Somerville’s 2019 holiday celebrations will kick off on Thursday, December 5, with the Christmas Tree Lighting on the City Hall Concourse, followed by a meet-and-greet with Santa Claus in the City Council Chambers. All children who attend will receive a special gift from Santa. The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. with live entertainment prior to the official tree lighting. Santa Claus will, as always, be escorted by the Somerville Fire and Police Departments.

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Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone, Ward 2 Councilor J.T. Scott, and the city’s Planning staff invite you to a meeting to discuss initial steps toward achieving the neighborhood plan for Boynton Yards. The meeting will take place tonight, Wednesday, December 4, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., at the Public Safety Building, 220 Washington St.

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Happy birthday this week to several locals: Happy birthday to the one and only Nancy Fucile. We wish Nancy the very best of birthdays and many more. Happy birthday to Lisa Hastings, a nice lady celebrating her birthday this week. Happy birthday to Peter Blaikie, who is also celebrating this week. We hope he enjoys his birthday. Happy birthday to everyone here and from the city who is celebrating this week. We wish every one of them a very happy birthday.

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For the third year, Assembly Row will host an Ice Sculpture Stroll sponsored by Capital One. Bundle up and follow a map on Thursday, December 10 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. to discover all ten sculptures and treats throughout the property. Enjoy music, giveaways and earn an Assembly memento when you complete the map. Free and open to the public. Join in for an evening of family fun. The American Cancer Society will be accepting donations for the Hope Lodge which offers cancer patients a free place to stay during their treatment. Participants are encouraged to bring $5 gift cards to  put in guest welcome packets from coffee, convenience or grocery retailers along with paper products including paper plates, napkins and toilet paper.

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Illuminations Tour 2019 takes place Saturday, December 14, 4:30 to 9:00 p.m. Tickets will be on sale at Nibble Kitchen, 1 Bow Market Way (entrance to Bow Market at 345 Somerville Ave.), Union Sq., Somerville. There will be two opportunities to buy tickets: Sunday, December 1, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. and Thursday, December 5, 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for children (12 and under) and seniors (60+). Cash or check only. Proceeds go toward funding the public programs of the Somerville Arts Council. Tickets sell quickly; please plan accordingly. If there are left-over tickets, we sell them at City Hall the night of the event. For more information: go to: www.somervilleartscouncil.org/illuminationstour

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Toys for Local Children (TLC) is a charity aimed at supporting families in the local area. Please join the many volunteers and contributors in supporting this endeavor. This charity was formed to assist families that are less fortunate, by providing them with a little bit of happiness during this holiday season. Visit http://www.toysforlocalchildren.org/ to see how you can help and find a drop off location near you.

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El Sistema Somerville’s Winter Bash! will be taking place on Tuesday, December 10 at 6:30 p.m. in the ESCS auditorium. The elementary and middle school students will be performing in string orchestras, wind ensembles, and symphonic orchestra. Everyone here at El Sistema is proud of the hard work and enthusiastic attitude every student has shown during our preparations for this performance. The students are getting very excited about the performance too!

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The East Somerville Community School Winter Concert is being presented on Tuesday, December 17 from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. in the school’s auditorium.

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With the winter season at our doorstep, it’s that time of the year again! Next Wave/Full Circle is holding its annual Holiday Wreath fundraiser. The purchase of a beautiful 14” balsam wreath with a red velvet bow for $18 apiece will not only brighten up your décor, but will also help fund student activities, field trips, and incentives for the school’s reward system. Wreaths will be delivered to schools the first week in December. To place an order, contact Agnes Gallant at agallant@k12.somerville.ma.us.

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The 15th Annual Union Square Farmers Market opens this weekend at the Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave. The market runs every Saturday, 9:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., from December 7, 2019 to April 11, 2020. The very best variety of products from New England farms and specialty vendors is presented, including vegetables, fruit, meat, cheese, fish, baked goods, and lots more. Live music, delicious treats in two cafe areas and a chance to meet friends. Chase away the chill of even the coldest winter day! SNAP/ EBT and accepted.

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East End Winter Window Show is now on display. East Somerville Main Streets is excited to announce their new exhibit of window art now on free public display in in the windows of now-closed restaurant East End Grill, 118 Broadway. Inspired by change of seasons in East Somerville, they hope to explore the atmosphere and essence of winter. Whether traditional winter landscapes and imagery, cultural traditions of the season or introspective aspects the word brings to mind, please enjoy local artist’s creative interpretations of this theme.

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The City Council Traffic and Parking Committee of the Whole and the Traffic Commission invite community members to a joint public hearing on Monday, December 9, at 6:00 p.m., to provide feedback on the design and implementation of the new traffic configuration on Broadway in Winter Hill, which features dedicated bus and bicycle lanes. The public hearing will be held in the City Council Chambers, 93 Highland Ave. The public hearing will open with a short presentation by cty staff on project history, objectives, and preliminary evaluation data for key metrics pertaining to safety and mobility for all road users. Following the presentation, members of the public will be invited to speak. The typical two-minute time limit will be strictly enforced. If you are unable to attend, or wish to submit written testimony, please email to both of the following two addresses: citycouncil@somervillema.gov, traffic@somervillema.gov. The official public record for written testimony will close on Friday, December 13, at 5:00 p.m.

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Somerville artists: Gallery @ SPL, an art exhibition program designed to highlight local artists, is now accepting applications for 2020. The Somerville Public Library will be considering works in all media, including photography, but not sculptures. Applications will be accepted through January 10, 2020. Email questions and/or your application to Julie at jwalker@minlib.net. More info, including selection criteria, required application materials, and more: bit.ly/2QIkQWD

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The Families Together Somerville (FTS) Volunteer Informational Meeting will be taking place on December 4, 6:00 p.m. Families Together Somerville is a family-to-family mentoring program, which pairs first generation college-going juniors’ families with another Somerville family that has direct experience with the college application process. Through a structured program of family-matching and support, the college-experienced parents/guardians will serve as guides and mentors to the selected juniors and their families as they work through the many phases of the college application process. The program is committed to the idea of empowering the students and families being mentored, and will match them with families who can work in that spirit.

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Throughout December, the Clothing Closet of the Somerville Family Learning Collaborative (SFLC) will be collecting donations of new and gently used winter clothing with its “Share the Warmth” Winter Coat Drive. With the colder weather, there is an urgent need for winter coats, snow pants, gloves, warm socks, and winter boots. Donations of children’s garments 5T-16 and boots sizes 5-13, and adult garments S-XXL and boots sizes 6-12 would be most appreciated. Drop-off locations are at all SPS schools during regular school hours and at the SFLC Center located at 42 Prescott Street. Please contact Francia Reyes at (617) 625-6600, x6994 or freyes@k12.somerville.ma.us with any questions.

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Don’t forget, if you would like to subscribe to receive a digital edition of our paper, go directly online to our website – www.thesomervilletimes.com – over to the right side and fill out your email address to receive a free, full PDF copy of the paper. By the way, if you scroll further down, a link to former editions of the paper are online as well.