Somerville artist Hanneke Cassel will give international students financial aid to attend the Scottish fiddle workshop Pure Dead Brilliant Fiddle Weekend.

Passim has announced the 2025 recipients of its Iguana Music Fund, awarding $40,000 to 23 New England-based artists. Established in 2008, the Iguana Fund supports musicians at critical stages of their careers, providing resources for community and career building projects including recording, equipment purchases, and event creation.

Looking to relax post-holiday season? Bring your gently used puzzles to West Branch and swap out for a puzzle from their supply. This event will be held on Monday, December 29, at West Branch Library (40 College Ave.) from 2 to 8 p.m. Learn more.

Stay in the holiday spirit and check out Somerville’s best and brightest light displays. Explore the online interactive map to plan out your own walking tour.  The map is available until January 2026.

~Photo courtesy of MBTA.

The MBTA  announced service changes in January on the Orange, Blue, Red, Needham, Fitchburg, Haverhill, Lowell, and Newburyport/Rockport lines.

Riders can find more information on service changes through in-station signage, in-station public announcements, and at mbta.com/PlannedWork. Transit Ambassadors and MBTA staff will be available on-site to offer information and assistance during these service changes. Riders are encouraged to subscribe to T-Alerts or to follow the MBTA on X @MBTA, @MBTA_CR, and @MBTA_CR_Alerts for up-to-date service information.

Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

I got a call from my daughter last night. When I saw her name come up on my phone I immediately said what every parent says when their kid calls, “Is everything okay?” Thankfully, it was.

The reason she called was to share an old Christmas memory with me. She was in the process of finding the right Christmas tree for her family. Her husband was driving her and their kids around tree shopping.

City buildings will be closed on Thursday, December 25, in observance of the Christmas holiday. There will be no street sweeping on Christmas and meters and parking permits will not be enforced. Trash and recycling collection will be on a one-day delay all week.

L to R: Big Sister Kristen Erekson with Little Sister Joi’elle at a recent Celtics game.
— Photo courtesy of Kristen Erekson

Annual matching gift campaign through December 31 supports Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Massachusetts

Somerville resident and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Massachusetts (BBBSEM) volunteer mentor Kristen Erekson is marking 20 years of combined mentorship to her two Little Sisters. For the fifth consecutive year, Erekson, a longtime Big Sister and BBBSEM Board of Advisors member, will match every donation made from now through December 31 to support BBBSEM’s year-round one-to-one youth mentoring programs.

David Johnston busking in Harvard Square. Photo: Nate Dow

By William C. Shelton

In the late 1980s Union Square after dark was a ghost town. Other than Midnite Convenience, about the only thing open was the Irish Eyes bar. But you would need to practice the buddy system there, because if you fell down, you might get stuck to the floor.

Expanded network to add 12 new charging ports at key locations citywide

Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and the City of Somerville Office of Sustainability and Environment (OSE) are announcing a major expansion of the city’s public electric vehicle (EV) charging network with the installation of six new stations that will add 12 publicly accessible charging ports.