East Somerville Main Streets Newsletter | April 2011
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Dear East Somerville Friend,
Ever wonder where "Main Streets" came from? Main Streets is actually a nationwide model by the National Trust for Historic Preservation to rebuild local business districts, which has been used in over 2000 communities (read more in this month's behind the scenes). Through our June 5th Carnaval @ SomerStreets event we are tackling one critical point in this national model: PARTNERSHIP! We are partnering with the City of Somerville, local businesses, residents, and countless Somerville groups to create an amazing day filled with musical performances, dance demos, fitness, a road race, a parade, a farmers market and more! Hope you'll attend as a partner in creating and/or enjoying a great day!
Warmly,
Carrie Dancy, Executive Director East Somerville Main Streets |
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Broadway Buzz- A new newspaper has made its home along Broadway. "America," located at 114 Broadway, is a fresh new newspaper focusing on the roots of the Hispanic community. For more information, contact Marvin Molina tuamericahoy@yahoo.com
- Sunday May 1st, 2-4:30pm join in on another Historic Walking Tour: "Hidden in Plain Sight: Eyes on East Somerville" Meet at the Mount Vernon Restaruant at 2pm for this brand new walking tour of East Somerville, brought to you by the Somerville Historic Preservation Commission.
- Sign up your kids for Sityodtong's Muay Thai Camp starting this May! Email sityodtong@yahoo.com or call 617-627-9878
- Mudflat Spring/Summer Semester Registration is happening now! Mudflat.org
- The East Branch Library is hosting the "One City, One Book" launch party on April 30th from 2-5pm. Enjoy Indian music, dancing, food and art to launch the new book: The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
- East Broadway welcomes a new bakery this month! Blanca's - 85 Broadway! Check back next month for more information.
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Behind the ScenesEast Somerville Main Streets is proud to be part of a national movement of rebuilding strong communities and places that contribute to people's quality of life.
In putting together our monthly and yearly work plans, East Somerville Main Streets is guided by a national strategy for rebuilding business districts. The model, created by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and successfully used in more than 2000 communities.
The model is built around 8 guiding principals: Change in your business district must be (1) comprehensive (not focusing on just one thing) and (2) incremental - change will not happen over night. (3) Successful initiatives will be built on your neighborhood's own assets. The effort must be one of (4) self-help, not hoping someone will come in with a magic solution and (5) strong partnerships of existing stakeholders. (6) Projects should be done to the highest quality possible to represent what's possible for your community and (7) there must be completed projects to show change. And finally, (8) only when attitudes change can you have real change. (read in more detail here)
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Volunteer Opportunity of the Month
Carnaval @ SomerStreets June 5th - 12-4pm!
Volunteers Needed!
Want to be a part of the second annual SomerStreets event along East Broadway? We are already planning the 2011 event so we can bring even more excitement to this side of town, and you can help out in a big way!
Volunteers are needed on the day of the event 11-1:30pm and 1:30pm-4pm.
Contact info@eastsomervillemainstreets.org to get involved on June 5!
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Community Calendar for April
Dormition ChurchGroundbreaking Ceremony
Sunday, May 22
Join in inaugurating a 5-year vision for beautification with a picnic complete with music, dancing and great food. This is part of a series of events celebrating 95 years of the church. Visit their website for more information.
Green Line Extension Meet & Greet
Tues May 3, 6pm at the Argenziano School, 290 Washington St
Thurs May 12, 6pm at Medford City Hall, 85 George P. Hassett Dr.
These sessions will be an opportunity to hear from the new team members about their past experience and their plans for the Green Line Extension project, and to share with them your ideas, questions, and aspirations for the project. More information about the project can be found on the Green Line Extension website.
St. Benedict's 100 Year Celebration
Sat, May 21
Join East Somerville's Parish in celebrating 100 years. Attend the weekly Mass at 4pm, and the reception to follow at the Silver Fox in Everett. Reception tickets - $30. Questions? Call Nancy Teves at St. Benedict's. 617-625-0029
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First Tuesdays: Starting in May
In 2010 over 300 people came out to First Tuesdays events to try local cuisine, while meeting friends and neighbors! Join us again this year.
2011 Schedule
May 3rd: Maya Sol
June 7th: Casey's Bar
July 5th: TBD
August 2nd: Mt. Vernon
September 6th: Vinny's
October 4th: Fasika
First Tuesday's at Vinny's 2010
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Neighbor of the Month:
O.Susan Fontano ESMS Board President
April's Neighbor of the Month is O. Susan Fontano, East Somerville Main Streets' Board President. While it's hard to imagine, East Somerville Main Streets started just four years ago by a group of committed community members ready for positive change. Susan, an owner of two small businesses (Nefertiti Hair Salon and Up, Up and Away Balloons), as well as a member of the Somerville Historic Preservation Commission and the Zoning Board of Appeals, has charted new territory for both ESMS and East Somerville as its fearless board leader.
With no road map except bottomless pride in her community, Susan lead ESMS to hire its first executive director, to integrate East Somerville into the broader Somerville community with participation in events like the Memorial Day Parade and City Clean Up, and leadership on events such as Jimmy Tingle and the Taste of Broadway, and our celebrated Italian Movie Night. A life-long Mt. Vernon Street resident, Susan goes the extra mile to make the East Broadway business district the proud "neighborhood mall" she knew as a child.
As Susan's term as president will come to an end at the beginning of May, the ESMS Staff and Board would like to acknowledge all she has contribute. A heartfelt thank you to one of Somerville's best citizens.
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Did You Know...?
Did you know that the East Broadway Business District is a destination for homemade breads from around the world?
- Tortillas - Check out our local Salvadorian and Mexican restaurants if you want to try homemade tortillas. Thick and filling, homemade tortillas accompany almost any dish you get at an authentic Salvadorian Restaurant. The familiar thin tortillas used to wrap burritos are a distant cousin to this hardy homemade bread.
- Popovers - A popover is a light, hollow roll made from an egg batter similar to that used in making Yorkshire pudding. The name "popover" comes from the fact that the batter swells or "pops" over the top of the muffin tin while baking. The Mount Vernon Restaurant is one of the few places where you can find these traditional rolls locally.
- Injera - This pancake like bread is the Ethiopian Food's answer to the crepe. Made with Teff flour (a grain unique to Ethiopia), yeast and a sour dough starter, this bread is poured out into large pancakes and food is served on top of it.
- Irish Soda Bread - Luckily for East Somerville, it is home to a traditional bakery -Patsy's- that serves up such delights as Irish Soda Bread for St. Patrick's day and many other hard to find treats for different holidays.
- Italian Loaves - Both Patsy's and Vinny's a sure bet for a good loaf of crusty Italian bread when you're in need!
Note: Over the past six months, we've used the Did-You-Know newsletter section to educate readers on things they might not know about our website. Having worked through the key sections of our website, this month we will transition to things folks might not know about the business district!
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Community Blog"The Faces Behind Savoring East Somerville" heads to Haiti and the Caribbean
This month, Linda J. Mazurek takes us to Blessing Caribbean Restaurant,where she uses her french to help us through their delicious menu and find out a little more about the family behind the food.
And don't miss the second half of Linda J. Mazurek's exploration of Rodizio Steakhouse, one of East Somerville's favorite Brazilian restaurants!
******* And don't miss Andre Williams, moving community blog post about the power of Teen Empowerment's (an East Broadway non-profit) upcoming PEACE CONFERENCE on April 19th.
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