Team SCES raised more than $1,400 for the 2017 Project Bread Walk for Hunger. The team is, from left, Annie Fowler, Nancy Murphy. Jeanne Leyden, Guillermo Gonzalez, and Team Captain Deborah McLean.

By Nathan Lamb

Staffers from Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services (SCES) recently took to the streets to combat food insecurity, in the Project Bread Walk for Hunger 2017.

The volunteers on Team SCES raised $1,450 to benefit Project Bread, which provides grants for hunger-relief programs at the Bay State. Team Captain Deborah McLean said it was a great day all-around.

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I was looking through my archives and decided to reprint this article that sheds light on what the Somerville small press scene was like – back in the day… 

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David P. Miller’s chapbook, The Afterimages, was published in 2014 by Červená Barva Press. His poems have appeared in Meat for Tea, Main Street Rag, Ibbetson Street, Painters and Poets, Fox Chase Review, Third Wednesday, Wilderness House Literary Review, Muddy River Poetry Review, Oddball Magazine, Incessant Pipe, Clementine Unbound, and Ekphrastic Review, among others. Anthology appearances include Tell-Tale Inklings #1 and three Bagel Bards Anthologies. His poem Kneeling Woman and Dog was included in the 2015 edition of Best Indie Lit New England. David was a member of the multidisciplinary Mobius Artists Group of Boston for 25 years, and is a librarian at Curry College in Milton, Mass.

Parade changed for 2017 to weekend before Memorial Day, concert and fireworks event on Memorial Day

In honor of Somerville’s veterans and all those who have served our nation, the City of Somerville announces a full week of Memorial/Armed Forces Week celebrations, beginning on Saturday, May 20, 2017. The 2017 ceremonies also coincide with the City’s 175^th Anniversary of its separation from Charlestown, and the annual Veterans’ Memorial Parade will also honor and celebrate Somerville’s history, dating back to the Revolutionary War era.

Arrests:
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 Jamal Escobar, of 301 Medford St., May 1, 9:53 a.m., arrested at Pearl St. on warrant charges of felony nighttime breaking and entering of a vehicle or boat, unarmed robbery, assault and battery, and attempt to commit a crime.

— Photo by Claudia Ferro

Somerville youth ages 12-18 eligible for summer job with Sunsetters, a youth singing and dancing troupe that performs throughout the City in July and August.

Calling all Somerville youth! The Somerville Sunsetters, a singing and dancing youth group that performs throughout Somerville in July and August, are holding annual auditions for Somerville youth between the ages of 12 and 18, on Thursday, May 11, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. All Somerville residents meeting the age eligibility may audition, and are asked to bring a song of your choice on your mobile device or on a CD to perform to. Auditions will be held in the City of Somerville Cable Studio, located below the Somerville High School Library, access to the studio is at the far end of the SHS concourse, through the light blue doors. Handicap-accessible entrance is located on the SHS Atrium side of the building. The final Sunsetters roster will include up to 20 young people, and is led by Somerville Youth Arts Coordinator Jimmy Del Ponte. 

The City of Somerville’s Styrofoam Recycling program will return for all Somerville residents on Saturday, May 13. Residents may visit the Department of Public Works yard, located at 1 Franey Rd., between 9:00 a.m. and noon to dispose of all types of EPS (Styrofoam) foam packing materials, including foam bracing and packing peanuts. IMPORTANT NOTE: materials must be placed in bags before placing it in the recycling container. A second Styrofoam recycling event is tentatively planned for September 2017, however please call 311 for additional information in the fall.

New date to be announced
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Due to unforeseen circumstances, the West Branch Library Visioning meeting scheduled for Wednesday, May 10, has been postponed. Information on an alternate date will be shared as soon as available. They look forward to continuing our discussion about renovations to the West Branch Library and hearing your feedback at that time. If you have any further questions, please contact Director of Capital Project Management Rob King at rking@somervillema.gov.

By Nathan Lamb

A growing body of research indicates that music therapy can significantly improve the quality of life for people with dementia. It’s a practice that many are only just learning about, but there’s apparently no shortage of interest in giving it a try, explained Rory Silvia, an operations manager at Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services (SCES).

To provide background, answer questions, and take public testimony regarding the proposed fiscal year 2018 Somerville Water and Sewer Rate Charges, an Informational Session with Q&A followed by a Public Hearing will be held on Monday, May 15, at 6:30 p.m. in the Somerville High School Cafeteria, 81 Highland Avenue. The Informational session with Q&A starts at 6:30 p.m. The Public Hearing will follow promptly at 7:00 p.m., and during this time, members of the community are invited to provide public testimony for the record. Additional Q&A time will be offered following the hearing if attendees have remaining topics of discussion.