You won’t get the day off from work or school or grocery shopping or … anything, really. There’ll be no three-day weekend or big picnic to mark the occasion. But for many, the significance of the day will ring loudly in their hearts and minds.

Flag Day is not an official federal or state holiday, but June 14 is the date designated by proclamation of President Woodrow Wilson back in 1916 as a day to officially honor the stars and stripes that we solemnly revere today.

June 10, 2024 marked the 50th anniversary of the tragic Arrow Paper Fire where Firefighters Joseph Reilly and Robert Brickley lost their lives. You can read more about them at https://www.thesomervilletimes.com/archives/132954.

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Reviewed by Off the Shelf Correspondent Karen Klein

My first reaction on reading this book was what an incredible group of women.

My second reaction: I wish I were one of them. I predict you will, too, when you read this amazing anthology of their poetry, prose, and plays.

The Streetfeet Women were multicultural before that became popular in the USA. In Somerville, MA’s, Winter Hill in 1980 a Black American, Mary Milner McCullough, and a White American, Elena Harap, began their literary partnership with Portraits of Sisters, a production of poems, music and dance performed by a multicultural groupof women. In 1982, they became formally known as “The Women’s Touring Company a part of Streetfeet Workshops of Mission Hill.”

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Faith Blake is an emerging poet whose work enquires into the ways language can play, move, and liberate. She has studied Biology at Tufts University, and Education at Stanford University. Faith leads youth programs in the Boston area and lives in Arlington, MA.

Track and tie replacements were accomplished along the Orange Line. Complimentary photo by the MBTA Customer and Employee Experience Department.

The MBTA  announced the completion of critical track work on the Orange Line while service was suspended between Wellington and Back Bay stations from May 28 through June 6. As a result of unencumbered access to track areas, crews accomplished important work to lift nine safety-related speed restrictions within the diversion area with a tenth removed just outside the diversion area between Ruggles and Massachusetts Avenue. The work accomplished will result in a safer, more reliable trip for riders with fewer unplanned service disruptions.

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Dan Breen, Ph.D., speaks about the months and weeks leading up to the events of September 1, 1774, as we commemorate the 250th anniversary of Gage’s fateful arrival in Boston at the Somerville Museum on May 23, 2024.

The Somerville High School (SHS) Athletics Department invites community members to attend a dedication ceremony for Kevin Raymond on Thursday, June 13, at Somerville High School (81 Highland Ave.) at 3:00 p.m.

Kevin was an SHS Alumni Class of 2015. He was an SHS student, a four-year member of the Highlander football program from 2011-2015, and was a co-captain of the program his senior year. Kevin was an inspiration to his teammates and encouraged a strong work ethic on the field. In 2014 he was the recipient of the Bubba Castor Coaches Award for his coachability, selflessness, and leadership on the field. Kevin was also an integral member of the Kennedy Pool staff as part of the lifeguarding and WSI team.