(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 Ken Brociner

As practically everyone in town knows by now, City Councilor Will Mbah will be facing off against fellow City Councilor Katjana Ballantyne in the November 2 election to determine who Somerville’s next mayor will be. In the Sept. 14 primary, Mbah finished in first place with 30 percent of the vote with Ballantyne finishing a close second with 27.8 percent. Long-time social justice advocate, Mary Cassesso, just barely missed qualifying for the November election as she came within a mere 79 votes of tying Ballantyne for second place.

What the Fluff? A Tribute to Innovation is a multi-day madcap festival taking place September 22-26, honoring the invention of Marshmallow Fluff in Union Square. This festival celebrates Somerville’s proud tradition of innovation with live music, fluffalicious feasts, games, zany happenings, and much more. Visit https://www.flufffestival.com/

Eagle Feathers #238– A ribbon, a globe and a star

By Bob (Monty) Doherty

The year was 1841, one year before Somerville broke away from Charlestown, when the barely nineteen-year-old Eben Dyer Jordan completed his first transaction. The sale was of one yard of cherry-colored ribbon made to a young girl who was his first customer.

Annual What the Fluff? A Tribute to Union Square Innovation 

What the Fluff? A Tribute to Union Square Innovation returns for a 16th year Wednesday, September 22 through Sunday, September 26. 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 in Union Square today. 

Most change leads to a new beginning. That’s what they say anyway. It’s been a challenging time this past year, and here we are with autumn on our doorstep, bringing with it who knows what?

We’ve slogged our way through the pandemic with its isolation and deprivation, an incomparably divisive political climate, and who knows whether or not the worst is yet to come?

Former Somerville Board of Alderman members recently took retired City Clerk John Long out for a dinner.

The Somerville Boys Cross Country team handily defeated Lynn English, 16-47, having standout junior Highlander Sam Buckley winning his second race in as many weeks, clocking in at 14:40 for the 2.5-mile course.

Arrests:
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Devonte Evans McCormick, of Weymouth, September 8, 2:10 p.m., arrested at Middle St. on charges of discharge of a firearm within 500 ft. of a building, armed assault to murder, and carrying a firearm with ammunition.

Raul Landaverde, of Chelsea, September 9, 7:05 p.m., arrested at Watts St. on a warrant charge of armed and masked robbery.

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By Off the Shelf Correspondent Rosie Rosenzweig

After interviewing 40 women artists on their creative process, or Flow, the term coined by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, I realized that there was another state of consciousness. Flow, according to him had certain characteristics; these include:

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Sergio Inestrosa (San Salvador, 1957) is a professor of Spanish and Latin American affairs at Endicott College, Beverly, MA. Sergio is a member of the Editorial Board of Tiberíades, Red Iberoamericana de Poetas y Críticos Literarios Cristianos, and of the Electronic magazine Cine y Literatura, based in Santiago de Chile. His last book of poetry was published by Almava (USA) in November 2019. Before that, the same publisher published Luna that He does not stop in a bilingual edition in Spanish / English. As a student in Mexico, the Iberoamerican University published his book Vivir la fiesta, in which he deals with the patron saint festivities in a town on the outskirts of Mexico City. In May 2019 Sergio participated in the Havana International Poetry Festival, on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the founding of this city; in October of that same year, he participated in the XXII meeting of Ibero-American poets in Salamanca, which was dedicated to San Juan De la Cruz.