Yet, in a safe, deconstructed way. Time to light things up Somerville —and take self-guided tours, while supporting local businesses.

Even though, they  will not be conducting traditional trolley tours this winter, the bright spirit of Somerville will shine on. So whether you’re a business or a resident, time to deck the halls and plug things in!  Somerville Arts Council is  hoping that each neighborhood and square gets involved. They’ll  then create a digital map so folks can take a “deconstructed tour” on their own time, supporting local businesses as they go. So, as a participant or tour goer, let’s celebrate the folk artistry and creativity of residents and businesses that transform their spaces and yards with lights, ornaments, and shrines of devotion and fantasy.

The Somerville Winter Farmers Market is establishing alternative methods for keeping itself operating through the 2020-2021 season.

The Center for Arts at the Armory (CAA) proudly announces that it will host and manage the Somerville Winter Farmers Market (SWFM) every Saturday beginning December 5th through April 10th, with online pre-ordering beginning November 29th. This weekly market offers the best locally grown and regionally produced agricultural items, including vegetable produce, cheese, eggs, meats, fish, pastries, and sweets. Each market will feature more than 40 weekly vendors, with 10-14 outside in our parking lot.

By Jim Clark

Somerville Police officers were dispatched to a Springfield St. location last week on reports of a vehicular accident.

Upon arrival, police dispatch informed arriving units that the vehicle in question had struck two parked cars. A traffic unit and EMTs were subsequently called to the scene.

Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

My daily community Covid-19 updates posted this message for the holidays: “With the holidays approaching, you may be thinking about ways to gather with loved ones to celebrate. As a reminder, the safest choice is to avoid gathering with anyone you don’t already live with. Staying within your own household is the only sure way to not spread COVID-19 to others. Instead of celebrating in-person, consider connecting with loved ones via the phone or virtually. If, however, you plan to get together with family or friends, here are some things you can do to lower the risk. See link below.”

Details about the renovations planned for Conway Park were recently shared in a virtual public meeting. ~Photos by Hongyu Liu

By Hongyu Liu

The City of Somerville expects to start renovating Conway Park in early 2021. On November 17, Brandon Kunkel, the team leader of Weston & Sampson Inc., shared more details of the renovation at a recent virtual public meeting.

The Inside-OUT Gallery’s “All Small” exhibit invites to not sweat the big stuff, and to appreciate the smaller things in life. — Photos by By Anqi Zhang

By Anqi Zhang

The All Small exhibit at Inside-OUT Gallery located in the windows of the CVS Pharmacy in Davis Square has been open to the public 24/7 from November 10, and will remain there until December 6. Small in scale, size or content, the exhibit aims to get passers-by to appreciate something delicate and subtle while on their way to confronting the big changes happening around the world – the pandemic, climate change, divisive political landscape, and systematic racial injustice.

We here at The Times wish everyone a happy and safe Thanksgiving holiday. Please observe all safety guidelines to make sure we’ll all be together again for next year’s celebration. And don’t forget to shop local when starting your holiday gift gathering. This year more than ever it is important to support local businesses.

Mayor Joe Curtatone with a message urging everyone to avoid indoor gatherings with people from outside their households this Thanksgiving.
As the national death total surpassed 250,000 and MA sees rising numbers, it is critical Thanksgiving not be turned into a superspreader event.

(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)

Harold Cohen
1/16/1931 – 9/29/2020

To: The Editor and the people of Somerville

I wanted to let the people of Somerville know about the passing of a true Somerville Icon last month. His name was Harold Cohen. He was the co-founder of Somerville Lumber. Along with his brother, Melvin Cohen, they purchased Prospect Lumber on McGrath Highway in 1956. . They renamed the company Somerville Lumber and turned the business into a Retail Powerhouse that employed several thousand employees with 10 different locations in 3 different states.

Eagle Feathers #218 – Thanksgiving – 399 Years

By Bob (Monty) Doherty

In the autumn of 1621, the custom of Thanksgiving in America was first announced by Governor Bradford of the Plymouth Colony. This tradition was created to give thanks for the survival of the European immigrants who fled religious and self-governing intolerance and survived the grueling sixty-six-day voyage across the stormy Atlantic Ocean.