Happy New Year to all our readers out there both in print and online from the publishers, editors and staff to all here in Somerville. May 2015 be a great year for everyone here in Somerville. Both young and old, new and old time residents come together to celebrate our beautiful city that we all love.

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Don’t forget the 239th annual Grand Union Flag Raising on New Years Day this Thursday, Jan. 1, 2015 at 12 p.m. at Prospect Hill Park. A processional led by a re-enactor portraying General George Washington on horseback will march to Prospect Hill, beginning at City Hall Concourse at 11:30 a.m. Years ago the ceremony began early in the morning on New Year’s Day and attracted a fairly large crowd. Now it seems like its getting later and later in the day.

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A reader online inquired about the history of the boarded up church on Cross Street, directly across from Chuckie Harris Park. The church was first built as the “Randall Memorial Free Baptist Church” erected in 1873. Revered Edwin P. Moulton was its first minister. At some time in the mid 1930’s it folded and became a well-known dance hall for adults then called “Circle Hall,” a very active place that was filled every Friday and Saturday night. In the 1960’s it closed and an insulation company took over the property until it went out of business. Now the building is boarded up and is expected to come down. Somerville had many Baptist Church’s up to the mid 1960’s, many from different Baptist organizations (it is estimated at about 57 different Baptist organizations). So many Baptist churches here that they had a large inter-league sports program for kids, known as BYO, throughout the city. A large retreat in Ocean Park Maine as well as Groton-wood in Groton were Baptist owned summer camps.

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Normally in the past the city would have a mid-term formal swearing in ceremony on the first Monday of the month of January, full of speeches. This year they are skipping it and having just the swearing in and no speeches. What a great idea.

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Happy Birthday this week to some of our readers: Happy Birthday to a wonderful lady here in the Ville, Elaine Czesniuk (daughter of former Mayor Bill Donovan). Elaine is still very active here in the community. We wish her the very best. A good and popular guy, Danny Kallis, General Manager and Director of Community Relations at Arts at the Armory, we wish a very Happy Birthday. A couple of East Somerville guys who grew up here, moved, and still have some strong roots here:   Paul Peddle a new real estate agent in Derry, NH, with CBRB. A nice guy, and if you’re moving to NH give Paul a call. You won’t be disappointed. We wish him a Happy Birthday. Another guy who grew up here and still roots here is Jack Bassett, retired and hopefully enjoying retirement. We wish him a Happy Birthday. Good friend Christopher Kenney, who also grew up here and is in Somerville all the time, we wish him a Happy Birthday. Our good friend Pam Gee, who is accounts representative for RLS-2000, a Massachusetts real estate website, we hope she’s enjoying herself this week and has a great birthday. She deserves it. Also celebrating this week is Caroline Koty, just finishing her first semester at college. We hear she’s on the Dean’s list as well. And finally, a well-known historic figure here in the city is Archibald Query of Marshmallow Fluff fame. To all others that we didn’t get to this week, we wish everyone a Happy Birthday.

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Coming up on Friday, January 16, at the Somerville City Club, a Comedy Night to raise money for Rett Syndrome Research. Master of Ceremonies will be comedian Pete Costello, a regular and favorite at Foxwoods. He has worked with the likes of Joan Rivers and The Beach Boys, to name a few. Headliner Dave Russo (http://www.daverusso.net/), a Boston comedy Festival winner and co-host of NESN’s Dirty Water TV, has also been seen on Comics Come Home with Denis Leary and the E-TV series The Entertainer. The event will also feature comedian Patty Gould and special guest Al Park.

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This Thursday, Jan. 1, city offices will be closed in honor of New Year’s Day. Trash and recycling collection will be on a holiday schedule starting Thursday and residential parking and parking meters will not be enforced. Street sweeping ends Dec. 31, and will resume April 1.

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The Somerville High School Scholarship Foundation Annual Meeting will be held in the Gallery 81 Conference Room at Somerville High School on Monday, January 12, 2015, at 7 p.m. The meeting is for current officers, directors, and members. New members are welcome. The agenda includes the election of directors. For information, contact Noreen Santucci at NFSLEARN@aol.com or 617-448-0145.

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The City of Somerville invites all interested community members to join in a discussion and submit feedback on the Recreation Department’s programming and activities. The city will host a public forum on Wednesday, Jan. 7, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Argenziano School cafeteria, 290 Washington St. Last spring, Mayor Curtatone convened a Recreation Task Force to develop recommendations on ways to expand and strengthen existing programming. Task Force members will present their findings, and new Recreation Director Jill Lathan will share her feedback and her goals for the department in the coming year. Community members are invited to provide feedback and to meet the new Director. For more info visit somervilleresistat.blogspot.com/p/rectaskforce.html, or contact Stephanie Hirsch at SHirsch@somervillema.gov.

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Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone, Ward 2 Alderman Maryann Heuston, Ward 3 Alderman Robert McWatters, and the Mayor’s Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development (OSPCD) invite all interested community members to the latest in a series of meetings and public forums to discuss future roadway and utility improvements for Union Sq. on Thurs., Jan. 8, 2015 at 6:30 p.m. The meeting will be held in the Argenziano School cafeteria at 290 Washington St., and will focus on the draft interim design for Webster St. and Prospect St. Traffic and utility plans for the Early Action Plan will also be presented. For more information, contact Hayes Morrison at 617-625-6600 ext. 2522, or HMorrison@somervillema.gov. The meeting location is accessible to people with disabilities. Spanish and Portuguese interpretation will be provided.