“What do you want to see in Somerville’s community live arts center?” The Somerville Armory currently has six tenants and several other spaces that could become arts spaces. Already the building is home to music building education, production, and live performances. Help develop the vision and guiding principles for the Somerville Armory as they transition it from private ownership to public stewardship. They are looking for the voices of diverse performing artists who have connections to Somerville, residents, and community partners to participate in this upcoming meeting series. Read more: https://voice.somervillema.gov/armory-master-plan. Meeting I: Our Arts Ecosystem, January 24, 6:00 p.m. at Warehouse XI,11 Sanborn Ct., Somerville.

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Cheer on the Somerville High School Quiz Show team on Saturday, January 27, at 9:30 a.m. Attend as part of the studio audience of this Jeopardy-like TV show to cheer on the team. Taping takes place at WGBH Studios in Boston and tickets are free at this link: https://gbhhighschoolquizshow.ticketbud.com/ If the team wins the Saturday match, they will go on to compete on Sunday as well. Go #SHSHighlanders!

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Happy birthday this week to the following: Happy birthday to Denise Cosby, a local real estate agent. Denise published her book, Murder at Harvard’s Kirkland House-A Mother’s Worst Nightmare, which tells the real story of the murder of her son Justin. She also has a podcast https://www.facebook.com/justintime.initiative. Just-in Time Initiative for Families who lost loved ones to murder. A big happy birthday to our own Dorothy DiMarzo, who gives us all those delicious recipes every other week in our paper. We wish her the very best of birthdays this week. Another local who is celebrating this week is Maria Nella Nunes. We wish her the very best. We wish all of our Facebook friends, such James Casazza, Cathy Palumbo Demasi, Edward Hardy, Kai Su and Michael Kennelly 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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Join in celebrating the Lunar New Year on January 28, 2:30 – 4:30 p.m. at 50 Cross Street. Immerse yourself in the rich traditions and vibrant cultures of the Asian community as we welcome the year. The event will feature performances and engaging activities for all ages. Come together with friends and family to embrace the spirit of unity, joy, and new beginnings.

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Families with young children may register for SFLC playgroups until Friday, January 26. Learn more and find the right time and language option for your family at the SFLC Playgroups webpage. All playgroups are free, open to Somerville residents, and held at locations around Somerville. https://somerville.k12.ma.us/playgroups. This week is priority registration, but families are welcome to register after Friday, 1/26 and will be placed in groups on a rolling basis, where space is available.

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The City of Somerville’s Health and Human Services Office, and Housing Families Inc., opened an overnight warming center for the remainder of the winter 2024 season. The warming center will operate seven nights a week from 6:45 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., on the second floor of the Armory (191 Highland Ave). Guests will have access to free hot and cold meals, water, bathrooms, yoga mats, and space to sleep. Learn more at somervillema.gov/warmingcenter.

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Somerville Public Schools is looking for substitute teachers. Join an amazing team of educators, earn $150/day, and play an important role in our schools. Learn more about job requirements and apply here: https://somerville.tedk12.com/hire/ViewJob.aspx?JobID=1146.

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Call to artists: East Somerville Main Streets is gearing up for Carnaval 2024 and they are looking for your talent to create the perfect poster that captures the essence of the festivities. Fill out the Google form to participate: https://forms.gle/unApjMVwYagLHbRn6

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Visit the ROOTED Armory Café for their Sunday Brunch, 9:00 – 5:00 p.m. with live music 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. 191 Highland Ave. Enjoy French toast, pancakes, frittata, pulled pork tacos, mimosas, espresso drinks and much more. This week’s line up will be January 28: Eva Gertz (Singer Songwriter).

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Visit the Somerville Museum for the ongoing Museo Inmigrante: Stories of Resilience from Somerville’s Padres Latinos exhibit. A Community Collaboration Project with Somerville’s Padres Latinos. Padres Latinos is a mutual aid group of more than 230 Spanish and Portuguese-speaking parents with children in the Somerville Public Schools (SPS). Visit the museum website for more information and hours www.somervillemuseum.org.

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Be sure to cast your ballot for The Somerville Times’ Best of Somerville 2023. Categories are listed on our ballot (see page 11), and If you don’t see your favorite category there, you can simply add it to the list. To cast your vote, email us at thebestofsomerville@yahoo.com. You have until February 2 to vote for your favorites in each category. The winners will be announced on Wednesday, February 7.

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On Friday, January 26, at 7:00 p.m., visit the Rooted Café at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave. in Somerville for an evening of music and laughs. The night will feature three hilarious musical acts: a fully improvised musical by Uncomposed, the solo-improv talents of Party of One, the mini-musical mashup Mamma Misérables. After the show will be an all-access Musical Improv Jam for anybody who wants to get on stage and join the fun, with a mixture of musical games and montages. Doors open at 7:00 p.m., show begins at 8:30 p.m.

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The Somerville Homeless Coalition announced the return of their annual Spring Into Action event to be held on Thursday, March 28, at the Crystal Ballroom in Davis Square. Join them for an evening packed with live music, local Somerville grub, and get the opportunity to meet the SHC team as they share impactful updates about our work and discuss our new transformative vision for the future. To learn more and buy tickets please see the link below. Tickets and Information: bit.ly/SIA24.

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CultureHouse at 64 Union Square is now open, visit their newest pop-up and enjoy coffee and tea, games and comfy seating, and a line-up of exciting events happening. Working alongside the Union Square Neighborhood Council, CultureHouse has transformed a vacant storefront into a community-driven pop-up to test ideas for a future community center. This free-to-enter intergenerational pop-up will be a public space pilot, a living room for the community, a resource center, and an arts, culture, and business incubator. They will be there until June 9, Monday–Tuesday: Closed, Wednesday–Sunday: 1:00 – 8:00 p.m. For more information, visit: https://culturehouse.cc/projects/union-square/.

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Give feedback on Somerville’s Climate Forward Plan Update. Launched in 2018, Climate Forward established 13 top strategies to reduce Somerville’s contribution to climate change and create a more climate-resilient community. It’s updated every five years to meet changing needs and seize new strategies to meet our goals. Now at the five-year mark, the city has released the latest draft goals, strategies, and actions for the Climate Forward plan update. Review the plan and submit comments on what’s proposed and prioritized: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1m_EGwkHa7mGJ9xxj5crnZeLVbCV3W3yW/edit. Comments will be accepted until Wednesday, January 31.

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The Fuel Assistance Program, also known as the Home Energy Assistance Program, helps low-income households pay their winter heating bills between November 1 and April 30. Renters and homeowners in Somerville are eligible to apply if they meet federal income guidelines. Learn more at somervillema.gov/heatingassistance.

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Join the Somerville Council on Aging’s Friendly Caller Program. They have many wonderful volunteers who are waiting to give you a call. Whether you are looking to make a new friend or would just like a friendly chat to look forward to every week, this program has you covered. Call Natasha Naim at 617-625-6600, ext. 2317 to learn more about the program and to sign up.

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Is your teen looking to make some extra money? The city’s Snow Shoveling Program is hiring youth to assist shoveling seniors and homeowners with disabilities out after snowstorms this winter. Teens and homeowners are paired for the season. After each storm, the homeowner will contact their assigned youth to request shoveling services. Somerville teens ages 14 to 19 are welcome to apply. Learn more and apply at somervillema.gov/shoveling. Looking for snow shoveling services? Contact Debby Higgins at dhiggings@somervillema.gov.

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In preparation for the cold months ahead, the Somerville Homeless Coalition is in urgent need of winter clothing and apparel to keep their clients warm and safe. Donations of socks, hats, jackets, hand warmers, sweatpants, and more will go a long way towards keeping the most vulnerable clients protected against the unpredictable New England weather. All donations can be dropped off at their Engagement Center located at 1 Davis Square, Somerville between and Monday–Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., closed each day from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. for lunch. Help keep our neighbors safe this winter.

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Help keep our waterways clean in your neighborhood by joining Somerville’s Adopt-a-Drain program. A storm drain clear of leaves, trash or other debris allows water to flow into the catch basin sump and can prevent flooding. When you adopt a drain (or drains), you commit to caring for a local storm drain of your choice by checking on it before and after heavy rain, wind, or snow. Bonus perk: you can also give it a name. Claim your drain at somerville.mysticdrains.org.

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The Center for the Arts at the Armory offers a weekly winter market with 71+ local food vendors with the best locally grown and regionally produced foods, including fresh produce, cheese, eggs, meats, fish, breads, tamales, pastries, chocolate, skincare products, and more. The market accepts SNAP/EBT and HIP benefits. They also offer a $15 SNAP match to customers each week. Visit the Somerville Winter Farmers Market on Saturdays, 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., 191 Highland Ave. Through April 6. For a list of weekly events visit www.somwintermarket.org.

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