We are having a contest here over the next couple of weeks. We are asking anyone here in the Ville who would like to write a poem on the Christmas holiday and what it means to them to send it in to us. Deadline is Friday, December 18. You can email it to news@thesomervilletimes.com, mail it or drop it off at 699 Broadway, Somerville 02144. Poems will be selected by The Times staff and the three top winners will have their poem published in time for Christmas. The best one submitted will receive a $100 gift certificate for the Mt. Vernon Restaurant, a $50 Mt. Vernon certificate for second choice and a $25 Mt. Vernon gift certificate for third place. Submit your poem to be published by The Somerville Times in time for the holiday.

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Happy Birthdays this week to some of our Villens and friends, as well as friends of The Times: Happy birthday to Craig Resmini, a well-known and popular gentleman here in the Ville. You can catch him as manager at the Winter Hill Liquor Store on Broadway and Temple. Happy Birthday also to another well-known and well-liked guy who serves as Clerk for the Board of Alderman, Peter Forcellese. A great guy and a fantastic family here in Somerville. We hope he has a great day for himself. Happy birthday to Nancy Fucile of Victors in Ball Square who is celebrating this week. To another local, Peter Blaikie, from Winter Hill. He’s a man who manages to hold down several jobs same time. He’s always busy. We hope he has a great day for himself as well. To all the others out there celebrating this week, we hope you have a great day for yourselves.

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There’s a new website in town. Check it out at www.somervillema.com. The Somerville Times is on the site. Also check out www.medfordma.com.

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Those who might be interested in obtaining certification for firearms should look up the Lawrence Rod & Gun Club. They offer an extensive program at the end of which you receive certification for Massachusetts/NRA Certified Firearm Safety Classes. They run a class once a month, which is limited to 10 people and we hear that this is the place to go to learn safety when handling guns. Email gunclub@earthlink.net for more information and or go to their website at www.lawrencerodandgunclub.org and read up about the course.

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Winter Hill Better Block is coming. We’re holding a Winter Hill Better Block festival on December 12 from 4:00–8:00 p.m. and December 13 from 12:00–4:00 p,m. The Winter Hill Better Block will be centered in the area between the new Winter Hill Brewing Company (328 Broadway) and the vacant area behind the post office as well as along some areas of Marshall Street. Team Better Block works with cities, developers, and stakeholders to create quick, inexpensive, high-impact changes that improve and revitalize underused properties and highlight the potential for creating great places. The goal for this Winter Hill Better Block project is to test out short-term ideas for Winter Hill. While much of the ongoing neighborhood planning work is medium and long-term focus, there are many things we can do in the short-term, like this Better Block project, to help test out ideas quickly and help spur longer-term change.

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Join the All-America City of Somerville, MA for an afternoon of live music, games and crafts for young residents, interactive workshops, networking and more at the City’s All-America City Grooversity Festival on Saturday, Dec. 5 at 1 p.m., at the East Somerville Community School. The fourth annual Grooversity Festival will feature renowned drumming and percussion masters, a community drum circle, and performances by Somerville Public Schools’ World Percussion Ensembles from 1 to 5 p.m. A two-hour Youth Activity Fair to begin the afternoon will feature exhibitions, games and activities for children by some of the City’s top-serving youth agencies, including community garden tours, trivia and scavenger hunt games, giveaways, raffles, and more. The festival will also celebrate the city’s third All-America City Award, focusing on youth engagement and youth leadership. Events and activities include: School garden tour and activities with Groundwork Somerville; Early childhood and literacy activities with The Beautiful Stuff Project, CAAS, and others; Teen Empowerment: Find Your Voice workshop for teens; Creative writing workshop with Books of Hope; Live performances by Somerville Public Schools World Percussion Ensembles; Arts & Crafts, food, and more. Featured percussion ensembles and workshops include: Casey Scheuerell (Chaka Khan) and Marcus Santos (Gypsy Kings), American and Brazilian Jazz workshop; Fife drumming performance and workshop with Dominick Cuccia; Beat Bus workshop with Maria Finkelmeyer; Community drum circle; Bloco AfroBrazil; SheBoom; Sing and Shake with Maria Wadman. The drumming festival will be streamed online on December 11, 12, and 13, at www.grooversity.com. Grooversity is a drumming project envisioned by Brazilian born percussionist Marcus Santos. Its mission is to provide community outreach for social good by offering world drumming workshops, courses and entertainment to youth and adults of all ages. Grooversity is making a difference in Somerville, MA, as well as cities and towns in twenty three cities in France, Canada and in the US. For more information, visit www.somervillema.gov/aac.

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We are having a contest here over the next couple of weeks. We are asking anyone here in the Ville who would like to write a poem on the Christmas holiday and what it means to them to send it in to us. Deadline is Friday, December 18. You can email it to news@thesomervilletimes.com, mail it or drop it off at 699 Broadway, Somerville 02144. Poems will be selected by The Times staff and the three top winners will have their poem published in time for Christmas. The best one submitted will receive a $100 gift certificate for the Mt. Vernon Restaurant, a $50 Mt. Vernon certificate for second choice and a $25 Mt. Vernon gift certificate for third place. Submit your poem to be published by The Somerville Times in time for the holiday.

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So you won’t be out there looking for The Somerville Times on December 30, we will be taking the week off between holidays. The last paper of the year will be Wednesday, December 23 (Christmas week) and will return Wednesday, January 6, 2016. It’s always a slow week for news and this gives our hard working staff a week off to enjoy with their family and friends. If anyone has any questions you can call the paper at 617 666-4010.

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Ms. Claire M. Pratti, of Malden, Nov. 19. Formerly of Somerville, Claire worked for the city at the DPW for many years, as well as serving as past treasurer of the Somerville Little League. She was co-founder, with her husband Frank, of Green Cab here back in the 1970’s. A graveside service was held for Claire on Tuesday, Dec. 1 in Mt. Auburn Cemetery, 580 Mt. Auburn St., Cambridge at 11 a.m.

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Word of the Week: Charlatan. A charlatan (also called swindler or mountebank) is a person practicing quackery or some similar confidence trick in order to obtain money, fame or other advantages via some form of pretense or deception. An example could be cheating as a trustee to an estate, stealing from the beneficiaries. A person who pretends or claims to have more knowledge or skill than he or she possesses. A quack. Sound familiar?

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Our condolences to the family and friends of, Eugene J. “Gino” Binari, 92. A resident of Somerville for most of his life, he died after a long illness on November 24. Eugene was a disabled veteran, a Purple Heart Recipient and member of the Greatest Generation, serving proudly in the US Army during WWII. He was a retired DPW Engineer, City of Somerville and founder of Municipal Retiree’s Assoc., Past Pres. S.M.E.A. He was also a member George F. Dilboy VFW Post 529, American Legion Post 447, DAV and AMVETS. A nice guy who loved Somerville and was very active politically for many years going back decades. He will be missed by his many family members and friends.

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Also passing recently was Reverend Cornelius J. “Neil” Mullaney, 71, of Regina Cleri Boston. He passed away suddenly Wednesday evening in Massachusetts General Hospital. A Boston native, he was born in the Hub on Sept. 5, 1944. Fr. Neil served as deacon at Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Belmont prior to his ordination to the priesthood on May 15, 1971 at Holy Cross Cathedral. His first assignment was as an associate at Our Lady of Good Voyage, Gloucester (1971-1976); then, again as associate, at St. Ann Parish, Somerville. In both parishes, he also helped in the formation of future priests serving as a deacon intern supervisor. In June 1985, he was named parochial vicar at St. Patrick, Natick and five years later to the same position just a couple towns away at St. Bernard in Newton. A lot of members of the parish will remember him fondly, he was a great priest who was always at the events at St. Ann Parish especially the Saturday night dancers and other events the parish members would have.

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We also send our condolences to the family of Barbara A. (Maclsaac) McKenna, 81, a lifelong resident of Somerville who passed away at her home on Sunday, November 22. Barbara was the beloved wife of the late Leo P. McKenna and the loving daughter of the late Mary MacIsaac. Services were held recently at St. Ann’s Church.