What the Fluff? A Tribute to Union Square Innovation presented by Boynton Yards returns for the 19th year next Saturday, September 21 from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. (rain date 9/22). This zany, madcap festival honors the invention of Marshmallow Fluff by Archibald Query in Somerville in 1917 and salutes the spirit of innovation that thrives throughout the city today.

Gilman Square Neighborhood Council and the Arts Council celebrated the latest SomerStreets event, the Gilman Square Arts and Music Festival on Saturday, September 14, on Pearl St. from Marshall to James.

(Originally published On April 6, 2012, in The Somerville Times)

Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

It’s a well-known fact that Marshmallow Fluff was invented in Somerville and everyone has enjoyed a Fluffernutter sandwich. I posted a question on Facebook looking for what people think should be the official food of Somerville. I got so many suggestions that I decided to just list as many as I could. Here are some of Somerville’s favorite treats both past and present.

The Somerville Redevelopment Authority (SRA) conducted its regular business at its latest meeting on Tuesday September 10.

By Fred Bernardin

On Tuesday September 10 at 5:30 p.m., the Somerville Redevelopment Authority (SRA) held their monthly meeting via Zoom. The meeting was hosted by the City’s Economic and Development Planner, Ben Devers. SRA Members Philip Ercolini, Iwona Bonney, Ben Ewen-Campen, and William Gage were present; SRA Member Christine Stone was absent. In addition, the meeting was attended by Special Counsel Catherine Lester Salchert.

— Photos by Claudia Ferro

Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and the Council on Aging hosted their annual Senior Picnic Thursday, September 12, at Trum Field. Somerville seniors enjoyed an afternoon of live music, lunch and connecting with friends, community members, community partners and city departments.

Somerville Public Library’s recently shortened hours have many up in arms. — Photo by Bobbie Toner

By Parker Garlough

Reopening the Central Library during afternoon hours is an “urgent priority” for the Mayor’s Office, according to Director of Intergovernmental Relations Neha Singh, but a specific timeline has not yet been set.

Library staff have been reporting a pattern of disruptive behavior to city administration since at least January, Singh said. City spokespeople have not disclosed details of any of the incidents, mainly due to privacy regulations because many (but not necessarily all) of the people involved were minors.

Neon Williams brings the art and craft of neon signage to Somerville. — Photos courtesy of Neon Williams

By Jeffrey Shwom

It’s mid-morning, early fall with abundant sun and warming air as I ride my bike into a place that abounds with tubes and glass and colors. There is a hot pink neon glow on the left, a VFW Post 1105 sign hanging from the ceiling on my right, and shiny things everywhere. The Green Line trains rumbling in and out of the East Somerville stop are viewed through the glazed windows along the Community Path. It is fitting that the shop is on Joy Street … what is not to be joyful about neon signs, a 90-year-old small business and the promise of light, creativity and history?

Ward-based City Hall Community Meetings are back this fall. Hear from Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and city staff to find out what’s happening in your neighborhood, how to get involved, and ask questions about issues that are important to you. All ward meetings are in-person and will begin at 6:30 p.m. An all-ward, fully virtual meeting will take place on Tuesday, October 22. The first meeting will be in Ward 4 on Wednesday, September 18, in the Healey School cafeteria (5 Meacham St.). A meet-and-greet with refreshments will begin at 6:00 p.m. For additional accommodations, please call 311 (617-666-3311). To learn more, visit somervillema.gov/communitymeetings.

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

By Emma Lebwohl
on behalf of Shalom Somerville

Since October 7, 2023, the Jewish and Israeli communities have been reeling from the Hamas terrorist attack in Israel. The attack was the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. Hamas terrorists murdered over a thousand Israeli civilians and brutally raped Israeli women. They took over 250 hostages, including small children. The trauma from October 7 continues to this day. A few weeks ago, we learned that Hamas murdered six young hostages, including the Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, in a tunnel beneath Rafah.

Most change leads to new beginnings. That’s what they say anyway. We’ve been through some challenging times in recent years, and here we are once again with autumn on our doorstep, bringing with it the undeniable realization that change is inevitable.

We slogged our way through the pandemic with its isolation and deprivation and have finally cleared the dust and slowly put it all back together again as we regained some normalcy in our lives. Let us hope we never have to face that type of thing again.