The publishers, staff and everyone associated with The Somerville Times wish everyone a very Happy Holiday, Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah, as well as a prosperous and healthy New Year in 2022. We welcome a healthier 2022!

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The Somerville Times staff is taking a small holiday vacation beginning this week, with the next issue coming out on January 5, 2022. Anything that comes in and is Somerville related through that period will be posted online to our website. We want to thank all our readers and fans for your support this past year. Thank you for sticking with us! Don’t forget, you can go online to our website and register online for a free subscription of the entire paper.

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The City of Somerville’s 246th annual flag-raising ceremony will take place on New Year’s Day, Saturday, January 1, 2022. This celebration will begin at City Hall at 11:30 a.m. with a procession to the Prospect Hill Monument. At the monument, there will be a short program including Colonial songs, light refreshments, and speeches. This annual ceremony commemorates the raising of the nation’s first official flag, featuring thirteen red and white horizontal stripes, atop Prospect Hill on New Year’s Day, 1776. At the time, Prospect Hill was a key site in a string of fortifications created by Washington and the Continental Army in their siege of British troops in Boston during the first year of the American Revolution. For more information about this event, please contact Director of Historic Preservation Brandon Wilson at either bwilson@somervillema.gov or at (617) 776-3938.

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Happy birthday for the next two weeks while we are on break: Happy birthday to a good guy, Zachary Atwell, who is celebrating this week. We wish him a great year. Happy birthday to Christopher Kenney. We hope he has a great day. Happy birthday to great friend, Monica Calvo. We wish her a very happy birthday. Happy birthday also to Jim Henry, a well-known man in Somerville and a great guy as well. Happy birthday to Kristen Marie Butler as well. We hope she has a great day. Happy birthday to Maria Curtatone, who is the Register of Deeds for Middlesex County. We hope she has a great day on her birthday. We wish all of our Facebook friends, such as Debbie Hurley, Erica Voolich, Natalia Caliman, Fallon Leigh O’Brien, Caddy Villen, Bobby Martini, Thomas Ross, Joe Bear, John Brady, Martha Rheaume, Jimmy Deoliveira and Jon Curtis 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 COVID-19 Remembrance Ceremony scheduled for Saturday, December 18, was postponed because of the weather forecast. This event will be rescheduled sometime in the spring when warmer weather will allow more residents to participate. An announcement will be made when a new date is selected. Create a memory to honor those we have lost. Participate by sending us a message, testaments, song, poem, or uplifting quotes to: imenjivar@somervillema.gov

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The Somerville Arts Space Risk Assessment analyzes the impact of development pressure on arts organizations across the city and makes recommendations for how to protect art spaces and support the creative economy. Join them on January 19 at 6:30 p.m. to learn more about our Somerville Arts Space Risk Assessment work. Hear about policy recommendations to support Somerville arts spaces. Please spread the word and invite colleagues and fellow artists. Register now for this online meeting: https://bit.ly/somerville-art-space RSVP to our Facebook event page for updates and reminders. In this public meeting we will learn more about the Somerville Arts Council work this year concerning arts spaces, zoning and planning. As a community let’s get ready for the New Year to roll out these policies and initiatives. There will be a Q and A and break out rooms to discuss topics and ask questions.

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The City of Somerville invites Somerville residents, workers, and visitors to complete a survey to inform citywide parking policies. This survey will provide vital insights into existing travel patterns and public priorities for parking management and curbside space. It is one component of the Citywide Parking and Curb-Use Study, a multipronged effort to collect data and develop recommendations to make Somerville’s parking system work more equitably, efficiently, and consistently for residents, businesses, and visitors. Responses will be accepted through January 14, 2022. The survey is available in multiple languages at somervillema.gov/parkingstudy.

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Join LoVeSeXy for a very special intimate brunch show. On Sunday, January 9, 12:00 – 3:00 p.m. at Premiere On Broadway, 517 Broadway Somerville. Advance tickets on sale now at: www.premiereonbroadway.com.LoVeSeXy is New England’s premier tribute 2 the music of Prince.

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The Best of Somerville 2021 will be in the January 5, 2022, edition of the paper. There’s still time to cast your vote for the best. Email us at news@thesomervilletimes.com for who and what you think is the best. We’re looking for the Best Idea of 2021 here in the city. If you have one you’d like to suggest, let us know.

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Elfland was started by a local 8-year-old boy and some elves. Organically grown in an empty lot at the corner of Summer and School Streets, it epitomizes the creativity of Somerville residents. Poised for possible future eviction, the Somerville Museum offered part of their front garden to house the tiny buildings and sites over the winter months. Stop by the Museum, One Westwood Road, Somerville to see the Elfland “archeological site” grow.

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Violet Gates, a freshman at Somerville High School, will represent the Somerville High School Band at the Massachusetts Music Educators Eastern District Senior Band Festival as a second clarinetist, 6th chair. The festival will be held January 7 – 8, 2022. Because of her score, Violet is also invited to audition for the Massachusetts All-State Band this school year.

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The fifth annual competition for Community Curators deadline is coming up. All applications are due by Thursday, December 30. The Somerville Museum welcomes proposals and encourages applicants to visit both the Museum and its website to learn more about the Museum’s wide-ranging exhibition history. Two finalists will be selected to install their proposed exhibits in the Museum’s gallery spaces at One Westwood Road, Somerville, MA. The chosen applicants will also receive a seed grant of $2,500 towards exhibition costs. The deadline is Thursday, December 30, by 11:00 p.m. All applications must be submitted digitally to info@somervillemuseum.org

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Prepare for the 2021/2022 snow season by reviewing parking rules and signing up for alerts. Because this winter begins in an odd-numbered year, snow emergency parking will be on the odd side of the street all winter, unless posted signage says differently. Check streets signs in your neighborhood so you know where you can park ahead of winter weather. You can also learn more about the city’s snow policies at somervillema.gov/snow.

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Residents are urged to practice caution, masking in all public spaces, and planning carefully around travel and gatherings in order to prevent a generalized outbreak like the city experienced last winter. Sadly, the number of known Covid deaths in Somerville now stands at 98. See the latest Somerville case data at somervillema.gov/covid19dashboard.

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Somerville’s Winter Farmers Market takes place Saturdays, 9:30 – 1:30 p.m., December 4 through April 16, at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave. Offering the best locally grown and produced agricultural items and more. They offer a diverse range of local and New England produce, as well as cheese, eggs, meats, fish, breads, pastries, chocolate, and wine. They feature rotating guest vendors each week, as well as live entertainment and activities. Check out the schedule and map at www.somwintermarket.org. They accept SNAP/EBT & HIP, CREDIT and DEBIT cards. $15 SNAP match for EBT customers.

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Somerville’s requirement to wear a face covering in public indoor spaces remains in effect. Make sure your mask covers your nose and mouth at all times when in public spaces and that it fits snugly around the sides of your face. The CDC has recommendations on how to improve your mask effectiveness. In general, masks with more layers offer better protection and masks with nose wires help achieve a secure fit around your nose. We’ll say it again though, be sure your mask covers your nose too and not just your mouth for effective protection.

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If you are unable to access a COVID-19 vaccine due to transportation challenges, but otherwise are able to leave your home, please call 3-1-1 to get connected to transportation assistance.

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Individuals who are homebound are encouraged to schedule an in-home COVID-19 vaccine appointment through the state’s COVID-19 In-Home Vaccination Program. The program is open to all individuals who are homebound, including 5- to 11-year-olds, and individuals seeking both initial or booster doses. To schedule an appointment, call the In-Home Vaccination Central Intake Line at (833) 983-0485. The Intake Line is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Representatives are available in both English and Spanish, and also have access to translators for over 100 languages. Due to high demand, the current estimated wait time for an in-home vaccination appointment is 4-6 weeks.

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The City of Somerville is holding a booster clinic where doses of Moderna will be available. All clinics will be held at the City Hall Annex, 50 Evergreen Ave., and require pre-registration. Clinics will be held on: Wednesday, December 22, noon to 2:00 p.m.

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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.