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Fluff Fest 2011: Volunteer, In the Name of Fluff!

Sep 13 3:01 pm

Fluff is still far out in 2011!

(Editors note:  The Fluff Festival Kickstarter campaign is also in need of some Local Love.  With just a couple days to go, they’re still short of their goal. I hear people talk about how much they love this event all year long, and hope our readers will consider making a small donation to help it be all it can be again this year. ~jG)

Four score and fourteen years ago, Archibald Query gave Somerville and the world that wonderful gooey goodness we know today as Fluff. For the sixth year in a row on September 24th, Union Square Main Streets will be presenting the annual “What the Fluff? A Tribute to Union Square Invention,” a festival celebrating all things Fluff.

Each year, a slew of Union Square and Somerville businesses pulls out all the stops to get involved in the mallow-y melee. But what can you do to help out? Well, the festival sure doesn’t run itself:

USMS is looking for volunteers to help in two hour shifts on this special day. If you haven’t ever been to What the Fluff, it joins artists, musicians, and theatrical performers in a madcap tribute to the creation of this great American foodstuff.

Three VIPs who will give What the Fluff a 70s feel for 2011:

  • Susan Olsen – better known as Cindy Brady from the Brady Brunch – will be displaying a show of her Fluff-inspired artwork
  • Allee Willis, songwriter for 70s favorites Earth Wind and Fire (among many other hit bands), will be judging a 70s costume contest
  • In homage to the space-heavy days of the 70s, NASA astronaut Rick Linnehan will be present. A Lowell native, Linnehan has brought Fluff to the final frontier – space!

Volunteers are needed for two-hour shifts in a wide variety of tasks – from penny candy booth to kiddie games to the cooking contest, there are jobs to fit every personality.  There are opportunities for friends to work together, and for mature children to work with their parents.

The Festival is at Union Square, Somerville on September 24th from 3 to 7 PM, with volunteers needed from noon until 8 PM.  To sign up or to find out more, please contact Karin at [email protected].

 

Join in on the 70s-inspired fun and help make this year Fluff Fest a reality - volunteers get freebies! Don’t want the fluff to stop? Check out the full schedule of events surrounding the week of the festival, including the Sunday-after Hangover Brunch at The Independent!

Keep the Fluff free and remember to donate to the festival on Kickstarter!

 

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Tee off for Somerville Homeless Coalition: 9th Annual SHC Golf Tournament

Sep 06 10:55 am
shc-golf-tournament-logo

SHC Annual Golf Tournament 2011

Putt-putt enthusiasts and would-be Arnold Palmers, have we got an event for you! Next Thursday, Sept 15 at 10am, join the Somerville Homeless Coalition for their 9th Annual Golf Tournament fundraiser, sponsored by the Queally Waxman Group of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. This year’s tournament will be held at the picturesque Sandy Burr Country Club in Wayland, Mass.

The 18-hole tournament will take the format of a scramble with shotgun start (if you didn’t understand a word of that, it’s time to brush up on your golf terminology!). Don’t worry, all you hungry golfers – your registration fee includes lunch and a post-tourney dinner banquet, complete with cocktail reception, hors d’oeuvres, and a silent auction. And you claim you never have anywhere to go where you can wear your fancy clothes! Stick around for the awards ceremony – SHC may give something back to you (prizes!) if you got what it takes!

The cost to participate is $150 per person, with the option to compete as an individual or in groups up to four, and includes all meals and golf cart rental. For the same starting price, your local business can sponsor a golfer or a hole, which will be seen by as many as 144 golfers at the tournament and includes mentions on the SHC website and in the newsletter and annual report. There is also still a space open to sponsor the whole shebang; as tournament sponsor, you will even get the opportunity to speak during the dinner banquet.

Maybe you get to jump in the pond if you hit your ball in it...

All proceeds will benefit the Somerville Homeless Coalition and the programs and services it has been providing to Greater Boston’s homeless and near-homeless since 1985. “The annual golf tournament is one of the ways we raise the necessary funds to support our work,” says Mark Alston-Follansbee, Executive Director of the SHC. “We are so grateful for all the community support we receive. Working together we do make a difference in the lives of families and individuals we serve.”

Time is running out to indulge your competitive side while helping SHC get impoverished locals back on their feet – you and your teammates should aim to be registered by tomorrow 9/7! But that deadline is hard and fast for sponsors! To register, become a sponsor, or even just donate, visit the SHC website or call SHC Development Associate Jen Merrill at (617) 623-6111.

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Redbones Pig Pickin’ – Y’all can have the pig whole ‘n’ eat it too!

Jul 29 12:00 am

If the recent heat wave wasn’t enough to make you feel like you’d been transported à la Dorothy to the magical land of The Deep South, a jaunt to Chester St. this Monday at 6pm just may be enough to make you wish you had. The south sure knows how to do the summer barbecue right, but despair not Somervillians! You need not get swept away in a tornado to experience this festive, finger-lickin’ feast – our very own Redbones will be holding its 10th annual Pig Pickin’ and Fundraiser!

Redbones Pig Rig

The most crucial part of slow smoking the hog juuust right: waiting!

Vegetarians beware, as we walk you through a traditional pig pickin’ done right at Redbones. The art of the pig roast is a 24 hour affair, music to the ears of all you slow foodies. The pit master will light up the rig Sunday night before the event, slowly smoking the whole hogs before carving them up, so they retain all their natural savory flavor. The Southern pig roast is traditionally a very social event, one meant to assemble the entire community due to the time and effort that go into it. Keeping this in mind, Redbones slow roasts the hogs outside of the restaurant, from start to finish, so that passersby can engage in the process and meet the pit master. As people gather, the anticipation builds until the pinnacle moment when the smoker is at long last released, and the hogs emerge, smoked to perfection. Are your mouths watering yet?

Aside from the whole hogs, Redbones will be serving up all the fixin’s: slaw, corn on the cob, greens, corn bread, watermelon, your choice of beer, lemonade, or iced tea, as well as extra servings of your favorite parts – loins, butts, and bellies! And of course, what would a pig pickin’ be without some entertainment! This barbecue-gone-block party will feature Somerville’s very own New Orleans-style street band, The Second Line Social Aid and Pleasure Society Brass Band, as well as other local acts.

Now, if ALL that doesn’t have you convinced this will be a rousing good time, come to support the cause – benefit the Somerville Homeless Coalition, providing housing and supportive services to the area homeless population since 1985.

So be sure to join the Redbones crew in front of the store on Chester St. on Monday, August 1 (rain date: August 8 ) from 6-9pm! $25 (only $5 for the kiddies under 10!) will get you a beverage, all the sides, and a healthy helping of slow-smoked pork right off the bone; no need to call ahead, just bring your self – hungry!

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Somerville Clothing & Coin Drive

Jun 20 1:50 pm

 

What if the outfit you’re wearing right now was the only clothing you had? And, what if you’d been wearing it for days, or even weeks?

  • You’d have no protection from the sun, rain or cold.
  • You couldn’t go to court to get a restraining order or to fight for custody of your kids.
  • You couldn’t carry yourself with pride to a GED class, a job interview, or even a free meal at the local church.

How would you do laundry? And, how could you possibly think about creating a better situation for yourself, if you had to spend most of your time worrying about how to meet your most basic needs?

Second Chances brings people from our community together to help other community members in need. By using local resources and working through local nonprofits, we can have the greatest benefit and most efficient impact.

I hope you’ll join Second Chances at the Somerville Community Growing Center on Wednesday, June 22 from 5 to 7 p.m. We’ll be having a Clothing and Coin Drive to support people in our community who need your help. Second Chances provides free clothing, shoes, accessories and gift cards to more than 400 people in our community each year.

By donating to Second Chances, you are investing in the future success of hundreds of people in our own community who are experiencing crises or temporary setbacks. You are also offering a second life for gently used clothing, shoes and accessories, conserving valuable natural resources instead of straining our already overflowing landfills.

Have you heard of Second Chances? We’ve been quietly working in Somerville since 2005. Since then we have provided great outfits for more than 1,900 homeless and low-income people in our community and recycled or reused more than 268,000 pounds of clothing, shoes, accessories and more. Second Chances is tiny – it’s just me and a handful of volunteers each year, with donated space and lots of donated time, materials and clothing.

In a little more than five years, Second Chances has built a reputation for efficiently and effectively providing clients with the clothing they need to take the next steps to a better future, but we are still small, and the need for our services has grown every year since we began. Here’s where our community can help!

You can help by donating:

* Clothing – at our conveniently located donation bins or one of our public clothing drives. Details »
* Funding – sponsor Second Chances or make a financial contribution to support our work. Help us online or send a check. Details »
* Time and skills – volunteer with us. Volunteer your time and skills at the clothing drive or any other time. We need help with marketing, events and much more. Details »
* Space – sponsor one of our clothing donation bins at your business, social organization or congregation. Details »

Or:

* Coordinate a clothing drive or fundraising event. Details »
* Got an idea? I want to hear it. Contact me »

On Wednesday, June 22nd from 5 to 7 p.m. you can help by donating clothing, shoes, accessories and coins - we certainly won’t turn away your checks or dollar bills either – at our Somerville Clothing and Coin Drive. I really hope to see you there.

- Andrea Shapiro
Founder/CEO and President
Second Chances
Clothing Donation Program
Somerville, Massachusetts

www.secondchances.org
Follow us on Twitter »
Second Chances’ blog »
Facebook fan page »

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Redbones 14th Annual Bike Party & Benefit

Jun 01 2:30 pm

The 14th Annual Bike Party and Benefit for MassBike and the New England Mountain Bike Association (NEMBA) at Redbones is almost here! On June 6th, bike, walk or drive to Redbones in Davis Square to celebrate and support cycling with two advocacy groups and a block party outside the restaurant that includes great food, drink, live music and an amazing raffle.

Date: Monday, June 6   (rain date: June 13)

Ride By for the Biggest Bike Party of the year!

Time: 5 - 9 pm, raffle drawing @ 7:30 pm

Place: Redbones, 55 Chester Street, Somerville

Information: 617.628.2200 & www.redbones.com

Entertainment: Live music by The SAPS - Second Line Social Aid & Pleasure Society Brass Band: We aim to please if the cause is true and the time is right.

Tickets: $15.00 includes bicycle valet parking, a Redbones sandwich, soft drink or beer & a raffle ticket.   All tickets purchased on site. No advance sales.

Additional raffle tickets: 1 for $2.00 & 3 for $5.00

Proceeds from entry & raffle ticket sales go to: MassBike & NEMBA

Sponsors & Raffle Prizes:
The Grand Prize, a custom made cargo bike, is being donated by returning lead sponsor, Alternative Needs Transportation (ANT).   Many additional sponsors have donated awesome prizes for the raffle including  bikes, gear & lots of swag.

For a complete list of sponsors, please click here.

 

Bike Party Background:

Previously held in May during Bike to Work Week, the party moved to June three years ago to benefit from warmer weather, additional daylight, and more cyclists on the road for the season. The June date has proved to be a popular choice, attracting more people and proceeds every year - each of the last two, over $11,000 was divided between MassBike and NEMBA.

Redbones first Bike Party was conceived in tandem with Redbones free Bicycle Valet parking introduced in 1996.  Robert Gregory, co-owner of Redbones and a mountain biker initiated the valet parking for the cyclists who ride to the restaurant, as well as other destinations in Davis Square.   Success of the parking lead to the Redbones Rib Rider, a custom designed cargo bike from ANT, used for free dinner delivery in neighborhoods surrounding the restaurant.
Fifteen years later, the party is eagerly anticipated by cyclists, sponsors, and beneficiaries alike.

For more information regarding NEMBA or MassBike, please visit their websites.

Redbones, 55 Chester Street, Davis Square, Somerville, is open 7 days for lunch, dinner, and late night dining plus Sunday brunch.  Redbones is known for its authentic, real pit barbecue, carefully chosen selection of draft and bottled beer and full bar.  Take out, delivery and catering available.

 

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Cycle for Life with The Training Room

May 04 9:50 am

 

Bicycles Battling Cancer

The Training Room is raising money to fight Cancer

Spinathon to support American Cancer Society’s Bicycles Battling Cancer

The Training Room is hosting an indoor Spinathon to raise money for the American Cancer Society.

Please join TEAM G for a charity event to raise money for the 3rd Annual Bicycles Battling Cancer Ride. Team G was formed in honor of Lisa Gerritzen, a cycling enthusiast who recently lost her battle with cancer.

Unite with fellow spinners, cyclists and the American Cancer Society in our effort to save lives, and to create a world with less cancer and more birthdays.

Spinathon participants can ride any amount of time from 1/2 hour to 4 hours.

Suggested donations: $15 for each 1/2 hour slot; $25 for each hour.  Checks are to be made directly to the American Cancer Society.

Bikes are limited so register early!  Event day registration welcome if slots remain open.

To pre-register: Go to www.thetrainingroomboston.com, click Reservations and scroll down the class calendar for the May 7th event

For questions or if you are interested in joining TEAM G please contact Suzanne Schwartz at [email protected] or Cindy DiTullio  at [email protected]

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Wax Poetic and help SLF get much needed funding

Mar 09 12:43 pm

Let us start this post by saying: We have no idea if this will work. But the idea is pretty cool and we like to try things here at SLF, so…..

A unique grant opportunity for SLF

The other day we came across a unique and interesting grant application. The CTK Foundation’s 2011 Heart and Soul Grant Award Program will give grant recipients an opportunity for up to $10,000 in cash awards, technology grants, an original song about their mission and more.

But what’s unique about this grant application is that, to enter, we have to submit a poem about our work.

And so, therefore, we are CALLING ALL POETS (knowing it, not required). We need a 4-8 line poem that “reflects our mission and work”

Somerville is one of the most creative communities in the world, so we ask you, fellow community members, to help us create!

Please post your poem in the comment section. We’ll pick our favorite, submit the application and see where it goes.

Here’s a brief video about the Grant opportunity for more info…

 

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The Training Room Celebrates 1 Year In Business With Fitness on the Avenue

Jul 22 10:51 am

by Maren Kravitz - Co-Owner, The Training Room

As a local privately owned fitness studio, the Training Room understands the importance of creating strong relationships with clients. It is our goal to create a unique personal work-out experience. We do this by offering classes and personal or group training without any monthly membership fees or yearly contracts. One can simply walk in or reserve a spot through our online scheduling system. We hope that such flexibility and customization will ultimately lead to lasting healthy habits in the community at large.

In this spirit, we are also celebrating our first anniversary with a charity “spin” event this Saturday, July 24th from 12 PM to 6 PM.  The event will be held along the new Somerville Ave./Elm St. parking corridor, located in front of the facility at 691A Somerville Avenue. Attendees will be encouraged to spin outdoors to display their support for fitness and breast cancer awareness.

Live music provided by Felix Brown will keep an upbeat tempo for the riders while Roz Puleo, founder of the Boston Luna Chix cycling team, leads the participants on their cycling journey. In addition to the charity cycling event, The Training Room will have FREE fitness and yoga classes, games, and prizes throughout the day.

Donations, in any amount, will go to The Breast Cancer Fund and are greatly appreciated.

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