FAB Balloon Factory to create flagship location in Somerville
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Art, culture, and sciences will soon collide within the confines of the former Powderhouse School in Somerville’s Teele Square. This year, the flagship space will open as an artists’ collective that plans to create a new normal for the community.

The “What the Fluff?” festival, an event that has grown in the hearts of so many here, is going virtual this year. Obviously, this is necessary because of the restrictions imposed on public gatherings due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, it’s nice to know that the tradition will be carried on in some form that most of us can enjoy.

Arrests:
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Paul Phaneuf, of Woburn, September 1, 12:07 a.m., arrested at McGrath Hwy. on a charge of assault with a dangerous weapon.

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Review by Off the Shelf correspondent Zvi A. Sesling

I have rarely been a fan of big novels because I usually found the books too long and I could not even finish one on a transcontinental flight. Short stories, on the other hand, have allowed me to read and absorb a few stories on the same flight. The stories from old masters such as Malamud, Fitzgerald, Nabokov, and Porter can be quite lengthy. Short story authors tend toward a shorter story running from three or four pages to seventeen to twenty pages.

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Jennifer LeBlanc earned an MFA in Creative Writing from Lesley University. Her first full-length book, Descent, was published by Finishing Line Press (2020), and individual poems have been published in journals such as The Adirondack Review, CAIRN, The Main Street Rag, and Melusine. Jennifer was nominated for a 2013 Pushcart Prize and works in the English Department at Tufts University.

Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone, Ward 7 City Councilor Katjana Ballantyne, and City of Somerville staff invite you to a virtual meeting to review plans to replace the Dilboy Stadium synthetic turf field and improve the natural-grass Dilboy Auxiliary Fields adjacent to Alewife Brook Parkway.

Using pellets creates wood-fired flavor that elevates the grilling experience. — Photo © Jennifer Danella

You’ve been grilling all summer long, which means you may be in need of some new ideas this Labor Day Weekend. Experts say, no matter what equipment you’re using, the secret to making a big impact on the flavor of your food is BBQ pellets.

“With the amazing wood smoke flavors that cooking with wood pellets offer, it’s truly a game changer for any backyard barbecue,” says Ben Madden, product manager at Bear Mountain BBQ Woods, crafter of gourmet, hardwood pellets. Bear Mountain BBQ pellets are made from 100% premium all-natural hardwoods, with no flavorings, fillers, or additives, which create amazing wood-smoke flavor.

The City of Somerville Housing Division is giving away a limited quantity of $100 gift cards to residents and property owners who install a qualifying energy-efficient household appliance this year. Appliances must be eligible for a Mass Save rebate or HEAT Loan financing and be installed at a Somerville residence between January 1 and December 31, 2020. This offer is valid through December 31 or until gift cards run out.

Shared Streets open up low-volume or residential side-streets to pedestrians, cyclists, and other users while still allowing vehicle access for residents who live on the street or who need to use the street to get to their homes, their guests, and service vehicles such as first responders, delivery drivers, sanitation trucks, and street sweepers.