SOMERSTREETS: “SEIZE THE SUMMER” SET FOR SUNDAY, JULY 24TH ON HIGHLAND AVE.

SOMERSTREETS: “SEIZE THE SUMMER” SET FOR SUNDAY, JULY 24TH ON HIGHLAND AVE.

2nd SomerStreets Event to Include Outdoor Yoga, Kidical Mass Bike Ride, Sand Castles, Live Music and More!

SOMERVILLE- The City's 2^nd SomerStreets celebration of 2011, "Seize the Summer!" will take place on Sunday, July 24^th along Highland Avenue, from Walnut Street to Cedar Street.

For this unique event where "roads are closed to cars and open to you!" programming will extend along Highland Ave. from noon - 4 p.m., and will include activities such as a "Kidical Mass" bike ride to Davis Square, various kid activities health workshops, arts and crafts, live music and more. SomerStreets is the City's Open Streets Initiative, which closes sections of roadways one Sunday per month to promote and support active living - walking, biking, running, dancing, etc.

"Carnaval @ SomerStreets drew record crowds of over 5,000 last month along East Broadway, thanks to a partnership with East Somerville Main Streets and FossFest, and we're excited to bring our Open Streets Initiative to a new area of Somerville this month with Seize the Summer," said Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone. "These events encourage community members of all ages to get outside and be active, but also to experience new areas of the community and learn about the businesses and organizations that call our City home. We have a lot of wonderful things to offer, and I'm excited at how popular the SomerStreets trend has become in just one short year."

Along Highland Ave., local businesses and organizations including Cambridge Health Alliance, the Somerville Fire Department, Kidical Mass Arts at the Armory and the Somerville YMCA, among others, will partner with the City to provide activities for children and adults of all ages. Activities will include, but are not limited to:

• Farmers Market

• Outdoor Yoga

• Live music

• Family swim at the YMCA

• Bike decorating & "Kidical Mass" bike ride

• Face painting

• Sand castle building

• Arts and crafts

• Health fair

• Dance demonstrations

Additionally, at 4:00 p.m., attendees are invited to continue the fun with a walk down Vinal Ave. to a family friendly concert at the Community Growing Center.

The remaining 2011 SomerStreets schedule is:

• Seize the Summer - Sunday, July 24 on Highland Ave. from Walnut St. to Cedar St.

• Going Green on Rte. 16 - Sunday, August 21 on Alewife Brook Parkway from Dilboy Field to Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge

• Rolling on the Mystic - Saturday, September 10 on Shore Drive

• Fall Festival - Sunday, October 23 on Somerville Ave. from Union Square to Porter Square

SomerStreets builds on the Shape Up Somerville healthy living initiative. Similar open streets events take place all around the world, providing space normally taken up by automobile traffic for people to be more active. Special attention this year is being paid to providing fresh food at SomerStreets.

All SomerStreets events will run from 12-4 p.m., rain or shine.

Somerville named bicycle friendly community

From The Somerville News:

Somerville named bicycle friendly community

City given bronze-level recognition by the League of American Bicyclists
*

With plans under way to expand its network of streets marked for bicycling and to extend the Community Path, Somerville has been named a bronze-level Bicycle Friendly Community by the Washington, D.C.-based League of American Bicyclists. Somerville joins a host of other cities receiving this level of recognition for its efforts to promote bicycling, including Kansas City, Mo.; Raleigh, N.C.; and Northampton, Mass.

Somerville added 10 miles of streets marked for bicycling last year and will add another 11 this year, making it approximately a 30-mile bicycle network inside a city of 4.1 square miles.

Read more..

Call to Artists: Bands and musicians, artist and craft vendors and volunteers are all wanted for Carnaval at SomerStreets, on June 5, 2011!

Please mark your calendars for Carnaval at SomerStreets on June 5th. More info to come. To get involved with programming at the FossFest Stage, see fossfest.com or contact
fossfest at gmail:

Gotta love this town

Somerville named state's healthiest city

By Danielle Dreilinger, Globe correspondent

Read more...

Image from: istockphoto.com

SomerStreets on Broadway! 7/25/10

East Somerville Main Streets (ESMS; a non-profit, public-private partnership between East Somerville residents, business owners, community leaders, local government, and the National Main Streets Center) has been contributing to the diverse and vibrant area east of McGrath Highway through the development of several events and initiatives to promote the local community, including 'First Tuesdays' get togethers, arestaurant guide to the area, and even a local cookbookdocumenting some of the best flavors of the local business folk.

ESMS and the City of Somerville will be presenting SomerStreets on Broadway, this Sunday, 7/25/10.

Please put this on your calendar, and join the community for this fun filled Sunday afternoon!

More information can be found below, and on the East Somerville Main Streets and City of Somerville sites.

SomerStreets on Broadway!

Sunday, July 25th 12-4pm

Join the City of Somerville, ESMS and Foss Fest along Broadway for SomerStreets!
Featuring:

Music by:

Marcus Santos and Bloco,

Emperor Norton's Stationary Marching Band

Son del Sol

Dance demo by Vida Real Dance Group

Salsa Demos by Dance Havana

Circus demo by Vegetable Circus,

Zumba demo by Dance Zone

Fencing demo by Bay State Fencersa

Capoeira "Roda da Rua" by Mandingueiros dos Palmares

Community drum circle, tons of kids activities, and more!

Emperor Norton's Stationary Marching Band

From Harmonic Dissidents

Tomorrow we'll discuss the happenings at the Foss Park stage for FossFest.

FossFest 2010 is coming....

Tell your friends. And your enemies (as long as they are nice):
http://fossfest.com/

And maybe not so coincidentally, FossFest will fall on the same day as SomerStreets this year:
http://www.somervillema.gov/Division.cfm?orgunit=somerstreets

Somerville Saturday: SomerStreets! Spring Cleanup! Family Fun Day!

Fun events going on this weekend in Somerville:

From the city website:

Spring Cleanup, Family Fun Day to be Combined With June SomerStreets Event

Rescheduled Spring Cleanup to Join SomerStreets, Joe’s Jazz and Blues Festival and Family Fun Day on Saturday, June 19th; SomerStreets will be Held along Broadway, Powderhouse Boulevard

The City's second SomerStreets event will be held on Saturday, June 19th in conjunction with Joe's Jazz and Blues Fest, the annual Family Fun Day, and the rescheduled Citywide Spring Cleanup.

"The first SomerStreets event along Shore Drive in May was a tremendous success, and with a variety of upcoming summer events, this is another great opportunity to celebrate the Somerville community through arts and music," Mayor Curtatone said. "With community-oriented, family-friendly activities throughout the day, I hope this will serve not only as another celebration, but also a way to meet residents and community members from all of our neighborhoods and squares, and from all ethnic backgrounds."

Read more...

And more about Joe's Jazz and Blues Fest.

Somerstreets event on Sat. May 22!

From Somerville Arts Council:

Somerstreets event on Sat. May 22

Join Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone as we walk, run, bike and explore some of our City's hidden jewels: the Blueback Herring River Route, The Blessingof the Bay Boat House, & the Mystic River Reservation.

Saturday, May 22, 2010(rain date May 23rd)

Kick Off: Foss Park at Jaques Street(3 mile loop to Shore Drive)

Time: 10 am-2 pm Bring your family, friends (even the four-legged ones) for activities along Shore Drive including: Face painting Pack a picnic & enjoy some music Find out the Winners of the Mayors Fitness Challenge Run a Relay Race and much much more!!!!

For more information please call 311 or visitwww.somervillema. gov/somerstreets