Celebrate Somerville’s Haitian community and honor Haitian Flag Day by joining a Haitian Flag raising ceremony on Monday, May 18. Hosted by the City of Somerville’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (SOIA), in partnership with the Haitian Service Providers Coalition (HSPC), all are invited to attend. The event celebrates Somerville’s Haitian community and honors the history and enduring spirit of Haiti. Attendees will hear from Mayor Jake Wilson and SOIA and HSPC staff. Where: City Hall concourse (93 Highland Ave.) When: 3 p.m., Monday, May 18. For more information, please contact 311 (617) 666-3311.

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Somerville’s Elections Department recently sent its second round of census forms to residents. Annual participation in the census is essential for keeping an accurate population count, and it updates or maintains your status as an active voter for upcoming elections. Completed census forms can be returned via the postage-paid return envelope included in the mailing, by scanning the form and emailing it to census@somervillema.gov, or in person at City Hall (93 Highland Ave.). Please call 311 (617-666-3311) with questions.

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Celebrating their birthdays this week: Happy Birthday to local attorney Ed Smith. Ed is a great guy, and we wish him the very best year ahead. Happy birthday to Feargal O’Toole. We wish him a great birthday. Happy birthday to Vinny Vicente. We wish him the best. Happy birthday to Brian Roche. We hope he enjoys his day. We wish all of our Facebook friends, such as Ann Kane-Peters, Mary Ellen Myhr, Jordan Harris, Diane Murphy Sullivan, Donny Caprigno, Beth Foley Delacruz, Ken McIntyre, and Kevin D. Downey, 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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The Somerville Commission for Persons with Disabilities invites you to Red Sox Disability Pride Game Night on Tuesday, May 26. Red Sox vs. Atlanta Braves at 7:10 p.m. Somerville residents with disabilities can request: 1 free ticket,1 guest ticket. Families are welcome to attend. Free charter bus transportation from City Hall Plaza, 93 Highland Ave (optional). Free MBTA train/bus pass (optional). Meal delivered to your seat. Free Disability Pride shirt (Adult sizes only). Tickets are limited. If you attended in the past 2 years, you will be waitlisted until May 18. More tickets will be released starting May 19. To request tickets, email ADACommission@gmail.com.

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Somerville’s RSJ Fund is making up to $100,000 total in community programming grants available for residents, advocates, and local service providers working to advance racial and social justice work. Individual applicants may request between $250 and $9,999. Applications are open now until 11:59 p.m. on Friday, May 29. https://www.somervillema.gov/departments/department-racial-and-social-justice/rsj-fund.

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Join Somerville Media Center in honoring former Mayor Joe Curtatone with their Public Service Award on Thursday, June 4, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 119 Highland Ave, in Somerville. The celebratory evening will feature cheeses and specialty bites provided by Formaggio Kitchen and more, tasty drinks from Arts at the Armory, live music by Revolutionary Snake Ensemble, raffles, and a special presentation honoring Joe Curtatone’s longstanding advocacy for community media and Somerville Media Center. Proceeds from the event will directly support SMC programs. Tickets are available online: https://tinyurl.com/joecurtatone

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Apply for a table at the Big Gay Dance Party by Monday, May 18. Share your organization’s mission and connect with the community in this vibrant celebration of pride. Tabling is free! Apply now: www.somervilleartscouncil.org/events/big-gay-dance-party-3/. The Big Gay Dance Party will take place on Saturday, June 27, in Union Square.

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This week, appointed members were announced for the Somerville Armory Advisory Board, a new body that will play a key role in advising on programming, partnerships, and long-term vision as the city advances plans to revitalize the Armory as a multi-use, public hub for arts, culture, and community gathering. The inaugural board includes professionals with deep experience across creative industries, live events, and cultural strategy. Board members include: Jaina Cipriano, Martin Gohary, Bryan MacAuslen, Hester Tittmann, and Ellen Waylonis.

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The public is invited to attend an informal art reception with SOS artists, Arts Council staff, and the mayor to celebrate the SOS show and the launch of Community Collections. The reception will be held at Somerville City Hall, 93 Highland Ave., 2nd Floor, on Monday, May 18, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be served. All are welcome.

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Make a splash this summer with Somerville Parks and Recreation. Their swim lessons have a class suitable for everyone of all ages and abilities to build skills and confidence in the water. Classes will run from June 1 to July 9, and class times will vary depending on the specific level. Resident Registration will be at 10 a.m. next Monday, May 18, and Non-Resident Registration will be at 10 a.m. on Monday, May 25. Check out the website for more information: www.somervillerec.com.

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Somerville Music Mixer. Meet, mingle, and connect with others in the Somerville Music Ecosystem. Join the Somerville Arts Council on Sunday, May 17, 4 – 6 p.m. at Portico Brewing, 101 South Street, in Union Square. Bring flyers and cards. Hosted by Somerville Arts Council, Music Ambassador Ajda Snyder and #ARTSTAYSHERE. RSVP is appreciated, https://maymusicmixer.eventbrite.com/.

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Pints for a Purpose: Gilman Square Arts & Music Festival. Treat yourself and support the Gilman Square Arts & Music Festival with a special edition ice cream collaboration with Gracie’s Ice Cream. For a $15 donation, you can reserve one custom pint of ice cream created just for our community. If you would like to contribute more, additional donations are always welcome and directly support the festival. If you would like to donate and not reserve a pint of ice cream, please use our 2026 Festival Donation form: https://givebutter.com/GSNCg26.

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Somerville High School is currently accepting prom donations on behalf of our senior class. We welcome attire to help make this special night accessible for all students. Monetary gifts are appreciated; however, we ask that cash donations not be given. Thank you for being so supportive in making prom a memorable experience for our seniors. All donations can be dropped off at the Somerville Police Station.

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Help Save Buddy’s Diner! Buddy’s has received Historic Preservation Committee approval for a $75,000 grant from Somerville’s Community Preservation Act funds. This is mood-shifting news for us at Buddy’s, but it’s not enough to open our doors. They help close the gap of $100,000. This is all they need to dish out everyone’s favorite diner fare once again. https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-save-buddys-diner.

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Garden workshops on the library lawn. Join staff and patrons at the Central Library in the demonstration garden beds as we group delicious food and herbs throughout the seasons. Farmers from Green City Growers will lead hands-on workshops designed to teach you when and what to plant, and how to maintain, fertilize, and harvest successful crops. Learn more at somervillepubliclibrary.org.

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Somerville community members are invited to the “Slice of the City” spring meet-up series. This new series of family-friendly pizza parties in the park offers attendees a new way to connect and engage with city leaders and staff, local elected officials, as well as neighbors, all while enjoying Somerville’s parks. Events in each of the city’s seven wards will occur throughout the month of May from 5 to 7 p.m. Next meetings will take place Tuesday, May 19: Ward 7 at Lou Ann David Park  (1060 Broadway) and on Wednesday, May 20: Ward 4 at Healey School Playground  (5 Meacham St.) For more information, visit www.somervillema.gov/slice.

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Join Union Square Main Streets and 60+ of your favorite local food producers for the 22nd Annual Union Square Farmers Market. Shop local Saturdays from May 9 to October 31, except July 4 and September 19, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the Union Square Plaza. They continue to offer our SNAP matches. Check the market webpage for the latest info and to see which vendors accept SNAP. To get the latest updates about the Union Square Farmers Market, visit www.unionsquaremain.org/2026-season.

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The Metro Boston Youth Climate Summit is aimed at engaging high school students in discussions about climate change and its impact on the region. The summit will take place on Saturday, May 16, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:45 PM at Somerville High School, 81 Highland Ave. It is a free event, but pre-registration is required. The summit will feature opportunities to network, hear from speakers, and share solutions through an interactive poster session. The event is open to high school students (grades 9-12) from across the Metro Boston area.

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A reminder that yard waste pickup began the week of April 13. Yard waste should be put out with your trash and recycling on your normal pickup day and be in either a paper bag or a trash barrel with a “Yard Waste Only” sticker. Get stickers free of charge at the DPW building (1 Franey Rd.), at the entrance desk at City Hall (93 Highland Ave.), or by emailing 311requests@somervillema.gov.

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Regular street sweeping schedules resumed on Wednesday, April 1, and will continue through December 31. Community members should check street signs to know when parking is prohibited due to sweeping. On designated street sweeping days, vehicles must be moved from the side of the street being swept, as noted on signs posted on each street. Vehicles that do not move may be ticketed and towed. For more information on street sweeping, visit somervillema.gov/sweeping or call 311 (617-666-3311).

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Sign up for the city’s Planning, Preservation, and Zoning (PPZ) Newsletter. Stay informed on the updates shaping your neighborhood and city. Curated by PPZ staff, get quick updates on planning initiatives, efforts, and zoning updates. Sign up now and explore other cities and department newsletters at www.somervillema.gov/subscribe.

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We would like to take this opportunity to thank our Arts Editor, Doug Holder, for setting up a GoFundMe campaign for The Somerville Times. With the cost of printing going up and a lack of businesses having the resources to advertise, free papers feel the effect. We sincerely thank all who have already contributed and thank any future contributors. If you are interested in helping, please visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-the-somerville-times. Or if anyone is interested in advertising, please contact Bobbietoner@aol.com. We offer great discounts to help our advertisers be able to advertise. Thank you all so much for your support!

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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.