This Saturday evening on the 23rd at 7p.m., the Greek Orthodox Church Dormition on Central Street will be unveiling The Axion Estin icon of the Virgin Mary, one of the oldest and most highly venerated icons of Orthodoxy. This is the authenticated replica of the Axion Estin Icon at Hierarchical Great Vespers service. The public is invited to attend and a delicious free reception is to follow.

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This Saturday and Sunday from 12 to 6 p.m., over 60 Brickbottom artists will open their live-work studios to the public, showing and selling work in a wide variety of media and formats. A block away, the 50+ artists of Joy Street Studios will open their doors as well, many offering demonstrations of their methods and working techniques. More info, maps and directions at http://brickbottomartists.com/open_studios_info           http://www.joystreetstudios.com.

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Happy Birthday here and around the Ville to some of our fans. First of all, to that realtor who is well known here in the city, Betty Levin, we wish HB. To our good friend and soon to be real estate agent, not to mention he’s a great all around handyman, Bobbygeorge Potaris. We wish him a big HB. Community activist and good guy Joe Beckman, we wish a big HB too. And to a good guy down at the station and a great Villen, Rick Gilberti, we salute and wish him a big HB. Happy Birthday to Lea Gartland, a lifelong resident. We wish a Happy Birthday this coming weekend to Todd Easton, a community activist. A Happy Birthday also to Dorie Clark, a resident and self-employed at Clark Strategic Communications. Happy Birthday and best wishes to Karen McNeil. To all those other Villens out there celebrating this week we wish you a Happy Birthday and a great day for yourselves.

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Our condolences go out to the family of Peter G. Smith who passed away recently, a nice guy and long time resident here in Somerville. He was married to Gail (Himelrick) Smith for many years. Often, when you saw Peter his wife Gail wasn’t too far away. They were a very nice couple. He will be waked at George L. Doherty Funeral home, 855 Broadway (Powder House Sq.), this coming Friday, the 22nd, from 6-8 p.m. Peter was a veteran of the Navy.

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Thanks to an Olde Somerville guy, Richard Kelley, who was JFK’s Somerville campaign manager for US Senate campaign in the 50’s, for the nice pictures he brought to us. Richard was a long time attorney and was associated with former Middlesex County District Attorney’s office under John Droney.  A nice guy with a lot of memories going back in time here in Somerville. We thank him for remembering the old days.

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Another guy who was around in the Kennedy days was James Graham of East Somerville. He came in to The Times this week and showed us his “Youth for Kennedy” button, which you can see in the paper today.

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For all our friends, readers and fans, we have brand new boxes coming out across the city in the next week or two. Over 20 different locations for now with more coming down the road. The Somerville Times’ publisher Ross Blouin is excited, along with the staff, to be presenting such a good product for all the residents new and old to read and enjoy. The Somerville Times has some exciting things happening in the next few weeks as well. Keep an eye out and enjoy the paper. You can tell the difference, we’re sure of it.

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Somerville recently ranked 7th in the most walkable city and 9th most transit-friendly city in the nation, according to the 2014 National Walk Score. The new scores released in November reflect Somerville’s continued climb up the walkability charts, rising three spots from 10th last year to 7th in the latest ranking, that with the new Orange and Green Line T stops coming down the road.

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This Saturday St. Clement vs. Cohasset play at Brockton High School field. If St. Clement wins they go to the Super Bowl at Gillette Stadium. We’re hoping they make it.

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Don’t forget this is the last week to vote for your “Best of Somerville” favorites. We have received numerous ballots and phone calls. The other day alone over 60 ballots were delivered by mail. Vote for your favorite place or person or subject. Remember, winners will be announced next week. We’re excited.

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Congratulations to Alderman At Large Bill White. We hear through the alderman grape vine that he has managed to get the votes to make sure Alderman at Large Jack Connolly won’t be President next year, even though tradition has it that the Vice President usually goes on to be President. We heard that Bill, along with his good buddy Ward 4 Alderman Tony Lafuente, were busy getting votes to keep Bill in as President. The only thing is, several other aldermen were not notified. It looks like Bill will have another year of violating Alderman Rule #26, or was that #28? Heck, we can’t remember them either, but then again were not on the Board of Alderman.

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We’re going to announce shortly the alderman who had the worst attendance record again this year. We will have the results shortly, so look forward to it. Can you guess who that alderman is?

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Our sincere condolences this week go out to the Robert Campo family. He passed away leaving a lot of family and friends here in the city. A well-known and friendly guy, Bob Campo will be missed by many. Even though he moved out of the city years ago, he was a very popular mailman in East Somervile/Winter Hill in his day.

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Also, or condolences go out to the family of Florence Riberio, who passed away last week. She was the wife of a well-known individual, Gilbert Riberio.  Florence will be missed by her family and friends. She was an extremely nice lady and very well liked by many here in the Ville.

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Keep an eye out for the Thanksgiving basket in the SCALE lobby. Each year, SCALE staff assembles a Thanksgiving basket and raffle it off to raise money for the SCALE scholarship fund, which benefits our students. Tickets are only $1. 167 Holland Street, Somerville, MA 02144. 617 666-9368.

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The Somerville Public Library invites all residents to a book discussion of Strong Boy: The Life and Times of John L. Sullivan, America’s First Sports Hero with author Christopher Klein, to be held Wednesday, Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. at the Central Library, 79 Highland Ave. Strong Boy tells the story of America’s first sports superstar, Sullivan, the first athlete to earn more than a million dollars. Rising from Boston’s Irish working class to become the most recognizable man in the nation in the late nineteenth century, he is said to have transformed the sport of boxing. Christopher Klein is a writer specializing in history, travel, and sports. His books include Discovering the Boston Harbor Islands: A Guide to the City’s Hidden Shores and The Die-Hard Sports Fan’s Guide to Boston. Klein is a frequent contributor to the Boston Globe and History.com, and has also written for The New York Times, National Geographic Traveler, Harvard Magazine, Red Sox Magazine, ESPN.com, Smithsonian.com, and AmericanHeritage.com. This free author discussion is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Somerville Public Library and the Harvard Coop Bookstore. Harvard Coop will be selling books, and refreshments will be served. All are welcome.