Get ready for summer fun at the City and Somerville Arts Council’s Fourth of July celebration. Enjoy live music, food, and of course, a big, bold fireworks display. Head to Trum Field on Thursday, June 30, at 6:30 p.m. (rain date July 1). Due to large crowds and noise associated with the fireworks, the city recommends that attendees leave pets at home and avoid bringing unnecessary bags or backpacks, all of which are subject to inspection. For more information, call 311 (617-666-3311) or https://somervilleartscouncil.org/fireworks.
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Don’t forget to check out the two exhibits at the Somerville Museum running until July 9. Firehouse Reels: 40 Years of SCATV: A collaboration between the Somerville Media Center and the Somerville Museum. Firehouse Reels documents a local community television channel that has been in operation since 1980. The station was called Somerville Community Access Television (SCATV) and was an essential contributor to local culture. Space Invader: An immigrant experience through immersive art: Space Invader is curated by local audio-visual artist and spatial sound designer Rook Murao, an immigrant and naturalized citizen. Murao explores this concept of “Alien” through satire, parody, comedy, and even absurdity with art as the medium. For more information visit www.somervillemuseum.org.
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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 great friend and poet Doug Holder, a great guy. We hope he has a great birthday for himself. Another great guy, Len Ferrari, of Century 21 North East, is celebrating this week, we wish him the best. Happy birthday, Lenny. Also this week, happy birthday to Andy Puglia. 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 Peter Tsairidie, Leslie Phelan, Kristina Ann, Devon Moos, Suzan Baltozer, John Correia, Carlton Soohoo, Rose Nash, Tamara McAllister and Michael Sullivan 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 city is continuing the discussion as they reimagine the landscape of Somerville’s Junction Park. Join in for the second virtual meeting on Wednesday, June 29, at 6:00 p.m. to hear proposed plans, discuss future park programming, and to offer your ideas for the space. To attend the event, visit somervillema.gov/junctionpark. For additional accommodations, call 311 (617-666-3311).
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Services for Somerville Police officer Randy Isaacs will be held on Friday July 1, in the George L. Doherty Funeral Home, 855 Broadway (Powder House Sq.), Somerville, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. Relatives and friends are invited. In honoring Officer Isaacs, there will be a police walk through, prior to visiting hours at 3:30 p.m. The full obituary can be found here www.dohertyfuneralservice.com
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Join All She Wrote Books at the East Somerville Farmer’s Market, 115 Broadway, this Sunday, July 3, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. for their second Drag Queen Story Hour with local queen Miss Bella Luna, who will read picture books and engage in a craft activity. For the craft, they will supply families with bookmarks to color in along with color pencils/crayons/markers. Their craft activity is sponsored by the Somerville Public Library East Branch and JP Licks. Drag Queen Story Hour is a program for children ages 3 – 8 that raises awareness of gender diversity, promotes self-acceptance, and builds empathy through an enjoyable literary experience.
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Due to the weather, the city’s Arbor Day event was postponed until Wednesday, July 6 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Urban trees hold many essential roles in our city – from cleaning our air and making it cooler, to providing habitat for wildlife, lowering stress levels, and much more. Celebrate Somerville’s urban forest this Arbor Day at Nathan Tufts Park, 850 Broadway. Learn about our local urban forest, welcome newly planted trees in the park, make leaf art, and take home free native plant seedlings.
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The City of Somerville, City of Cambridge (Official), and the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority are partnering to address combined sewer overflows (CSOs) to protect public health and improve local water resources, including the Mystic River, Alewife Brook, and the Charles River. Join in at a virtual meeting on Wednesday, June 29, at 6:00 p.m. to learn about the water quality of nearby rivers, share how you use local water resources, and have a voice in potential improvements. Interpretation will be available into Portuguese, Spanish, Amharic, and Bengali. For more information and to register to attend, go to somervillema.gov/cso.
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The Somerville Homeless Coalition needs snacks for their clients, and as the weather warms up, bottled water, sunscreen, and bug spray become essentials. All donations can be dropped off weekdays at 1 Davis Square office from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Closed 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. for lunch. Visit their Facebook page to see a list of their client necessities: www.facebook.com/SomervilleHomelessCoalition.
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Stay protected against COVID-19. The Somerville Public Library (MA), 79 Highland Ave., will host a vaccine clinic on Wednesday July 13, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. The Pfizer vaccine and boosters will be available for all people five years and up. The clinics are free, regardless of immigration status or health insurance. Identification is not required. Appointments are required and can be made at: tinyurl.com/SomervilleVax. For more vaccination options visit somervillema.gov/vaccine. If you need assistance to pre-register or help with transportation, please contact 3-1-1 at 617-666-3311.
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This summer, the city is offering three spaces just for teens while efforts to identify a permanent Teen Center location continue. Temporary spaces include: Somerville Public Library, Central Branch, 79 Highland Ave.; Edgerly Education Center, 33 Cross St.; Powderhouse Park, 838 Broadway. Each space will provide activities, snacks, connections to services, and access to city social workers. For opening dates and more information, visit somervillema.gov/teencenter.
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Somerville Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom is holding a Pop-Punk Pizza Party on July 2, 55 Davis Sq. DJ Coach will be spinning all your favorite pop punk and emo. 18+ to enter with valid ID, 21+ to drink. No cover. Pizza and drinks available for purchase. Music and doors at 8:30 p.m.
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Starting July 13, a new Housing Stability Notification Act amendment will require landlords to provide tenants with information about their rights and resources at the start of all new housing rentals, rather than only when pursuing eviction. Anyone facing displacement or needing housing assistance is urged to contact the Office of Housing Stability at 617-625-6600 ext. 2581. For more information, visit somervillema.gov/ohs
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On July 9 and August 3 from 3:30 – 5:30 p.m., the Growing Center, 22 Vinal Ave, will turn itself into a garden cafe. A place where you can come relax, read a book, meet a friend and, of course, become a budding artist. The Budding Artist Cafe will provide a variety of drawing materials at each of its cafe tables so that anyone can draw or create their own artwork inspired by the garden. The Budding Artist Cafe will also have a featured art project each month, led by a local artist, and centered on natural themes such as painting with brushes made out of branches and grasses; pressing flowers and leaves; and nature journaling.
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The city’s Adopt-A-Tree program has officially launched. Newly planted trees can be found around Somerville, and now they need your help. Look for the colorful “Adopt Me!” tags and scan the QR code or visit tinyurl.com/somervilletree to find a tree in your neighborhood and go through the steps to adopt it. Name it, water it and even receive an adoption certificate. For more information, visit somervillema.gov/adoptatree.
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Don’t forget to visit Somerville’s farmers markets. Every Wednesday through November 23, 12:00 – 6:00 p.m. visit the Davis Square Farmers Market, across from American Flatbread at 44 Day St. Visit: https://www.massfarmersmarkets.org/davis. Every Saturday through October 29, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., the Union Square Farmers Market takes place at 66-70 Union Sq. visit: https://www.unionsquaremain.org/2022-fmseason. Every Sunday through November 20, the East Somerville Farmers Market takes place at 115 Broadway, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Visit https://www.eastsomervillemainstreets.org/market. There is a $15 SNAP match at all Farmers Markets across Somerville.
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STEAM at the Library, Wednesday July 6, 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. Join Somerville resident and science educator Jessica Garrett for hands-on STEAM programs. Intended for ages 7-12. Registration for these events are required at https://www.somervillepubliclibrary.org/calendar.
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