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I remember years ago meeting with January O’Neil, and the founder of the Mass. Poetry Festival, Mike Ansara, at the home of my friend Paul Stone in Cambridge. Paul Stone was the Creative Director of W.B. Mason, and I thought bringing someone experienced in advertising would be a good idea. I don’t know how much (or if anything) was taken from that seminal meeting, but there is no doubt that the Mass. Poetry Festival is on the tip of everyone’s tongue. Over the years many Somerville poets have been presenters at the festival, and this year is no exception. Offhand, I can think of Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Lloyd Schwartz and Somerville Poet Laureate Nicole Terez Dutton. I caught up with O’Neil, who is a professor of English at Salem State University, one of the many hats that she wears, and wears well. The festival will take place in Salem, Mass. from May 1 to May 3. For further details go to: http://masspoetry.org.

To hell with fried clams; I’ll have the freakin’ oysters!

Come join in on the patriotic fun next Monday at Foss Park as Somerville celebrates its Revolutionary War era heritage.

By Rebecca Danvers

The city’s 240th annual Patriots’ Day celebration will be held at Foss Park next Monday, April 20, 10–11:30 a.m.

The day’s events will include Colonial games and songs, light refreshments, youth readings, and a visit from Paul Revere on horseback on his historic ride from Boston to Lexington through Somerville.

Arrests:

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John Wrobel, April 6, 11:44 p.m., arrested at 150 Highland Ave. on a warrant charge of attempt to commit a crime.

Anthony Morales, of 1 Mill Ct., Chelsea, April 7, 1:46 p.m., arrested at 133 Middlesex Ave. on a charge of shoplifting by asportation.

UPDATE: A juvenile Suspect has been identified by Somerville PD.

On  April 6, 2015 at approximately 9:15 p.m., four male suspects surrounded and robbed two female victims at the corner of South St. & Willow St., Somerville.
One suspect displayed a firearm and, despite encountering no resistance, pistol-whipped both victims.

Do you have what it takes to serve your city as a “secret resident?”

Constituents will be trained to quiz, engage city staff to enhance customer service.

Do you want to help improve city programs and services? Now’s your chance. The City of Somerville is launching its “Secret Resident” program, seeking resident volunteers to provide feedback on the city’s customer service. Through the program, residents will complete brief customer service training, and will engage city departments to assess and evaluate the accuracy, efficiency, and ease of customer service.

This is what you can expect in this week’s Somerville Neighborhood News.

Check out the All-City Band concert for seniors, attend a Women’s History Month event, learn why kids at Winter Hill Community School – and the Mayor and School Superintendent – were all eating peppers the other day, hear about a program aimed at helping small businesses in Union Square and find out if Tufts students think their university should offer financial aid to undocumented youth who make the grade and get accepted, but can’t afford to the bill.

Johnette Napolitano will be debuting new songs, familiar songs, and telling her exceptionally remarkable stories at Johnny D’s on April 16. — Photo by Amber Rogers

By Jim Clark

In contrast to the serenity of her high desert retreat in Joshua Tree, CA, Johnette Napolitano bubbles with excitement in anticipation of her upcoming solo tour, kicking off at Johnny D’s Uptown Restaurant and Music Club in Somerville on Thursday, April 16.

Maya Jaugust, a fourth grade student at the Argenziano School, loves science. Last week, she learned that she had been selected as the 2nd-place winner in the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority’s (MWRA) Annual Poster Contest. Contest winners will be recognized at a special ceremony in May at the Deer Island Treatment Plan. Maya’s winning entry was one of 1,873 posters received by the MWRA this year. The contest involved creating a poster “showing a person or people doing their job in the water or waste-water field as it is related to Science, Technology, Engineering or Math.” Seven winners in each of 3 categories were selected (K-2, 3-5 and 6-8). More information about MWRA’s School Program is available at: http://www.mwra.com/02org/html/sti.htm. Congratulations, Maya!

By Jim Clark

Police were dispatched to the Starbucks café on Grand Union Blvd. last Thursday on reports that a man was checking parked cars.

As officers entered the parking lot, they were informed by dispatchers that the man in question, later identified as Keith Francey, had been spotted in the lot entering a car that had been reported as stolen earlier that day.