Carnaval@SomerStreets is THIS Sunday in Somerville, 6/5/11 12pm-4pm, and it's FREE :)

Carnaval @ SomerStreets

Sunday, June 5th - 12-4pm

Roads Closed to Cars....Open to You
All along Broadway from Temple St. through East Somerville to Sullivan

WEBSITE

Come check out all the culture and energy that East Broadway has to offer! This unique one day street party brings the life and culture inside of East Broadway's businesses to the street!

Bring your friends.

Bring your family.

And enjoy our street.

• Shape Up Somerville Road Race
• 12:15 "Samba-Motion Parade" - led by Mayor Curtatone
  Open to All --- Wear your best Carnaval Costume -- the more color, feathers and beads the better!
• Music on 2 Stages -- the Foss Fest Stage & the East Broadway Stage (@ the East Branch Library)
• Villen Vibez Hip Hop Open Mic
• Farmer's Market
• Craft Fair
• 30+ Participating Businesses
• Explore the cuisine of local restaurants
• Raffles, Facepainting, Balloon Animals, Dance and Fitness Demos

The City of Somerville is partnering with East Somerville Main Streets and Foss Fest to kick off the city's SomerStreets inititiave, with Carnaval @ Somerstreets! Somerville's new Open Streets Initiative, SomerStreets, is a monthly celebration from June - October of each year, during which the City closes sections of roads to vehicle traffic in favor of walking, running, biking, dancing, and other activities! By partnering with local businesses and organizations, one Sunday each month the city transforms different Somerville neighborhoods into celebrations of active living, community pride, and live entertainment. Find more information on the City's Website.

@SomervilleCity @EastSomerville @FossFestival

Carnaval@SomerStreets Comes to Broadway on Sunday June 5th from 12-4pm!

Carnaval@SomerStreets is coming to Broadway from East Somerville up to Temple Street on Sunday June 5th from noon until 4pm. Please mark your calendars and please help spread the word about this event by reposting this announcement and emailing to anyone who might be interested in attending.

SomerStreets is an initiative by the City of Somerville and its partners to close the streets to cars and open them to activity. On June 5th from 12-4pm, Broadway will be blocked off from Sullivan Square to Temple Street (Star Market) to make room for dancing, cycling, skating and fun!

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..

The new City of Somerville website

http://www.somervillema.gov/

Did you know:
That there is supper and bingo at Hanscom Air Force Base tomorrow (4/20/11)?
http://www.somervillema.gov/departments/council-on-aging/events

That Somerville Sunsetters auditions are on May 16th?
http://www.somervillema.gov/spotlights/2011-somerville-sunsetters

About the Web-based Registry Anti-Theft Program?
http://www.somervillema.gov/spotlights/prevent-theft

Click away!

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:

Patriot's Day is Coming to Foss Park 4/18/11!

Please help keep the amazing history of Somerville alive by joining the City for the annual celebration of Patriot's Day in Foss Park on Monday April 18! Click on the flyer for a larger version.

And don't forget to get dressed for the event :)

Thinking Through East Somerville (and Winter Hill)

Everyone knows that there is a range of development throughout the Wards of Somerville. Although East Somerville (...and let's not forget Winter Hill) doesn't get the overall attention that Davis does, from what I have seen, this is not due to lack of trying on behalf of the Mayor and the City. Any perceived difference in support from the City would first need to be quantified, and in doing so, would have to take into account a range of relevant variables. Priorities for services likely have to account for factors such as where the most people are and where the most traffic is. There are many people working with the City to make East Somerville and Winter Hill a better place for everyone. This isn't particularly satisfying if you can't get your car through the snow on your street to get to work. In a case like this, I would like to think that the City would be willing to help if they are made aware of the problem. I would be very interested to hear other opinions on this. It takes a community, and the more the merrier, so please get involved. Best to all Somerville neighbors.

This mini-thought was inspired by Danielle Dreilinger's recently posted article on boston.com:

Many grumble East gets the least

Dan Sorger of the Dutch Bike Company is thrilled with his company's recent move to Boston's Financial District. Though the new workroom/storefront is a little smaller, "It's a much improved space. We used to be in a garage which was just horrible," he said. His rent went down. "We moved to a much nicer neighborhood, and… we're not dealing with the issues of East Somerville."

Read more...

Somerville honors King Monday

From Somerville News:

Somerville honors King Monday

The 2011 Martin Luther King Jr. celebration will include new programming, such as the reading of essays submitted by Somerville youth, and increased musical performances

Student essays and musical performances will celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. at the city’s annual event on Monday.

Read more...

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.

National Night Out in Foss Park, East Somerville

Somerville Cares About Prevention (SCAP) and the City of Somerville held their 6th Annual National Night Out last night in Foss Park. The weather was beautiful for some performances, food, and demonstrations by the state police. Nice to see the park getting this kind of use. Here's my view of the K9 demo:

Somerville Named 'All American City'

A little late on this..

From The City of Somerville:

June 19, 2009

The National Civic League announced tonight that the City of Somerville is one of ten winners of the 2009 All America City (AAC) Awards. Somerville was one of the 30 cities selected from thousands of entrants across the nation to vie for the title in Tampa. The award, which this year celebrates its 60th anniversary, is the best known and most competitive civic awards program in the United States, and this is the second win for Somerville, which received its first title in 1972. A 40-member delegation including representatives of the business community, local non-profit organizations, youth groups , city government and residents presented Somerville’s qualifications for the award to a jury of national experts in a series of three-day events that culminated in a 10-minute skit on the city’s efforts to support and prepare for the Green Line Extension Project.

Read more...



Image from Chris Devers' photostream.

Somerville Board of Alderman Minutes

The Somerville Board of Alderman minutes have been posted. 

We appreciate the work on behalf of the community. Here are the items that I'm particularly excited about as we all look forward to the upcoming weekend warming:

New Outdoor Seating and Goods License, Prospect Hill Properties Inc. dba The Independent, 75 Union Sq., 15 tables, 58 chairs, bar counter, grill, raw bar, host stand and performance area.

and

Renewing Outdoor Seating and Goods License, Union Sq. Group dba Precinct, 70 Union Sq., 18 tables, 48 seats.

Union Square, Somerville, from Gig Harmon's flickr photo stream:

Yes, more snow and more snow emergency in Somerville.

For details, see here.

Photo from Acidgalore's flickr photostream.

Arts at the Armory Pilots February School Vacation Week Classes!

Arts at the Armory Pilots February School Vacation Week Classes!

Click  here for an exciting schedule of arts activities planned for elementary, middle and high school students during February School Vacation Week, February 16-20.  If you want to register your child or teen, click here.

Somerville Armory, old school style, borrowed from:

 akaraff's photostream  CollectionsSetsTagsMapArchivesFavoritesProfile

Inside Bread & Co.

Bread & Co., 349 Broadway:

Green Line Extension Gets Green Light

From: wbztv.com

Green Line Extension Gets Green Light

BOSTON (WBZ) ―

 

State Transportation Secretary announced Tuesday he's in favor of an extension of the Green Line, as long as there's federal funding for it.

The plan would stretch the line's trolley tracks into Somerville and Medford, WBZ has learned.

The $600 million project, which has been in the works for decades, is part of a federal mandate to reduce air pollution under the Clean Air Act.

Under the plan, one track would extend from Lechmere to the Union Square area in Somerville. Green Line trolley tracks will also be laid parallel to the existing commuter rail line for several miles through Somerville and Medford with at least five stops.

Read more...

Yep, another snow emergency.

Entry tags:

local government, parking, snow emergency

Snow Emergency Effective Midnight Tues/Wed. - No School Wed.
In accordance with the City’s Snow Emergency Procedures, Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone has declared a snow emergency for the City of Somerville to go into effect at midnight., Wednesday, January 28th.   During snow emergencies, parking is allowed on the odd-numbered side of the street only (unless otherwise posted).  Cars not moved by 4 a.m. Wednesday morning will be subject to ticketing and towing.  Beginning at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, January 27th, residents unable to find a parking space on the odd-numbered side of the street may park in any municipal or school parking lot for the duration of the emergency.  A list of available city lots and other relevant information may be found on the City’s website at www.somervillema.gov.

Photo: Tree with snow, Somerville, MA, Cedar St, Winter 2002 by cfdls.

The Somerville Public Schools will be closed on Wednesday.

Residents who have not already done so may visit the City’s website, www.somervillema.gov, to view snow emergency procedures, download the snow procedures brochure or sign up for Connect CTY telephone and email alerts and other time sensitive messages from the City.  Residents may also sign up for Connect CTY calls and email by calling 311.  

In addition, flashing blue lights installed at 22 key intersections and entryways to the City will be activated immediately after the declaration of a snow emergency, and remain lit for the duration of the snow emergency.  As in years past, prerecorded information is also available on the city’s Information Hotline, 617-628-SNOW. 

One more pre-storm...

I have yet to snap anything post-storm, but here is Broadway at ~7pm. Click for the full pic.