By Andrew Firestone

Centennial Auditorium and an audience of around 350 welcomed members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra for their eighth community concert of the season. Somerville residents were treated to one of the finer things in life this last Sunday, March 27, as the sextet prepared and delivered heart-wrenching compositions of the most experimental kind.

Spring is finally here after all that snow and a sure sign of it is the annual Gene Brune Breakfast is being talked about. Former mayor and president Registrar of Deeds Eugene Brune.  The event will be held on May 22 at Anthony’s in Malden, with special guest of honor State Treasurer Steve Grossman. It will be interesting to see who shows since its expected that Gene may not run for re-election when his seat is up.

In a stress filled life of work, family and friends sometimes we forget to take care of ourselves. The policy issues faced by city government are large but thankfully Mayor Joe Curtatone is encouraging Somerville residents to slim down and focus on physical health.

It may seem like a small thing but before we can tackle the serious issues we face we must be in good health.

Parents concerned about the toys their children might play with listened March 24 as expert Honey Schnapp detailed some alarming trends.

By Sanjeev Selvarajah

Parents concerned about the toys their children might play with listened March 24 as expert Honey Schnapp detailed some alarming trends.

“One toy I bring to the workshop is a dress-up kit marketed to girls 4 years and up, that has shiny shoes, purse and an ID card. The photo has a girl looking like a college student getting ready to go out to the club. Also, many of the toys from action movies rated PG-13 and more are marketed to children 4 years old. This is a result of the deregulation of the industry,” said Schnapp.

On March 27, artists who work in the mediums of wax and encaustic were invited to look at art, hear lectures and network with other Massachusetts- based residents through “Arts at the Armory.”

By Carrie Stanziola

On March 27, artists who work in the mediums of wax and encaustic were invited to look at art, hear lectures and network with other Massachusetts-based residents through “Arts at the Armory.”

Suzanne de Rogiers, one of the organizers of the event said, “We’re just so very pleased to have presented this day…as a reach-out to those artists who are interested in using encaustic as part of their medium from beginners to masters-we’ve got a couple of masters here- so it’s the range of beginner to intermediate to master.”

Wally Sparks is serious about multimedia success: the Somerville-Cambridge rapper hosts a television show, stars in a sitcom and has released over 40 hip hop mixtapes.

Wally Sparks is back.

The well-known Somerville-Cambridge MC disappeared from TV screens a few months ago when his award winning show Heir 2 Tha Streetz ended its five-year run of showcasing local and national hip hop acts.

Now, Sparks is expanding his hustle with two new shows, a collaborative album and live performances.

By George P. Hassett

Four people were arrested March 23 and charged with using a gun to stick up a pick up basketball game at Florence Street Park.

The victims told an officer they were robbed of “all their stuff” from cell phones and cash to rosary beads and cigarettes, police said. They tracked down an officer on patrol seconds after the alleged stick up and described the suspects, police said.

The Somerville girls outdoor track team is welcoming a batch of freshman to to their squad alongside some returning veteran stars.

Coach Charles O’Rourke said freshmen Melissa Baptista, Kellie Hagerty, Rachel Berry, Alison Kaba and Y’Quanna Cannon have impressed in early season workouts.

Spring is near ( hopefully) and though it brings rebirth, it can also bring rain and with it pain. Nothing is black and white here at the Lyrical, or– for that matter– life. Poet Keith Tornheim brings us this mixed bag with his poem Clouds in Springtime.