We wish everyone a happy Independence Day, even though it will be different without any fireworks or celebrations. Whatever you do to celebrate, keep playing it safe by wearing masks when necessary and practicing responsible social distancing whenever possible. Be sure to follow official guidelines if you do want to have any small gatherings.

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The ArtBeat Kick-Off Dance Party at ONCE VV featuring Saucy Lady takes place on Friday, July 10, at 8:00 p.m. To access this event, you can either join on Zoom (Meeting ID: 874 5275 2346) or watch on the ONCE Virtual Venue on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8E4QzvpCgHzBBQhd75XWig. Dance and celebrate community and art with neighbors in the comfort of your own living room. Turn your cameras on, and decorate your space, decorate your fine selves with a costume, or just come as you are and share your dance moves at the Somerville Arts Council’s ArtBeat festival’s kick zoom dance party. Take a CHANCE and bust it with people you’ve never met before. they have got Saucy Lady spinning records she’s found by happenstance during her digs at record shops all around the world. Ranging from funk, soul, boogie, house, disco, jazz funk and beyond, you may hear some tunes you’ve never come across. Just ride the groove to experience this soulful dance adventure.

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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 awesome writer and poet Doug Holder, a great guy who is always pleasant to talk to. 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 we wish him the best. We know he will be getting a great meal to celebrate his day, either from his wife Ellen or he will know the best place in town to visit. 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 John Correia, Suzan Baltozer, Carlton SooHoo,,Rose Nash,Tamara McAllister,Holly Downd Kristina Ann, Maureen Pirone and John Hughes 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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The coronavirus has meant that local and statewide campaigns have been pretty quiet. Rep. Provost announced in January that she was stepping down from representing the Middlesex 27th District. On the very same day, Erika Uyterhoeven updated her voting registration to an address in the district. The voter registration change came two months after the 12-month time period began in which candidates have to show residency in the district to be eligible to run. The campaign of Uyterhoeven’s opponent, seven-year Somerville resident Catia Sharp, filed a challenge with the state’s Ballot Law Commission. The residency spat was put into further confusion because Uyterhoeven voted in Cambridge during the time period she said she lived in Somerville, and she made contributions to two other political campaigns using her mother’s Newton address. The Ballot Commission ruled last week that both candidates will appear on the primary ballot. In her defense, Uyterhoeven stated that she didn’t update her voter registration to Somerville, so she fulfilled her “civic duty” by voting in Cambridge. She added that, “No one would be asking about this if I was white.” Uyterhoeven is the child of a father from the Netherlands and mother from Japan. Now that these residency issues have shaken out, it looks like it will be a lively campaign for both candidates.

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A Virtual Bike Talk Social Hour hosted by the Somerville Bicycle Committee takes place on Wednesday, July 8, 6:30 – 7:45 p.m. The Bike Talk Social Hour continues as a virtual event featuring a July talk by the co-founders of the amazing bike advocacy group, Somerville Bike Safety (SBS). George Schneeloch and Arah Schuur will talk about the founding of SBS and all the advocacy this group does to keep us all safe and to push the city ever forward. This is a zoom call: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81092527199?pwd=cU82cjgreFBlaWdlNlgyNEx2eXNZZz09

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The Somerville Mobile COVID-19 Testing Unit free service will augment the existing test site at Somerville Hospital. The City of Somerville, Cataldo Ambulance, and Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) formally launch their mobile COVID-19 testing unit in Somerville this week. The mobile unit, designed to lower barriers to testing and offer equitable access, is the next phase of the city’s COVID Action Plan to control the spread of the virus via testing, contact tracing, and safe isolation. The mobile testing unit will accept patients by appointment at roaming locations, as well as hold designated testing days for residents of senior housing buildings. This testing is in addition to the Crown St. testing location at Somerville Hospital, where the city and Cambridge Health Alliance have offered free testing to Somerville residents since April. Individuals seeking tests at either the Somerville Hospital site or the mobile testing site do not need to be symptomatic and do not need insurance or a doctor’s referral. Immigration status will not be checked. The only requirement is that individuals must be Somerville residents and must call ahead to set up an appointment. Residents can call 617-665-2928 to set up an appointment at Somerville Hospital, or 617-398-7770 for mobile testing appointments. City of Somerville Health and Human Services Department staff will call residents of senior housing ahead of time to schedule on-site appointments. Wednesday, July 1, 10:30 a.m. to noon, East Somerville Community School, 50 Cross St., at the Glen St. entrance. As additional testing dates are scheduled they will be posted on www.somervillema.gov/covid19. Residents can also call 311 for more information.

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Somerville residents are invited to participate in virtual small-group listening sessions with Mayor Curtatone to share their experiences and ideas on systemic racism in Somerville and how we can work to dismantle it. Listening sessions will be jointly facilitated by the mayor and interested members of the community. City staff will also help document the conversations so that anonymized ideas and comments can be shared with the community. Residents interested in participating in a listening session can sign up online at somervillema.gov/ListeningSessions or call (781)-797-0748 to register. Residents can sign up with a group of up to 10 people or register as an individual to be matched with a group. Participants can also volunteer to serve as a community liaison for their group, which could include helping with facilitation, note-taking, and reviewing write-ups of the meeting. Interpretation can be provided in Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Nepali, and American Sign Language.

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Healthy, local food is important. The Farmers Markets are open again in Davis Square (www.massfarmersmarkets.org/davis) and Union Square (www.unionsquaremain.org/2020-season). But this year they will be different. Both markets will encourage only one person per household to do the shopping, incorporate social distancing guidelines and allow a limited amount of shoppers in the space. Please sign up for a shopping spot in advance at the market websites. SNAP and HIP benefits are accessible for shoppers in both markets. No gathering or socializing is allowed in the markets. See you there and remember that we are in this together … from a responsible 6 ft. distance, of course.

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