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One of my favorite things to do when I was a kid, was going candlepin bowling at Sacco’s Bowl Heaven. Often going with my grandmother on a Sunday morning before we went back home to have Sunday gravy, yes, gravy, if you want to call it sauce, that’s your prerogative, ha!

On Sunday, October 6, from 3:30 – 5:00 p.m., Somerville Poet Laureate Lloyd Schwartz will be joined by David Surette, author of Malden, and Linda Flaherty Haltmaier, poet laureate of Andover, to read selections of their poetry. A reception will follow. This event will take place at the Somerville Community Growing Center, a 1/4-acre urban garden oasis in Union Square located at 22 Vinal Avenue. They are happy to welcome these talented writers and hope you will join in for this free event.

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From the Honk! Festival website:

Throughout the country and across the globe, a new type of street band movement is emerging – outrageous and inclusive, brass and brash, percussive and persuasive – reclaiming public space with a sound that is in your face and out of this world. Called everything from “avant-oompah!” to a “brassroots revolution,” these bands draw inspiration from sources as diverse as Klezmer, Balkan and Romani music, Brazilian Samba, Afrobeat and Highlife, Punk, Funk, and Hip Hop, as well as the New Orleans second line tradition, and deliver it with all the passion and spirit of Mardi Gras and Carnival.

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Gary Margolis is the author of four poetry books, Raking the Winter Leaves: New and Selected Poems (Bauhan Publishing, 2013); Fire in the Orchard (Autumn House Press, 2002), which was nominated for the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for poetry; Falling Awake (University of Georgia Press, 1986); and The Day We Still Stand Here (University of Georgia Press, 1983). A Robert Frost Fellow at the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference and a recipient of a Vermont Council on the Arts award, Margolis has published his poems in Poetry, American Scholar, Poetry Northwest, and other literary magazines.

Arrests:
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Rudney Morais, of 43 Glenwood St., Malden, September 23, 9:08 a.m., arrested at College Ave. on charges of operation of a motor vehicle with a suspended license and speeding.

Gaetano Silvestri, of 101 Cross St., September 24, 8:45 p.m., arrested at Cross St. on charges of reckless operation of a motor vehicle and operation of a motor vehicle under the influence of drugs.

Somerville residents three years and older eligible for vaccine; Vaccine clinics begin in October

With students back in school and the cooler temperatures approaching, it’s a reminder that cold and flu season is quickly approaching and it’s time for the annual flu vaccine clinics offered by the City of Somerville Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). All clinics offer free flu vaccines for Somerville residents ages three and older (children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian). Clinics start on Thursday, October 17, and will be held at various times and locations in the community until the city’s supply of vaccine is exhausted.

Join the Somerville Conservation Commission and the Mystic River Watershed Association to pick up trash at DCR’s Draw 7 Park as part of the annual state-wide CoastSweep cleanup. The event will take place on Saturday, October 5, from 10:00 a.m. to noon (rain date October 6). Meet near the picnic area at the end of the parking lot and join us to clean up Draw 7, along the banks of the Mystic River. Please dress appropriately for the weather and wear close-toed shoes. Gloves and trash bags will be provided, as well as post-cleanup refreshments. Please contact Cristina Kennedy at cnc.somerville@gmail.com to sign up or for more information.

The Central Hill playgrounds on Highland Ave. are expected to close Friday, October 11, to advance construction of the new Somerville High School. A renovated version of the playgrounds, tentatively projected to open in the fall of 2021, will be established in front of Central Library as part of the Central Hill Campus Plan. Patrons are encouraged to use other nearby parks and playgrounds during the closure. Edward Leathers Community Park, the Cummings School Community Playground, Cremin Playground, and Walnut Street Park are all less than a half-mile walk from Central Hill.

Registered nurse and director of Adult Family Care Jeanne Leyden

By Jeanne Leyden

Falls are perennially the leading cause of injury for older adults, but they are not an inevitable outcome of aging. Fortunately, there are several easy ways to reduce the risk of falls.

A good first step is to acknowledge the risk. One in four Americans over the age of 65 is affected by a fall each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That averages out to an emergency room visit every 11 seconds. While it’s easy to think it will never happen to you, it’s better to be aware of potential risk and be proactive about reducing it.

Please join the Somerville Department of Public Space and Urban Forestry and Ward 4 City Councilor Jesse Clingan on Thursday evening, October 10, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. for a community meeting to discuss the layout and features for the new Healey Schoolyard. The meeting will be held at the Mystic Activity Center, 503 Mystic Ave.