(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)

I witnessed two different sporting events last Saturday: my daughter playing softball at Foss Park, where the ground was so dry and dusty, and the wind so strong, that waves of dust would roll across the park and everyone had to face away from it to not get dirt in their eyes. We came home with dust in our eyes, ears, and mouths. We are still chewing grit.

Statement from City of Somerville, Somerville Police Department, and Somerville Fire Department

On Thursday, June 11, at 2:02 p.m., Somerville Fire and Somerville Police responded to a report of an accident at the Partners Healthcare administrative building construction site in Assembly Square. Two workers who suffered serious injuries while assembling an external hoist on the structure were given first aid by Somerville Police on scene and transported by Cataldo Ambulance to Mass General Hospital. We were later informed that one worker was fatally injured.

Team Down Syndrome has been walking in the Eversource Walk for Boston Children’s Hospital for years. This 50-person Walk team actually originated in Somerville. The team’s goal this year to raise $21,000. The team captain is Angela Lombardo. Her son Isaiah Lombardo is 19 and has been a patient at Boston Children’s since birth and organizing the team was her way or giving back. The 13th Annual Fundraising Walk will take place at DCR’s Baxter Park, Assembly Row in Somerville on June 14. Last year’s Walk had over 5,200 walkers and raised over $1.6 million to support the hospital. The goal this year is $1.8 million. Boston Children’s Hospital is encouraging all who are interested in spending the day at Assembly Row and walking for the hospital to register for the 2- and 7-mile walks online at www.bostonchildrens.org/walk. Supporters can also make donations at www.bostonchildrens.org/walk.

The Art Glass of the Union Glass Company, Somerville, 1893-1927

Located in Somerville, Massachusetts, the Union Glass Company made a wide range of glass over the years, including pressed, mold-blown and free-blown objects in colorless, iridescent, silvered and many colored varieties.  This lecture focuses on Union Glass Company’s development of art glass from 1893 to 1927.  The majority of known catalogs, correspondence and identified glass relates to this period, including a large range of materials represented in the Corning Museum of Glass.

This week in Somerville Neighborhood News, we feature a special Somerville event: Community Vault, a retrospective screening of local videos. As many know, Somerville Neighborhood News is a project under the umbrella of SCATV, and this community service news production would not be here today if it weren’t for the long-lasting support of community media. SCATV and the Community Vault Program Selection Committee would like to invite you and your friends to an afternoon of curated videos from the past few decades. It is time to find your movie-viewing goggles and mark your calendars for an afternoon adventure into the Community Vault. Our program will showcase some of the best of archive and contemporary videos produced by community TV stations and local filmmakers. We have unearthed footage from retro dance parties of the 1980’s to short fiction films from the 2000’s. Everyone is welcome to attend! Note: There are some adult themes and language but no nudity or violence. Get your tickets online in advance at communityvault.tv and save money!

Maggie Whalen’s Magpie puppets entertained at Puppet Palooza on June 1.

By Amy Swain

As part of the third annual Somerville Puppet Palooza, Magpie Puppets appeared at Connexion on Monday, June 1.

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.