Want to know what cuts are being made to Somerville’s budget? Tune in tonight at 6:00 p.m. for the FY24 Budget Hearing: Cut Night and then tune in Thursday night at 6:00 p.m. for the FY24 Budget Final Vote and Year-End Transfers. You can view both meetings live and find meeting materials at the following link: https://somervillema.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx.
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Enjoy free outdoor movies, popcorn, candy, and fun at The Block at Boynton Yards, all summer long. Friday Flicks Outdoor Movie Nights at Boynton Yards will start at 7:00 p.m. with yard games and fun, followed by candy, popcorn, and movies once the sun sets. Bring a blanket and get ready for a fun-filled evening. June 23: Guardians of the Galaxy, July 14: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, August 11: Raiders of the Lost Ark and September 15: The Little Mermaid (1995 version). Boynton Yards, 110 South Street.
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Celebrating their birthdays this week: We wish a very happy birthday to a great person and longtime resident of Somerville, Paula LeBlanc. We wish her the very best. Happy birthday to a good guy, Jonathan Buck, who celebrates this week. We wish all of our Facebook friends, such as Gail Chambers, Chris Marshall, Kathi Mullins, Terra Yan, Kenneth Lonergan, Marie Kearns Hugo A Volpe, John O’Rourke, Mark Anthony Anderson and Diane Dee-Dee Smith a 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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Kickstart your summer and join the City of Somerville Parks and Recreation Department for the annual Family Fun Day event on Saturday, June 24 (no rain date, the event will be cancelled for inclement weather), from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at Trum Field (541 Broadway). There will be fun for kids of all ages including bounce houses, face painting, cotton candy, games, music, arts and crafts, and more. To learn more, please visit somervillerec.com or call 617-625-6600 ext. 2980.
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A big congratulations to lifelong resident of Somerville, John Baino, nephew of former Mayor Gene Brune, who is being inducted into the American Football Association Hall of Fame in Ohio on Friday, June 23.
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For a sixth year, Union Square Main Streets and local businesses (https://www.unionsquaremain.org/good-food-for-all) proudly present Good Food for All, a week-long community campaign to raise awareness and funds for the Union Square Farmers Market’s local SNAP match. Good Food For All: Sustaining a more inclusive Farmers Market Union Square (Somerville) takes place June 17 – June 24.
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Join Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and the Somerville Arts Council for the Anniversary of 4th of July Fireworks with live entertainment at Trum Field on Thursday, June 29, rain date Friday, June 30. Festivities begin at 6:00 p.m., with tunes by DJ Philip Tan. Come sing along and dance with live music performance by local funk band, Midnight Motion. There will be food vendors like Nibble Kitchen, Italian Wizard and can’t forget the fried dough! Mayor Ballantyne will countdown the beginning of the fireworks at approximately at 9:15 p.m. To ensure public safety and pedestrian access to events, traffic and parking restrictions will be in place, please visit the website for details: https://somervilleartscouncil.org/fireworks.
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The Somerville Toy Camera Festival seeks entries for its 10th annual celebration of toy camera and lo-fi photography. Images of any subject matter, made with a “toy” camera – any low-tech camera with no or very limited exposure control, such as pinhole, Holga, Diana/Diana clones, Brownie, Ansco, disposable cameras – are eligible. The key criteria are plastic lenses and a lack of reliable exposure control. Straight Polaroid-type images, or images made with cell phones, digital cameras, or film cameras with full exposure control (such as the Lomo LC series), will not be considered. Submit your toy and lo-fi camera photos by June 27. Juror Ann Jastrab will review all submitted photos in early July. Artists whose work is selected for the exhibition will be sent info on where to ship (or when to drop off) their framed pieces. Selected work will be hung in one of our three participating Somerville galleries by Festival organizers. Juror’s decisions will be emailed around July 24. Selected work will be due at galleries by August 30. Visit navegallery.org.
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Take a Docent Tour of Old Powder House, Saturday, June 24, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Inclement weather cancels the event. Call 311 (617-666-3311) for updates and check the city’s calendar: https://www.somervillema.gov/events Sponsored by the Somerville Historic Preservation Commission and the Somerville Museum. www.somervillema.gov/historicpreservation and http://somervillemuseum.org.
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With hot summer days ahead the Somerville Homeless Coalition is looking for essential supplies to help keep those without a home safe and cool. Whether it’s sunscreen or juice boxes, they have compiled an Amazon wish list with key summer items for clients. If you are interested in donating you can do so through the link provided or by dropping items off at their Engagement Center located at 1 Davis Square between Monday and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (closed 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. for lunch). https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2S0DQDB857065?ref_=wl_share&fbclid=IwAR1ZHXC1YJnbbt36ZicxPnsR7pAEJ4dP1rODG5sNovyNzGE68py31ENo.
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The Curated Fridge Spring 2023 Closing Party takes place Saturday, June 24. from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. You can also bring your prints for the summer 2023 call. Deadline is approaching. More info here: https://www.thecuratedfridge.com/Call-for-Entree.
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Don’t forget to visit Somerville’s farmers markets. Every Wednesday through November 22, 12:00 – 6:00 p.m. visit the Davis Square Farmers Market, across from American Flatbread at 44 Day St. Visit: www.massfarmersmarkets.org/davis. Every Saturday through October 28, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., the Union Square Farmers Market takes place at 66-70 Union Sq. visit: www.unionsquaremain.org/2023fmseason.
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Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and the City of Somerville Housing Division are pleased to announce four affordable homeownership opportunities to income-eligible, first-time homebuyers through the city’s Inclusionary Housing Program at The Parkway 395 (395 Alewife Brook Parkway). Two 2-bedroom units with dens are available to households with an annual gross income at or below 80% Area Median Income (AMI) at price tier P1. One 1-bedroom unit with a den and one 2-bedroom unit are available to households with an annual gross income between 81% AMI and 110% AMI at price tier P2. Applications are due by Friday, July 14, at noon. Learn more and apply at: somervillema.gov/inclusionaryhousing.
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Medford St. behind the High School is one-way in order to accommodate a temporary Community Path detour. Westbound vehicle traffic on Medford St. between Walnut St. and Pearl St. will be detoured to facilitate installation and use of these temporary bike lanes. Westbound traffic will be directed north on Walnut St. and west on Pearl St. before reconnecting with Medford St. Eastbound travel on Medford St. will be maintained as usual. The detour will be in place 24/7. https://www.somervillema.gov/departments/greenline-extension.
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Enjoy live music Fridays at Assembly Row on The Lawn on alternating Fridays through the summer. Hear from local bands with a Downeast cider in hand. Fridays, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
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The City of Somerville’s annual Water System Flushing Program has begun and will continue through late October. This annual program flushes pipes at high velocities to clean water mains and maintain the highest possible water quality. Flushing will take place Mondays and Thursdays between 6:00 p.m. and midnight to minimize potential disruptions to water service. In most cases, residents will not notice any changes to their water service. However, some homes may experience a temporary, slight drop in water pressure and/or discolored water. In these cases, though the water may be discolored, it is safe to drink. Until the water runs clear, it is advisable to avoid washing laundry, especially white fabrics. If any rust stains appear on wet laundry, it should not be dried in a dryer machine, and residents can call 311 (or 617-666-3311 from cell phones or outside the city) for a free bottle of rust remover. Residents will be notified via signage when their neighborhood will be affected by the flushing program. For more information, please contact the Water Department at water@somervillema.gov or 617-625-6600 ext. 5850.
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The Free Lockboxes for Seniors Program is intended to provide police, fire and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) access to your residence in the event of an emergency where you are unable to open the door. A key to your residence will be stored in a secure metal storage de-vice, like a realtor’s lockbox, at your residence. The access code to the lockbox will only be available to police, fire or EMS personnel and used only during an emergency. The program is targeted towards Somerville residents who live alone and are aged 65+, or those who are disa-bled and/or suffer from major medical issues at any age. Individuals living in apartment com-plexes or other facilities with maintenance staff are not eligible for this program. For more in-formation, please contact Debby Higgins at 617-625-6600, ext. 2321 or email Debby at dhig-gins@somervillema.gov.
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Bad artists welcome! Join the Somerville Public Library, 79 Highland Ave. on Wednesday, June 21, from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. for an Adult’s Cursed Cards craft night and create haunted, horror-filled and delightfully unhinged cards to your twisted heart’s content. Presented by Summer Scares! Registration required: https://tinyurl.com/5cwhnmk6; with questions contact Bethany, bdoane@somervillema.gov.
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