Illuminations Tour 2019 takes place Saturday, December 14, 4:30 to 9:00 p.m. Any leftover tickets will be sold at City Hall the night of the event. 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. For more information: go to: www.somervilleartscouncil.org/illuminationstour.

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Join the Somerville Department of Public Space and Urban Forestry, Ward 7 City Councilor Katjana Ballantyne, and the Somerville Public Schools tonight, Wednesday evening, December 11, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. for a community meeting to discuss layout and design options for the new West Somerville Neighborhood School schoolyard. The meeting will be held in the WSNS cafeteria, 177 Powder House Blvd. For more information, contact Arn Franzen at AFranzen@somervillema.gov.

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Happy birthday this week to several locals: Happy birthday to a great and good old time friend, Billy Murphy, who celebrating this week. Happy birthday to Stacy Hersey Buckley. We’re wishing her a great birthday as well. Happy birthday to Irene Bremis, the premier real estate broker in West Somerville. We wish her the very best. Happy birthday to Kevin McDevitt, a good guy at DPW and friend to many here both in Medford and Somerville. Happy birthday to Ann Cassesso-Ercolini. We wish her the very best of birthdays as well. Our special longtime friend and a great guy, Doug Carriger, celebrates this week. We him the very best always. Happy birthday to a guy who grew up in East Somerville, David Bassett, who celebrates this week. Happy birthday to Anthony Angiulo, another East Somerville guy who works here in the city. A nice guy, we wish him the very best. Happy birthday to Cheryl Callahan, who is a lifelong resident and a nice person. We wish her the very best as well. 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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Back by popular demand, Thy’s 3D Snowflake Workshop. Hosted by Somerville Public Library, 79 Highland Ave., takes place on Saturday, December 14, 2:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m. All crafting supplies are included. For ages 7 and up.

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Shop Small MA has teamed up with Tiny Turns Paperie and Courtney O’Keefe to present holiday markets spread across Somerville this season. Vendors will be setting up shop in Warehouse XI, 11 Sanborn Court, La Brasa, 124 Broadway, and the main hall of the historic Armory, 191 Highland Avenue, with crafted goods perfect to conquer anyone’s shopping list. The Union Square Holiday Market, presented by Tiny Turns Paperie and Shop Small MA, will be held at Warehouse XI on Friday, December 13 from 4:00 to 10:00 p.m. and Saturday, December 14 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The E-Som Market will be held on Tuesday, December 17 from 5:00 to 10:00 p.m. at La Brasa. The Wrap It Up! Winter Market at the Armory on Sunday, December 22 from 11:00 to 5:00 p.m. is your last call to shop small. You can also sip while you shop at the Armory, with the Armory bar offering a selection of wine, as well as beers from event sponsors Narragansett Beer and b. Go to their Facebook pages for more info.

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Nearly 45 local businesses and Union Square Main Streets will merrily present the Union Square Holiday Stroll for a fifth year on Saturday, December 14 from noon to 6:00 p.m. This free, family-friendly event invites all to join in an afternoon of Union Square discovery filled with festive happenings and holiday delight. Bundle up and come on down to unwrap Union Square in all its wintry wonderment. The 5th Annual Holiday Stroll is presented by Union Square Main Streets, Inc. and made possible by generous support from, East Boston Savings Bank, Leggat McCall Properties and DLJ Real Estate Capital Partners, Master Printing, 9000things, Naveo Credit Union, Somernova, and USQ. Throughout Union Square in Somerville from NU Kitchen at 195 Washington Street to 4GoodVibes at 483 Somerville, including side streets such as Bow, Hawkins, Windsor, and Tyler Streets. Cost: Free, Full details: www.unionsquaremain.org

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Join the city’s Economic Development team and Ward 4 City Councilor Jesse Clingan for a community meeting on Tuesday, December 17, to discuss the vacant site of the former Star Market on Broadway. The meeting, which will be an open house-style event, will be held from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. in the Healey School cafeteria, 5 Meacham St. Community members can drop in at any time to chat with city staff, talk to neighbors, and learn more about what an urban renewal plan could mean for the site. The Star Market site on Broadway has been vacant since 2007. In June 2019, the city held a community meeting to explore whether residents would be interested in the city taking aggressive action on the site, including the use of eminent domain. somervillema.gov. The city is seeking additional feedback on two key questions: Is an urban renewal plan the right path forward for this site? and If so, what should the plan look like? Feedback will be accepted during the open house, but can also be submitted on the SomerVoice website at somervoice.somervillema.gov. For more information, visit the SomerVoice website or contact Lauren Drago at ldrago@somervillema.gov.

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The Bill Rodgers “Somerville Jingle Bell Run” on December 15 is pleased to be supporting the Somerville Toys for Local Tots Program in 2019. The program donates toys to hundreds of local children in Somerville and surrounding communities during the holiday season. All are encouraged to donate a small toy. This year’s toys can be dropped off at the Marathon Sports, Olde Magoun Saloon and Somerville Senior Center pick-ups. Please see www.baevents.com/jinglebell for more info and to register.

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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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The Somerville Times staff is taking a small holiday break the week of December 25. There will not be a print edition that week, the next issue coming out on January 1, 2020. Anything that comes in and is Somerville related through our vacation period will be posted online to our website. We want to thank all our readers and fans for your support this past year. Don’t forget, you can go online to our website and register online for a free subscription of the entire paper.