CAAS’s monthly Somerville Renters Meeting will be tonight, Wednesday, March 15, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. on Zoom. Extra SNAP has ended, but everyone should be able to have the food they need. Join them this month to learn about food resources in Somerville. Please register at this link: http://bit.ly/Somerville-Renters.

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

The annual Ras na hEireann 5K road race is back. It is the most genuine Irish race this side of the Atlantic. A celebration of spring in Somerville. This race was born in Ireland and named in honor of its famous sister race, the Ras na hEireann International Cross Country held in Termonfechin, County Louth, Republic of Ireland. The Ras na hEireann U.S.A. 5Km is open to all, from beginners to international stars (registration is now closed). The race kicks off at 11:00 a.m. this Sunday, March 19, go by and cheer on the runners and see some of their very creative outfits. For more information and to register visit www.raceofireland.com.

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

Happy birthday this week to several locals: Happy birthday to former alderman and great guy, Jack Connolly. We hope he had a great birthday. We wish all of our Facebook friends such as Frances Accorto Gayron, Jim Halloran, Okie Oconnell, Patrick Fitzgerald, Kristin Gore, Sally Colman, Maria Parziale Pacheco, Neil Gillis Sr., Alexander Levering Kern, and Carla Hunter Gates a very happy birthday. To all those that are also celebrating this week, we wish them a happy birthday.

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

Liam Mannion, proprietor of Sally O’Brien’s, and former City Councilor Bob McWatters invite the public to celebrate Irish Heritage and hoist a pint of Guinness on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17 at Sally O’Brien’s, 335 Somerville Ave. Sally’s will be featuring an Irish fare of corned beef and cabbage, spirits, Irish music, and appearances of local and state elected officials. All are welcome to join the festivities.

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

Proactive maintenance is essential for healthy tree growth. Now in its fourth year, the city’s Parks Tree Health Program is currently underway, providing health assessments to 232 trees throughout seven parks this spring. To do this work, temporary park closures are required. Check park, closures before planning an outing to city parks at: https://www.somervillema.gov/treehealth.

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

Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and Ward 2 Councilor Jefferson Thomas Scott invite the community to a virtual meeting on Monday, March 27, at 6:00 p.m. to learn about the city’s construction of a stormwater pump station at 10 Poplar Street. Work on the pump station is expected to begin this spring and to continue through 2025. Visit somervillema.gov/poplarstreet, or call the Engineering Division at 617-625-6600 x5400 to register to attend.

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

After years of public pressure from Safe Schools Somerville members, the Somerville School Committee on March 6 unanimously voted to adopt policy recommendations that would permanently remove police from Somerville Public Schools. The four recommendations came from the Policing Subcommittee and were: police will not be stationed in the school building, the reasons for calling the police will be restricted to the states 2020 model MOU, police are precluded from relationship building with youth or intervening in student fights at school, and no school money will fund police.

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

The Somerville Council of PTAs is organizing an awesome fundraising event for the Somerville High School Scholarship program. Come to the high school auditorium on March 31 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. to cheer on SPS teachers and staff as they compete against teams from other Somerville schools in a “survey says” style game show. Tickets are required and are limited. Buy them at bit.ly/PTA-Gameshow. On the website you’ll also find a silent auction and the link to the GLX and Somerville Public Schools t-shirt sales that are all part of the scholarship fundraiser.

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

Consider donating to the Salvatore and Peter Albano Memorial Scholarship Fund. This is a new award given annually to a deserving Somerville High School student, established in cooperation with the Somerville High School Scholarship fund. Contributions can be made at the event or by mail: c/o Julie Abruzzio, 10 Buttonwood Lane, Peabody, MA 01960.

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

On Sunday, March 19, from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. enjoy Waterlines: Walking Tour with Hey There Kapplow. Join in for a walking experience with artist, Hey There Kapplow, whose work Seeking the Source is currently on view at the Somerville Museum as part of the Community Curator exhibition, Waterlines, by Arlinda Shtuni. Hey There will give an artist tour of the installation in the gallery space and then facilitate a silent, intuitively-guided walking experience. The event will begin at the Museum with a discussion about the artist’s work on display, then the group will explore the Museum’s immediate neighborhood in silence, paying acute attention to how intuition offers guidance about when to walk, when to pause, and how to keep the group together. You can learn more about Waterlines here: https://www.somervillemuseum.org/waterlineswww.somervillemuseum.org.

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

Call of Art for the Somerville Art Council’s Inside-OUT Gallery SOS Artists Members showcase exhibit. The submission deadline is March 30. To register, please submit via the Google Forms at https://forms.gle/WTnBDny1MnoauSESA. Somerville Open Studios, the Somerville Arts Council and the Inside-OUT Gallery once again welcome seasoned members and newcomers alike to submit pieces for the annual SOS members’ exhibit. While all works will be considered, we do encourage applicants to respond to this year’s theme. This is a closed call for current registered SOS artists. Please note that this is a juried exhibition and not all submitted work will be accepted. Applicants’ work must be available from April 18 to May 18.

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

The Powder House Blvd. detour began this week at North St. to Alewife Brook Parkway. Vehicles travelling both eastbound and westbound on Powder House Blvd. between North St. and Alewife Brook Parkway will be detoured during construction hours (weekdays 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.). Westbound traffic will be directed south on North St., west on Broadway to return to Alewife Brook Parkway. Eastbound traffic will be directed south on Alewife Brook Parkway, east on Broadway, north on North St. to return to Powder House Blvd. Anticipated detour duration: 3 months (weather permitting). For more information and updates visit voice.somervillema.gov/intersection-redesign.

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

Somerville PorchFest 2023 will take place on Saturday, May 13 (rain date May 14) from 12:00 to 6:00 p.m. Perhaps you’ve sat on your porch and overheard a neighbor strumming guitar on another porch? Porchfest takes this idea and multiplies it. This is not a festival per se but rather a community event where Somervillians share their love of playing and listening to music … from their porch, driveways, yards, etc. Registration is now open: https://somervilleartscouncil.org/porchfest.

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

The Somerville Public Library in partnership with the St. Mark Community Education Program is offering a free, 10-week U.S. Citizenship Preparation class. The class will prepare students for the citizenship interview including the 100 civics questions, the reading and writing sections, and interview questions based on the N-400 application. The class will be held in-person at the Central Library (79 Highland Avenue) on 10 Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. from March 4 to May 6. Requirements: Basic level of English and 5 years as a U.S. permanent resident (green card holder) or 3 years, if married to a U.S. citizen. Visit https://www.somervillepubliclibrary.org/ell-citizenship to register.

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

Free COVID-19 test kits also continue to be available by request at all Somerville Public Libraries, at City Hall, and at the City Hall Annex.

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

The City of Somerville continues to host weekly walk-in vaccination clinics for residents through the end of March, with both flu vaccines and the bivalent Moderna COVID-19 booster available. Clinics will take place each Wednesday from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the City Hall Annex, 50 Evergreen Ave., through March 29. Advance registration is recommended to save time but not required. Pre-register online at somervillema.gov/vaccineclinics or by calling 311 (617-666-3311). Flu vaccines and updated COVID-19 boosters are also available at many pharmacies and other locations. Find a provider at vaccines.gov.

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

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.