– Photos by Bobbie Toner

Seize the Summer, the July installment of the city’s seasonal SomerStreets festival took place Sunday, July 29 between Walnut and Cedar Streets on Highland Ave.

Seize the Summer is the second of the 2013 SomerStreets celebrations, with the first event having drawn more than 3,000 attendees in June along East Broadway. For this unique street fair, where “roads are closed to cars and open to you,” programming included: a family bike ride, health and fitness fair, live music, family-friendly activities, craft vendors, food and more.

SomerStreets is the City of Somerville’s take on the internationally-renowned Open Streets concept, closing busy city streets to vehicles, and opening them up for cycling, walking, dancing, running, and other modes of activity. Through SomerStreets, the city and its community partners aim to promote and encourage easy access to physical activity, fresh foods, and reconnecting with neighborhoods and businesses and their unique cultural elements in a thriving urban environment.