Urban Axes and Brooklyn Boulders are now open in a limited capacity. We wish them luck and encourage all who have enjoyed them in the past, as well as newcomers, to take part in their reopening and let them know you are standing behind them. They can use the businesses and you could use the fun diversions they are offering after this long period of relative inactivity most of us have undergone.

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The Somerville Arts Council has launched a new grant program to support the local BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) community with a special emphasis on serving the Black community and celebrating Black culture. This grant program is designed to serve individual BIPOC artists, as well as build organizational capacity to provide leadership in arts presenting, programming and instruction that predominantly serves BIPOC culture. This new BIPOC Support grant program, and SAC’s new COVID Relief grant program, have a total of $120,000 to distribute. The submission deadline is Monday, October 12 at 11:59 p.m. For more information visit https://somervilleartscouncil.org/bipoc.

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Happy birthday this week to several locals: Happy birthday to one of Somerville’s nicest ladies, Joan O’Meara. We wish her a special birthday to celebrate all week long. Happy birthday to another great Somerville person, Lori Pino, owner of Amal Niccoli in Ball Square. We are happy see her salon open and back in business. We wish her a very happy birthday. Happy birthday to the now retired Somerville Homeless Coalition director who is always around the city, Mark Alston-Follansbee. A nice guy and we wish him the very best. Happy birthday to Richard Mangan. We wish him a very happy birthday as well. Happy birthday to Frank Ricardo, an old friend and a good guy. This week we remember our former publisher and friend Bob Publicover, who would have been celebrating. We hope he’s doing that up in heaven. We wish all of our Facebook friends, such as Kimberly Barnett, John Morabito Jr., Ann Sylvester, Julia Gilligan Corsetti, Scott Breen, Lisa Monaco, Joell Johns, Roy Carreiro, Laureen Marie, Joseph Leblanc, Debbie Price King and Linda Malone a very happy birthday. We hope everyone has a great day. To all the others we may have missed, we sincerely wish them the very best of birthdays.

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Come on out to East Somerville on September 24 at 6:30 p.m. and enjoy free dance instruction and music at Chuckie Harris Park. This program is supported in part by a grant from the Somerville Arts Council a local agency supported by the Mass Cultural Council. Featuring salsa dance instruction from Salsa y Control Dance Studio. Salsa is a Latin dance associated with the music genre of the same name same name. Different regions of Latin America and the United States have distinct salsa styles of their own. Salsa y Control is Boston’s premier and one of the most beloved dance companies in the area. They offer top quality and easy to follow instruction to get you on the dance floor in no time. Their class will provide a fun and welcoming environment for everyone of all levels.

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This is a time of year when we get a lot of new residents. You can find a comprehensive guide for new residents at somervillema.gov/moving. You can also stay on top of our local COVID-19 information at somervillema.gov/covid19. Don’t forget to sign up for city alerts at somervillema.gov/alerts.

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East Somerville Main Streets is presenting Meal of Fortune Week from September 28 to October 4. Support East Somerville restaurants. For more information and to purchase tickets visit https://www.eastsomervillemainstreets.org/fortune-meal-week.

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Like everything else, this year will look a little different. The 25th Annual Somerville 5K Road Race will be held over the long weekend of Friday, October 9 – Monday, October 12 with a virtual twist, you choose your exercise. Run, walk, bike or hike, you’ve got it covered. Choose your preferred method and go alone or gather your family or even your dog. Feel good and do good together. For the course, the world is your oyster and the choice is yours. Need to be inspired? Routes will be communicated soon! To register for the race, follow this link: https://runsignup.com/Race/MA/Somerville/Somerville5KDetourRace.

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If you are not registered to vote, or need to update your address or party affiliation, you have until Saturday, October 24, to do so. Visit the city website at www.somervillema.gov/elections or the state website at www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/eleifv/howreg.htm to learn more about your options for registering. October 28 is the last day for your vote by mail application to be received by the Elections Office.

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The 2020-2021 skating season is about to begin. Bay State Skating School is one of Greater Boston’s most established and popular skating programs. They have taught Learn-To-Skate classes to children ages 4-18 in the Greater Boston area for over 50 years. Bay State Skating School is compliant with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Covid-19 guidelines. The number of students allowed on the ice will be limited. Professional Instructors teach Recreational, Figure and Hockey Skating Skills to the beginner, intermediate and advanced skaters. Students can wear either figure, recreational or hockey skates. For more information and to registration, visit www.BayStateSkatingSchool.org or call Bay State Skating School at (781) 890-8480.

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#WearAMask to protect your friends and family. Wear one for the people in your community you don’t know you’re connected to: the friend of a friend, the elderly neighbor, the person with an underlying condition who shops at your grocery store.

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Reminder: city buildings are still closed to the public. Although city buildings remain closed to the public, a number of city services are still available online or by calling 311. Check the “City Service Status” tab on the city’s COVID-19 page for more information.

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Don’t forget, if you would like to subscribe to receive a digital edition of our paper, go directly online to our website over to the right side and fill out your email address to receive a free, full PDF copy of the paper.

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Support your neighbors through the Somerville Cares Fund (or apply for assistance): Now that the additional $600 per week federal unemployment benefit has ended, more people in our community are facing financial hardship and making tough choices when it comes to paying for essentials. If you’re fortunate enough to be able to, please consider making a donation to the Somerville Cares Fund. If you are in need of assistance, you can apply to the fund via the same link. This donation-based fund gives direct assistance to Somerville residents, workers, and families to help cover basic needs like groceries, diapers, personal hygiene products, medical copays, and prescriptions. The community has been immensely generous, donating more than $650,000 so far, but the fund has run dry. Even a small donation will help.

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CHA Somerville Hospital offers free COVID-19 testing at Assembly Row by appointment. To make an appointment, call 617-665-2928 (Mon-Fri, 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.). The mobile testing unit also offers testing in our neighborhoods to make access easier for residents. Mobile testing schedules and more information on both can be found under the “Symptoms, Testing, & Medical Info” tab on somervillema.gov/covid19.

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With generous support from the City of Somerville, Cradles to Crayons, The Beautiful Stuff Project, the Diaper Circle and individual donors, Somerville Family Learning Collaborative provides free diapers to Somerville families every Wednesday, 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. outside the East Somerville Community School, 50 Cross St., and West Somerville Neighborhood School, 177 Powderhouse Blvd. No signup or ID required. Since March, more than 200,000 diapers have been donated to families in need. Donations may be made to The Beautiful Stuff Project or contact the SPS/SFLC Volunteer Coordinator at jCapuano@k12.somerville.ma.us to donate packages of unused diapers. (Sizes 4,5,6 preferred, but any size N-7 and pullups are welcomed), or to volunteer.