Visitors convened at Bow Market to spend the 4th of July together.

By Shira Laucharoen

Bow Market held a cookout on July 4 in its courtyard, where guests were welcome to bring their own food items to prepare on charcoal grills. The newly opened Union Square center, which houses food vendors, retailers, and artists, served as a public, open space for people to enjoy the holiday.

Don’t forget, for all you Ball Square Café fans, starting this Friday, July 13, and every Friday night thereafter, they will stay open until 9:00 p.m. We’re excited, Omar and Mike are the best, the menu is always great. We can’t wait to see the specials for Friday evenings. Mention you saw it here!

By Ian Erlichman

Families flutter down sidewalks and across streets, around the life-size displays, like the 20-foot Lego Giraffe that guards the northern section of Assembly Row. It’s a sunny afternoon in Somerville on Friday, July 6, and the mid-day scorch has cooled to breezy warmth.

(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)

Raising minimum wage to $15 Is good business

I’ve been a Massachusetts business owner for 44 years. And I’m looking forward to increased consumer buying power and a stronger economy as the state minimum wage rises to $15 by 2023.

Thanks to Solar Flair, Solarize Somerville resident participants, and the City of Somerville, local non-profit CASPAR, Inc. (Cambridge and Somerville Program for Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Rehabilitation) expanded its far-reaching positive impacts on the community, and now they’re helping out the environment too. The organization was previously selected to receive a 5kW solar array donation that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions – and lower utility bills.

Eagle Feathers #157 – God Bless America

By Bob (Monty) Doherty

“God Bless America” is our unofficial anthem and was written one century ago this year in 1918 by Irving Berlin. This hymn was hidden in his desk drawer for twenty years before he dusted it off and revived it for Kate Smith to sing during World War II. Kate made her debut at Davis Square’s Somerville Theatre when she was a teenager, and by 1943 she was considered the musical voice of America.

The Somerville Arts Council’s ArtBeat festival has become a much beloved annual tradition here in the city for many.

One thing can be said for certain, it brings to the fore some of the most imaginative and unique creations one could ever wish to see, hear, and – sometimes – even feel.

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Zvi A. Sesling is Poet Laureate of Brookline, MA. His poetry is in print and online journals in U.S., India, Ireland, France, U.K., N.Z., Ireland, Canada, Australia and Israel. He publishes and edits Muddy River Poetry Review. He reviews for Boston Small Press and Poetry Scene. Sesling’s poetry books include The Lynching of Leo Frank, Fire Tongue and King of the Jungle. Chapbooks include Across Stones of Bad Dreams and Love Poems From Hell. His latest volume of poetry is War Zones, due out from Nixes Mate Books in August. He edited Bagel Bard Anthologies #7, #8 and #12. He lives in Brookline, MA with his wife Susan J. Dechter.

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I was pondering a question over my dark ale (with a hint of citrus) at the Remnant Brewery in the new Bow Market in Union Square. It was posed by the poet Robert Pinsky in the foreword of an anthology of poems about sculpture. He asked, “What has art made of breath to do with art made of matter?”

Pictured L to R: David Gasson, chair of the Building Better Together Steering Committee and vice president and director at Boston Capital; John Valverde, CEO of YouthBuild USA; Alexandria Benson, guest speaker and YouthBuild student from Buffalo, N.Y.; Linda Dorcena Forry, keynote speaker and northeast vice president of diversity, inclusion and community relations at Suffolk Construction; Chris Duverneau, guest speaker and graduate of YouthBuild Boston.

Fundraiser featured special guest speaker Linda Dorcena Forry of Suffolk Construction

Global youth service nonprofit YouthBuild USA celebrated its 13^th annual “Building Better Together” event on Thursday, June 21 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Nixon Peabody in Boston.