Seven days of early voting will be held prior to this year’s Election Day on November 2. All early voting takes place in the City Council Chambers at City Hall, 93 Highland Ave. Early voting days and times are as follows: Saturday, October 23 – 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday, October 24 – 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday, October 25 – 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Tuesday, October 26 – 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Wednesday, October 27 – 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Thursday, October 28 – 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Friday, October 29 – 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. For more information, visit somervillema.gov/elections.

*******************************

Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone, Ward 2 City Councilor J.T. Scott, Ward 3 City Councilor Ben Ewen-Campen, and the Union Square Community Design Team invite you to a virtual public meeting to share updates on the Union Square Plaza and Streetscape Redesign project. This transformative public space and infrastructure project will reimagine the Union Square Plaza and adjoining streetscapes to better serve the community. Over the summer, the Community Design Team launched a research and engagement campaign and collected feedback from more than 800 people. This meeting will summarize key findings from the community outreach process thus far and present preliminary design possibilities for the future Union Square. Meeting attendees will be able to ask questions and provide input. The presentation will also be posted on the project website after the meeting, along with additional opportunities to share feedback. The meeting will take place Wednesday, October 20, at 5:30 p.m. on Zoom. To learn more about the project and register to attend, visit somervillema.gov/UnionSqRedesign.

*******************************

The Somerville Council on Aging is holding Nutrition Classes, in-person, Mondays at 12:30 p.m. at their Ralph and Jenny Center, located at 9 New Washington Street and Wednesdays at 10:00 a.m. at their Holland Street Center, located at 167 Holland Street. Virtual classes are offered Mondays at 11:00 a.m. via Zoom. New and returning members are welcome. To RSVP please call Mary Marshall at 617-625-6600, ext. 2316 or email her at headtofitness10@yahoo.com. Masks are required.

*******************************

Happy birthday this week to several locals: Happy birthday to former writer for The Times, Harry Kane. We wish him a great day. Happy birthday to Barry Rollins, who is celebrating this week and we wish him a good day. Happy birthday to Erin DiBenedetto from Medford, who grew up here in Winter Hill. We wish her a happy birthday. Happy birthday to Valarie Spinale-Bolduc, who grew up in East Somerville and is well known as someone who loves the city. A special happy birthday to Winter Hill resident, Vicki Potaris. We wish her a great day. We wish all of our Facebook friends, such as Michael Barry, George Lally, Charlene Murphy, Jim Douthart, Jackie Lucas, Stephen Bertoncini, David LaCroix, Kip Lyall, Harry Levasseur, Patricia Capadanno and Mel Fraser 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.

*******************************

Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone, the Somerville Commission for Women, and RESPOND Inc. invite residents to join them for the annual Domestic Violence Vigil on Tuesday, October 26, to remember and honor those who lost their lives to domestic violence in 2021. The vigil will take place from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Statue Park in Davis Square.

*******************************

The Somerville Museum is looking for an independent contractor to support the museum’s facilities on a part-time basis. Part-time (average 4 hours/week). This position should be available for on-call building requirements (evenings and/or weekends as required). It may be necessary to respond to off-hours emergencies one or two times per year. This position should also be familiar with building heating, mechanical, or electrical systems. The Somerville Museum building, built in 1924, at One Westwood Road, Somerville has been recently renovated with a new elevator and redesigned basement layout. To apply please email cover letter, resume, and reference list to info@somervillemuseum.org. Please use “Facilities Assistant” in the subject line.

*******************************

Join the City of Somerville Planning team and fellow community members for a second workshop on imagining the future of the Brickbottom neighborhood. During this interactive workshop, participants can share their ideas and provide feedback on draft materials that came out of the first workshop held in April. The meeting will be held on Wednesday, October 27, at 6:00 p.m. You can register for the meeting and learn more about Brickbottom planning at voice.somervillema.gov/brick. This meeting will also be recorded and shared on the city’s YouTube channel, youtube.com/SomervilleCityTV. For questions, please contact Victor Nascimento at vnascimento@somervillema.gov.

*******************************

Ensuring an equitable and prosperous recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic is the city’s top priority. To do that, your help is needed. Get involved today to help set the city’s priorities for American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding. To get the conversation started, please join us for a Virtual Forum on ARPA Funding on Wednesday, October 27, at 7:00 p.m. To learn more about ARPA in Somerville, visit our project website at somervillema.gov/ARPA. In the future, you can sign up for updates, register for forums and engagement events, learn more about ARPA, and take the ARPA spending survey. Join online, call in from any phone, or livestream. Visit somervillema.gov/virtualtownhall at the start time of the meeting for the online link or the call-in number. Or, call 311 (617-666- 3311) for the meeting call-in number. Closed captioning in English and interpretation into Spanish will be provided. Other Questions? Please reach out to: Erica Satin-Hernandez, ARPA Specialist at eshernandez@somervillema.gov.

*******************************

The final SomerStreets event of 2021, Monster Mashed Up!, presented by Parkour Generations Boston and the Somerville Arts Council, will take place on Sunday, October 31 (rain date November 7) from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. outside of Union Square on Somerville Ave. between Hawkins St. to Park Ave. Get ready for two stages of music. One stage will be a partnership with School of Rock and another stage curated by “PorchFest Staff Picks!” There will also be spooktacular activities and a Halloween costume parade. RSVP to our event to receive updates. https://fb.me/e/1tWFHrniK.

*******************************

Join the Somerville Museum on Halloween, October 31, for two events at Somerville Arts Council’s “Monster Mashed-Up” Somerstreets 2021. Ghosts of Somerville, from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. at Milk Row Cemetery. “Make your own postcard” event for kids and adults from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m., Outside of Union Square between Hawkins Street to Park Ave. The event is free, donations to the Museum’s Access for All & More campaign are always welcome. There will also be a Halloween costume parade. https://somervilleartscouncil.org/somerstreets/monster/2021

*******************************

See the latest Somerville case data at somervillema.gov/covid19dashboard. Need a COVID test? Go to somervillema.gov/covid19testing to find a testing location.

*******************************

Somernova Art Project: Check out the new digital A/R (augmented reality) exhibit in front of the Somerville Museum, 1 Westwood Rd · Somerville. This A/R feature works showcase local artists, musicians, and students from Somerville Schools. The images above highlight artwork created by students of Jessica Howard’s and Emily Alcott’s art classes in response to a recent exhibition at the Museum.

*******************************

East Somerville Main Streets and the Somerville Arts Council will host a Halloween Block Party and Pet Parade, Saturday, October 30, from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Chuckie Harris Park, 15 Cross St., Somerville. There will family friendly/all ages events that you love again this year. Come in costume ready to party.

*******************************

The City of Somerville has set up free flu vaccination clinics for residents in October that will be open by appointment. Additional dates will be added through the fall and winter and will be posted on somervillema.gov/flu. Flu clinics are for Somerville community members ages 3 and up, with or without health insurance. As a coronavirus safety measure, attendees must make an appointment in advance so that staff can safely manage the flow of those seeking vaccinations. City flu clinics offer both the high dose flu vaccine for persons 65 and older and the regular dose flu vaccine for those under 65. Pre-registration at somervillema.gov/flu is required for all city flu clinics. Be sure to select “Flu vaccine (influenza)” when scheduling your appointment. If you need assistance or language support in any language to sign up, please call 311 (617-666-3311). For all clinics, face coverings must be worn. Those who have health coverage should bring their insurance cards (including MassHealth and Medicare) with them, but the vaccines are free to all Somerville residents regardless of whether they have insurance. Flu vaccine clinic schedule: Saturday, October 23 at the Somerville Public Library West Branch at 40 College Ave. from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

*******************************

The Somerville Council on Aging is holding Arts & Crafts – Friday, October 22 at 10:00 a.m., at the Ralph & Jenny Center, located at 9 New Washington Street (behind the Holiday Inn). Join in as they decorate and paint pumpkins. Please RSVP to Maureen Bastardi at 617-625-6600 ext. 2335 or email her at mbastardi@somervillema.gov. Space is limited and masks are required.

*******************************

The Somerville City Council has passed a new ordinance that sets guidelines for when and how leaf blowers may be used within the city. With the fall season now here, community members are urged to familiarize themselves with the new rules, which apply to all users including the city and city contractors, residents, commercial properties, and landscaping or property maintenance companies that deploy leaf blowers. A full copy of the ordinance and regulations can be found at somervillema.gov/leafblower.

*******************************

The Somerville Board of Health (BOH) approved a face-covering mandate for all indoor public places. 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.

*******************************

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!

*******************************

Don’t forget, if you would like to subscribe to receive a digital edition of our paper, go directly online to our website over to the right side and fill out your email address to receive a free, full PDF copy of the paper.