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Union Square Main Streets Newsletter
August 2006

 
In This Issue
  • For the Love of Fluff
  • ArtsUnion Festivals Bring Golf and Movies
  • Open Air Circus and Events at The Growing Center
  • Brazilian Buffet is Latest Lunch Option
  • Improved Red Light Enforcement for Union
  • Are You a "Zealous Nut"?

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    ArtsUnion Festivals Bring Golf and Movies

    A landmark in the birth of film making, Sergei Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin broke boundaries with it's frenetic editing and rich, disturbing visual metaphors. On Friday, August 11th, 8-10 PM on the Union Square Plaza, the KNOWmovement Orchestra—the same group of local musicians that provided the electrifying live score to Man with a Movie Camera in last year's ArtsUnion series—will present a multimedia event complimenting this magnificent film. In addition to a new live score, KNOWmovement will transform Union Square Plaza with ambient lighting as Eisenstein's vision of oppression and revolt unfolds on the big screen. It all takes place amidst the hustle and bustle of Union Square. The event is free.

    Raindate is August 12.

     

     
    som open

    Play a mini-golf course designed by local cartoonists and artists at The Somerville Open on August 19th from 3 to 6 PM. Each hole in the temporary mini- golf course has a different theme. In addition to golf, there will be music, a "customize your golf ball" crafts station, and, at the end of the day (6:30-8:00 PM), a "Draw Your Own Comics" Workshop taught by the artists at the Washington Street Arts Center, 321 Washingston St, Somerville.

    Holes will designed and built by local artists including Jef Czekaj (Nickelodeon's GRAMPA AND JULIE: SHARK HUNTERS), Craig Bostick (GO-GO GIRL), and members of the Miracle 5 art Collective.

    Admission is free and the course is suitable for all ages. Rain date is Sunday, August 20.

     

     
    Open Air Circus and Events at The Growing Center

    The green oasis at the corner of Summer Street and Vinal Avenue is the coolest spot in Somerville this August.

    Watch Somerville's kids and adults stilt, juggle, tumble, mime, dance, unicycle, clown and more, showing off what they've learned during summer classes at the Open Air Circus. Nunziato Field is host to the 21st annual weekend performances of the Open Air Circus with four performances this weekend. Friday, August 4 at 7 pm, Saturday August 5 at 2 pm and 7 pm and Sunday, August 6th at 2 pm. Tickets are $3, For all the details check out the Somerville Journal. If you need more info contact Lori at 617-623-1720.

    Just up Vinal Ave, The Community Growing Center is in full bloom with refreshing gardens and cultural programs. The Full Moon Labyrinth Walk celebrates the lunar cycle on Wednesday, August 9 from 8pm- 9pmwith an ancient meditative stroll through a labyrinth.

    It's a back porch jam session of acoustic instruments in the Americana Acoustic Jam on Thursday, August 17 from 6pm-9pm. Styles range from folk, blues, bluegrass, Irish and more.

    Pictured here, Russia-born Israeli-raised singer songwriter, Asia Mei and the other International musicians of Waters will have you rocking if you like Coldplay, Radiohead, Jimi Hendrix, Muse and Norah Jones. They perform Saturday, August 26 from 6pm-8pm. Raindate is September 9.


     
    Brazilian Buffet is Latest Lunch Option

    Pao de Acucar Market now serves a Brazilian buffet every day. With hot foods and a salad bar there's something for every palate. And at only $3.99 a pound, it's an accessible way to sample Brazil's specialities.

     

     
    Improved Red Light Enforcement for Union

    It could be a little safer at Union Square intersections if the City of Somerville and the Police Department decide to step up red-light enforcement through the use of automated cameras. Police regularly nab drivers at the notoriously wild corner of Somerville Ave and Prospect Street when they slide by after the light has changed. This new system promises to be a greater deterent with expanded 24-7 surveillance and regular enforcement.

    As reported by the Somerville Journal, the cameras will take pictures of vehicles when they run a red light. The cameras are provided free to the City in exchange for a portion of the fines collected. The details are still be worked out as legal issues are sorted out. The city is considering $100 fines. If the City does move forward as expected, Union Square, with two of the most dangerous intersections in Somerville, is be among the first to receive the cameras.

     

     
    Are You a "Zealous Nut"?

    What makes a neighborhood great? The Project of Public Spaces, a non-profit that seeks to create and sustain public spaces, this month pays tribute to "zealous nuts" -- those concerned residents who with passion and persistence turn their visions into a reality.

    Betsy Barlow Rogers made the term "zealous nut" a badge of honor when she and other citizens positively influenced institutions and with organization in the 1980s turned around the fortunes of New York's Central Park.

    Some might say that the residents and business people who make up Union Square Main Streets are a bunch of zealous nuts, believing in the life of their neighborhood and influencing it's future. Sharing their vision with realistic, tangible goals and optimism we're making a difference here.


     
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    Memberships are $50 for Union Square businesses and $25 for residents and general supporters. Members receive: Free "Attracting Attention" Discount Card providing discounts with Union Square businesses; Tokens to spend at the Union Square Farmers market; Invitations to Special Events and Reduced Costs for USMS Programs; Recognition for Business Members in USMS materials.

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    As part of the festival “What the Fluff? A Tribute to Union Square Invention” the gallery of Somerville Community Access Television will present fluff-loving work during October and November. Opening during the festival on September 30 in Union Square, Somerville it will remain on display through until the end of November.

    “What the Fluff?” is a tribute to Union Square resident Archibald Query who invented Marshmallow Fluff here in 1917. Artists, musical and theatrical performers, inventors, and humorists reflect on this great American foodstuff in a madcap festival of science meets nostalgia meets urban landscape.

    We're looking for artists to comment on all aspects and interpretations of Marshmallow Fluff. Perhaps the nostalgia for childhood foods, mass marketing and commercial culture, cooking and the role of women, food science, and the decades in which Fluff has thrived in American cupboards -- any of these visions could appear.

    The deadline to apply is September 7 at 5 pm. Selected artists may participate in the SCAT’s cable access program “Art at SCAT.” Submissions will be juried by a curatorial panel including Cecily Miller of Forest Hills Educational Trust; Wayne Strattman of Strattman Design; Lee Kilpatrick of the Washington Street Art Center Dacia Kornechuk of Somerville Community Access Television; and Mimi Graney of Union Square Main Streets.

    The opening of the exhibit will be Saturday, September 30 during the “What the Fluff?” festival from 3 to 8 pm. In case of rain, festival will take place October 1 at the same time. End of the exhibit is November 30.

    “What the Fluff?” is presented as part of ArtsUnion. ArtsUnion is a project initiative designed to boost the cultural and economic development of Union Square, Somerville. It is sheperded by the Somerville Arts Council and numerous partners, including Union Square Main Streets. Funding is provided by a Massachusetts Cultural Council's Adams Grant.

    For details on the artist call click here.

    For more on the Fluff Festival in General click here.
    What You'll Find This Month at the Union Square Farmers Market

    strawberries


    pies
     


     
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