By Tom Bannister

Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone has announced that the City’s Annual Shape-Up Somerville Kick-Off and Somerville Recreation 5K Road Race will be held on Sunday morning, April 24, starting and ending at the Somerville High School concourse, 93 Highland Avenue.

~Photos by Claudia Ferro

Do you know that snow leopards, black bears, North American river otters, jaguars and Canada lynx are just a few of the amazing animals that call Stone Zoo home? During the upcoming April school vacation week, visit the Zoo to learn more about these animals and see them up close.

Calling local artists! The Somerville Arts Council wants to hear from the arts and cultural community to better understand the issues you face with work, life, programs, etc. The SAC’s work is always evolving and changing, and we are always seeking ways to add and expand our initiatives to better serve you. In addition to our current programs and initiatives, listed below, we want you to help us shape and guide our efforts to meet your needs. To that end, we will host an Art Summit on Sun., April 10, from 2 to 5 p.m. at Arts at the Armory (191 Highland Ave.). For more information on the Summit and our current programs, visit www.somervilleartscouncil.org.

By Blake Maddux

The Shirts and Shoes will be on at P.A.’s Lounge on Thursday, April 7. ~Photo by Katie Pawlows, the band’s biggest fan.

The Shirts  and Shoes is a rock quartet that consists of college sophomores Tyler Charron (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Emiliano Calvo (lead guitar), Alec Gervais (bass), and Eric Gonnam (drums). Gonnam is a student at Merrimack College, while the other three attend Umass Lowell.

Beginning on Monday, April 11 (weather permitting), the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) will permanently close the off-ramp from McGrath Highway southbound to Somerville Ave., and will open a new at-grade, signalized connection from Somerville Ave./Medford St. to McGrath Highway northbound. The existing tunnel from Somerville Ave. to Washington St. will be permanently closed.

Part 3: The Portuguese
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By William C. Shelton

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

From the end of World War II through the 1970s, as many as half of Somerville’s long-time residents left the city. The first distinct group of newcomers who replaced them was Portuguese immigrants.

Somerville singing group Mass Whole Notes will appear on the season two premiere of WGBH’s televised singing competition, Sing That Thing! on Friday, April 1 at 8:30 p.m. on WGBH 2.

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

I propose that the city seek bids from private developers to construct a building on the site of the municipal lot which now hosts the farmer’s market. The developer would be required to build a 3-4 story building that would meet the following specification: The building’s basement would host a daily live music venue modeled on Johnny D’s, except during business hours on Wednesdays when the basement would host a year-round farmer’s market. The first floor of the building would be a public parking garage. Then 2nd floor would be retail space while the 3rd and 4th floor would be available for use as the developer sees fit. The winning bidder would be given a 100 year lease on the land.

Johnny D’s memorabilia and restaurant ware sale will take place Friday and Saturday, April 1–2, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and, if they still have anything left on Sunday, April 3 beginning at 10:00 a.m. They have all things food and bar service, ceiling fans, office desks, framed pictures, tap handles, holiday decorations, to go containers, bar stools, free CDs and band posters, and more.  They might even offer a couple of decorated tabletops. They also plan to have T-Shirts with an image of their very last marquee for sale. They also found a few more Second Line handkerchiefs.

By Joseph A. Curtatone

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

One of the most surprising facts about Somerville is that we have managed to fit 100 miles of paved road inside a city of 4.1 square miles. Combine that with the densest population in New England and our streets get heavy usage. We’ve got 52,500 registered vehicles in Somerville alone using those roads—plus visitors. We also get New England weather, roadways scraped by snowplows, and asphalt-cracking freeze-melt cycles. Combine it all together and what you get is a never-ending fight against potholes. Consider this your clarion call to join us in that battle.