Community members are invited to a neighborhood meeting tonight, Wednesday, October 9, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., to discuss public safety and homelessness in the broader Seven Hills/Davis Square area. Join Mayor Katjana Ballantyne, Police Chief Shumeane Benford, Health and Human Services staff and more for an up-date and discussion on these issues. All members of the community including individuals and businesses are invited. The meeting will take place at the Somerville Community Baptist Church, 31 College Ave.

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All city offices are closed Monday, October 14, for Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Trash and recycling pickup will be delayed by one day.

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Western Pearl Street Reconstruction First Community Meeting: Mayor Katjana Ballantyne, Ward 4 Councilor Jesse Clingan, Ward 1 Councilor Matt McLaughlin, and city staff invite you to a community meeting to discuss the Western Pearl Street Reconstruction project. Wednesday October 9, 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. Register in Advance: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_s1NbOii8Q3icQ891feLQRg

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Happy birthday greetings this week to several locals: Happy birthday to City Councilor Will Mbah. We wish him a very happy birthday. Happy birthday to Valerie Spinale. We hope she has a great day. Happy birthday to Steve Hardy, we wish him a great day. Happy birthday to Naomi Harrison, daughter of Kaitlin Denk. We wish all of our Facebook friends, such as Lusann Wishart, Sue Casazza Smith, Alan Ball Blydenburgh,Phyllis D’Anna, George Bevans, Pamelibra Bono Bromberg, Mary Marshall and Ron Sensale Johnson 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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Don’t miss the College Fair at Somerville High School this Thursday. Meet representatives from over 50 colleges and universities. Thursday, October 10, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. In the cafeteria at Somerville High School. See the complete list of schools at: https://somerville.k12.ma.us/ccr.

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A Latin American and Caribbean Heritage Month Celebration takes place on Saturday, October 12, 2:00 – 5:00 p.m., at East Somerville Community School, 50 Cross St., Somerville. This event will showcase the rich cultural contributions of Latin American and Caribbean communities through music, dance, food, and art. Enjoy live performances, interactive activities, and delicious traditional food. Bring your family and friends to honor and celebrate the diversity that makes our community unique.

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The Ward 6 City Hall Meeting has been rescheduled and will now be held on Monday, October 21. The meeting will take place at the Somerville Community Baptist Church, 31 College Ave., from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Please join in as well for a half-hour meet and greet with pizza and snacks starting at 6:00 p.m. with the mayor, staff, and your neighbors. To learn more, visit somerville-ma.gov/communitymeetings.

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Local Somerville non-profit arts organization Around Hear is holding a Fall Concert in partnership with the Somerville Housing Authority on Saturday, October 26, 2:00 – 3:30 p.m., Mystic Activity Center, 530 Mystic Ave. Somerville. Free, open to the public, listeners of all ages are welcome, refreshments served. Write, draw, move while you listen, after-concert pizza party.

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The Somerville Community Growing Center will be holding their Salvage Sale and Markers’ Market on October 19, 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m., 22 Vinal Ave. An innovative yard sale in two parts: the first a curated, seasonally-themed sale featuring salvaged housewares, clothing, jewelry, books and decorative items; the second, a craft/artisan fair offering everything from locally-designed clothing, original artwork and prints, to handmade jewelry and other treasures. More about the event at www.thegrowingcenter.org/yard-sale. To find out more about donating to the “Salvage Sale” portion, visit bit.ly/sss-give-24. To Volunteer, go to bit.ly/scgc-volunteer. To become a craft/art vendor, visit bit.ly/sss-sell-24 to register.

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Volunteer Appreciation Herb Workshop: Thursday, October 17, 4:30 – 5:30 p.m., The Somerville Community Growing Center, 22 Vinal Ave. Join them for a volunteer appreciation event where they will make herbal fire cider or a shrub, with the help of an herbalist student and GC volunteer. Bring a small clean glass jar with a lid if you have one but we will have extra. No need to sign up just stop by.

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Are you an emerging artist looking to share your artistic skills with your community? The City of Somerville, through the Somerville Arts Council (SAC), invites emerging artists (or a group of artists working as a team) to submit project concepts to be considered for a commission to create a temporary public artwork. This opportunity is funded in partnership with the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA), making it public program. $750 for Finalists. $15,000 Selected Project budget,Applications are due on October 31, by 11:59 p.m. Apply here: www.somervilleartscouncil.org/TemporaryPublicArt.

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The 9th Curated Vintage Market at Bow Market will take place on Sunday, October 13, 1 Bow Market, 12:00 – 8:00 p.m.. The market will have 80+ vintage vendors from New England and beyond gather to bring the best and baddest vintage finds to the heart of Union Square.

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Save the date for SomerStreets: Monster Mash on Sunday, October 20, from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. (rain date 10/27) on Somerville Ave. between School St. to Warren Ave. A free and family friendly event.

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On October 20, from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m., during SomerStreets: Monster Mash, visit Milk Row Cemetery to learn about our city’s history from those who lived it. Friendly ghosts will share their stories from the early days of Somerville during this free event, which includes an activity for kids. The Somerville Museum is looking for a few more “ghosts” to participate in the event. The role involves wearing period clothing (provided) and using a basic script to play an 18th or 19th-century character. Volunteers should be comfortable standing for several hours and interacting with community members. Contact Grace Bryan, Historic Events Manager, at grace@somervillemuseum.

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The 2024 Halloween Block Party Pet Spooktacular takes place October 26, at Chuckie Harris Park, 2:00 – 6:00 p.m. Dress up your pet in their most creative costume and join in for a day of Halloween fun like no other. Watch cute pets and their owners in a costume contest, play fun games, take great photos, and enjoy tasty food. Don’t forget to check out local artisans and vendors.

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To celebrate a decade of success, Assembly Row will host their first-ever drone show on Saturday, October 19, 355 Artisan Way. Sponsored by Capital One Café, this public event kicks off at 3:00 p.m. Enjoy a variety of activities, including free play at Club Volo, live music on The Lawn, and drinks from our Downeast Cider pop-up. The festivities will conclude with a 150-drone light show at 7:00 p.m. Family-friendly fun includes a bouncy house obstacle course and a Touch-A-Truck area sponsored by Millennium Companies, along with photo ops, giveaways, special deals, and more.

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Ward-based City Hall Community Meetings are back this fall. Hear from Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and city staff to find out what’s happening in your neighborhood, how to get involved, and ask questions about issues that are important to you. All ward meetings are in-person and will begin at 6:30 p.m.. All Ward Meeting in Spanish: Tuesday, October 15, East Somerville Community School Cafeteria, 50 Cross St. This meeting will also be livestreamed on the City of Somerville YouTube page and shared on the Spanish language Facebook page fb.com/SomervilleCiudad. Ward 2 (S. Union Sq., Perry and Lincoln Park neighborhoods, Beacon St. area, and more):Wednesday, October 16, Argenziano School Cafeteria, 290 Washington St.. For additional accommodations,please call 311 (617-666-3311). To learn more, visit somervillema.gov/communitymeetings.

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Brickbottom Artists Association will hold the Glyphs opening, Thursday, October 10, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., 1 Fitchburg St. Jo Sandman’s exhibition of abstract shape as expressions of visually poetic language or glyphs, including collage, mixed media sculpture, and photography from the 1950s until 2014.

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Halloween costume party at the Central Library, October 19, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m., 79 Highland Ave. Celebrate Halloween at this special all-ages after-hours costume party.Dress up and swing by for a haunted house, music and dancing, face painting, a photo booth, crafts, karaoke, refreshments, a costume parade and more.

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The Elections Department is looking to hire multiple inspectors for the upcoming November 5 Presidential Election and will be holding a brief information session where you can learn some basic knowledge of the polls. The hours the polls are open to voters are from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 5. Register to attend an information session on Tuesday, October 8, at City Hall (93 Highland Ave.) at 10:00 a.m. or 2:00 p.m. If you can’t make an information session but would like to learn more, please call the Elections Office at 617-625-6600 ext. 4200. https://www.somervillema.gov/departments/elections.

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The Somerville Homeless Coalition is gearing up for its annual Somerville 5K Road Race on October 5, to support the most underprivileged neighbors experiencing homelessness this year. For 29 years, supporters from across the Greater Boston area have run throughout the streets of Somerville in solidarity to ensure that our clients receive the critical resources and services they need on their journey to securing a forever home. Visit https://somervillehomelesscoalition.org/.

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Somerville Public Schools are now in session for the 2024/2025 school year. Visit SPS district website calendar for more information: https://somerville.k12.ma.us/events/calendar. Visit the 2024–2025 School Year Calendar page for an English, Spanish, Portuguese, or Haitian Creole calendar to print: https://somerville.k12.ma.us/schoolyearcalendar. Visit the Food and Nutrition Services Department page for school meal menus. Breakfast and lunch are free for all students: https://somerville.k12.ma.us/fnsd.

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Register to vote for the November 5 election, one of three ways: online at somerville-ma.gov/registertovote, in person at City Hall (93 Highland Ave.), or by calling the Elections Department (617-625-6600 ext. 4200) and requesting a voter registration form. The in-person registration deadline is Saturday, October 26, by 5:00 p.m. or online by midnight. Your registration can also be mailed and will be accepted with a postmark of October 26 or earlier.

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SPS is hiring substitute teachers for all of our PK-12 schools. For more information or to apply visit https://somerville.tedk12.com/hire.

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Did you know that SNAP and WIC benefits do not cover diapers? This leaves many families to make difficult decisions between food, diapers, and other needs. The annual Metro-Boston Diaper Drive, from October 6 to 19, gives all donated diapers to the Somerville WIC office, which serves Cambridge, Somerville, Arlington, Watertown, Lexington, Bedford, Lincoln and Belmont. Please visit mbdiapers.org to make a donation In addition, drop off donated diapers to any of the Somerville Library Children’s rooms through October 19.

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The 2024-25 Racial and Social Justice Youth League Cohort application is now live through Wednesday, October 16. This is an exciting paid opportunity for Somerville youth to bring youth concerns to the forefront and help shape the future of our city: http://bit.ly/YouthLeague_24.

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The Somerville Arts Council is looking for 3-4 passionate community members to join its Board and help shape the city’s vibrant arts scene. As a Board member, you’ll provide guidance, network with artists, and play a role in funding local arts initiatives. They’re especially interested in those with experience in music, literature, or public art. Submit your statement of interest by October 10. Learn more https://www.somervillema.gov/news/join-somerville-arts-council-board The Somerville Flea is back at 52 Holland St. Join in as they celebrate their 12th year smack dab in the middle of Davis Square. Vintage vendors, artisan makers, farm stand and DJ. Find that treasure you never knew you even existed. 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Sundays, August through October.

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East Somerville Main Streets is looking for vendors for their Halloween Block Party on Saturday, October 26, from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. at Chuckie Harris Park. Please sign up through the form (https://forms.gle/BvSwZX8YYUeg3rGB7) for more information. Don’t miss this opportunity to have fun and meet the community.

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All Wednesdays during the school year are now early release days. You may talk to your child’s teacher or school administrators if you have any questions about drop-off and pickup. Prekindergarten: 12:00 p.m., Grades K–8 (except Next Wave): 1:00 p.m., Next Wave/Full Circle: 12:10 p.m., Somerville High School: 1:33 p.m.

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The Council on Aging Flu and COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic Dates at the Holland St. Senior Center, 167 Holland St. Senior Only Clinics, please register by calling the COA directly at 617-625-6600, ext. 2300. October 10, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. Clinics open to the general public, please register via the City of Somerville website. October 21 (ages 19+) noon- 2:00 p.m., November 18 (ages 19+) noon – 2:00 p.m., December 12 (ages 19+) 4:00 – 6:00 p.m.

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