Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The  Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and  do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff  or publishers)

Hello Somerville! Here is a great article from a good friend of mine who is a true Somerville kid, Anthony J Accardi Jr.  But before you read his story I just want to congratulate The Sunsetters, for who I have the pleasure of being the director. They performed on Fox 25’s Zip Trip last Friday and were a big hit! It’s too bad someone actually called the police on them while they were doing a show on Hall Ave. the Wednesday before. Maybe the irate neighbor would rather have had the teenagers hanging on the corner, or breaking windows, or drinking or doing drugs. For the past five years I have met some of Somerville’s finest kids who work their tails off singing and dancing, and entertaining the people of Somerville.  I would also like to thank Thalia Tringo of Thalia Tringo & Associates for providing pizza and soft drinks at Wednesday’s Sunsetters preformance on Hall Ave.  To the neighbor who called the cops I say…nay nay, they didn’t stop the show!

Between last year and this year, the alumni of Somerville High School’s Class of 1981 will have turned 50 years old. Last year my friend and classmate Angela Sperduto sent me a Facebook message suggesting we do something to celebrate this once in a lifetime event. I thought it was an awesome idea, so in March of this year I put the idea in a post on our Facebook reunion group. The responses were overwhelming. So, this past April a group of us from Somerville High School’s Class of 1981 met at Casey’s Bar in East Somerville. How fitting that the class of ‘81 returns to Somerville.

Photos from last year’s event. – Photos by Emily Torres-Cullinane (MAPC staff)

Law enforcement officials, youth services workers and local teens will join together for the Sixth Annual Metro Mayors Basketball Tournament on Saturday, August 3, in a show of solidarity among youth and those who fight for their safety.

Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Quincy, Revere, Somerville and Winthrop will send teams to a five-on-five tournament hosted by the Metro Mayors Coalition as a way to promote safe summer activities and kick off the coming school year.

By Joseph A. Curtatone

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The  Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and  do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff  or publishers)

In the last decade, we have seen some incredible transformations across the city, from the new neighborhood springing up in Assembly Square, to construction for the new Green Line station in Union Square, to the addition of bike lanes and improved streetscapes citywide. Until recently, East Somerville has waited for similar transformative projects to help boost its notoriety as one of the best regional gems for local business and cuisine. At last, East Somerville’s time is now.

Former Highlander Head Football Coach Hired as new Housemaster for SHS Highland House

Somerville High School Headmaster John Oteri announced earlier this month that Mr. Harry Marchetti  will return to Somerville in a new capacity, joining the SHS leadership staff as Housemaster/Assistant Principal for Highland House.  Mr. Marchetti will be filling the position vacated by Mr. Joe Burke, who retired at the end of the 2012-2013 school year after 7 years as an SHS Housemaster and 32 years working in the Somerville Public Schools (SPS). Mr. Marchetti comes to Somerville after serving as Assistant Principal for eight years at the Greater Lawrence Technical School.

Pet- Palooza featuring DockDogs, August 3 & 4
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Handmade art meets man’s best friend at Assembly Row in Somerville,  Pet-Palooza and the ASSEMBLED art market come together on Saturday August 3.

~Photo by Lauren C. Osterberg

The OPENAIR Circus will again amaze and amuse audiences this weekend. This year, the big top will be at Conway Field, halfway between Union Sq. and Porter Sq. on Somerville Ave. Performances cap off 6 weeks of summer classes offered by the circus in three Somerville parks. Over 200 children, teens, and adults have been learning and perfecting skills like stilting, juggling, acrobalance, and more.

East Somerville residents took part in a planning session aimed at providing opportunities for interested parties to have a say in how the future of their community may unfold.
– Photo by Douglas Yu

By Douglas Yu

In a civically engaged city like Somerville, people have an opportunity to point out which parts of the city should be redesigned. They are also free to join discussions with their neighbors to come up with ideas for better urban development.