SqueezeBox Slam is a celebration of accordions, button boxes and other free reed instruments. For the 5th year in a row, accordionists of all skill levels and musical genres are invited to stroll around the neighborhoods of Somerville, sharing their melodious sounds, and like pied pipers from an alternative fairy tale, beckon all to come and follow them as they head to Davis Square for a concert of some of New England’s finest squeezebox players.

Crystal Burney’s creation for Trum Park Playground is a collaborative effort involving both artists and members of the community.

By Patrick McDonagh

Self-taught muralist Crystal Burney stands at ladder’s length above her next artistic endeavor: Somerville’s Trum Park Playground. Burney’s ladder perch is her preferred method of conceptualizing mural design on the park’s empty cement canvas. The design, bright foundational colors blending behind a circular silhouette tree, will be the product of both artist and community youth over the course of three weeks. The artist’s excitement is palpable as she describes a design process that attracts curious onlookers.

East Somerville is having a renaissance. While the construction is humming at Assembly Square there are rumblings reverberating on lower Broadway and a new revitalized neighborhood is starting to take shape. One of the standouts is THE EAST END GRILLE. The new restaurant that has replaced a once notorious bar room is the brainchild of two brothers who come from a Lebanese family that was famous for hospitality. Some of you might remember the AVEROF RESTAURANT in Porter Square Cambridge, which was created by the Bandar brothers, Raymond and John, featuring belly dancing, shish kabob, and good times. They were later joined by brothers Edward and Edmond. Now we have Michael and Steven Bandar, sons of Edmond, along with Oana Bandar (wife of Michael) and  Simeia Bandar (wife of Steven), who have taken the torch and placed it in East Somerville. They have done a fantastic job with the renovations. THE EAST END GRILL is a big airy room divided by natural brick arches with lots of exposed bricks. The front windows open onto the sidewalk for that summertime café feeling. The left side is all bar with a stainless open kitchen at the end. Big crowds can be easily accommodated; there are plenty of tables and booths. The gastro pub scene is booming in Somerville and we have plenty to choose from. My biggest complaint is the noise level. You can’t hear a conversation at your own table in some of these restaurants because the noise level is so high. Not so at THE EAST END GRILLE. There is plenty of noise and action but the acoustics are just right. You can actually talk to your table companions. There are also big screen televisions so you will be able to catch all the current sports events.

By William C. Shelton

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

Saint Anthony Church will conduct a series of events to commemorate its hundredth anniversary, beginning with a noon bilingual mass and a luncheon celebrating the Feast of St. Anthony this coming Sunday. A Brazilian festival takes place the following Saturday evening, June 20^th. And Cardinal Sean O’Malley will celebrate a centennial mass on September 6^th.

By Jim Clark

One construction worker was killed and another seriously injured following an accident involving heavy machinery at the Partners Healthcare Alliance administrative office site at Assembly Row on Thursday.

The Board of Aldermen rejected a plan to allow direct PILOT payments by Tufts.

By Josie Grove

The discussion around a minor vote at the May 28 Board of Aldermen meeting raised a series of perennial frustrations for the Board of Aldermen.

By Jim Clark

Police officers were dispatched to Mike’s Pizza in Davis Square last week on reports that a female who appeared to be intoxicated was asleep at one of their customer tables.

By Joseph A. Curtatone

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

The rainbow flag is flying proudly in front of City Hall and Somerville High School, raised by members of the high school’s Gay-Straight Alliance, school and city officials. In June we celebrate LGBT Pride Month, and we have much to be proud of. The cause of equality for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer members of our communities continues to spread. Only 26 years after Andrew Sullivan’s vanguard essay in The New Republic arguing the “conservative case” for same-sex marriage was derided across political lines, we now await a Supreme Court decision that could secure that hard-fought right later this month. Securing the freedom to marry, however, would not be the end of the drive for LGBT equality. As we celebrate LGBT Pride Month, we must also remember that around the country, children, their parents, our co-workers and more can face discrimination because of their sexual orientation. Pride Month should also be a time when we recommit to work to ensure that no one in our country is treated like a second-class citizen.

Josh Lewin and Katrina Jazayeri. — Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

By Haley ED Houseman

Much has been made of Union Square’s transformation in recent years: is it all uninvested hipsters, or growth that is made to last? In the case of the new restaurant Juliet, the focus is on community building and investment by two young restaurateurs who have deep convictions about being involved in the neighborhood.

Concerned Somerville residents gathered at Somerville High School last week for an opioid awareness event sponsored by the Ryan Harrington Foundation. — Photos by Douglas Yu

By Douglas Yu

Before the Ryan Harrington Foundation’s first opioid awareness event began at Somerville High School on June 3, Joann Riviecio stopped by the tables of 16 local health advocate organizations, and talked to people who were struggling with heroin overdose.