The city is partnering with CultureHouse and Neighborways to increase safety on Glen and Otis Streets by creating quick-build neighborways (think: planters, vertical plastic posts, paint markings, speed humps, etc.). These will be located on Glen Street between Tufts Street and Broadway, and on Otis Street between McGrath Highway and the East Somerville Community School. Join the city’s Mobility Division for a block party on Saturday, March 16, at East Somerville Community School (50 Cross St.) from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. to learn about the planned neighborways, and share your feedback on the upcoming safety improvements. Music, refreshments, and games will be provided. Learn more at https://voice.somervillema.gov/glen-street-neighborway.

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The Union Square Neighborhood Council (USNC) is hosting two Community Benefit Agreement (CBA) Summits in regards to Rafi Properties’ Somernova project. The first, was on Tuesday March 12. The second meeting will be virtual on Zoom on Saturday March 16 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. The USNC and the negotiating team to hear from the community about what priorities are for benefits from this proposed project. They encourage everyone, from direct abutters tothis project to the wider community, to attend to have your voices heard about priorities for benefits for this proposed project. For any other questions or details please reach out to on their website or at our email address unionsquareneighborhoodcouncil@gmail.com.

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Happy birthday this week to several locals: Happy birthday to former alderman and great guy, Jack Connolly. We hope he has a great birthday. Happy Birthday to Dennis Fishman, you can enjoy his book reviews published here every other week. We hope Dennis has a great brirthday. We wish all of our Facebook friends such as Kiette Murphy Jones, Jim Halloran,  Okie Oconnell, Patrick Fitzgerald, Kristin Gore, Maria Parziale Pacheco, and Sally Colman, a very happy birthday. To all those that are also celebrating this week, we wish them a happy birthday.

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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. Sunday, March 24, go by and cheer on the runners and see some of their very creative outfits. For more information and to register visit https://www.theraceofireland.com/

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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.

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Don’t miss the Highlander Theatre production of Digging Up Dessa. Performances at Somerville High School, 81 Highland Ave on: Thursday, March 14, at 7:00 p.m., Friday, March 15, at 5:00 p.m., Saturday, March 16, at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, March 16, at 7:00 p.m. Buy tickets: https://www.highlandertheatre.org/dessa.

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Embracing Cannabis on Main Street takes place on Thursday, March 21 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Bow Market in Somerville. The Goods and Massachusetts Cannabis Coalition are teaming up to host a networking event and panel discussion featuring some of the state’s top industry experts. Join Ava Concepcion, acting Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (MCCC) Chair, Ryan Dominguez, founder and executive director of the Massachusetts Cannabis Coalition, Sarah Patel, Founder and Owner of Kelia and Chris Vining, Co-Founder and Owner of The Goods. Nairoby Sanchez, CEO of Comunidad Consulting and Flower to the Podcast host will moderate. Attendees can ask questions and participate in an all-access networking after the panel. To reserve a spot visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/embracing-cannabis-on-main-street-pb-mcc-the-goods-tickets-858695690927.

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Join Councilor Lance Davis, the Green Soul Organics, LLC team, and the City of Somerville for a Neighborhood Meeting under SZO Section 15.1.3 The meeting will be held via Zoom Thursday March 14, at 6:00 p.m. Join them to meet with the project applicant and discuss the plan for an Adult Use Cannabis Retail Store located at 23 Holland Street. Register in advance for this meeting:https://bit.ly/49zIABV.

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Somerville PorchFest 2024 will take place on Saturday, May 11 (rain date May 12) 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://beta.somervilleartscouncil.org/porchfest/porchfest-2024/.

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Cambridge Mothers Out Front, along with 350 MA-Cambridge/Somerville and the First Parish of Cambridge UU Environmental Justice Team, is hosting a public forum on March 20 about transitioning off gas to heat ourbuildings, including a presentation about networked geothermal energy, an innovative solution that is gaining momentum, and an update from Mass. Representative Steven Owens about state legislation currently in process. Wednesday, March 20, 6:00 – 7:30 p.m., First Parish in Cambridge, Unitarian Universalist, 1446 Mass. Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA.

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Somerville Little League 2024 Spring registration is open.Go to www.somervillelittleleague.org to register.

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Are you a member of Somerville High School’s class of 1974? The class of 2024 is looking for participants for this year’s Class Day festivities which will take place on Friday, May 31, beginning at 8:00 a.m. at Somerville High School. They are looking for 50 graduates in total from 1974 to participate. If you would like to take part in the festivities, visit SPS Facebook page and fill out the Google Form by March 15. The Class of 2024 looks forward to seeing you. Email any questions to Irma Calderon at icalderon@k12.somerville.ma.us.

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The Somerville High School club crew team is looking for athletes to join their team. No experience necessary. The Somerville High School Rowing Team meets Mondays through Fridays from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. at the Blessing of the Bay Boat House on 32 Shore Drive in Somerville. Sign up today. https://somerville.k12.ma.us/sportsregistration.

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The Somerville Homeless Coalition’s Amazon Wish Lists are updated monthly with the most requested items from their food pantry to meet the needs of their clients experiencing food insecurity. If you would like to learn more and donate through our wish lists, please see the link here: https://bit.ly/SHCLinks.

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Food For Free announced their newest event, Hoops for Hunger. A 3 on 3 basketball tournament. People of all genders, ages 14 and older, are welcome to create a team of 4 and square up against other supporters of Food For Free. This will be a single elimination, 16 team tournament. Teams of 4 will compete to win the ultimate prize, and the first team to 21 points will move onto the next round. Teams will be allowed 3 timeouts per game and will adhere to traditional basketball rules monitored by a referee. Team registration deadline is April 12. Register your team here. https://foodforfree.org/hoopsforhunger/.

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Carnaval will be here soon. If you are a vendor, make sure you submit an application soon. This will be in our stories as well: https://www.eastsomervillemainstreets.org/carnaval

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Somernova has some new and exciting events coming up. Wednesday, March 13: Happening the second Wednesday of each month from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m., The Dojo hosts an Open-Mic Teen Night. The event will feature fun games, food, and great music all night long. Hosted at The Dojo at 15 Properzi Way, Somerville. Sunday, March 17: Somerville Bike Kitchen, a volunteer-run bicycle repair cooperative, is hosting the next session of its Winter Workshops focused on Rim Brakes. Come maintain your bike or learn more about cycling. Wednesday, March 27: Each month, The Dojo hosts Gaming is Not a Crime by YouthStream. Come build community through playing your favorite games. The event features cash prizes and pizza and starts at 6:00 p.m. Hosted at The Dojo at 15 Properzi Way, Somerville. For more information visit Somernova at https://somernova.com/.

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Looking to grow your Portuguese language skills? With American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds awarded by the City of Somerville, Lesley University is offering a virtual Portuguese II course for Somerville community members that runs March 18 through May 8 on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6:45 to 8:00 p.m. This course is intended for individuals with prior knowledge of Portuguese. Applicants must be a Somerville resident or an employee in the City of Somerville. Learn more and apply at lesley.edu/arpa.

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Mudflat and East Somerville Main Streets are looking for a muralist to uniquely design and execute a painted mural for the left side, western-facing façade of the Mudflat building at 81 Broadway. The mural dimensions will be approximately 20 feet wide x 13 feet high. East Somerville Main Streets is accepting applications for the next East Somerville Mural. Applications will be accepted until March 22, you can find the application and mural details here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScvEQMdVTZ1CtprlsHRkmCRF3yUdA2irmhoDD4oBwK9F48C6A/viewform.

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Groundwork Somerville is hiring. Seeking diverse candidates who are passionate about urban agriculture and addressing food access and insecurity issues in Somerville. Are you an experienced urban agriculture advocate who is interested in growing culturally relevant crops and sharing the abundance with the community. Find the full job description on their website www.groundworksomerville.org.

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The Somerville Arts Council also has a call to all musicians for ArtBeat 2024. Calls are now available. Submission Deadline April 15. To learn more visit https://beta.somervilleartscouncil.org/artbeat/. Now in its 38th year ArtBeat is one of their largest festivals of the season. They invite applicants to explore all themes related to “wild.” Bands and musicians are invited to apply to play on two different stages. They seek music that lends itself to a festival environment, typically not classical or purely instrumental jazz for this setting.

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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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