Arts and Culture

[ September 1, 2010 to September 30, 2010. September 1, 2010 to September 30, 2010. September 1, 2010 to September 30, 2010. ] HONK! FESTIVAL PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBIT featuring work by Greg Cook, Tiffany Knight, Mark Dannenhauer, Jesse Edsell-Vetter, Benjamin Greenberg, Chris Yeager & Akos Szilvasi. Exhibit runs through September 30th with an opening on Saturday, September 4th, 6-8 pm,
in Davis Square, Somerville.

[ August 26, 2010 8:00 pm to August 28, 2010 8:00 pm. ] The combined talents of Somerville writer and Artistic Director Carl Danielson, composer and Musical Director Andy Hicks; and a savvy, funny cast and crew called “Unreliable Narrator Theater Group” benefit Equality Now!

Somerville Community Access Television is starting a 12-session Next Generation Producers afterschool media club for Somerville middle school students.  The club will meet on Wednesdays, beginning on September 21, from 3:30 to 5:30 at 90 Union Square. The students will work with two professional video producers to create TV shows in a three-camera TV studio, [...]

[ July 30, 2010; 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. July 31, 2010; 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. August 1, 2010; 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. ] Kids, Clowns, Talent, Crazy Fun.

OPENAIR Circus presents its 25th season Big Top performance

July 30 & 31, and August 1, 2010

Families from Greater Somerville will be amazing and amusing audiences under the big tent at Nunziato Field, at the corner of Vinal Ave. and Summer Street near Union Square.

Founded in 1986 by Somerville parents, [...]

Somerville student work is on display in the Department of Education’s virtual art galleryhttp://www.doe.mass.edu/resources/kidart.aspx?page=51! See samples of youth art made in schools. Are you there? Is your child or teen’s work there?
For more information about the Visual Arts Department of the Somerville Public Schools please visit our website, www.somerville.k12.ma.us/arts.

We are inviting all kids 5 years old and under to submit original art for a show at True Grounds Café. This first-of-its-kind show will display the individuality, diversity and development of young children’s artistic expression.
Deadline for submissions: July 20th, 2010
There will be an opening reception for the artists, their parents and friends: Date will [...]

[ June 19, 2010; ] Books of Hope’s

Mystic Ink Tour is keepin it live and rollin as it moves through New England bringing poetry performances by today’s youth and books that they’ve written to communities near you!

Saturday, June 19th the tour rolls into Roxbury and Cambridge…

Catch us at 2 pm, performing before thousands at the annual Juneteenth–Roxbury Homecoming in Franklin [...]

The OPENAIR Circus opens its doors for the 25th time this summer.  Each year, over a hundred children ages 3-15 learn self confidence and an appreciation for community and the arts through a great variety of circus skills, from juggling to stilting to stage combat, from hip hop to hula hoops.  [...]

[ June 26, 2010; 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. ] · Screening of A Sea Change: Imagine a World Without Fish, Sat. 6/26 7 – 9 pm at First Church Somerville, 89 College Avenue.   This newly released film is about ocean acidification, climate change, and solutions. For more info. visit: http://www.aseachange.net

Co-sponsored by First Church Somerville, Somerville Climate Action, and Ocean River Institute.

[ June 18, 2010; 8:00 pm to 9:30 pm. June 19, 2010; 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm. 8:00 pm to 9:30 pm. ] A new dance performance choreographed by a wonderful Somerville choreographer (who just happens to be my daughter) will premiere Friday, June 18, at 8 pm, and Saturday, June 19, at 3 and 8 pm, at the BU Dance Theater at 915 Commonwealth Ave.  (enter from Buick Street).

Tickets: $25, $20 Student/Senior/BDA, $10 Children under 12.
Available at 617-358-2500 and www.akhra.org/tix.html

Here’s [...]

[ June 1, 2010; 6:30 pm; ] This meeting is important because Somerville’s citywide development for the next twenty years will be shaped by the comprehensive plan. This meeting is open to the public.

The Architectural Access Board will hold a Hearing on 18 Architectural Access Code Violations for Arts at the Armory facility on Monday, May 24, at 1 p.m.

back story: On February 8, Building Inspector Eddie Nuzzo provided sworn testimony to the Architectural Access Board (AAB) at a Variance Hearing to support the owner Joseph Sater’s request [...]

[ May 21, 2010; 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm. ] Immigrants who gather at Foss Park each morning as early as 5 am looking for work as day laborers are the subject of a new play that will enjoy its community premiere on Friday, May 21st at the Black Box Theater at the Elizabeth Peabody House, 277 Broadway. The program begins at 7:30 pm.

The new play, “They Don’t Tell You Anything!” will be performed as part of an evening of theater, stories and conversation about the struggles and challenges that many Somerville residents face after they are picked up by contractors each morning to paint or perform demolition work. Written by playwright and English teacher Meryl Becker, the play will be performed by student actors from the Somerville Center for Adult Learning Experiences (SCALE).

[ May 8, 2010; ] Somerville, MA May 3rd 2010 – Somerville “mompreneur” Kerri Friedlander and husband Lucas today announced their intention to hold a Grand Opening sale at the Upland Road location of “TwinkleStar Boutique” in Porter Square on May 8th, 2010.

The couple originally established retail presence in Ball Square Somerville but took a chance to co-locate with a [...]

[ May 13, 2010; 6:00 pm; July 16, 2010; ] This May, local Haitian youth living in Somerville’s Mystic Housing Projects set off on a 10-stop book tour, called the Mystic Ink Tour, to bring their stories to communities across New England. The DIY tour will take the teens out of their economically-challenged neighborhood and bring them to some of the most celebrated spoken word venues and bookstores in the region. www.booksofhope-ma.org

Despite verbal and written opposition by neighbors, the License Commission approved a transfer of a beer & wine license (donated) by Dali to the Arts at the Armory located at 191 Highland Avenue in Ward 5 on April 26th. This transfer was featured as agenda item #29.
This decision comes just in time as the arts-focused [...]

[ May 10, 2010; May 11, 2010; May 12, 2010; July 16, 2010; July 17, 2010; July 18, 2010; July 22, 2010; July 23, 2010; July 24, 2010; ] Shake Up Shakespeare with Theatre@First! Auditions May 10-12 for performances July 16-18 and July 22-24.

[ April 28, 2010; 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. ] Books of Hope (a teen literacy and empowerment program based in the Mystic Housing Project) is presenting a poetry workshop and youth poetry slam featuring poet Everett Hoagland, Wednesday, April 28th, 2010, from 6-8PM at the Somerville Library at 79 Highland Ave. All are welcome!

There will be free food and the teens will be [...]

[ June 3, 2010; ] Thursday, June 3rd, 2010
Location : Healey School (5 Meacham Street)

[ May 16, 2010; 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm. ] Sunday, May 16th, 2010, 4:00 – 7:00 pm
Location : Arts at the Armory 191 Highland Ave
Healey School’s First Annual Young Artists in Action Gala to raise funds to support 2010-2011 arts enrichment activities. Guests will enjoy student visual and literary arts displays and live performances. Light refreshments, silent auction and raffle. $25 admission, $10 for [...]

The 2010 Somerville Open Studios is coming up soon!  This Friday, April 16, is the opening reception for the Artists’ Choice Exhibit at the Somerville Museum, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.  Approximately 200 artists will have work in this year’s show.

[ April 13, 2010; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. ] The all City K-8 Art Fair Located at Dr. Albert F. Argenziano School, Lincoln Park, 3rd Floor
Opening Ceremonies
Tuesday, April 13th
5:30- 7:30 PM

Musical Performances
5:30- 7:30 PM

[ May 6, 2010; 7:00 pm; ] Thursday, May 6th, 2010, 7:00 >
Location : Somerville High School (81 Highland Avenue)

[ April 8, 2010; 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. ] On Thursday, April 8th please join students from each of Somerville’s seven K-6 or K-8 elementary schools for a concert featuring songs celebrating spring and global community. The concert starts at 7:00 PM, is free and open to the entire public and takes place in the Somerville High School Auditorium (81 Highland Avenue).

[ April 15, 2010; 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm. ] This Tax Day, find out where most of your tax $$$ go:

Why We Fight -  2005, Directed by Eugene Jarecki

Come to a community screening and discussion of this award-winning film.

Thursday, April 15, 6:30-9pm.

Somerville Public Library

79 Highland Ave.

Co-sponsored by Rep. Denise Provost, Somerville Climate Action, and Somerville/ Medford United for Justice with Peace.

Why We [...]

I just finished The Things They Carried, the book by Tim O’Brien that “Somerville Reads” is trying to get as many people as possible in Somerville to read and discuss. It’s one of the best books I’ve ever read. Excellent choice. But I didn’t fight in the war. I’m wondering what the people who did [...]

[ April 10, 2010; 11:30 am to 4:00 pm. ] On Saturday, April 10, 2010, more than 800 youth will attend the fourth annual Somerville Youth Peace Conference at Somerville High School, 81 Highland Avenue in Somerville, from 11:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The conference, Rising from our Roots, will feature original performances and speeches by Somerville teens based on their own lives, workshops led [...]

[ March 26, 2010; 8:00 pm; ] Patrick T. Randolph, editor of Empty Shoes, and Mary ElizaBeth Peters, author of Unto the East, will host a shared reading and author discussion of their poetry works at Calvary Methodist Church in Arlington next Friday at 8:00 pm. Empty Shoes is a collaborative work featuring 158 poems about hunger and homelessness from 80 poets, [...]

[ March 20, 2010; 2:30 pm; 7:00 pm; March 21, 2010; 1:30 pm; 6:00 pm; March 27, 2010; 2:30 pm; 7:00 pm; March 28, 2010; 1:30 pm; 6:00 pm; ] Family Opera opens this weekend – not just for kids!

[ March 22, 2010; 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. March 23, 2010; 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm. March 24, 2010; 9:00 am to 11:00 am. March 25, 2010; 9:00 am to 11:00 am. March 31, 2010; 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm. April 6, 2010; 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm. April 8, 2010; 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. April 13, 2010; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. April 14, 2010; 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm. ] YOU MIGHT HAVE ALREADY HEARD…
• Somerville High School’s drop-out rate continues to be on the decline. Get details in the press release issued by the Office of the Superintendent on Tuesday, March 16th, online at www.somerville.k12.ma.us/news
• Due to snow closures, the last day of school is NOW June 22nd. Get the new 2009-2010 school [...]

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick spoke in the inaccessible Somerville High School auditorium this past Monday March 8, 2010, celebrating the fact that Somerville, MA was named one of the 10 All America Cities, 2009, by the National League of Cities.
A week later, the Somerville Arts Council- which enjoys American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) funding, [...]

Looking to spice up your winter, while saving money? The YUM Restaurant Card is your ticket!
This card is a wallet-sized miracle. It supports local businesses. It gets you a discount at thirteen immigrant-run Somerville restaurants. It’s only $12 online. And all the proceeds go to support The Welcome Project’s programs for Somerville’s immigrant families.

The Welcome Project is a [...]

[ March 28, 2010; 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm. ] This spring, Somerville is launching its first “one city, one book” campaign, a community reading project in which people all over the City will be encouraged to read and discuss the same book.

The kickoff event will be on Sunday, March 28, 4:00 to 8:00 at the Somerville Armory on Highland Avenue.  The book that has [...]

[ April 5, 2010; ] The Somerville Public Schools invites you to tell your stories about learning and teaching in Somerville in our Spring 2010 Digital Photography contest. Complete submissions received by April 5th will have the chance to win a $50 gift card from Tufts University and the opportunity to have their photos printed in the Somerville News [...]

The City of Somerville, with it’s clear mandates and civil rights obligations from Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, continues to be really , truly, obviously unskilled at inclusive community-building.

It was a quintessential Somerville night at the theater for “Beauty And The Beast” at the High School this evening.  Promoters Gretchen Kinder and Rosemarie Sears must have outdone themselves packing the house because I had to make my way to the balcony to find a seat.   I saw neighbors, friends, teachers, school committee members, [...]

[ February 4, 2010; 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm. ] Cross-posting from the SCAT website [link to source here]

Thursday, February 4, 6:30-9; afterparty to follow
SCATV, 90 Union Square, Somerville
6:30pm: doors and prescreening activities; 7:00pm sharp: screening followed by panel discussion;
9pm: afterparty @ the Independent, 75 Union Square
***SEATING IS LIMITED; please come on time***
The event will be cablecast live in Somerville and Cambridge.

Exploring the role of [...]

[ February 12, 2010; 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm. February 13, 2010; 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm. February 14, 2010; 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm. February 18, 2010; 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm. February 19, 2010; 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm. February 20, 2010; 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm. February 25, 2010; 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm. February 26, 2010; 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm. February 27, 2010; 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm. ] Dracula
Original novel by Bram Stoker
Adapted for the stage by John Mattera
Directed by Michael Babish

Theatre@First is proud to bring an adaptation of Bram Stoker’s 1897 classic, “Dracula,” to the stage this February.

Nine performances February 12th -27th at 8pm, with a 3pm matinee on Valentine’s Day February 14th at the Elizabeth Peabody House, 277 Broadway, Somerville. Conveniently [...]

[ February 28, 2010; 3:00 pm to 6:30 pm. ] The Boston bellydance community is shakin’ it all back together! Join us for a glamorous afternoon of compassion in motion.

Don’t miss the opportunity to give our HONK!  a vote in the New England Art Awards on-line poll. They’ll only count your vote if you vote before midnight today, Sunday, the 24th. There are some other locals or near locals who could use a vote as well. (There are links to the voting below the [...]

[ January 26, 2010; 7:15 pm to 9:30 pm. February 2, 2010; 7:15 pm to 9:30 pm. ] Join the Somerville Community Chorus for our 25th anniversary year!
Auditions are not required. All voices are welcome.

Open rehearsals are Tues. Jan. 26 and Feb. 2, 7:15-9:30pm (attend one
or both). For the spring season, we will be performing songs “In
Praise of Music” commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Somerville
Community Chorus. The concert program will feature songs [...]

[ December 20, 2009; 10:00 am; ] First Church Somerville is presenting its Christmas Cantata in the morning at 10, regardless of the snow. The music will be wonderful – great voices, drums, good spirits.

After the Cantata is a festive brunch – strata, salad, fruit.

Our sidewalks will be shoveled and our hearts will be open. We’d love to see you and feed [...]

[ December 15, 2009; 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm. ] SCAT is hosting Santa Claus in the TV studio on Tuesday, December 15 from 6:00 to 7:00pm. This event is free. Children may come up to tell Santa what they want for Christmas in person, or watching the live TV show from home on Channel 3, they may call in to him at 617-628-9876. The [...]

It looks like the climate crisis is taking a back seat to the economic crisis as Mayor Curtatone and the Somerville Arts Council promote the annual Illuminations Holiday Tour,  “the annual trolley tour of holiday light displays” around the city.  Certainly, keeping the holiday lights off is the least we could do to help reduce [...]

[ November 23, 2009; 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. ] This Monday, November 23rd, Transition Somerville will screen “The First Millimeter: Healing the Earth” at the College Ave Methodist Church at 7 p.m.
The documentary profiles farmers and ranchers who are using holistic management to heal the soil and sequester carbon.

Come for the movie, stay for the conversation!
November 23rd
7 p.m.
14 Chapel St.
Somerville

We are writing to ask you to support the February 2010 Somerville High School production of Beauty and the Beast by purchasing an ad in the program book. You can find details on the range of sponsorship costs and benefits, and information about how to become an ad book sponsor online at www.somerville.k12.ma.us/musical.
Beauty and the [...]

Kicking off on Wednesday, December 9 from 3:30-5:30, SCAT’s Next Generation Producers After-School Film Production Club offers students the opportunity to create their own video projects, learn state-of-the-art television production skills, and work alongside other youth with similar interests. The teens will receive one-on-one attention from SCAT staff as they create the film and video [...]

These jumped out at me recently from my somartscouncil@yahoogroups.com digest:
“Something Sweet in Somerville”
ON VIEW: November 7-21 , 2009
GALLERY HOURS: Saturdays 12:00pm-4:00pm and by Appointment
GRAND GALA and Auction Closing: November 21, 6:00-9:00pm ($5 entry or a NEW hat, scarf, mittens, gloves, socks, or other winter wear for SHC); Festive attire encouraged!
The Washington Street Art Center (at [...]

[ November 19, 2009; 7:30 pm; ] Next Thursday night in Davis Square, you’re invited to the next Sprout Spaghetti Dinner, a dinner theater series sponsored by Sprout, that seeks to bring people from the Somerville and Cambridge communities together around good food, music, and performance.

Students in Somerville High School’s Culinary Arts program have baked for Governor Patrick. Now let them bake for you! The annual Thanksgiving Pie Sale has started. For only $9 per pie students will prepare a beautiful and delicious pie in one of eight varieties. Order forms, which can be downloaded at [...]

[ December 5, 2009; 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm. ] Free film – Dec 5 – “Emmanuel’s Gift,” part of “Disability Reframed” series.

[ November 7, 2009; 8:00 pm; November 8, 2009; 2:00 pm; ] The Tufts Global Lens Film Series picks up after a week off. The films are top notch, free, open to the public and you won’t have to fight a crowd (I got a private screening last week). The movies are the type you won’t get an easy chance to see again.

http://ase.tufts.edu/ir/eventsGlobalLens.htm

Here’s the schedule for this [...]

[ November 3, 2009; 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm. ] There will be an open screening and discussion of the 45-minute documentary, “Eating Local in Somerville” on Tuesday, November 3 at 7:30pm in the studio of Somerville Community Access Television, 90 Union Square, Somerville.

Eating local is a national movement that has been embraced enthusiastically in Somerville. A new documentary produced by SCAT Executive Director Wendy [...]

[ October 29, 2009; 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm. October 30, 2009; 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm. October 31, 2009; 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm. ] Switch your brain on early to let the tubes warm up, and come back in time with us!

The Post-Meridian Radio Players proudly present
“THE BIG BROADCAST OF 1938″
at the Somerville Theater.
It’s their annual tribute to the Golden Age of Radio, with the music and comedy of  “The Frank Cyrano Byfar Hour” and then [...]

[ November 28, 2009; 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. ] Each year, this event attracts over three thousand visitors.  All proceeds benefit the girls’ and boys’ cross-country and track teams at SHS, including the awarding of college scholarships each June.

This is the eighteenth year that the TrackPAC will sponsor this event.  We are very proud that it has become a Thanksgiving weekend destination for so [...]

[ October 17, 2009; 1:00 pm to 7:00 pm. October 18, 2009; 1:00 pm to 7:00 pm. ] North Cambridge Family Opera is holding auditions this coming weekend, Oct. 17 and 18, for its Spring 2010 production of Springtime for Haman. North Cambridge Family Opera specializes in fully sung theater productions for singers of all ages and encourages families to participate.

[ October 29, 2009; 8:00 pm; October 30, 2009; 8:00 pm; October 31, 2009; 2:00 pm; 8:00 pm; ] The Post-Meridian Radio
Players (PMRP) are pleased to announce the launch of the Web site and
ticket sales for “The Big Broadcast of October 30th, 1938″ – the
latest iteration of their annual Halloween tribute to the Golden Age
of Radio.

[ October 17, 2009; 4:00 pm; ] The Ghosts of Somerville will rise again next Saturday, October 17th from 4:00 p.m. to dusk, at the Milk Row Cemetery, at 400 Somerville Avenue, next to DeMoulas Market Basket.  Historic Somerville, Inc. is producing the event, with help from the Somerville Museum and the Somerville Historic Preservation Commission (SHPC).  Ghosts of Somerville is a [...]

Chicago didn’t get the Olympics but Somerville got HONK! with 30 bands from around the world, Friday afternoon through Sunday–here’s an article that describes the schedule. HONK! provided us with this great video!:

[ October 3, 2009; 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. ] Join the Family Fun Day at the Dr. Albert F. Argenziano School at Lincoln Park this Saturday, October 3 from 10:00 am-2:00 pm. Everyone is invited for this community celebration of the school. Bring the kids for games, face painting, bubble bounce and more!

[ October 10, 2009; 4:00 pm; ] Riverfest 2009

Starts 4:00 PM
(fireworks at 8:00 PM)

Assembly Square (map)

This is the second annual Mystic River Festival, featuring food, music, games, and fireworks. This event is sponsored by Federal Realty Investment Trust; Mayor Joseph Curtatone, City of Somerville; the City of Malden; and the City of Everett. Click link above for rain date.

[ October 8, 2009; October 9, 2009; October 10, 2009; October 11, 2009; ] We need places for groups of all sizes–singles, doubles, triples, quadruples, and yes, even those places where 25 spirited horn players can rest their weary heads. Most groups will not be arriving by car this year, so proximity to Davis Square and/or the Red Line is a priority.

[ September 14, 2009; 2:25 pm to 7:00 pm. September 16, 2009; 2:25 pm to 7:00 pm. September 17, 2009; 2:25 pm to 7:00 pm. ] Did you know instrument lessons for youth in grades 4-12 (strings) and 5-12 (band instruments including drums) are free in the Somerville Public Schools? Community donations have helped create a low-cost instrument rental program for families.

Learn more about the instrument lessons and rental program at one of three information sessions this week:
Strings information session: [...]

[ September 26, 2009; 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm. September 27, 2009; 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm. ] September 26 (8 PM) and 27 (3 PM) at the Somerville Theatre!

“Never After: It’s Not Your Grandmother’s Fairytale Musical”
An original musical fairytale comedy, performed in concert

Written & Composed by Somerville playwright Colleen Campbell
Stage Direction by Elizabeth Hunter
Music Direction by Thom Whittemore

‘Never After’ is the story of Princess Lesley Ann, fated from birth to be a [...]

[ September 19, 2009; 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. ]

The Somerville Garden Club holds one of the best plant sales in the Boston area. Club members divide and donate time-tested favorites as well as plants they have just discovered.

When: September 19, 2009, 9 am – 1 pm

Where: Davis Square (at the intersection of College Ave. and Holland St.)

Feel free to print out a flier, [...]

Cuba. What did you just think of? Communism, Fidel, the revolution? Many people believe things in Cuba are being run wrong and should be changed. I, however, disagree. When I think of Cuba I think of kindness, generosity, and community. It didn’
t used to be this way. Prior to the 1959 revolution only 35.1% of [...]

[ September 5, 2009; 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm. ] FossFest 2009 is a free outdoor music event in Somerville’s Foss Park (corner of Broadway and Fellsway W) taking place on Saturday, September 5th from 2-6pm. Bring a blanket and a picnic (no alcohol; there will be food vendors at the event) and listen to five fantastic local bands – The Diamond Mines, Audrey Ryan, Concord [...]

[ August 28, 2009; 4:00 pm to 10:00 pm. August 29, 2009; 4:00 pm to 10:00 pm. ] The 4th annual Viva la Vinal Festival will take place on Friday and Saturday, August 28th and 29th (rain date Sunday, August 30th) at the Vinal Avenue Growing Center located at 22 Vinal Ave. in Union Square, Somerville.

The event will run from 4pm to 10pm both days (see schedule and artist info below) and will feature [...]

[ September 13, 2009; 3:00 pm to 9:00 pm. ] On Sunday, September 13, 2009, Pabst Blue Ribbon [www.pabstblueribbon.com] and Precinct Bar and Restaurant [www.precinctbar.com] in Union Square, Somerville, will present “Music Festival 2009” to benefit RESPOND, Inc., a New England agency providing safe haven for women and children., and CAAS,(Community Action Agency of Somerville). The event will run from 3:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.

[ September 27, 2009; 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. ] From the Tufts website:
All are invited to a day of education, art, and family entertainment. All activities, including lunch, are free of charge.

Residents, neighbors and friends are invited to celebrate the seventh annual Community day at Tufts University from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, September 27. The event will take place on the [...]

[ September 10, 2009; 7:00 pm to 8:45 pm. ] Get the skinny on Somerville’s own sassy, classy, and definitely brassy festival of alternative marching bands coming up October 11th, and find out how to be part of the fun!

Last night’s performance by Project Star at the Somerville High auditorium was a lot of fun.  Jimmy DelPonte’s original musical showed his talent as a storyteller, humorist, and song writer.  He can be forgiven as director for giving the leading role to his son Joey who has theatrical presence and a really good voice.  Many [...]

[ August 14, 2009; 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm. ] On Friday, August 14 from 7 to 10 pm Somerville Community Access Television is the producer of “Somerville….In Shorts!” SCAT comes in under the Arts Council’s ArtsUnion umbrella to present an evening of locally produced experimental and animated films outside on the Union Square Plaza. It’s an impressive line-up of filmmakers, including some who have [...]

[ August 20, 2009; 9:00 pm; ] ‘Nuff talkin’. DRAW! Live comics creation, artistic head-to-head showdowns, live music, and PRIZES to benefit Boston Comics Roundtable.

[ August 10, 2009; 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm. ] Pig out and enjoy a cool drink and cooler music to benefit SHC!

[ August 2, 2009; 2:00 pm; ] Today at 2 pm, a bunch of kids and grownups laughed, danced, clapped, sang, screamed with laughter and marvelled in unison. The OpenAir Circus is again in Somerville- and you’ve got one more day to catch it! (with pics)

The Globe has a story today about the evolution of Davis Square and my son Nick’s project of finding out what happened to the kids who made the beautiful T station tiles when they were in elementary school.

[ July 18, 2009; 12:00 pm; ] Tim Devin’s “The history of Somerville, 2010-2100” is a community art project exploring what the future of Somerville might be like. As part of the project, Tim has been talking to residents, and documenting their hopes, dreams, and fears about the future of the city. He has also been meeting with politicians and city officials, and researching government plans and think tank vision statements.

[ July 10, 2009; 7:00 pm; ] The renowned Extraterrestrial Circus Experiment will perform their unique and astonishing show, “People” for one night only on Friday, July 10 at 7 pm. The show, at the Armory Center for the Arts, 191 Highland Ave. in Somerville, will benefit the OPENAIR Circus.

[ July 11, 2009; 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. ] We will be singing traditional and contemporary songs from a variety of genres – songs that are easy to sing, songs you know and love, songs you sung at camp, songs you might like your kids to know, songs that don’t have “explicit lyrics” Bring copies of “Rise Up Singing” (if you have it), guitars, tambourines, kazoos, drums, food, a blanket, friends, neighbors, and positive energy. A splendid time is guaranteed for all.

[ June 27, 2009; 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm. ] Please join us to support the Somerville Commission for Women at El Potro in Union Square… Appetizers and Live Music will be provided.

[ June 20, 2009; 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. ] The Friends of the Community Growing Center will be hosting an all-ages community sing along on Saturday, June 20th from 5-7.

We will be singing traditional and contemporary songs from a variety of genres – songs you know and love, songs you sung at camp, songs you’d want your kids to know, songs that don’t have [...]

On May 22 – 24 2009, I went to Anime Boston for the first time. Anime Boston is a convention where all Japanese animation lovers come together and buy or interact with one another. There are a lot of things going on in anime Boston. There is a concert and competitions of various different games. I [...]

Please join The Welcome Project on June 7 for a graduation celebration for some special people from cultures and countries all over the world. These are the students in our youth language interpretation and adult language learners programs who have just completed a year’s worth of learning as language interpreters and English language learners.

[ June 3, 2009; 8:00 pm to 11:00 pm. ] Change for a 10 Spot
Wednesday, June 3, at Johnny D’s from 8-11 pm
With a little help from our friends

We couldn’t do our work without friends like you! Join us on Wednesday,
June 3, 8:00-11:00 pm at Johnny D’s Uptown in Somerville’s Davis Square
for Change for a 10 Spot.

Tickets are only $10, available in advance or at [...]

[ June 14, 2009; 10:30 am to 12:30 pm. ] Historic Preservation Event: A Walking Tour entitled, “West Somerville- From Powderhouse Pickles to Ball Square Brickyards”, has been rescheduled to its rain date on Sun. June 14th rain date. The tour goes from 10:30 – 12:30 pm and starts at the Powderhouse Field House. See here for more information: http://www.somervillema.gov/alert.cfm?alert_id=203

[ June 3, 2009; 7:00 pm; June 10, 2009; 7:30 pm; June 16, 2009; 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. 9:00 pm; June 18, 2009; 7:00 pm; ] From the SPS homepage, entitled “A message from Tony Pierantozzi, Superintendent of Schools”
… The extent of the impact of the current financial crisis on fiscal year 2010 remains unclear. We do know that the impact of the revenue decrease at the State level will require creative solutions and difficulty in maintaining our services. We are [...]

[ June 4, 2009; 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. ] Celebrate student musicians in the Somerville Public Schools at the Spring String Fling on Thursday, June 4th. This free concert featuring student performers in grades 4-12 will begin at 7:00 PM in the Somerville High School Auditorium (81 Highland Avenue).

Instrumental music lessons are free in the Somerville Public Schools. To learn more contact [...]

[ May 30, 2009; 7:30 pm; ] Music for Hope Concert to Benefit RESPOND
Saturday, May 30, 2009
7:30pm, Tufts University – Cohen Auditorium

[ May 28, 2009; 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm. ] HONK! Neighborhood meeting, May 28th, 2009 7-8:30 PM at the West Branch Library in Davis Square, 40 College Ave. The HONK festival returns October 9-11th in and around Davis Square. This community meeting will be about how you can get involved in helping to make HONK happen again. Check out www.honkfest.org for more [...]

I live outside Davis Square and every time I ride the T, I stop and look at the tiles that line the entrance to the station. I grew up in Somerville at the same time as many of the people who made these tiles, so I usually look for someone I know, and I often [...]

[ April 29, 2009 to May 1, 2009. ] The Somerville High School Art Fair starts on Wednesday, April 29th and runs through Friday, May 1st. Special opening reception will be start at 6:30 PM on the 29th. Student work is on display throughout the Atrium of the High School.

[ April 25, 2009; 2:00 pm; ] Rock out and chow down to keep our neighbors off the streets!

[ April 21, 2009; 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. ] Come out to the Progressive Democrats of Somerville (PDS) Annual Meeting. See what exciting things are happening with PDS as it celebrates the start of its 6th year.

When: Tuesday, April 21 – 6:30pm to 8:30pm
Where: Independent Restaurant – Union Square
The short program will include elections for new officers, a review of where PDS has been and [...]

Last Thursday, responding to requests from the Actors Shakespeare Company and Arts at the Armory, I attended the Board of Zoning Appeals hearing. Testimony at that hearing was a revelation in several very different – and conflicting – ways.

The issues themselves were simple and there was a clear preponderance of support to extend the hours [...]

[ April 23, 2009; 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm. April 24, 2009; 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm. April 25, 2009; 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm. April 26, 2009; 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm. April 27, 2009; 8:00 pm; April 28, 2009; 8:00 pm; April 29, 2009; 8:00 pm; April 30, 2009; 8:00 pm; ] Eight performances, right in Davis Square!

Hi everyone-
Below is a call-for-participants for a community art project I’m working on about Somerville. Hope you decide to participate!
Thanks!
Tim
–
What will the future hold for Somerville? We’re trying to figure that out, and we need your help!
“The history of Somerville, 2010-2100″ is an art project that explores what the future might be like. If you’d [...]

On Friday I was a guest at the high school’s Multicultural Fair. It was the most dramatic and most successful cultural event I’ve ever seen – beating everything from Lincoln Center to the MFA.
Dozens of cultures were brilliantly represented with music, dance, food and talk. The presentations were person-to-person, with teens talking with teens, reflecting [...]

Craig Leach’s Somerville High School media and TV production students this week explained what they’re learning and why the class deserves taxpayer support. And they posted “digital books” they created. Take a look!
“Jerry617″ takes his driver’s license test with a state policeman who’s a jokester.  Haley’s friend knocks over a vase in the White House.   [...]

I’m pleased to announce http://www.somervillefoodscene.com, biweekly anonymous reviews for Somerville residents. When you have a few moments, please do stop by and enjoy.

My progressive, arts-loving church started talking a lot about race and racism, after the Jeremiah Wright kerfuffle in the press last spring (Jeremiah Wright is UCC, like us). We haven’t stopped talking about it yet, and this winter and spring are running a multifaceted “Sacred Conversation on Race,” both for our own community’s learning, and [...]

[ February 23, 2009; 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. ] Somerville writer Doug Holder presents a workshop on the Small Press and Independent Publishing to Books of Hope youth and the community on Monday, Feb 23rd, 7-9 pm at the Mystic Activity Center, 530 Mystic Ave. The event features poet/performer C.D. Collins who’ll be joining Doug for this lively reading, talk, and interactive creative exchange. [...]

I want to share with you a call I received this week from an 80-year-old Somerville woman. Olga is a retired math teacher who is recovering from hip replacement surgery. After hearing President Obama’s Inaugural Address and his call to service, she picked up the phone, saying she was moved to “give back any way I can.” Olga will be tutoring math at Somerville High School three hours a week. I know that there are many more Olgas in Somerville and beyond who are searching for meaningful ways to connect with and give back to their community.

Click “Read more” to learn about:

- College Goal Sunday on January 25th
- Kindergarten registration paperwork help, January 26-29
- Bye Bye Birdie at Somerville High School February 6-8
- Student art on exhibit at the Nave Gallery
- Somerville Special Olympics Swim team

Registration has opened for the 2009 Somerville Open Studios.  This year the event will be on May 2 and 3 from noon to 6:00pm.  Registration for participating artists is only open until January 30. You can register here: http://2009.somervilleopenstudios.org/membership/

Putting together the SOS maps is a huge task taken on every year by a small group [...]

A focus group of Civil and DisAbilities Rights advocates will join with the longest-running TV Access producers group in the country during Civil Rights Week in MA to tackle the challenges of designing equal opportunity communities.

Julia’s drawing entitled Red Sails at Sunset by Julia J won third prize in Crayola’s “Art of Childhood” online exhibit!

More than 35 student actors, musicians, stage and costume designers, and production engineers are working on the 2009 Somerville High School production of Bye Bye Birdie. Scheduled to launch its three day run on Friday, February 6th, Bye Bye Birdie tells the story of Conrad Birdie…

Hi Gang.. Bill from SCAT here. It’s the holiday time of year and best wishes to all of you from the members and staff here at Somerville Community Television. Today’s BIG NEWS: Santa and Mrs Claus will be live on Somerville Channel 3 on Wednesday night December 10, from 6-8pm. We would like to invite those of you with little ones…

[ December 1, 2008; 4:00 pm; ] A new exhibition, cosponsored by the Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study and the Chinese Historical Society of New England features material from the Chinese American Women Oral History Project. Exhibited are transcripts, audio, and video clips, artifacts, correspondence, and books that document the experiences of several women who [...]

Nearly a third of Somerville residents were born outside of the United States. Who are we in this immigrant city? What dreams and aspirations brought us here? How did we cope in a new community and in a new country? What brings us together – what pulls us apart – across generations of immigrants?

I like to play video games that have to do with music or creating music. Like DDR (Dance Dance Revolution): you play with a mat that has 4 arrows, one pointing up, down, left and right. On the screen, you press the arrows with your feet by dancing along with the music that you’re hearing [...]

As promised here is the latest and greatest from Somerville Community Access Television. Check out the footage from the Community Arts Festival and from a Nepali Community Event. See a separate posting for the interview with Bill Shelton about Charter Reform on Fred Berman and Bill Bumpus’ Monday evening show, Progressive Voices.

I’m sure I’m not the first person to say that ArtBeat has become lame. Other than some interesting music, it is mostly a lame, generic craft festival. It is almost always too hot and not that unique or interesting.

Honk, on the other hand, showcases what makes Somerville unique and compelling. Like the Fluff festival and Open Studios, Honk is becoming a great example of funky, creative Somerville.

Unfortunately, rumor has it that Honk may not necessarily continue. This would be a huge loss.

Does anyone else share my views that ArtBeat should be substantially changed and that public and Arts Council funds should be dedicated more towards saving Honk?

This year’s third annual HONK! Festival from Oct. 10 – 12 was an exuberant street party!

Workshops on Friday.
Free music by 25 bands on Saturday.
And the Honk! parade on Sunday.
It’s a big event this weekend posted a month ago by Columbine. I thought it should get more than just a calendar listing.  Also–they’re looking for volunteers.

[ October 8, 2008; 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm. ] Join Union Square Main Streets for our monthly ‘Second Wednesdays in Union Square’ community celebration.  October features a tour of Union Square’s drinking holes, complete with drink specials and new friends.

When: This Wednesday, October 8 from 6pm until whenever you want to leave.

Where: We will begin the night at 6pm at Taqueria La [...]

[ September 27, 2008; 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm. ] Food, music, and raffle, rain or shine – everyone is invited!

Regional news media continues to report on communities around the Commonwealth which are faced with financial squeezes that negatively impact local education. One way some communities manage the squeeze is by instituting or driving up extracurricular activity fees. In the Somerville Public Schools the commitment to providing equal access to important enrichment activities remains strong.

[ September 28, 2008; 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm. ] Come to Union Square September 28 27 to celebrate Somerville’s own sweet, gooey, and utterly unique contribution to American cuisine, Marshmallow Fluff!  From 4 to 7 PM (rain date Sunday September 28) come participate in the Fluff cooking contest, find out about Somerville superhero Fluff Boy, and hear the dulcet tones of the Flufferettes, as [...]

[ October 12, 2008; ]
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
I am part of a group of Somerville and Cambridge residents organizing the third Honk! Festival of activist street bands, and I wanted to extend an invitation to all of you to take part in the Honk Parade from Davis Square to Harvard Square on Sunday, October 12. It’s a great community [...]

[ September 20, 2008; 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm. ] Saturday, September 20, 2008
The Urban Country Fair

sponsored by Truth Serum, Somerville Arts Council and ArtsUnion
(raindate: September 21)
3-7pm FREE and open to the public
Union Square, Somerville in the square!

Truth Serum’s Urban Country Fair will combine Exhibitors, Craft and Art Sellers, free Boston SkillShare workshops and old time countrified musical entertainment. Country Fairs are about showing off, [...]

[ October 10, 2008 to October 12, 2008. ]

Dear Friends,

We hope that your year has been filled with music, the joy of community, and acts of resistance. We are writing to announce the third HONK! Festival and to ask for your help.

This year’s HONK! will be held on October 10-12 in Davis Square. More than two dozen bands will come together to [...]

[ August 20, 2008; 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm. ] Join us for the re-opening of the Mystic Community Garden at the Mystic Housing Development. The opening takes place as part of the Mystic Providers’ annual picnic for Somerville Housing Authority tenants. Drop by anytime between 3 and 7 to tour the garden. Just drop by the The Welcome Project’s table in front of the [...]

Join us on Wed, Aug 20th Tuesday, August 19 for the re-opening of the Mystic Community Garden at the Mystic Housing Development. The opening takes place as part of the Mystic Providers’ annual picnic for Somerville Housing Authority tenants. Drop by anytime between 3 and 7 to tour the garden. Just drop by the The Welcome Project’s table in front of the Mystic Activity Center at 530 Mystic Ave. We’ll walk you over for a tour of the new garden.

Seeking musicians for a new brass quintet to be based in Somerville. Rehearsals will be once or twice weekly. The intended skill level is proficient amateur, but if people would like to build up their skill level through the group, that’d be great too. We won’t take ourselves too seriously, but once we put together a solid set of pieces, I’d like for the group to have the goal of performing in the community.

The OPENAIR Circus is an amazing phenomenon with an improbable history. If you’ve got kids, take them this weekend and think about joining. After this weekend, the next major performance will be in Boston’s First Night parade.
The remaining performances this summer are today at 2 and 7 and Sunday at 2, at Nunziato Field near [...]

On August 5, from 8 – 9 p.m. on SCAT’s celebrated DEAD AIR LIVE show, the Tibetan community will offer viewers a first-hand report of what Tibet was like before the Chinese invasion, and talk about what it was like to have to flee their beloved homeland and become exiled citizens of the world. Tune in to SCAT Channel 3 next Tuesday, for a fascinating and moving account of a beautiful culture and people, who cultivated the roof of the world.

This Friday, July 25, at 7 pm, the Extraterrestrial Circus Experiment, a traveling troupe from Ohio, presents their show Quantanime at the VFW Dilboy Post, 371 Summer Street in Davis Sq. All proceeds support Somerville’s OPENAIR Circus.

[ July 29, 2008; 8:30 pm; ] Please join us for a wonderful evening of folk, rock, pop, and jazz music to benefit Veterans For Peace and Iraq Veterans Against The War. The benefit will be on Tuesday, July 29 at 8:30 PM at Johnny D’s, 17 Holland St. Davis Square Somerville. Performers include Celia Slattery, Deb Pasternak, Porch Party Mamas, Media Made, and Katrina Degel Jazz Quartet. Admission is $15.

This is Joanna Stenning posting on behalf of Beyond the 4th Wall Theater and Creative Arts Studio in Central Square, Cambridge. We are excited to announce that we still have room for more participants in our upcoming summer programs for children and teens, and would love to open registration for these classes to the Somerville community.

[ July 16, 2008; 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. ] Conguero Vicente Lebron has been a cornerstone of the Latin and jazz scenes in Boston for over 30 years. He is currently being held in a Homeland Security prison and threatened with deportation.

Sustainable Somerville — a nascent network of community organizations working to make/keep Somerville a great place to live, work, and play — is sponsoring a Sustainability Scavenger Hunt at ArtBeat (Saturday, July 19th in Davis Square), to show how the common thread of sustainability connects the work of the

[ July 10, 2008; 8:00 pm to 11:00 pm. July 17, 2008; 8:00 pm to 11:00 pm. July 24, 2008; 8:00 pm to 11:00 pm. July 31, 2008; 8:00 pm to 11:00 pm. August 7, 2008; 8:00 pm to 11:00 pm. August 14, 2008; 8:00 pm to 11:00 pm. August 21, 2008; 8:00 pm to 11:00 pm. August 28, 2008; 8:00 pm to 11:00 pm. September 4, 2008 8:00 pm to September 5, 2008 6:00 pm. ] July 10 The Lost Boys Seven Hills Park
July 17 Mean Girls…

Who says all summer reading lists have to be filled with fluff? CAAS, the Community Action Agency of Somerville, is offering a summer reading list about poor people and people rising out of poverty–and what we can all do to help. “There is something on this list for every reader”

[ July 18, 2008; 6:00 pm; July 19, 2008; 12:00 pm; ] From the ArtBeat Festival webpage:

“During the heat of summer (held on the third weekend in July), artists and festival goers converge on Davis Square, transforming it into one of the area’s largest and most innovative arts festivals. ArtBeat includes music, performance art, craft vendors, dance, theater, food, and a whole more…

The National Council on Disability (NCD) is gathering public input for a study of emerging issues and trends affecting the lives of people with disabilities. Information gathered will be used in the development of NCD’s next annual progress report to the President and Congress, “National Disability Policy: A Progress Report,” which is required by Section 401(b) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended.

The Sunsetters are a group of preteens and teenagers who sing and dance to Broadway tunes. Check them out at the fireworks celebration, June 26 at 6PM. Available dates are as follows…

[ June 26, 2008; 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. ] The Sunsetters are a group of preteens and teenagers who sing and
dance to Broadway tunes. Check them out at the fireworks celebration, June 26 at 6PM.

[ June 28, 2008; 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm. ] Another of the city’s popular family events, Family Fun Day includes a variety of activities for residents of all ages. Obstacle courses, games, watermelon eating contests, dancing, and a dunk tank are only a few examples of the day’s events! Dunk the Mayor! Dunk your Alderman! Eat your weight in watermelon! Bring your children, your parents, and your friends.

Somerville families don’t have to run away to join the OPENAIR Circus. The Circus is offering its 23d year of summer circus workshops for children, teens, and adults. Classes will run June 24th through July 24th. Performances will be August 1st, 2nd, and 3rd.under the big top at Nunziato Field near Union Square in Somerville.

Beyond the 4th Wall is dedicated to providing children and teens with an affordable outlet for theater, visual, and performing arts. Students ages 9-15 are encouraged not only to develop as performers, but also to build self-confidence, learn how to work as a team, and to practice creative thinking–and to have a GREAT time while doing so! We would like to invite children and teens from the Somerville area to participate in our Summer 2008 classes, camps, and events.

Somerville’s Historic Preservation Commission presents family-friendly events May 18-31 including walking and bike tours, an awards ceremony, and a retelling of stories from the lives of Paul and Rachel Revere. Check out the schedule below…

All are welcome to the West Branch Library at 40 College Ave. on Monday, May 5, at 7 p.m. for a reading by Somerville authors with stories in “Further Fenway Fiction: More Short Stories from Red Sox Nation.”

It’s great that people have been responding to Linda Conte’s post proposing a parent-made directory of summer camps and other summer educational activities.…

Massachusetts Readings on Cervenabarvapress.com