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 somerville-ma.gov/civicday.

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Street sweeping in Somerville resumed on Tuesday, April 1. Somerville’s street cleaning program is an essential public works program that not only keeps our city cleaner but also reduces the risk of flooding and icing due to clogged storm drains. Signs indicate time and date of no parking due to sweeping. The street sweeping season runs from April 1 until December 31 each year. On designated street sweeping days, vehicles must be moved from the side of the street being swept, as noted on signs posted on each street. The penalty for not complying with street sweeping parking regulations is a $50 fine. Check the signs on the streets where you park and visit www.somervillema.gov/sweeper for more information.

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Happy birthday this week to several locals: Happy birthday to our good friend Ida Fasano. We’re wishing her a very happy birthday. Happy birthday to Sissy McWatters-Ankenbauer, who is celebrating this week. We hope she had a great day. Happy birthday to Bruce Rollins II, who also celebrates this week. We hope he enjoys his day as well. Happy birthday to Chris Pedersen. We hope he has a great day. Happy birthday to Linda Rock Coutoumas, who is celebrating this week. Happy birthday to Cheryl Constantine Leatham, who is also celebrating. We hope she is having a great day. We wish a happy birthday to all of our Facebook friends such as Heather Ann, Michael R. Foster, Leo Connerty, Lyss Nicole, Rachel Fuller-DeAmato, Sarah Whitney, Liam Seward, Patricia O’Leary Shanahan, Carolyn Ryan, and Jeanine Jenks Farley, who are all celebrating this week. To all the others we may have missed and, yes, we must admit there are a few more out there. We sincerely wish them the very best of birthdays.

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Create a woven mini masterpiece with your own mini loom made just for you by The Beautiful Stuff Project. All kinds of upcycled materials will be provided for you to use to weave, and TBSP staff will be on hand to coach you through the process. Bring yarn, fabric, paper, feathers and whatever else you might have at home to personalize your piece. The loom will be yours and you can take it home with you after the workshop. This program is recommended for ages 5-9. Join in on Saturday, April 5, from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the Central Library Auditorium, registration required. Contact Annie at aschapira@somervillema.gov.

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Opening reception: A Lens Full of Light, photographs by Gretchen Ann Graham nd Julián Cancino. Saturday, April 5, 6 – 9 p.m., Washington Street Gallery, 321 Washington St. A Lens Full of Light is a dual exhibition by photographers Gretchen Ann Graham and Julián Cancino, which explores the profound connections that shape life across generations. Connecting these two collections as well are the names of the photographers’ subjects, Helen and Eleni. Both names translate to “light” and “the bright one.” This exhibit will feature both digital and silver gelatin prints, with several works on view for the first time. Exhibition dates: March 28 – April 25. Gallery hours: Saturdays 12 – 4 p.m. or by appointment

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Boston Women’s Parkour Workshop, Saturday, April 5, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Parkour Generations Boston, The Dojo at Somernova, 15 Properzi Way. The Boston Women’s Workshop celebrates the female parkour experience and is open to all women, trans women, and non-binary individuals (ages 14–70+). Participants from all movement backgrounds are welcome – whether you’re a parkour practitioner, athlete, movement enthusiast, or simply interested in joining a vibrant, diverse community of healthy, fit, and mobile movers. The event is open to all abilities and fitness levels, whether you’re an absolute beginner or a seasoned pro, there’s a space for you.

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Don’t miss the SPS In-Person Recruitment Fair, April 8, 3:00 – 5:30 p.m. East Somerville Community School Gymnasium, 50 Cross St, Somerville, MA 02145 Meet staff and learn more about our district. Everyone is welcome. No registration needed. https://somerville.k12.ma.us/jobfair.

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Massachusetts has a thriving zine scene, and you’re invited to check out as many zine libraries in the Greater Boston area as you can. During the month of April, complete your Zine Library Crawl passport for the opportunity to win prizes. Zine Library Crawl passports are available at participating libraries. The Zine Crawl takes place throughout the month of April, all day, at the Central Library, East Branch, and West Branch. No registration required. Questions? Contact Tim: tdevin@somervillema.gov.

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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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Somerville Animal Control is in need of towels/blankets/linens. They can arrange a porch pickup if you message them on FB or they can be dropped off at the police station at any time.

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On April 10 at 7:30 p.m., Somerville’s Fair Housing Commission, Department of Racial and Social Justice, and Somerville Public Library invite you to a film screening of Segregated by Design followed by a panel discussion of fair housing and discrimination with local experts. Food and drinks will be provided. Registration is required: https://somervillepubliclibrary.org.

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PorchFest 2025 will take place on Saturday, May 10, from 12 to 6 p.m. (inclement weather date: Sunday, May 11). Applications are now open. Submit by Thursday, April 10 at 11:59 PM. Application submission does not guarantee participation. Certain streets will be restricted for performances to ensure safety. View the restricted street map on our website or view the streets listed below. View how to submit your application for consideration https://somervilleartscouncil.org/porchfest/.

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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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Summer is coming! Check out the city’s summer programming by visiting tinyurl.com/sville2025summer today.

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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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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, Oustanding 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.

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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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Somerville Open Studios 2025 will take place on Saturday and Sunday, May 3–4, from 12 to 6 p.m. each day, at artists’ studios and homes throughout Somerville. Nearly 400 artists in 118 locations citywide will open their studios to the public. Map, artist, and (soon) trolley info at https://www.somervilleopenstudios.org/ The SOS First Look Show at the Somerville Museum will be open from April 24 through May 17.

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East Somerville’s Spring Clean up will take place on April 26. Pastries and coffee are provided by Ola Cafe. 10 a.m. – 12 p.m., 115 Broadway, East Branch Library.

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Community Health Worker Division Hours are held every other Thursday at Connexion (149 Broadway, Som-erville, MA) from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. They will provide hygiene kits, snacks, and referrals to internal and exter-nal partners for the following services: ESL, Housing, SHC, SNAP and MassHealth. Next hours will be held on Thursday, April 3.

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Small Mart is back at The Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square on Friday April 4.with a special night market. They’ll have 30+ local vendors plus tarot reading and on site mending, a full bar, and DJ Johnny Stevens from Soulelujah spinning vinyl all night long. 5 – 10 p.m. Free entry, all ages, wheelchair accessible.

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Registration for SPS free summer programs is now open. They have a wide range of programs open to any SPS student at different grade levels. Check out the summer webpage to learn more: https://somerville.k12.ma.us/summer. Registration runs from Monday, March 24 through April.

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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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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 up-coming elections. The 2025 census form also includes an application to vote by mail in Somer-ville’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 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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