The Somerville Boxing Club, the Somerville Recreation Dept., Mayor Curtatone and USA Boxing present Somerville Fight Night, Friday night, August 23 at Dilboy Stadium, Route 16, at 6 p.m. Rain date August 24. For ticket information call 617-764-3326. Last year at the first one there was a great turnout and a nice night of entertainment. Support the club and the good work they do for local kids.

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Happy Birthday this week to some of our Villens both here and elsewhere, wherever they may be spread across the place.  The famous Hart twins are celebrating this week. Both Maureen and Mary are now married, with families of their own. My, how time flies. Also celebrating, our good friend Clifford Clark, now of Derry, who is a great dad, a nice guy and a wonderful son to his mother and father. A Happy B’day to Paul McLashing, a local guy and well known, used to work at Alibrandi Barber shop. We wish him the best.     Also to Maria Coviello from the Ville. Happy Birthday to Larry Rogers, also from the Ville. Jason Souza of J-Rock Publishing also grew up here and is still living here. Nancy Bernhard, originally from Stamford, CT, but now resides here in the Ville. To Jo-Ann Liberatore who works as Administration Assistant here for the City of Somerville, we say HB. Also in the Ville here, little Owen Rosas, the son of Lee and Caroline Rosas. Owen is 7 this week, and mom is busy running for School Committee in Ward Five. To all our fans out there in the Ville and elsewhere who we might have missed, we salute you and send Happy Birthday wishes.

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Even though we’re not in Medford (yet), make sure you tell all your good friends over there that one of former Senator Charlie Shannon’s aides is running for City Council in Medford. We wish Adam Knight the best of luck in his campaign for councilor. What a real nice guy. We wish him nothing but the best as well as a Happy Birthday to him. Remember, mention him to your friends over in Medford.

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Here in the city the campaign is coming down to the wire for some. There is only a primary in Ward’s One, Three and Five, and all the candidates are working feverishly putting up signs and walking their wards, talking to residents. The Ward One Alderman race is going to be a good one in September. Two popular, well-known residents in Elio LoRusso and Maureen Bastardi are working hard door-to-door and newcomer to Ward One, Matt McLaughlin, we hear is out there as well. We also hear that Maureen Bastardi is working hard knocking on doors. It all comes down to Election Day and identifying their votes and getting them out.

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In the Three Wards that have a Primary we hear the following: In Ward One, Alderman Bastardi is racking up her endorsements. She has received the endorsements from the Somerville Firefighter Assoc. Local 76, the Somerville Police Employees Assoc., and the Sierra Club, the nation’s oldest and most effective grassroots environmental organization of protecting the environment. We also hear she was voted as the Readers Choice for Somerville’s Best Alderman for the Somerville Scout Magazine. In Ward Three we hear there is a war now on signs, but a close friend of the McWatters campaign claims that, as of Tuesday of this week, he has 84 signs throughout the ward with many more to come. We’re not sure about Desmond’s signs, but we do see some out there in our travels in Ward Three. In Ward Five Mark had the edge up to about week or so ago, but lots of O’Keefe’s signs are popping up everywhere you look. In the School Committee race in Ward Five we see a lot of Pitone signs as well as Rosas signs throughout the ward. It seems like all the candidates in the ward fights are working the summer hard because September 24 comes rather quickly.

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Congratulations to Matt Dias, who has headed off to Park City, Utah, as the new City Manager. Matt ran Traffic and Parking here in the city, and did a very professional job here for Somerville. What a nice guy. He will be missed by many here in the city and in the administration. We wish him the very best in his new job. His replacement is said to be coming from within the city government. Some names are floating around, but no one wants to confirm. But we will find out and let you know! Whoever it is has to fill big shoes, replacing Matt.

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Eugene Brune’s new book is being released soon and the first signing will be Wednesday, September 4 at the Arts at the Armory on Highland Ave. from 7-9 p.m. If you miss that one then Tuesday, September 10 at the Mount Vernon Restaurant, and on Wednesday, September 18 at the Ball Square Book Store are your next opportunities. Both are also 7-9 p.m. Now, a bit of trivia: The book’s title is Spirit of Somerville. Can anyone guess what it’s taken from? Here’s a hint – 1980’s, Saugus and 900.

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Mary Flynn Dance Studio, 730 Broadway, will be having a Dance Fair this Saturday, August 24 starting at 10 a.m. They want everyone to come and join them for a fun filled dance at the MFM Dance Studio. They will be offering free classes, along with face painting, balloons, snacks, arts ‘n’ crafts, raffles, and much more. Schedule of free classes:  10:30 – Preschool & Tap; 11:30 – Kinderdance & Yoga; 12:30 – Hip-hop and Tumbling; 1:30 – Jazz and Lyric. For more information go online to www.MFMDanceStudio.com.

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Another reminder for the “John T. Forcellese Memorial Fund” 13th Annual Golf Tournament on Saturday, September 7 at the Falmouth Country Club in Falmouth MA.  Tee time is 8:30 a.m. All golfers must check in by 7:45 a.m. The format is Scramble scored by Foursome. For more information go online to www.johns-team.org. It’s a great cause.

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Launched earlier this spring, SomerPlay is the city’s newest innovative program encouraging community building in Somerville so as to increase the amount of time children play together within each neighborhood. It is based on author Mike Lanza’s Playborhood. SomerPlay program concepts were submitted by Somerville residents, with 11 proposals having been accepted. The neighborhood Zone leaders are inviting children and adults from all over Somerville to join in any of these SomerPlay activities. For the most up-to-date information and to find a Zone in your neighborhood, please visit: www.somervillefamilies.com. This Sunday’s locations are Josephine Ave, 2:30 p.m., Highland Road, 2:30 p.m. and Prospect Hill, 4 p.m.

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Local is for Lovers Marketplace will take place on Sunday, August 25 from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. at the Arts for the Armory. The Local is for Lovers Marketplace, is a thriving event bringing together local artists, crafters and entrepreneurs. And it’s just in time for back to school shopping! There will be live music, delicious brews and food for sale in the amazing Arts at the Armory Café.

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The smell of vinyl and vintage goods fills the air again. The Rock and Roll Yard Sale is Sunday, August 25 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Union Square Plaza. Chris and Jennifer Daltry of What Cheer? in Providence have been putting on their Rock And Roll Yard Sales for almost 10 years now in Rhode Island and also in Massachusetts as part of the Somerville Arts Council’s Arts Union program. Some of New England’s best Record Sellers will be on hand with piles and crates of vinyl to dig through, including LPs, 45s, and 78s, in addition to CDs, cassettes, old 8-track tapes, music and audio gear and other music memorabilia, making for a perfect way to find one-of-a-kind items and support DIY and independent small businesses at the same time.

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Some friends of ours are having a huge estate yard sale over in Jamaica Plain this Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 235 Forest Hills Street. Unbelievable stuff is being put out at this huge old Bostonian mansion that looks like a castle. Something for everyone can be found at the estate yard sale.