As part of its multi-pronged response to resident concerns regarding the “Boston Straight Pride Parade” and counter-protest of August 31, 2019, the City of Somerville invites all members of the public to participate in a community dialogue. The forum will be held just outside of Union Square, in the Argenziano School Cafetorium at 290 Washington St., tonight, Wednesday, January 22, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. For more information about the city’s follow-up process to the “Boston Straight Pride Parade” and Counter-Protest, the Somerville Police Department’s After Action Report is available at this link, and the administration’s memorandum to City Council regarding next steps is available here.

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Happy birthday this week to the following: Big time happy birthday to our own Dorothy DiMarzo, who gives us all those delicious recipes every other week. Dorothy is a great lady, with a fantastic sense of humor. We wish Dorothy the very best of birthdays this week. Another popular birthday person this week is Philip Ercolini, from East Somerville. We wish him a very special birthday. Another East Somerville graduate to FLA is James Robertson. We wish Jimmy the very best as well on this his birthday week. Happy birthday to Katie Lathasha Harris, who is also celebrating this week. Katie is a Somerville lady and is also a teacher at the Prospect Hill Academy. We wish her the very best of birthdays as well. Finally, to Nancy Huber Coutoumas, who is celebrating this week as well. We wish her the very best. To everyone else who is celebrating this week that we may have missed, we wish you the very best of birthdays as well.

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Music Meeting: Reigniting the Boston Music Conversation will be held on January 23 at The Jungle Community Music Club, 6 Sanborn Ct., Somerville, which is relaunching a series of meeting/meet-ups. In this first round, talk about the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) concept and working on a sustainable foundation; old favorites like promoting in the digital age, booking (uh-oh), and looking outside one’s own genres. Guests will be with guests Edrie Edrie of Walter Sickert & the Army of Broken Toys, Jenny Bergman of The Secret Bureau of Art & Design, Bridget Duggan of ONCE Somerville, Carissa Johnson of Fuel Heart Productions and Steve Theo of Pirate Promotions. Music at 8:00 p.m. with The Shirts And Shoes, War On Alexandria, and Lay Low Moon. The meeting is free to all from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Live music is at 8:00 p.m. $6 in advance, $10 day of the show. For more info, visit www.thejunglemusicclub.com.

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Reminder: Due to the MLK holiday, trash/recycling pickup will be on a one-day delay for the rest of the week

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On Saturday, January 25, the Somerville High School Boys Basketball team will participate in the Andrew Lawon Foundation Basketball Invitational at TD Garden. Somerville will take on Algonquin in the Garden at 3:30 p.m. Tickets are $18.00 per person and includes admission to seven other marquee high school games. Head Coach Mark Antonelli and the Highlanders invite all Somerville students, faculty, alumni, and community members to come out, wear their red and blue, and rock the Garden in support of the Highlanders. Tickets are available through the Friends of Somerville Basketball Booster organization and can be purchased with cash, checks (made out to Friends of Somerville Basketball) or via Venmo @FriendsofSomervilleBasketball. Contact Head Coach Mark Antonelli at mantonelli@k12.somerville.ma.us or 617-584-7321 for ticket information.

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The Somerville Community Choice Electricity (CCE) program is doubling the amount of extra renewable energy provided to our residents and businesses. To learn more about this and other changes to Somerville CCE, visit cce.somervillema.gov.

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Congratulations the winners of our Best of Somerville 2019 survey, as voted for by you, our readers (find the list of winners on our website at http://www.thesomervilletimes.com/archives/62978). They do indeed represent the best that the city has to offer. Be sure to partake of their products or services, and let them know you heard about their being honored here in The Somerville Times.

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The City of Somerville’s Health and Human Services Department (HHS) and Somerville Media Center (SMC) are excited to announce the 2020 Screening Series of From My Heart to Yours. This short educational film provides an intimate look at how the availability and use of opioids have impacted the lives of many individuals, especially here locally and around the state. It also addresses various pathways to recovery and resources that exist to help the transition back into society. HHS and SMC partnered with local organizations to host free screenings of the short documentary (about 25 minutes) throughout the city with a Q&A with representatives from individuals who were part of production. Screening events are scheduled as follows: February 6, 5:00 p.m., at Council on Aging, 167 Holland St.; March 6, 6:30 p.m., at Connexion, 149 Broadway; and April 15, 6:00 p.m., the Somerville Library, 79 Highland Ave.

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Urban Gardening Talk with Lindsay Allen takes place February 5, at Remnant Brewing, 2 Bow Market Way, Somerville, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., hosted by the Somerville Public Library. This talk will focus on the history of urban agriculture and how that has shaped our cities’ current food systems. Attendees will learn about the history of urban gardening, food justice, rooftop farming and innovative ways to grow food at your home, including tips for your home garden.

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Ward 1 City Councilor Matthew McLaughlin invites interested parties to participate in a neighborhood meeting tonight, Wednesday, January 22, at 6:00 p.m. to discuss a development proposal for 74 Middlesex Avenue/845 McGrath Highway in the Assembly Square Mixed-Use District of Somerville. The neighborhood meeting will be held at 165 Broadway in East Somerville. Please contact Councilor Matt McLaughlin at mattforward1@gmail.com for more information.

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Registration for February Vacation Camp is now open at Parts and Crafts, Somerville. February 17 – 21. $350 for the week or $75 per day. Early and late care available. Register at https://www.amilia.com/store/en/parts-and-crafts/shop/programs/46761?subCategoryIds=2515714.

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Winter is notoriously a difficult time to collect enough blood and platelet donations to meet patient needs. And this year is no exception. Right now, the American Red Cross has a critical type O blood shortage and urgently needs donors of all blood types – especially types O negative and O positive – to give blood or platelets. Without more donors, patient care may be impacted. You can help by alerting donors that their donation is needed now to help restock the shelves. For upcoming donation opportunities in the area visit https://www.redcross.org.

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The plans for Cross Street East park are now available online at https://www.somervillema.gov/CrossStreetEastPark.