By Cathleen Twardzik

On July 24, along Highland Avenue, from Walnut Street to Cedar Street, Somerville will enjoy the second SomerStreets celebration of 2011, which is entitled Seize the Summer.

In fact, the event will be held in an area of Somerville which is new to the initiative.

SomerStreets is the City’s Open Streets Initiative, which closes sections of roadway one Sunday per month to promote and support active living such as, walking, biking, running, or dancing.

SomerStreets began last year, and in all there will be five SomerStreets events this summer, as the series recurs each consecutive year.

Last month, Carnaval @ SomerStreets attracted over 5,000 people along East Broadway.

However, this month, along Highland Avenue, local businesses and organizations including: the Somerville fire department, Kidical Mass Arts at the armory, the Somerville YMCA and Cambridge Health Alliance, will partner with the city to provide activities for children and adults.

Activities will include: a farmers market, outdoor yoga, live music, a family swim at the YMCA, bike decorating and “Kidical Mass” bike ride, face painting, sand castle building, arts and crafts, a health fair, and dance demonstrations.

“These events encourage community members of all ages to get outside and be active, but also to experience new areas of the community and learn about the businesses and organizations that call our city home.  We have a lot of wonderful things to offer, and I’m excited at how popular the SomerStreets trend has become in just one short year,” said Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone.

“We try to make sure [that] we utilize the whole city.  To a degree, we’re still determining the best places to hold these events.  We know we’ve got two locations that work really well, and we have high hopes for Highland Avenue, which is a nice, central location that everyone in the city can get to without too much trouble,” said Michael Meehan, Director of Communications of the City of Somerville.

Part of the goal of each event is to provide an opportunity for people “to walk around, see some friends or neighbors, [and] perhaps, even meet some new friends,” he said.

SomerStreets builds on the Shape Up Somerville healthy living initiative.  Similar open streets events take place all around the world to provide space, which is normally taken up by automobile traffic, so that people may be more active.

More specifically, this year, special attention is being paid to the availability of fresh food at SomerStreets.

Additionally, at 4 p.m., attendees are invited to continue the fun by taking a walk down Vinal Avenue to a family-friendly concert, which will take place at the Community Growing Center.

The remaining 2011 SomerStreets schedule is: August 21 on Alewife Brook Parkway, from Dilboy Field to Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge, Going Green on Route 16; September 10 on Shore Drive, Rolling on the Mystic; and finally, October 23 on Somerville Avenue from Union Square to Porter Square, Fall Festival.

All SomerStreets events will run from 12 to 4 p.m., rain or shine.