On Tuesday, August 11th at 11 a.m. , New England Donor Services (NEDS) will host an event at Somerville City Hall to raise awareness for the importance of organ and tissue donation. Somerville Mayor Jake Wilson will join NEDS staff, local heart transplant recipient Joe Kowalski, and donor wife Kathy O’Brien, to highlight the life-saving impact of organ and tissue donation and encourage community members to register as donors.

The Rat****** Music Fest will be held on Saturday, August 22 and Sunday, August 23 in Union Square.

On Saturday, August 22 and Sunday, August 23, Rat****** Music Fest (formerly Ratchella) will be held once again in Union Square.

Hosted by Yardwork Productions, the fest’s third iteration comes with a cheeky nod to its former name, after last year’s organizers were threatened with a cease and desist from Coachella for use of their trademarked “chella”.

Weather permitting, beginning on Sunday, August 9 and over the next approximately one week, City contractors will be performing overnight sewer and storm drain cleaning in your neighborhood as part of the City’s Annual Sewer and Storm Drain Inspection Program.

Residents are invited to this annual citywide yard sale for art

Somerville porches, driveways, and front yards will once again transform into mini galleries and pop-up markets as Yart Sale returns on Saturday, August 8, (rain date: August 9) from noon to 6 p.m.

On Thursday, July 30, the Council on Aging celebrated our nation’s 250th at Dilboy Post with a delicious lunch and great music from DJ Hank. Middlesex DA Marian Ryan visited as a special guest. — Photos by Claudia Ferro

Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

Recently, I had to go into Cambridge Health Alliance’s emergency room when a close friend was rushed there. Thankfully, they were okay, but then my mind started to go back to my early youth.