Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

When we were kids, we had a nice choice of fun places to go for family fun. We had Revere Beach, Whalom Park, and Paragon Park with a variety of rides and amusements. There was always Canobie Lake Park in Salem, New Hampshire, and of course up north a bit further, Old Orchard Beach. But there was another fun spot that existed for a short time in the greater Boston area. It was called Pleasure Island and it was off Rte. 128 in Wakefield. The area today is The Edgewater Office Park located off Audubon Rd. in Wakefield.

The City of Somerville has officially designated the month of July as Disability Pride Month, along with July 26 as Americans with Disabilities Act Day.

By Parker Garlough

The City Council voted Thursday to recognize July as Disability Pride Month, and July 26 as Americans with Disabilities Act Day. Somerville will continue to honor these days annually.

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

By Chris Dwan

I’ve been writing about the city budget for at least five years now. Even with that context, the eight hours of budget meetings I sat through last week at city hall — the final spasm in a three week slog — were remarkable. The conversations ranged from inspiring to cringeworthy, with nuance and compromise competing with bullying and petty interpersonal grudges. In the end, after some rather wild swings, the council passed the Mayor’s proposed budget essentially unchanged — just like they do every year.

Gene Brune will be turning 95 years young on July 12 and there are at least 95 reasons to celebrate the amazing Gene Brune!

The Somerville Museum has always been special to Gene – they intend to honor his commitment and contributions with your help. Please join them in donating $95 to the Somerville Museum in Gene’s name and send them at least one of the many reasons to honor and love him.

All city offices are closed on Independence Day, July 4. Trash and recycling pickup will be delayed by one day. We wish everyone a safe Happy 4^th!

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— Photos by Claudia Ferro

The Somerville community celebrated Fourth of July Thursday night at Trum Field. The celebration included entertainment by DJ Philip Tan and funk band Search Party, Somerville High School graduate Britney Flores sang the Star-Spangled Banner to lead into the fireworks countdown by Mayor Ballantyne.

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With the Fourth of July here, I thought I would share this recipe for those of you who love a good coleslaw. This is not a traditional coleslaw, but delicious all the same.

What is more delicious to the young mind than that savory and unrivaled treat, summer vacation? A well-deserved reward for all the hard work and irreplaceable time invested in the previous school year.

As adults, we can look back fondly on those golden days with a warm sense of nostalgia and a longing to return to the carefree days that linger now only in our memories. And yet, we can live those times again vicariously as we engage with the present younger generation who will be making its own special memories.