What the Fluff? A Tribute to Innovation is a multi-day madcap festival taking place September 22-26, honoring the invention of Marshmallow Fluff in Union Square. This festival celebrates Somerville’s proud tradition of innovation with live music, fluffalicious feasts, games, zany happenings, and much more. Visit https://www.flufffestival.com/

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Positive COVID cases in Somerville are rising. The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Somerville has risen from 32 in June to 147 in July to 328 in August. See the latest Somerville case data at somervillema.gov/covid19dashboard. Need a COVID test? Go to somervillema.gov/covid19testing to find a testing location.

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Two Pfizer vaccine clinics open to all people age 12+ will be held at the locations below. The vaccines are free, regardless of immigration status or health insurance. Identification is not required. The CHA vaccine site at 176 Somerville Ave. (next to Target in Union Square) and many local pharmacies also offer walk-in vaccinations. To find out more about these three clinics and where else you can get vaccinated, visit somervillema.gov/vaccine. If you’re not vaccinated, make a plan today to get your shot. Friday, September 24: West Somerville Neighborhood School, 177 Powder House Blvd., 3-5 p.m. Monday, October 18: City Hall Annex, 50 Evergreen Ave., 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. At-home vaccinations available: Massachusetts offers in-home vaccinations for anyone who can’t travel to a vaccination location. To learn more and sign up for an in-home vaccination, call (833) 983-0485.

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Happy birthday this week to several locals: Happy birthday to a great Somerville person, Lori Pino, owner of Amal Niccoli in Ball Square. We wish her a very happy birthday. Happy birthday to the now retired Somerville Homeless Coalition director who is always around the city, Mark Alston-Follansbee, we wish him the very best. Happy birthday to Richard Mangan. We hope he has a very happy birthday as well. We wish all of our Facebook friends, such as Adelester Chang, Kimberly Barnett, John Morabito Jr., Mark Alston-Follansbee, Ann Sylvester, Julia Gilligan Corsetti, Scott Breen, Lori Pino, Lisa Monaco, Laureen Marie, Joell Johns, Roy Carreiro, Debbie Price King and Joseph Leblanc 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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SAC and the Inside-Out Gallery present featured artist, Bethany Noel Murray. Bethany paintings are renderings of the world as it appears through the lens of her chronic migraine symptoms, including ocular aura and a plethora of Alice-in-Wonderland effects. Bethany’s aura transforms the world around us and she paints the transformation. This otherworldly vision brings an unexpected eerie joy and shines a spotlight on an otherwise invisible disease. To find out more visit our website at https://somervilleartscouncil.org/insideout/noel and check out her work in person at the Inside-Out Gallery at One Davis Square.

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Beginning Monday, September 20, and continuing through Friday, October 29, excluding weekends, the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) will implement a closure of the Foss Park/ Latta Brothers Memorial Pool parking area in the City of Somerville from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. to accommodate work on the Latta Brothers Memorial Pool Modernization Project. No roadways will be closed or blocked due to this work, but the public is advised to be cautious of construction vehicles entering and exiting the site at the Fellsway West/ Jaques Street intersection.

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Somerville Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone and Ward 4 City Councilor Jesse Clingan invite you to a ribbon cutting ceremony at the newly renovated Healey Community Play Area, 5 Meacham Street, on Tuesday, September 28, at 2 p.m.   The new playground, formerly known as the tot lot, features state-of-the-art play structures for children ages 2 through 5, an expanded natural area with log seating, and bright colors and graphics. The design was developed in partnership with the Healey School community and the Friends of Healey group. Renovations were funded entirely using Community Preservation Act funds. The Healey Community Play Area is the first phase of a larger, transformational schoolyard renovation project focused on equity and access that is currently under construction and expected to be complete in the summer of 2022.

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The Somerville Board of Health (BOH) approved a face-covering mandate for all indoor public places that went into effect as of Friday, August 20. The mandate applies to anyone two or older, and face coverings can be removed when people are actively eating or drinking. Masks should have a snug fit and cover the nose and mouth. The order can be read at https://www.somervillema.gov/sites/default/files/COVID-19-Mask-Order-Proposed-8.21.pdf.

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The East Somerville Market takes place on Sunday September 26, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. at their new location: East Somerville Library, 115 Broadway, Somerville. For a list of vendors visit https://www.eastsomervillemainstreets.org/market.

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The September breakfast and lunch menus are available on the Food and Nutrition Services website: https://somerville.k12.ma.us/fns. Breakfast and lunch will be free for all students enrolled in Somerville Public Schools.

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Registration is open for musicians who want to participate in this year’s PorchFest on Saturday, October 2. Performers will be given a time to play based on where they are located: west of Willow Avenue performs from noon to 2:00 p.m., between Willow Avenue and Central Street performs from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., and east of Central Street performs from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Performers who want to register should sign up at somervilleartscouncil.org/porchfest by Thursday, September 30.

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The Somerville High Class of 1971 is looking for classmates for their 50th reunion on Saturday, October 23, at Anthony’s Function Hall in Malden from 7:00 to 11:00 p.m. The price is $65 per person. Please contact Rosalie DeLucia or Jimmy Del Ponte, or the SHS71 page on Facebook for more information. Wave high your guilded banners as SHS 71 celebrates their 50th!

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The Somerville High Class of 1961 is holding their 60th reunion on September 28, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. at Seasons 52, 6 Wayside Rd., Burlington. The cost is $40, you can mail checks to SHS Class of 1961 c/o 30 Murray Hill Rd, Cambridge, MA, 02140.

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