), 167 Holland Street, second floor, wheelchair accessible. Parking is available, and the building is a ten-minute walk from the Davis Square MBTA stop. For additional information, please visit www.somervillegardenclub.org.

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Happy birthday to a lot of our friends and fellow Villens here this week: Happy birthday to a former City of Somerville staffer, Nancy Ross Aylward. We hope she has a great day. Happy birthday to John Ciriello. We hope he has a great one. Happy birthday to the senior Jim Halloran. We hope he has a great one as well. Happy birthday to Okie O’Connell, a dedicated City of Somerville employee. Happy birthday to Karen Love, of Magoun Square, a pleasant and always nice lady who greets you with a smile whenever you see her. Happy birthday to Pat Crawford, formerly of the Hudson St. area, now in NJ. We wish her a happy birthday. Happy birthday to Antonia Digirolamo, who celebrates today, we wish her the best. Happy Birthday wishes go out to Dennis Fishman, who will be celebrating on Friday. We wish everyone we might have missed a very Happy Birthday.

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Join the City of Somerville’s Mobility Division, State Senator Pat Jehlen, State Representative Mike Connolly, and City Council President and Ward 1 Councilor Matt McLaughlin for a community meeting to discuss the needs at the Kensington Connector. The Kensington Connector is the pedestrian crossing under I-93 at Mystic Avenue between the East Somerville Neighborhood and the Assembly Square neighborhood. The meeting will be held on Monday, March 30, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the East Somerville Community School cafeteria, 50 Cross St. For more information, contact Cortney Kirk at ckirk@somervillema.gov.

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Join the Capuano PTA at Gracie’s Ice Cream for their Ice Cream Social. Enjoy a delicious ice cream with friends and support the PTA. Gracie’s will donate 20% to the Capuano PTA. The PTA will use this money for enrichment programs for the kids at the Capuano School. Don’t have time to enjoy a delicious fluff cone at Gracie’s? Stop by and pick up a pint to take home. Thursday, March 12, 2:00 – 7:00 p.m., at Gracie’s Ice Cream, 22 Union Sq., Somerville.

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The Duhamel Education Initiative (DEI) invites you to join in for a morning of pancakes, friends, raffles, and fun at the 24th Annual Duhamel Education Initiative Pancake Breakfast on March 28 from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Each year, members of the Somerville School Committee and the Office of the Superintendent put on their aprons and cook up a feast of pancakes for supporters of the DEI. As always, the proceeds from this event will go toward funding teacher-initiated programs to promote student engagement and academic achievement in Somerville Public Schools. The breakfast will be at the First Church of Somerville, 89 College Avenue. Ticket prices are $10 for an adult ticket, $9 for a senior ticket, $5 for a child ticket, and $25 for a family ticket. You can purchase tickets at the door or online at Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/24th-annual-pancake-breakfast-tickets-96235231167?aff=ebdssbeac. At the event in partnership with the Somerville High School PTA, the Duhamel Education Initiative will also be collecting new or gently used men’s and women’s formal wear for students who would like to go to the Somerville High School prom but are in financial need. Items needed include dresses, accessories, suits, ties, and shoes.

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If you haven’t done so already, stop by the Ball Sq. Café to enjoy great food and check out their beautiful new addition. The place looks great and now they can serve so many more people, so go by and see what a great job they did.

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AARP is taking appointments to help with income tax preparations at the Holland Street Senior Center, 167 Holland Street. Please call Josephine to schedule an appointment at 617-625-6600 ext. 2300.