On Saturday, March 22, the Dormition of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church Church will be celebrating Greek Independence Day and honoring our local war hero George Dilboy at Somerville City Hall. All are welcome to join up at City Hall at 11 a.m. to celebrate Greek Heritage and honor our local hero George Dilboy. This event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.

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The Somerville Arts Council in conjunction with the City of Somerville’s Public Space and Urban Forestry Division is seeking an experienced working metal artist for a public art project to design and build an entry gate for the Glen Park Community Garden on Franklin Street. Download call here https://somervilleartscouncil.org/.

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On Thursday, March 20, at 6 p.m., MassDOT will hold a virtual design public hearing to present the design for the proposed Webster Ave. bridge replacement project in Somerville. https://www.mass.gov/event/somerville-bridge-replacement-br-s-17-016-webster-avenue-over-mbta-bmrr-03-20-2025.

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Happy birthday this week to the following: Happy birthday to Rachael Hart-Adams. We wish her the very best of birthdays, celebrating with her great family. Happy birthday to MaryLynn McWatters O’Malley. We hope she has a great day. Happy birthday to great guy and lifelong resident, Ed Bean. We wish him the best. We wish all of our Facebook friends such as Dottie Poudrier a very special day along with Neil Gillis Sr., Alexander Levering Kern, Shirley Benoit McMenimen, Michael Cirrone, Paul Carafotes, Roy Bertocchi, Rosalee Zammuto, Linda Sirignano and Rhonda Annette a very happy birthday. To all those who are also celebrating this week, we wish them a happy birthday.

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Networked Geothermal Information Session, March 25. The City of Somerville’s Office of Sustainability and Environment invites residents to learn about the city’s feasibility study on networked geothermal in our community, and energy efficiency options you can do now. This virtual event will be held on Tuesday, March 25, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. online via Zoom. Register to attend. https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/6617388572164/WN_y0lsL-3iSwS1GqUh132i-g#/registration

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Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and the City of Somerville staff invite you to Somerville’s third annual Civic Day. Come learn about city services and local government via free activities, and enjoy local eats and entertainment on Saturday, April 5, from noon to 4 p.m. at City Hall (93 Highland Ave.) and on the City Hall concourse. In the event of inclement weather, all outdoor activities will be moved inside to Somerville High School (81 Highland Ave.). To learn more, visit somervillema.gov/civicday.

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Municipal scholarships are available for high school seniors. Seven $1,000 municipal scholarships are available for high school seniors graduating in 2025 through the City of Somerville Municipal Scholarship Committee. Applicants must be residents of Somerville who have been accepted to an accredited post-secondary institution. Students are asked to complete a profile and answer three short essay questions by March 31. Learn more and apply: https://www.somervillema.gov/somerville-municipal-scholarship-2025

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Plan ahead as parks close temporarily for tree maintenance. Proactive maintenance is essential for healthy tree growth and preserving Somerville’s urban forest. The Somerville Parks Tree Program is gearing up for its sixth year to provide a comprehensive health assessment to 327 trees throughout ten parks this spring. To do this work, temporary park closures are required. Residents are encouraged to check for park closures before planning an outing to city parks. Learn more here https://www.somervillema.gov/treehealth.

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Calling all members of the Somerville music community! Join the Somerville Arts Council for two meetings to discuss the future of our local music ecosystem. From venues and rehearsal spaces to recording, come together to find solutions to these critical issues. Meeting 1: March 23, 4 – 5:30 p.m., Somerville Music Spaces, 1060 Broadway C101B. Meeting 2: March 31, 6:30 – 8 p.m., at The Jungle, 6 Sanborn Court.

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Central Broadway Zoning Study Presentation, March 26. Last year the cities of Somerville and Medford underwent a zoning study for the Broadway Corridor to help shape zoning and policy changes. Now, a final study document is here based on research, analysis, and public engagement with stakeholders from both communities. Join city staff for a presentation of the study and a Q&A session.This hybrid event will be held on Wednesday, March 26, at the Arthur D. Healey School (5 Meacham St.) and online at 6 p.m. Learn more https://voice.somervillema.gov/broadway-corridor

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Drum Your Heart Day, Saturday April 26, at Gilman Art Park, Medford St., Somerville. Bring a bucket or metal or a drum and everyone will drum together led by a core of Drum Artists. Beginning around 1 p.m. Celebrate, protest, express yourself to the universe the good we know we need to overcome hate and prejudice from our neighborhoods across America. Gilman Art Park has been and continues welcoming artists to show Temporary Public Art until June, possibly through this Summer. On the first Saturday of June there will be a celebration honoring all the artists who have contributed their works to this temporary field of free expression.

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Somerville Little League 2025 Spring registration is open. Go to www.somervillelittleleague.org to register.

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On Friday, April 25, GLOWBALL will transform the Armory Performance Hall into an immersive Glow-in-the-Dark Rave created by DJ Adam Gibbons with hypnotic visuals by Jay Medina, all in support of The Center for Arts at the Armory. GLOWBALL is an anti-gala–there will be no speeches, formal presentations or auction. There will be pop-up performances by SambaViva and Sidy Maiga on djembe. This year’s honorees: Rachel Strutt, Lifetime Achievement Award; Clay Fernald, Community Arts Advocate: and Nelson Salazar, Outstanding Artist. GLOWBALL tickets include complimentary international bites, glow-in-the-dark accessories and face painting by Arty Mari. This will surely be Somerville’s most illuminating party of 2025. https://artsatthearmory.org/glowball/

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The Somerville Arts Council’s ArtBeat 2025 Calls for Talent are now available. The Somerville Arts Council invites musicians, street performers, circus artists, installation artists, buskers, craft vendors, and more to participate at ArtBeat 2025. Festival date and new time: Saturday, July 19, 1 – 9 p.m. (Rain date: Sunday, July 20), Davis Square, Somerville. The main festival will take place from 1 to 7 p.m., but music and food will continue in Seven Hills Park from 7 to 9 p.m. Visit https://somervilleartscouncil.org/artbeat/calls/.

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The Mudflat Cup Show 2025.National juried show by Kyle Scott Lee. If you are interested in purchasing any of the cups, please email kate@mudflat.org with your inquiry. Visit https://www.mudflat.org/projects-8 to view.

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Visit the Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland on Tuesday, March 25, at 6:30 pm for the Boston Moth StorySLAM! This community-focused, open-mic storytelling competition is open to anyone can share a story on the night’s theme (changes every month). Doors open at 6:30 pm, show begins at 7:30 pm. More info and tickets available here: https://themoth.org/events/beef-boston-2025.

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Save those milk/juice and other ½ gallon cartons! The Somerville Community Growing Center needs lots of these recycled containers as material for art projects for events, such as Festa Junina hats and pollinator puppets. Please rinse out and cut off the top and bottom to flatten. Contact Yumi at yumiisu65@gmail.com for drop-off arrangements.

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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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Looking for some fun this April break? Join the Somerville Recreation Department for an action-packed April Vacation Program filled with games, arts and crafts, sports, and a field trip to Chunky’s Movie Theater by registering on their website. Located at the West Somerville Neighborhood School, the full day program begins at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 4:30 p.m. Spots may fill fast, so don’t miss out and sign up today for a week of friendship and nonstop fun: https://somervillema.myrec.com/info/default.aspx

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Community Health Worker Division Hours are held every other Thursday at Connexion (149 Broadway, Somerville, MA) from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. They will provide hygiene kits, snacks, and referrals to internal and external partners for the following services: ESL, Housing, SHC, SNAP and MassHealth. Next hours will be held on March 20.

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Reminder: Return your 2025 City of Somerville census. Last month, Somerville’s 2025 census made its way to resident mailboxes. Annual participation in the census is essential for keeping an accurate population count and it updates or maintains your status as an active voter for upcoming elections. The 2025 census form also includes an application to vote by mail in Somerville’s preliminary and city elections this year. Completed census forms can be returned via the postage-paid return envelope included in the mailing, by scanning the form and emailing it to census@somervillema.gov, or in person at City Hall (93 Highland Ave.). Please call 311 (617-666-3311) with any questions.

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The Somerville Commission for Women (SCW) seeks five members, and Somerville residents are encouraged to apply. The SCW serves as a centralizing force in the City of Somerville and the community which will deal with all women’s issues providing information, referral, guidance, and more to public agencies and organizations engaged in activities and programs intended to eliminate prejudice and discrimination against women because of their status as women or minority women. All applications are due Friday, March 21. Interested candidates should submit a statement of interest by email to sflythe@somervillema.gov or by mail to Steven Flythe, Deputy Director, Department of Racial and Social Justice, City of Somerville, 167 Holland Street, Suite 208, Somerville, MA 02144. Please contact Steven Flythe at 781-808-7502 or sflythe@somervillema.gov with any questions.

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Senior Fraud with the Deptartment of Homeland Security takes place on Tuesday, March 25, at 10:00 a.m. at the Holland Street Center. Sean Garvey, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigation, will be giving a presentation on common frauds and will be available to answer questions on senior fraud. RSVP by calling Molly Pagliuca at 617-625-6600, ext. 2318 or email Molly at mpagliuca@somervillema.gov.

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Subscribe to the Somerville Public Library’s email newsletter for monthly updates about the goings-on at the library. Subscribing takes less than five minutes, and if it turns out to not be your thing, unsubscribing is easy. Visit the linktree in their bio to sign up. Lots of adult programming happening at the library for the week of March 30 – April 5. Don’t miss our Take Home a Blackout Poetry Kit starting April 1 at all three branches, and Learn to make Bengali Ghugni with Chef Afruza on April 5 at the East Branch. Visit https://www.somervillepubliclibrary.org/

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State health officials are informing the public that Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, which rarely infects humans, is suspected to be affecting wild and domestic birds in several Massachusetts municipalities. Here are precautionary steps you can take: Avoid handling birds and other wildlife and keep dogs and pets leashed and away from wildlife. Learn more and stay up to date on state guidance. https://www.mass.gov/news/state-officials-provide-updated-guidance-on-suspected-avian-flu-cases-reported-across-massachusetts.

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Winter can stretch budgets to the breaking point. With increased costs for food, heating, housing, and transportation, many Massachusetts families are facing tough choices. If you or your family need help accessing food, don’t wait – call Project Bread’s toll-free FoodSource Hotline today at 1-800-645-8333.

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Join the Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., for their monthly recurring events this March. Somerville Winter Farmer’s Market (Hall), Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Smut Slam, the first Tuesday of every month at 7:30 p.m.. Atomic Comedy Indie Improv Night (Cafe), Thursday, March 20, at 7:30 p.m. and Show Me Your Bits Comedy (use code “arts” for 25% off ticket) (Cafe), Friday, March 21, at 7:30 p.m. More info available for each event on their website. https://artsatthearmory.org/upcoming-events.

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Are you looking for a way to get involved? The City of Somerville needs board and commission members. Learn more and apply for current openings by visiting somervillema.gov/besomerville.

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The Somerville Homeless Coalition invites you to join them for a special celebration on Thursday, March 27, at 6 p.m., in the Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Sq., as they commemorate 40 years of service to the Somerville and Greater Boston community. Enjoy specialty cocktails, delicious delights from local favorites Redbones and Dave’s Fresh Pasta, and vibrant live music to sway to by West of Willows and The Loomers. https://somervillehomelesscoalition.org/events/.

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You can download a helpful packet of Know Your Rights resources and information in the language of your choice below. Somerville Public Schools have also created a list of resources on the One Somerville Resource page, which can be found here https://somerville.k12.ma.us/district-departments/somerville-family-learning-collaborative-sflc/one-somerville-resources.

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SCES is teaming up with City Fresh Foods to offer a five-pack of frozen home-delivered meals. This new meal delivery option is ideal for consumers who want the convenience of home-delivered meals but are not able to be at home each weekday to receive deliveries. Meal recipients can choose which weekday they would like to receive the frozen meals, with up to five meals in each bulk delivery. Each meal comes with bread, milk, and a dessert. Current SCES clients who are interested in receiving meals should call their office at 617-628-2601 or contact their case manager for more information.

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Low-income households may be eligible to receive help with winter heating costs through the Fuel Assistance Program. This program is part of the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) and serves residents of Somerville and Cambridge. Participants receive assistance with their heating costs between November 1 and April 30. Learn more about the program, check if you qualify, and apply for assistance today at somerville-ma.gov/heatingassistance.

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Somerville High School students are invited to bring their SHS ID to the Somerville YMCA on Fridays from 7 to 9 p.m. and Sundays from 2 to 4 p.m. for free. There are free movie nights. On Sundays, students will have access to the basketball and exercise areas (including the weight room). Visit their website to learn more. https://somervilleymca.org/news/somerville-teens-after-hours/. Somerville YMCA asks that students go to their website to register before visiting. This program is for ages 14 to 17 years.

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City Alerts are a great way for those who live, work, or own a business in Somerville to receive important city information that affects your neighborhood. City Alerts provide information about emergencies (including snow emergencies), construction and road closures, water service interruptions, community news, and more. To sign up, visit somervillema.gov/alerts and click on the button for your preferred language. Step-by-step sign-up instructions are available at: somervillema.gov/alerts. Having trouble signing up? You can call 3-1-1 (617-666-3311) for assistance.

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If you want to adopt-a-drain in Somerville, perform light maintenance as needed, and give it a creative name. Sign up for the Adopt-a-Drain program today by visiting Somerville.mysticdrains.org.

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The Somerville Winter Farmers Market is back at the Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave. on Saturdays, 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. from November 2 to April 12. The Center for the Arts at the Armory is proud to offer 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. More info is available on their website: https://www.somwintermarket.org/.

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Through the generosity of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), and from the direction of Mayor Ballantyne, the Council on Aging can provide Durable Medical Equipment at no cost to Somerville residents. Residents with a documented need for medical equipment must be over the age of 60, or have a permanent disability and must be otherwise unable to afford or access needed medical equipment. We currently have available: Commodes, Bath Benches, Rollator Walkers, Incontinence Supplies, and Transport Wheelchairs. For additional information or for an application, please contact Debby Higgins at 617-625-6600, ext. 2321.

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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.