Area au pairs recently experienced the sweetness of maple syrup production at the Belmont Habitat.

Bettina Velona, counselor for Au Pair in America in Somerville, recently offered a Maple Sugaring Tour at the Belmont Habitat for her Somerville area au pairs and to au pairs who live in the Boston area. In addition to Bettina’s monthly meetings with her group, monthly regional events like this give these young women from all over the world a chance to participate in culturally relevant activities.

On The Silly Side by Jimmy Del Ponte

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

For years we would see our old friend Fran Delaney taking care the armory at 191 Highland Ave. Fran was the keeper of the “castle.” That was before the extensive renovations transformed the historic building into the Center for Arts at the Armory. The 501C3 non-profit has been operating and growing since 2004. Today it’s Somerville native “Dapper” Danny Kallis you are bound to see in and around the building since he is the Director of Community Relations. Danny carries on a decades old family tradition of being involved with food, entertainment and people. Dan’s father, Peter, had previously owned The Rosebud and The Coronet (which is now Redbones) in Davis Square. He is also the “Dan” as in Dapper Dan from that famous restaurant which used to be the hip place to be in Assembly Square. Today, along with Executive Director Debra McLaughlin, Director of Events and Operations Susan Fiedler, café manager Laura Sargent and Cultural Programming Liaisons Jennifer Laurence and Kerry Larvin, Dan’s main goal is to make sure every inch of the building is utilized for the benefit of the corporate and artistic community.

100 Regional Finalists Vie for State Science Fair Qualification

Somerville High School will be the site of the 2012 Region IV Science Fair this Saturday, March 24, 2012, as 150 students from throughout the region vie for a chance to advance to the Massachusetts State Science Fair, slated for May 3-5, 2012 at MIT.  Thirty students from Somerville High School are among the regional finalists.

Who will prevail at this year’s Guns N’ Hoses event? Everyone wins with this time-honored fundraiser.

By Jeremy F. van der Heiden

On Friday, March 30, the annual Guns N’ Hoses hockey game, pitting members of the Somerville Police Department against those of the Somerville Fire Department, will take place at Veteran’s Memorial Rink. This year, the fundraising event will direct all proceeds to the Somerville Youth Hockey Association, while the theme is titled “The Youth of Somerville.”

Lizzy and Darcy. – Photo by Elizabeth Hunter

By Sanjeev Selvarajah

Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy – two stars on opposing teams – collide into a fit of character traits and heated exchanges that can be best encapsulated by the title Pride and Prejudice, a Jane Austen novel that Elizabeth Hunter has recently adapted, written and directed, for theatre. Jane Austen, the author of this social satire, had great affection for both her pivotal protagonists, but the writing focuses primarily on Ms. Bennet’s impending willingness to learn that there are lines to draw between her conceptions of intrinsic pride and intrinsic prejudice.

By Jim Clark 

Somerville police responded to a call in the early hours of last Saturday from a woman who reported that an unwelcome man was in her home on Walnut St.

(from Somerville Public Schools)

More than 100 community members from across the City of Somerville gathered at the Argenziano cafeteria on a beautiful Sunday afternoon for a discussion on education.  It was the first of what is expected to be a continuing series of community Forums on Education designed to engage all interested stakeholders in an ongoing dialogue about education in the Somerville Public Schools.

The Somerville Housing Authority will be better funded this year thanks to the Capital Fund Program’s subsidy allotment.

By Harry Kane

The Somerville Housing Authority received an additional $98,723 in fiscal 2012, which will help pay for property maintenance.

The result: More improvements for low-income, elderly and disabled SHA housing.

– Photo by William Tauro

By William Tauro

Maintenance crews installing a fire sprinkler system at the Rosebud Diner in Somerville apparently ruptured the sign’s base while digging the utility trench to run the necessary piping.

The sign’s integrity was questionable to the point that it had to be taken down to prevent it from falling.

The Coyote Club Howlers (5-6 years old) engaged in this winter's rare occasion of snow play.

By Harry Kane

The growing center presented a film screening and discussion at the Somerville Public Library on March 14 to address our disconnection with nature in the education system. The name of the film is Mother Nature’s Child.