The Medford St. bridge, in Gilman Square behind Somerville High School (SHS), will close for construction starting Friday, May 17. The bridge is expected to remain closed through the spring of 2020. For the duration of this closure, all traffic will be detoured around the work zone via Pearl St. and McGrath Highway. Detour maps and directions for vehicular and pedestrian/bicycle traffic are available on www.mass.gov/GLX in the Bridge Closures section. To stay informed about construction, sign up to receive a weekly email outlining upcoming construction citywide at www.somervillema.gov/construction. Residents are also encouraged to enroll in the city’s alert system at www.somervillema.gov/alerts to receive notifications prior to major detours or disruptive construction activity in their neighborhood. Anyone seeking assistance for an urgent Green Line construction-related matter should call the 24/7 GLX hotline at 1-855-GLX-INFO (459-4636) or email info@glxinfo.com. For additional information about the Green Line Extension project, including construction schedules, fact sheets, and the latest station designs, visit www.mass.gov/GLX.

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The Annual Special Olympics Event takes place May 23 at Trum Field, 541 Broadway. Activities kick off at 9:00 a.m. and end at noon. Come out and enjoy the camaraderie while you cheer on and support our incredible special Olympic student-athletes. This is a free family event.

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Celebrating their birthdays this week: Happy birthday to Melissa Hurley, who is celebrating this week. A nice person who is well known here in Somerville and by local unions. Happy birthday to our good friend who was born and raised here in Somerville, Donald Chamberlain. Happy birthday to Caroline Shea Rosas, who is also celebrating this week. Happy birthday to Mark MacLeod, who grew in East Somerville. Happy birthday to Dennis Sullivan, of the Berkeley Street Sullivans. Happy birthday to an old friend from Winter Hill, Ed Palazzolo. We wish him always the best. Happy birthday to local attorney and a real nice guy and smart guy, Neil Berman. We hope Neil has a great birthday. To another great local attorney, Edwin Smith, we wish him nothing but the best as well. A great guy, with a fun family and one of the best real estate attorneys here in Somerville. To those that are celebrating this week, and we didn’t post, again we wish you the best of birthdays.

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Somerville High School is looking for 50 graduates from the Class of 1969 to participate in this year’s Class Day festivities. Class Day is a traditional celebration that honors graduates from 50 years past, this year’s graduating class, and the rising freshmen and senior classes. If you would like to participate in the Class of 2019 Class Day activities, please email Barbara Favaloro, SHS Main Office, Head Clerk (bfavaloro@k12.somerville.ma.us), or call 617-625-6600 x6110. Class Day will take place on Friday, May 31 beginning at 8:00 a.m. at Somerville High School.

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The Ryan Harrington Foundation hosts their 4th Aannual Just One Run 5K in memory of James “PJ” Pefine, on Sunday, June 2. The run begins at 10:00 a.m. and starts at the Blessing of the Bay Boathouse on Shore Drive in Somerville. The event includes a Kids’ Fun Run as well as a 5K Run/Walk. To learn how you can participate in and support this event, visit: http://www.ryanharringtonfoundation.org/just-one-run-in-memory-of-james-pj-pefine. For more information about the Ryan Harrington Foundation, visit www.ryanharringtonfoundation.org.

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A couple of weeks ago we mentioned the conditions at City Hall and wow, parking across the street you’ll notice it even more so. Hopefully, we can get the city to do a great job on re-painting.

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Summer HONK 2019 and Somerville String Fest registration is now open. Students who want to continue making music over the summer can do so with Summer Honk 2019 and the Somerville String Fest. For more information and to register, visit www.somerville.k12.ma.us/summermusic.

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A third East Somerville Reunion is set for this year. Dan Rogovich has let us know he is once again planning it. Lots of people who grew up in East Somerville have missed the last two but wanted to have a third. Thanks to Dan, who is an East Somerville lover, managed to get the Somerville City Club booked on Saturday, June 15. Dan and his assistants worked hard on the past two and they will do the same this year to make it a success. Many here at The Times are from East Somerville and we will be there, and we have already reached out to others. A small group of “down backers” behind the Bucket who grew up there in the 60’s will all be there. They meet every four or so months to talk about old times and great times. Help make this a success. Go online to Facebook to check it out. Ask Dan what you can do to help. He is looking for the food, entertainment and just plain East Somerville fun.

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The Somerville High Scholarship annual fundraiser is set for May 17, 7:00 p.m., at the Somerville Lions Club, 9 Washington St., Somerville (behind the Holiday Inn). The drawing, with a top prize of $10K, is based on selling 250 tickets at $100 each. Several door prizes will be awarding and refreshments will be served. To buy a ticket, contact SHS Raffle c/o Joseph Favaloro, PO Box 440275, Somerville, 02144, or call Eugene C. Brune at 617-628-5835.

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The Somerville City Club manager Donny Johnson is looking all the time for new members to join the club, if you think you’d be interested give him a call at 617-623-9340. It’s a great local club for the residents of Somerville, and has been around now for over 40 years, their location on Innerbelt Road. Plenty of parking and a very nice hall for rent, some say the best deal in Somerville. Call the hall and ask for details at 617-623-9340.

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East Somerville Family Scavenger Hunt takes place this Saturday, May 18, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at the East Branch Library, 115 Broadway. A family-friendly event, especially for elementary school kids and their guardians. Explore what makes our city tick and find urban artifacts identified by local artist/trainspotter Daniel Fireside. Solve the clues and earn fun prizes. The scavenger hunt will use manhole covers identified by local artists, plus other urban artifacts, to explore Somerville history and what makes our city tick. Designed for youth and their families. The event is part of May Preservation Month.