On Friday, April 10, GLOWBALL will transform the Armory Performance Hall into an immersive Rave created by DJ WhySham and visual projectionist Jay Medina, all in support of The Center for Arts at the Armory. GLOWBALL is an “anti-gala”—there will be no speeches, presentations, or auction. There will be pop-up performances by Sean Bjerke and RHOUSE Dancers; The House of Nahdra, AfroFuture Fashion Portal, and Circus 617. This year’s honorees: Ellen Waylonis, Lifetime Achievement Award; Willie Burnley, Community Arts Advocate; and Wendy Jehlen, Outstanding Artist. GLOWBALL tickets include complimentary international bites and glow-in-the-dark styling and face painting. This will surely be Somerville’s most illuminating party of 2026. For tickets and more information, visit: https://artsatthearmory.org/.

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On April 10 at 10 a.m., 167 Holland St., Somerville’s Fair Housing Commission and Council on Aging invite you to learn about voucher incentive programs, city assistance for aging-in-place and home improvement, and dispelling common myths and misconceptions around fair housing. Breakfast will be provided. RSVP to Debby at 617-625-6600 ext. 2321.

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Happy birthday this week to several locals: We wish a happy birthday to all of our Facebook friends such as Steve MacEachern, Linda Camiel Butler, Patricia Garrity, Warren Goldstein-Gelb, Debbie Toner, and Loretta McGonagle, who are all celebrating this week. To all the others we may have missed and, yes, we must admit there are a few more out there. We sincerely wish them the very best of birthdays.

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Join The Somerville Community Growing Center, 22 Vinal Ave., for Introduction to Nature Monitoring in the City on Saturday, April 11, 2 – 3:30 p.m. Learn from Earthwise Aware how to observe and record the plants, insects, and animals of the Growing Center, and contribute to biodiversity science. Contact: claire.oneill@earthwiseaware.org, Register at: https://www.earthwiseaware.org/events/#volCal

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The city has been busy lately fixing potholes. Residents who spot a pothole, especially larger or more hazardous ones, are encouraged to submit a 311 report, which can be done via phone, email, app, web form, or social media. Phone: 311 (dial 617-666-3311 if calling from outside of Somerville) TTY/Hearing Impaired (only) dial 866-808-4851 or Email 311requests@somervillema.gov.

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All are welcome at K9 meet-and-greet on Saturday, April 11. Somerville’s newest officers are ready to lend a paw. The Somerville Police Department (SPD) is inviting residents to a family-friendly meet and greet with some of its newest (and cutest) officers, 8-month old Yellow Lab, Fluff, and 2-year old Goldador, Missy on Saturday, April 11, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 220 Washington St. Attendees will get to meet the K9s, watch training exercises and demos, and talk directly with SPD officers and handlers about how the K9 team supports their efforts.

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The Somerville Community Growing Center is looking for donations of soup cans. Please save and donate your well-washed-out cans and milk jugs for upcoming lantern-making workshops for Now Is Still Here. They need soup cans (the size of a Progresso soup can is perfect), metal coffee cans (both smaller and larger sizes), and half-gallon milk jugs. Please drop off clean items in the designated bin at the Growing Center during future Open Hours or reach out to Tom King (Tom_in_Davis_Square@comcast.net).

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The City of Somerville’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (SOIA), in partnership with the Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) Massachusetts Chapter, invites all to a Nepali flag-raising ceremony on Sunday, April 12, on the City Hall Concourse (93 Highland Ave.) from 2 to 4 p.m. The event celebrates Somerville’s vibrant Nepali community and welcomes the Nepali New Year 2083, which occurs on April 14. Attendees will hear from Mayor Jake Wilson, SOIA, and NRNA staff, and light refreshments will be served. For more information, please contact 311 (617) 666-3311.

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Help shape our next new school building at 115 Sycamore Street by joining a collaborative workshop focused on sustainability on April 13 at the East Somerville Community School from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Work with the city’s project team and architects to explore opportunities to incorporate the city’s climate goals into the new school’s design. Examples of topics covered will include energy-efficiency, outdoor play and gardens, healthy learning spaces, and building materials. No familiarity or prior experience with these topics is needed to participate. To learn more about the project, visit www.somervillema.gov/newschool.

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Stop by for the last Saturday of the Somerville Winter Farmers Market, 191 Highland Ave. at the Armory. 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. The market offers 65+ local food vendors with the best locally grown and regionally produced foods, including fresh produce, cheese, eggs, meats, fish, breads, tamales, pastries, chocolate, skincare products, and more.  https://www.somwintermarket.org/

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Free Write Monday Night, April 13. Local and aspiring writers are invited to gather to write with their fellow community members. Follow a provided prompt or make up your own. Attendees will have the opportunity to share their work with the group. This program is intended for adults. This event will be held on Monday, April 13, at East Branch Library (115 Broadway) from 7 to 8:15 p.m.

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Open Call For Artists: Know Your Rights Campaign Public Art and Outreach Initiative. The City of Somerville, the Somerville Office of Immigrant Affairs (SOIA), and a designated Review  Committee invite artists with immigrant backgrounds to submit proposals for a vibrant, joyful, and Somerville-centered artwork to anchor our 2026  Know Your Rights campaign. Application Deadline: April 21, 2026. Project Launch: June 2026, Artist Stipend: $4,000. Learn more at somervillema.gov/KYRartists.

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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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Somerville teens (ages 14+) can now apply for the 2026 Mayor’s Summer Jobs Program, a six-week paid opportunity to earn money, build skills, and get a behind-the-scenes look at how the city runs. Interested youth can apply now through Thursday, April 30, by completing the online application at somervillema.gov/summerjobs. All applicants will be interviewed in early May. Applicants must be Somerville residents or enrolled in a Somerville school and at least 14 years of age by May 4, 2026. Summer jobs require approximately 20 hours per week, with most positions running July 6 through August 14. All positions are paid an hourly rate of $18.85. All applicants will be interviewed in early May. For any questions, please email summerjobs@somervillema.gov or call 311 (617-666-3311).

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Join the Somerville Museum for Collage from the Collection on April 9, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. at the Somerville Museum, One Westwood Road. They will be sharing photos from their previous collage night, which was such a wonderful evening filled with creativity, conversation, and inspiration. Participants transformed materials from the museum’s collection into unique works of art. Make something beautiful and explore the collection in a new way. For more information, visit https://www.somervillemuseum.org/

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Somerville High School and the Somerville High School Scholarship Foundation are proud to announce the formation of the Somerville High School Alumni Newsletter. Through this newsletter, they aim to strengthen the bonds of the SHS community by providing important updates, honoring the achievements of their alumni through inspiring stories, assisting alumni with opportunities to engage in the SHS Community, and fostering the spirit of SHS pride and belonging that unites them all. The Somerville High School Alumni Newsletter will be published semi-annually in December/January and May/June. Subscribe to the Somerville High School Alumni Newsletter at https://www.shsscholarship.org/shs-alumni-newsletter, and they will email you the alumni newsletter when it comes out this spring. They are also in the process of creating an SHS Alumni Home Page that will be found on both the school’s and foundation’s websites. Make this your go-to place for all things SHS alumni-related. More information on this will be published in the upcoming SHS Alumni Newsletter.

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Resistance Through Community and Music takes place Friday, April 10 at 7 p.m., Nave Gallery, 155 Powderhouse Blvd. A celebration of freedom and protest with Boston songwriters Danielle Miraglia, Jen Kearney and Grace Givertz – a benefit for the Boston Immigration Justice Accompaniment Network (BIJAN). Hosted by The Somerville Arts Council in conjunction with the “We Create Diamonds” art exhibit at the Nave Gallery, curated by Michael Talbot. https://navegallery.org/wp/we-create-diamonds/

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Attention, activist street bands! The applications for this year’s HONK! Festival in Somerville are now open. If your band would like to be considered for this year’s festival, just follow the application https://honkfest.org/2026-festival/2026-band-application/. This year’s festival dates will be October 8-11.

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Calling all artists age 2-18: Submit your work for the Somerville Open Studios Kids & Teens Art Show. Join an Open Studio to create your art on Tuesday, April 14, 3:30 – 5:30 p.m., West Branch Library, 40 College Ave. Art will be displayed in the West Branch Library Atrium April 27 – May 11. Contact Elena with any questions: elenaclamenart@yahoo.com.

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The Somerville Arts Council invites musicians, dancers, street performers, installation artists, craft vendors, buskers, and creatives of all kinds to be part of ArtBeat 2026, Somerville’s beloved summer arts festival in Davis Square. This year’s theme is REVolution, a celebration of transformation, creative energy, and the ideas that move us forward. July 18, Davis Square. Apply now and help bring this year’s ArtBeat to life. Learn more and apply: https://somervilleartscouncil.org/artbeat/calls. Deadline is Wednesday, April 15.

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With Fiscal Year 2027 approaching, the Somerville Community Preservation Committee (CPC) is once again inviting residents to help shape the next round of CPA-funded projects through the CPA survey (www.bit.ly/cpasurvey2026) or by giving feedback at a virtual public hearing (www.bit.ly/cpahearing2026) on April 22.

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The Somerville Arts Council is pleased to announce the March Artist of the Month, Barbara Mangum, an art conservator and long-time board member of the Somerville Museum. Read the full interview here: https://somervilleartscouncil.org/aotm/2026/barbara-mangum/.

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Sign up for the city’s Planning, Preservation & 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.