By Dennis Fischman

Are you going on vacation this summer? Why not do what I do, and read a murder mystery set in that location before heading out?

Back in 2017, my wife and I were planning to meet some old friends of hers in the wonderful island of Key West, Florida. To get the feel of the place, I did read some serious fiction – Hemingway not only wrote about Key West, he had a house there which is now run for the benefit of the descendants of his pet cats! – and some travel books. Nothing whetted my appetite for my vacation more, however, than Lucy Burdette’s Key West Food Critic Mysteries.

Annual Festival Featuring Local crafts, Performances, Children’s Activities, Food & More Returns on Saturday, July 13, from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.— Artwork by Sarah Gay

Where else except the City of Somerville can you support local artists, sample a global array of food and join a Punk Rock Pollinator Parade? Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and the Somerville Arts Council are inviting the community to do all that and more at the City’s annual ArtBeat Festival on Saturday, July 13, from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. in Davis Square (rain date: Sunday, July 14, at the same time). 

Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

When we were kids, we had a nice choice of fun places to go for family fun. We had Revere Beach, Whalom Park, and Paragon Park with a variety of rides and amusements. There was always Canobie Lake Park in Salem, New Hampshire, and of course up north a bit further, Old Orchard Beach. But there was another fun spot that existed for a short time in the greater Boston area. It was called Pleasure Island and it was off Rte. 128 in Wakefield. The area today is The Edgewater Office Park located off Audubon Rd in Wakefield.

The City of Somerville has officially designated the month of July as Disability Pride Month, along with July 26 as Americans with Disabilities Act Day.

By Parker Garlough

The City Council voted Thursday to recognize July as Disability Pride Month, and July 26 as Americans with Disabilities Act Day. Somerville will continue to honor these days annually.

(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 Chris Dwan

I’ve been writing about the city budget for at least five years now. Even with that context, the eight hours of budget meetings I sat through last week at city hall — the final spasm in a three week slog — were remarkable. The conversations ranged from inspiring to cringeworthy, with nuance and compromise competing with bullying and petty interpersonal grudges. In the end, after some rather wild swings, the council passed the Mayor’s proposed budget essentially unchanged — just like they do every year.

Gene Brune will be turning 95 years young on July 12 and there are at least 95 reasons to celebrate the amazing Gene Brune!

The Somerville Museum has always been special to Gene – they intend to honor his commitment and contributions with your help. Please join them in donating $95 to the Somerville Museum in Gene’s name and send them at least one of the many reasons to honor and love him.

All city offices are closed on Independence Day, July 4. Trash and recycling pickup will be delayed by one day. We wish everyone a safe Happy 4^th!

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— Photos by Claudia Ferro

The Somerville community celebrated Fourth of July Thursday night at Trum Field. The celebration included entertainment by DJ Philip Tan and funk band Search Party, Somerville High School graduate Britney Flores sang the Star-Spangled Banner to lead into the fireworks countdown by Mayor Ballantyne.