Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.)

I started writing this little column back in 2008. I thought I was going to write funny stories about Somerville. It then evolved into a sort of history of Somerville. I changed the name from On The Silly Side, to Life in the Ville, because that was what it was about, life in this great city of ours.

After writing in this paper for over five years, I have decided that I have touched on just about everything I can think of. I wrote about the schools, the old stores, the playgrounds, the beaches we went to, the radio stations we listened to and the TV shows we watched. I touched on the family doctor, music, holidays, old toys, our first jobs, and our first cars. I wrote about the bars and restaurants we used to frequent and the old stores, factories and sub shops that we loved. At the risk of being redundant and repetitive, I am hanging it up for a while.

I loved doing this article and it was a labor of love. I was helped out a lot by the social networks such as Facebook. People would send me ideas to write about and I interviewed some very interesting characters. In my position as Somerville Youth Arts Coordinator, the summer is my busy time. I need to donate most of my time to the Sunsetters, The Moonlighters, and Project STAR. And if there is any time left over, me and my family will head up north to our little New Hampshire getaway. I will also continue helping my sons, Jimmy and Joey Del Ponte’s band Stainless.

I particularly enjoyed being stopped at the corner store by some of you awesome readers. You would say something like, “I love your articles,” and I would ask how they knew it was me. They would smile and say. “I recognized you from your photo in the paper!” That photo kept me from screaming at drivers in traffic and flipping people off. Well, let’s just say it slowed it down a bit. You can’t take the Somerville out of the boy!

Being a lifelong Villen is the best! I love the people, the history, and the landscape. A prouder Somerville citizen there could not be. Thank you for letting me share my stories, poems, and memories with you for the past five years. Believe me, when I have something vital to say, you will hear from me again.

You can find all of my previous stories by searching (Google) The Somerville News, On The Silly Side, Life in the Ville, or just my name. I’d like to thank Cam and Bobbie Toner, Donald Norton and all the staff at The Somerville News for their generous help and support over the years. You have not heard the last of me I promise. Somerville Rocks! Thank you, and I’ll see you around The Ville!