Somerville Chamber “Business After Hours” this Thursday, September 1, from 5-7 p.m., will be at the Olde Magoun’s Saloon located at 518 Medford Street, Magoun Square. Free appetizers, excellent networking, free business card drawing, cash bar. It’s a wonderful opportunity for local businesses to connect to each other as a network.

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So it’s the last weekend of the summer and lots of people in the ‘Ville have left to enjoy it. The only ones around, we hear, are the various candidates for public office (sad there isn’t more of them). We heard nothing other than congratulations to the city, Mayor Joe, and DPW Commissioner Stan Koty for a job well done in removing all the various debris of fallen trees. The DPW crews were out doing a good job. Visit our web site and view over 20 pictures of trees around the city.

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Congratulations on upcoming nuptials for a good friend of The News here, David Mata and Carla Bollia who are planning on getting married in September. David and Carla are both newcomers to Somerville and love it here. We wish them the best for many years.

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Our own publisher Donald and Patricia Norton are celebrating their 44th wedding anniversary on September 1. 44 years ago they got married in Columbia South Carolina, and they remembered it well, flying down on Mohawk Airlines and getting married at City Hall the next day.

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Happy Birthday this week in the ‘Ville to everyone, and in particular the following waitress of the year in 2009, the famous East ‘Villen (on the Avenue) Patti Oppedisano. We hear she’s only in her late 30’s but looks much younger.    To Leigh Hawkins–Gerow who just got married this year and has recently moved, but we hear is still in the ‘Ville. Happy Birthday to our friend J. Steve Dalrymple of the famous local Steve’s and Sons construction who is celebrating his birthday at the Red Sox game this week. Former ‘Villen Stephanie Almeida who is very well known here. Other notables that are fans are Michael Tubinis, a teacher in Cambridge and a good friend to many, and Roger W. Pageau of Western Mass. To all our Birthday ‘Villens both here in the ‘Ville and elsewhere, we hope they enjoy themselves and have a great day.

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Thanks go out to our friend, thirteen year old Jessica Mantia who made our Newtalkers some delicious homemade chocolates during the hurricane. That was very nice of her, especially during the wait time during the downpour and winds. We greatly appreciate it.

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Schools are opening and we need to remind people to be careful of kids darting in and out of between cars, don’t race up and down the side streets.

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The annual “Best of Somerville” will be coming up in September. The ballot will be in the paper, so be ready to cast your vote for your favorite person and place here in Somerville. If you don’t see a category for your favorite let us know and we will add it. Your ballot can be emailed or you can call it in, mail it in, or place it on facebook. The Somerville News has been bringing the “Best of Somerville” now for over 30 years, and it has become very popular in the past few years with more and more votes on various items.

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Aldermen passed a resolution objecting the delays in the Green Line promise by the state. A proposal was made by Aldermen Sean O’Donovan, Robert Trane, and William Roche, as well as the other Aldermen at the recent August 25 BOA meeting. The Aldermen were upset and expressed themselves individually as the resolution was being discussed. Some were pretty expressive, and deservedly so. Everyone here in Somerville is behind the Green Line.   But we have to wonder, even though we are all for the Green Line, we didn’t know this was coming? State, federal, and now local governments will be slashing budgets and laying off people and cutting programs. On top of that, we have a weak legislator’s coalition at the state house headed by Sen. Pat Jehlen. In the old days, our legislators would be demanding, screaming, and forcing the state to keep its promise.  It’s very sad that we have a delegation more interested in giving illegal aliens rights instead of focusing on what’s good for Somerville!

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So, the Somerville Community Corporation is now purchasing the old Pope School (lately known as the Somerville/Boys and Girls Club) on the corner of Boston Street and Washington Street. What a sweet deal the SCC is going to be getting since the city sold this property to the Boys & Girls club for something like a dollar back in the 80’s?      Is this non-profit organization here in Somerville on the up and up?    They have been caught having contractors doing the work that aren’t even from Somerville, but their director, Dan LeBlanc, pickets other construction sites demanding Somerville jobs to Somerville people, when in fact he hasn’t been doing it himself. His recent construction site at the old St. Polycarp’s, according to him, had only about 16% Somerville residents on the job. Still recently, many out of state trucks are still seen on the property, in particular New Hampshire ones. The city should make the SCC commit to making a majority of the work being done at any of their sites be done by Somerville residents.

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Saturday, September 17, from 9 am-1 pm, is the day to discover hundreds of perennials and house plants at the annual sale organized by the Somerville Garden Club. Sale location is in the heart of Davis Square, at the intersection of College Avenue and Holland Street, across from the Davis Square T stops, rain or shine. Looking for some fall additions to your garden, an interesting houseplant for your apartment or dorm room? Selections range from reliable gardeners favorites to “connoisseur” plants, all reasonably priced and ready to enhance your home or back yard. Perennials for sun and shade, shrubs, edibles, and groundcovers will be for sale, as well as a varied choice of houseplants. Also for sale: garden books, decorative pots, and other gardening supplies. Experienced gardeners from the Somerville Garden Club will be available to help with selections, and a horticultural information table will be ready to answer your other gardening questions.  Proceeds from the sale benefit the nonprofit Somerville Garden Club and support its programs and citywide public plantings. The club meets the second Wednesday of every month, 167 Holland St, second floor, wheelchair accessible.  Anyone with an interest in gardens and gardening is welcome to attend. To learn more about the Somerville Garden Club, please visit somervillegardenclub.org.

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Viewers’ Choice Winner for SomerMovie Fest 2011  is “Rushmore.”  The winning movie will be shown Thursday, September 1st at dusk at Seven Hills Park in Davis Square. The film centers on Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman), a precocious and eccentric 15 year-old, who is both Rushmore’s most extracurricular and least scholarly student; Herman Blume (Bill Murray), a disillusioned industrialist who comes to admire Max; and Rosemary Cross (Olivia Williams), a widowed first grade teacher who becomes the object of both Max’s and Herman’s affection.