Urban Axes is waiting for Somerville to throw business its way.

By Jared Kimler

Urban Axes opened its Somerville venue Friday, December 7. The axe throwing bar at 2 Union Square is the first of its kind in the Boston area. It invites all people over the age of 21 to sign a waiver, grab a refreshment and throw an axe.

The company has locations in several other cities including Austin, Baltimore, Durham and Philadelphia. Two of its four founders previously lived in Boston and thought that Somerville would be a welcome location. Urban Axe spokesperson Courtney Osgood said the concept spoke to Somerville’s “community-centric” and “eclectic” flavor. “It really fit the Urban Axes vibe,” said Osgood.

The Illuminations Tour 2018 takes place on Saturday, December 15, 4:30 to 9:15 p.m. Tickets on sale now at Blue Cloud Gallery in Ball Square, 713 Broadway. Celebrate the folk artistry of residents who transform their houses and yards with lights, illuminated ornaments, and shrines of devotion and fantasy. 45-minute Trolley Tours leave from (and return to) Somerville High School Field House, 81 Highland Ave. This is a new location this year, between the Central Library and the High School. Coffee, hot chocolate and cookies will be served. In addition, there will be craft activities for children and the Somerville Community Chorus will perform. Each year the tour changes, so do not expect the 2018 tour to be like the 2017 tour. This is a fundraiser for the Arts Council. For more info, visit www.somervilleartscouncil.org

Somerville Heroes by Stephanie Hirsch

In a new monthly column, I will highlight Somerville’s local heroes who, in so many different ways, make our community better. They extend kindness, sit with a stranger, shovel out a neighbor’s car, or solve an extra challenging problem. They show up, do the work that needs doing, and stay until the job is done. They can be any age or any background, and they don’t need any special skillset.

A lot of Somerville’s public parks and recreational areas have been or will be undergoing significant renovations and improvements over the course of time.

This is, of course, a good thing and something that is necessary on an ongoing basis as routine maintenance. There have been instances, however, when a certain amount of controversy has been generated, for example, over budgeting, best use of spaces, hours of operation, natural versus artificial turf, etc.

On Sunday, December 9, a ceremonial Menorah Lighting took place on the City Hall Concourse with Rabbi Eliana from Temple B’nai Brith. All members of the community were invited to join Mayor Curtatone, city officials and staff for a brief ceremony and photo on the City Hall Concourse. The Menorah will be lit each night of Hanukkah.

Eagle Feathers #168 – The Raiders

By Bob (Monty) Doherty

Two hundred forty-five years ago this week, the spark that ignited American freedom took place at Griffin’s Wharf in Boston Harbor. It began in 1767 when England imposed upon the colonists the Townshend Acts that taxed glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea.

Somerville poet and artist Kirk Etherton has this poetry display up in the Market Basket, my supermarket of choice. You can pick up a free poem, along with your frozen vegetables.

— Doug Holder

Join The Welcome Project as they celebrate International Migrants Day. They will showcase art and highlight stories of immigration from the community. They will also be launching their immigration quilt and inviting everyone to participate in their project. Appetizers will be served. Tuesday, December 18, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. 135 Broadway, Somerville. RSVP at  https://www.facebook.com/events/326949207892665/?active_tab=about.

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Review by Timothy Gager

There’s something wrong with you if these poems don’t speak to you. If they don’t speak to you it means you are not vulnerable. It means you are uncomfortable when someone is completely honest with you. It means someone sitting next to you on an airplane who is about to tell you the most incredible story you’ve heard in your life and is silenced because you are too busy to listen.

Lawrence Kessenich won the 2010 Strokestown International Poetry Prize. His poetry has been widely published, including in the Sewanee Review, and Poetry Ireland. His chapbook was published by Pudding House Publications in 2008. In 2012, his poem Underground Jesus was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Kessenich has also published essays, one of which was featured on NPR’s This I Believe in 2010 and appears in the anthology This I Believe: On Love. A number of his plays have been produced. He is the author of the novel Cinnamon Girl. He is a Somerville Bagel Bard.