2016: A GOOD YEAR FOR SELLERS
2017: WHAT’S IN STORE?
This year was another banner year for sellers, with high prices, multiple bids, waived contingencies, and high activity throughout the year. In short, it was similar to the last 3-4 years, but with less price escalation overall.
What will happen in 2017? We don’t have a crystal ball, and election years are always a little hard to predict. However, we have seen signs of the As interest rise,that many buyers initially and respond Following the November stock market in 2017. That market softening a bit, andelections, we expectthe that to continue is likely rates to mean prices will stabilize properties maya dive, sit onbut the prices marketquickly a little longer—not willjumping sell in a into week.the If the Fed raises interest 2017 as market to seize a raterates thatin may initially took rallied. Real everythingby predicted, willarea usually result intoabe surge of activity initially, as buyers lockor intwo. a rateThat before additional increases look low try in atoyear stimulates our local estate salesthat in our continued strong through are made. Later in the year, it may result in slower sales. That said, our micro-economy in the Boston area is very market. Once again, our limited inventory and strong, lack of the end of 2016, with inventory still very low. Interest and most buyers in the Somerville/Cambridge market will not be adversely affected by the downturn we inevitably will buildable/developable land keep prices from deflating rates began to rise in December, as the Fed said they see in real estate markets in other parts of the country. Our lack of buildable land, growth in employer base, and high strong local the would, and likelyvariety rates will continue to increase in multis, significantly. demand for it theis wide of types of property (condos, singles) insulateOur us from most of economy the factorskeeps that crash on housing fairlyconfidence steady. I have notnationally, yet seen a the coming year. The average fixed rates haveuniformitydemand other markets (over development, loss ofinterest major employers, of inventory). If consumer is lower decline inshould consumer confidence, increased 1/2-3/4 a pointfeelings over the few weeks that will affect localofbuyers’ oflast confidence as well, but our market still be active. but that may change. - from around 3.5% to 4.0-4.25%. Although this is a If you had a good year, please help those who did not significant increase, it is still a very low rate when put No matter how good this year for many inrate our area, it– THALIA was an especially difficult year for residents struggling to in historical perspective. Thewas average fixedpeople interest TRINGO & ASSOCIATES REAL ESTATE meet their most basic needs of food and shelter. Please remember to make year-end donations to local charities, especially 10 years ago, for example, was about 6% - much lower those that address homelessness, affordable housing, and food insecurity. Some of our favorites are Somerville Homeless than the rate 10 and Cooks, 20 years before that. Coalition, Community Cambridge Housing Assistance Fund, Greater Boston Food Bank, Food for Free, Community Servings, Heading Home, and RESPOND.
Listings
~ Thalia Tringo & Associates Real Estate
Listings
26 MARSHALL STREET #2, SOMERVILLE – $TBD Lovely contemporary townhouse with 3 beds, 2.5 baths on 3 levels, with oak floors, central air, 1 garage space and 1 outdoor parking space, just around the corner from acclaimed Sarma restaurant. Open living/kitchen/ dining layout and 1/2 bath on first floor. Two bedrooms, full bath, and laundry on second level. Entire top floor is a stunning master suite with vaulted ceilings and skylit master bath with whirlpool tub and separate shower.
26A Kidder Avenue, Somerville ~ $499,000 Davis Square top floor 2 bed, 1.5 bath condo with central air and in-unit laundry. Common yard and patio. Ideal Davis Square location, walkable to subway, shops, restaurants.
26 Marshall Street #2, Somerville ~ $699,000
10 Hall Street #1, Somerville ~ $425,000
Lovely contemporary townhouse with 3 beds, 2.5 baths, central air, and garage parking— just around the corner from Sarma. Three living levels with oak floors. Open layout on the first floor. Two bedrooms, full bath, and laundry on second level. Entire top floor is a stunning master suite with vaulted ceilings and skylit master bath with whirlpool tub and separate shower.
Near Davis and Porter Squares, this 2-bedroom, 1-bathroom condo with a private yard is ready for your touch.
Coming Soon
Thalia Tringo
Coming Soon
President, Realtor ® 617.513.1967 cell/text Thalia@ThaliaTringoRealEstate.com
DAVIS SQUARE Single with Garage North Family Cambridge
1-Bedroom in Mid-Rise with Garage Parking ~ $479,000 TEELE SQUARE 2-Bedroom Condo with Parking Davis Square
Niké Damaskos
1-Bedroom with Private Garage and Porch ~ $tbd UNION SQUARE Large – $TBD Union Loft Square
Residential Sales and Commercial Sales and Leasing 617.875.5276 Nike@ThaliaTringoRealEstate.com
Large loft ~ $tbd
Free FreeClasses Classes How to Prepare Home for Winter Planning to Buy InYour the Future: Forming Supportive Cohort Groups
TBA - 6:30-7:45 pm th Wednesday, November 30
6:30-7:45 pm
Jennifer Rose
Residential Sales Specialist, Realtor ® 617.943.9581 cell/text Jennifer@ThaliaTringoRealEstate.com
Not ready to buy now,pipes but want to planIce ahead a year or more down the road?downspouts? One of the best ways to Do you worry about bursting? dams? Clogged gutters? Broken Heat ensure there isfrom affordable for you in the future to buy property yourself. Home ownership loss? Damage brokenhousing tree limbs? Heating systemis failure? gives you stability and security - no more landlord to raise your rent or give you notice. It has been
Routine maintenance is the wayfinancially to prevent damage yourtime. mostIt’simportant investment: shown that home owners farebest better than renterstoover not for everyone, but if you home. want toCome explore now,class at least you’ll know what possibilitiesofare. discuss the basics your toitthis to get a checklist andthe explanation theWe’ll things you need to doof creative options for purchasing. Our hope is to create online cohort groups that will tofinancing maintainand your home—and sanity. encourage and motivate each other over time to reach their long-term goal of home ownership.
First Buyers BasicTime HomeHome Maintenance
Lynn C. Graham
Residential Sales Specialist, Realtor ® 617.216.5244 cell/text Lynn@ThaliaTringoRealEstate.com
an overview ofpm the buying process TBA - 6:30-7:45
Wednesday, January 18th OR Tuesday, February 28th 6:30-7:45 pm Do you worry about pipes bursting? Ice dams? Clogged gutters? Broken downspouts? Heat loss?
from brokenbuying tree limbs? system Routine maintenance bestthis wayistoa IfDamage you’re considering yourHeating first home andfailure? want to understand what’s isinthe store, prevent damage to your most important investment: your home. Come to this class to get a checklist quick and helpful overview. Led by our agents, it includes a 45-min presentation and 1/2 hour and explanation of the things you need to do to maintain your home - and sanity. Q&A session. Handouts and refreshments provided.
First Time Home Buyers: An Overview of the Buying Process
How CanPM BuyorProperty Together as PM a Group Wed.,Individuals Jan. 18th - 6:30-7:45 Tues. Feb. 28th - 6:30-7:45
Brendon Edwards
Residential Sales Specialist, Realtor ® 617.895.6267 cell/text Brendon@ThaliaTringoRealEstate.com
aIfprimer for non-traditional homebuyers you’re considering buying your first home and want to understand what’s in store, this is a quick th Thursday, pm and helpfulJanuary overview.19 Led by our agents, it includes a 45-min presentation and6:30-7:45 1/2 hour Q&A
session. Handouts and refreshments provided.
When two or more people, whether or not they are related, buy property together, what are their options for taking title? How do you determine each one’s financial contributions, How Individuals Can Buy Property Together as a Group: percentage legal interest in the property, and expense allocation? What kind of arrangements A be Primer forevent Non-Traditional Homebuyers can made in the one or more parties want to move on but others want to keep the property? is available? Thurs.,What Jan. type 19thof-financing 6:30-7:45 pm We will address these and other questions in this class with follow-up Q&Awhether session.orLead by our and a local realtogether, estate attorney. When twoa or more people, not they areteam related, buy property what are their taking title? How do you determine each one’s financial contributions, percentage legal Ifoptions you arefor a first time home buyer, please attend the First Time Home Buyers Workshop (Jan. 18th) interest in the property, and expense allocation? What kind of arrangements can be made in the orevent makeone anorappointment of our so you’ll your fortype thisofclass. more parties with wantone to move onagents but others want have to keep theprerequisites property? What financing is available? We will address these and other questions in this class with a follow-up Q&A
How andandSell theattorney. Same Time session. to LeadBuy by our team a local at real estate
for a move If youhomeowners are a first time homecontemplating buyer, please attend the First Time Home Buyers Workshop (Jan. 18th) or make an appointment with one of our agents so you’ll have your prerequisites for this class.
Tuesday, January 24th OR Monday, February 13th
6:30-7:45 pm
IfHow trying to the logistics selling your home and buying a new one make your head tofigure Buyout and Sell atofthe Same Time: spin, workshop will helpContemplating make the process understandable. Forthis Homeowners a Move This workshop, led by our agents and a loan officer from a local bank, includes a 45-min presentation and 1/2 hour Q&A Tues. Jan. 24th - 6:30-7:45 PM or Mon. Feb. 27th - 6:30-7:45 PM session. Handouts and refreshments provided.
If trying to figure out the logistics of selling your home and buying a new one make your head spin,
thisreserve workshopspace will help process understandable. This workshop, led by our agents and a To inmake any the class, please email Adaria@ThaliaTringoRealEstate.com. loan officer from a local bank, includes a 45-min presentation and 1/2 hour Q&A session. Handouts Admission is free, but we appreciate donations of canned goods or coats/gloves/hats for the and refreshments provided. Somerville Homeless Coalition. To reserve space in any class, please email Adaria@ThaliaTringoRealEstate.com. Admission is free, but we appreciate donations of canned goods or coats/gloves/hats for the Somerville Homeless Coalition.
Adaria Brooks
Executive Assistant to the President, Realtor ® 617.308.0064 cell/text Adaria@ThaliaTringoRealEstate.com
About our company... We are dedicated to representing our buyer and seller clients with integrity and professionalism. We are also commi ed to giving back to our community. Our agents donate $250 to a non-profit in honor of each transaction and Thalia Tringo & Associates Real Estate Inc. also gives $250 to a pre-selected group of local charities for each transaction. Visit our office, 128 Willow Avenue, on the bike path in Davis Square, Somerville.
JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2017 ::: VOLUME 43 ::: SCOUTSOMERVILLE.COM
contents 6 // EDITOR’S NOTE 8 // WINNERS & LOSERS Somerville High School students are big winners this time around. Tufts students, not so much. 10 // WHAT’S NEW? ArtFarm construction is set to begin, the GLX is finally on its way and big changes could be on the horizon in Union Square. (Also, we got a new ramen joint.)
FIND YOUR FIT
36
14 // NEWS: AT WALNUT STREET CENTER, ADULTS WITH DISABILITIES FIND A CARING COMMUNITY But after four decades in Somerville, the center is about to be displaced. 16 // PHOTOS: CHILDREN OF THE WORLD | BOSTON Since 2010, Somerville-based photographer Randi Freundlich has been collecting powerful stories of immigrant families throughout the city. 40 // SCOUT OUT: “SEE IT WITH THE RIGHT AUDIENCE THIS TIME” Much like the Blob and other monsters that refuse to die, the Boston Sci-Fi Film Festival and Marathon—which returns to the Somerville Theatre this February—has survived a fire, multiple relocations and even a blizzard that shut down the MBTA.
18 // OFF-THE-WALL WORKOUTS Can’t commit to the treadmill? Why not join the circus, practice parkour or pick up a sword instead?
44 // CALENDAR
24 // BEYOND BARBELLS Nothing motivates like having a powerful community backing you up, and these Somerville gyms offer just that.
46 // SCOUT YOU
45 // MARKETPLACE
28 // A TRIO OF TERRIFIC TRAINERS Meet Lauren Hefez, Callie Durbrow and Anthony Ortiz, three standout Somerville fitness experts with one thing in common: They’ll help you reach your goals (and have fun doing it). 32 // FOR SHE’S A JOLLY RUNFELLOW Jillian D’Amato just wanted to start an activewear company. She ended up building something much more meaningful. 36 // PUTTING THE ‘CREATION’ IN RECREATION With STEM camps and songwriting classes, Somerville’s Rec Department is thinking inside and outside the gym. 38 // PICK UP THE PASTRY Enough about workouts—it’s time to talk fitness-fueling food. Sweet, delicious, fitness-fueling food.
14
Photo, top: Put me in, coach! Kids sit on the sidelines at the Somerville High School gym. Photo by Jess Benjamin. Photo, bottom: Later this month, Walnut Sreet Center will move to Medford; it’s being displaced to make room for the GLX. Photo by Jess Benjamin. On the cover: The husband-wife duo of Jason and Lauren Pak, co-owners of Achieve Fitness. Photo by Adrianne Mathiowetz.
EDITOR’S NOTE
PUBLISHER Holli Banks Allien | hbanks@scoutmagazines.com
can’t say for sure why, on a Saturday afternoon last winter, I first dug out my tattered Nikes, threw on a cotton crew neck and went for a threemile run around the Mystic River. It could have been the unseasonably warm weather. Or maybe This entire editor’s note is essentially one long humblebrag one of those articles about my running accomplishments. Please clap. about the mental health benefits of regular exercise had finally penetrated the fog of my seasonal depression. Maybe I was just really, deliriously bored. Here’s what I do know: Those first three miles sucked. In fact, I’m not sure I can say I went for a run. What I actually did was alternate between walking and something ever-so-slightly faster than walking—I guess you might technically call it a jog—wheezing all the way. Less than a year later, running is a regular part of my routine. I look forward to hitting the pavement a few times a week. I bore my friends with talk of my 10K split times and the things I see along my routes. I bought some shiny new sneakers. As I sit down to write this note, I’ve just finished running the first-ever Cambridge Half Marathon—which, as it turns out, is also my first-ever half marathon. Here’s something else I know: It’s super annoying to hear people talk about their own fitness accomplishments. Sorry! What I’m getting at here is that running changed my life for the better. And in this issue, you’ll meet a host of people for whom fitness has been a path to broader self-improvement. Working out certainly isn’t the only way to turn your life around, but if you’re one of the millions of people making a resolution to get in shape in 2017, maybe you’ll find inspiration in trainer Lauren Hefez (page 28) or the teams who are redefining fitness at area gyms like Achieve Fitness and the Training Room (page 24). And if you’re not one of those people? We have a pretty droolworthy roundup of the city’s best desserts on page 38.
EDITOR IN CHIEF Emily Cassel | ecassel@scoutmagazines.com | emilycassel.me
I
DEPUTY EDITOR Katherine Rugg | krugg@scoutmagazines.com ART DIRECTOR Nicolle Renick | design@scoutmagazines.com | renickdesign.com PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTOR Jess Benjamin | jbenjamin@scoutmagazines.com | jsbenjamin.com CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Jerry Allien | jallien@scoutmagazines.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Kate Douglas, Daniel Kimmell, Kendra Long, Eliza Rosenberry, Kat Rutkin, Bill Shaner, Hannah Walters, Kate Douglas CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Adrianne Mathiowetz | adriannemathiowetz.com Joseph Maxwell | josephmaxwellphotography.com COPY EDITOR Joshua Eaton WEB HOST Truly Good Design | trulygooddesign.com BANKS PUBLICATIONS c/o Scout Somerville 191 Highland Ave., Ste. 1A Somerville, MA 02143 FIND US ONLINE scoutsomerville.com
scoutsomerville
somervillescout
scoutmags
Office Phone: 617-996-2283 Advertising inquiries? Please contact hbanks@scoutmagazines.com. CIRCULATION 30,000 copies of Scout Somerville are printed bimonthly and are available for free at more than 220 drop spots throughout the city (and just beyond its borders).
Emily Cassel, Editor in Chief ecassel@scoutmagazines.com
6
January | February 2017 scoutsomerville.com
You can find a map of our pickup locations at scoutsomerville.com/pick-upspots or sign up for home delivery by visiting scoutsomerville.com/shop.
Be a Hero Now, more than ever, it’s important to support local media. Newspapers and magazines across the country are underfunded, understaffed and, in many cases, folding entirely. But we still need publications that tell the stories of their communities with depth, breadth and heart. Since 2009, that’s what Scout has been doing. We’ve covered countless stories and tackled the topics that matter most to you. We’re keeping readers in touch with Somerville, publishing profiles of the people, places, businesses and nonprofits that make it one of the most vibrant cities anywhere. And we’re always doing more. In the last six months alone, we’ve debuted a weekly e-newsletter chock-full of Somerville and Cambridge news—The Scout Dispatch—and an online video series in collaboration with SCATV called SCOUTV.
If our work is important to you—and if you have the means to show your support financially—you can now do that through Patreon, where your monthly pledge will go a long, long way to making your Scout the best it can be.
We always have been and always will be committed to producing honest, community-oriented journalism with integrity and passion. We pay each one of our contributors; we don’t have unpaid interns. We’re entirely funded by advertisers, almost all of whom are small business owners who live and work in this neighborhood. We don’t do pay to play—our editorial and advertorial teams won’t promise promotion in exchange for ad dollars. (So please, let area businesses know you appreciate their partnering with Scout!)
HONORARY SCOUT ($5 OR MORE A MONTH): We’ll deliver each edition straight to your mailbox as soon as it flies off the presses. You’ll get the mag before it hits streets, and you’ll get the warm, fuzzy feeling that comes along with supporting an independent publication. SUPER SCOUT ($10 OR MORE A MONTH): You’ll get every print issue of the mag delivered to your door, and we’ll give you an online shoutout on our “Scout Supporters” page—where we’ll also include a link to your personal or business website, if you want! You’ll also get a mention in each physical issue.
We’re committed to always staying this way, and we want Scout to be available for free no matter what, but all of these things mean we operate on a very tight budget.
SCOUT HERO ($20 OR MORE A MONTH): Direct-mailed mags, shoutouts online and in print, plus, we’ll include you in a “Where’s Waldo” style print of our supporters that we’re commissioning at the end of 2017. You know you want it.
There are so many more stories we want to write—so many more journalists, artists and photographers we’d like to welcome to our team. We want to continue growing and telling the stories that matter to you. In order to do so, we’re asking for your help.
SCOUT LEGEND ($50 OR MORE A MONTH): Are you a Scout superfan who can’t live without it? You’ll get everything listed before this and a personalized portrait by one of our illustrators.
READY TO MAKE A CONTRIBUTION? HEAD TO PATREON.COM/SCOUTMAGAZINES. IF YOU CAN’T BACK US FINANCIALLY, THERE ARE PLENTY OF OTHER WAYS YOU CAN HELP US GET EVEN BETTER. VOLUNTEER YOUR TIME! SEND US YOUR NEWS TIPS! DROP US A LINE ON SOCIAL MEDIA! LEARN MORE AT SCOUTSOMERVILLE.COM/SUPPORT.
COMMUNITY PROFILES
HYPERLOCAL NEWS
FOOD & DRINK
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
W&L WINNERS
LOSERS
YOUR STOMACH The finale of 2016 brought with it the obligatory year-end best-of lists, and when it comes to dining, several new Somerville spots took home top honors from area pubs. The Boston Globe hailed Fat Hen, which opened inside La Brasa in August, as a “Soigné yet well-priced Italian restaurant,” and Eater Boston’s restaurant of the year was Juliet, which made its Union Square debut in early 2016. More like yumerville!
TUFTS FRATERNITIES On December 2, after an article in the Tufts Observer alleged that Greek life on the school’s campus was a hotbed for racialized, sexual, gendered and physical violence, Tufts administrators announced they were suspending all fraternity activity for the remainder of the 2016-2017 school year. “The conduct described in the article is deeply disturbing and violates our policies,” administrators wrote. “The university immediately launched an investigation into those allegations in the article that had not been previously reported and addressed.”
HIGHLANDER FOOTBALL Led by star running back Chris David, who rushed for 250 yards and had four touchdowns, Somerville High School football wrapped up its first winning season since 2007 with a 40-20 victory over Cambridge Rindge and Latin in their fourth consecutive Thanksgiving matchup. “He was lights out,” Somerville head coach Makonnen Fenton told Wicked Local Cambridge of David’s performance. “He was spot on from his first run.” The Highlanders were undefeated at home this year and finished the season with a 6-5 record. MANNEQUINS Freeze! The viral “mannequin challenge” came to Somerville in November, and residents used the quirky trend to make some important statements. Students at Somerville High School filmed a profound mannequin challenge video addressing the results of the 2016 Presidential Election that was later featured on PBS NewsHour. Winter Hill Community Innovation School second graders made a video of their own as part of their “focused attention” practice, which Somerville Patch notes is a portion of the school’s social emotional curriculum. And domestic violence prevention agency RESPOND filmed a mannequin challenge video bringing awareness to domestic abuse and strangulation prevention.
SNOWY SIDEWALKS Teen work makes the dream work. This winter, a city program is pairing local kids with residents who might have trouble keeping their sidewalks and driveways clear after winter storms. Senior citizens and those with disabilities or mobility challenges can contact the city to be added to the list. The city has also organized a payment structure, though payment is a matter handled by shoveler and shovelee. Find more information and apply to be part of the program at somervillema.gov/snow. PACKAGE THIEVES Unfortunately, the increase in online shopping each holiday season often means an uptick in package theft, and it can be tricky to catch those crooks. But at least one pair of alleged gift thieves will have something to add to their wrap sheet—Davis Square Livejournal user Robin the Mad Photographer posted on December 22 that cops had handcuffed two guys on Highland Road who were surrounded by several large piles of packages, many from Amazon.
Someone rustle your jimmies or tickle your fancy? Let us know at scoutsomerville.com/contact-us and we just might crown them a winner or loser. 8
January | February 2017 scoutsomerville.com
SCOUT TO THE SOUTH Here’s just some of what you’ll find in the January/February edition of our sibling publication, Scout Cambridge.
YOGARAGE Give your fitness routine a tune-up in a Kendall Square space that’s part garage, part yoga studio.
A STITCH IN TIME We profile a pair of Cambridge fashion institutions—one where you’ll find fine menswear and one where you’ll find, well, just about anything and everything else.
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS Redline Fight Sports is a safe, inclusive, LGBTQ+ friendly space. They’ll also teach you to kick ass. Scout Cambridge is available at Brass Union, Aeronaut and hundreds of other places throughout Somerville and Cambridge. Head to scoutcambridge.com/pick-up-spots for a full list of locations!
DAVIS SQUARE
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WE’VE MOVED!
Specializing in startup, small and medium businesses • Accounting • Tax • Bookkeeping • Consulting • Payroll • Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor • Notary Public
Our new address is 2 Alpine Street, Somerville, MA 02144 Building entrance on Cedar Street at the bike path
vanciniaccounting.com | 617-433-0043
BEST DENTIST
2016 WINNER
2015 NOMINEE
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• FAMILY AND COSMETIC DENTISTRY • TEETH WHITENING • CROWN AND BRIDGE WORK • RESTORATION OF DENTAL IMPLANTS • VENEERS • CLEAR ORTHODONTIC ALIGNERS
DR. KATIE TALMO, D.M.D. • 617.864.6111 • 180 HIGHLAND AVENUE scoutsomerville.com January | February 2017
9
WHAT’S NEW? CHOW DOWN (AND SLOW DOWN) DAVIS SQUARE
MANOA POKE SHOP
F
or a few brief, glorious days in December, Manoa Poke Shop (300 Beacon St.) celebrated its soft opening— only to be shuttered by a broken heating system just a few days later. In a December 27 Facebook post, restaurant staffers promised they were working to speedily resolve the issue and continue bringing poke to the people. “And in the meantime, thank you so much for both your patience and your support,” the post read. “Small business ain’t easy, but folks like you make it worth it!”
DAVIS SQUARE
CITYWIDE
With a full menu of grain bowls, salads, sandwiches and more, Worcester-based NU Café & Juice Bar opened the doors to its Somerville spot (195 Washington St.) in early December. More than just a juice joint, the restaurant has you covered for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and it really puts the bar in juice bar—there’s a solid selection of local craft beer and wine on the menu as well.
How slow can ya go? As of November 7, the citywide speed limit dropped to 25 miles per hour unless otherwise posted. “We are lowering the speed limit from 30 to 25 on most roads for one simple reason: because the data shows that slowing down saves lives and prevents serious injuries,” Mayor Joseph Curtatone said in a statement. “More than 16,000 people commute by foot in Somerville, including school children, and 12.5 percent commute by bike. We’ve made it a priority to make infrastructure changes to keep them safe, and lowering the speed limits is another crucial element of that effort.”
NU CAFE & JUICE BAR
ASSEMBLY ROW
TOTTO RAMEN
Totto Ramen’s Allston outpost got a Somerville sibling (463 Artisan Way) at the end of November. The New York-based noodle joint has a full menu of both meaty and vegetarian ramen bowls, and a cocktail list COMING is in the works as well, according to Eater Boston. SOON
SPEED LIMITS
A MORE PERFECT UNION UNION SQUARE
on those units is scheduled to begin this fall.
In November, the $1 billion Union Square improvement project got a $13 million boost from the state in the form of a MassWorks grant that will help improve water and sewer services in the area. The Boston Business Journal reports that this will kick off the first phase of the state-approved plan for Union Square. The rest of phase one will introduce 400 units of mixed-income housing and 180,000 square feet of commercial space. Construction
UNION SQUARE COMING
IMPROVEMENT GRANT
10
January | February 2017 scoutsomerville.com
ZONING
SOON
Several local community organizations have urged the Board of Aldermen not to approve new zoning for Union Square until developer Union Square Station Associates has signed a community benefits agreement (CBA). At a November hearing, spokespeople for Union United, whose member groups include the Welcome Project and the Somerville Community
Corporation, asked the Board to withhold their approval, citing the importance of a CBA in implementing public benefits— including the preservation of green space and creation of jobs for union employees—along with development. “Somerville is a sanctuary city,” said Ben Echevarria, Welcome Project executive director, according to the Journal. “More than ever do
we need things like a community benefits agreement to make sure that people who are here can stay here.”
Photo, top left, by Orlando Economos. Photo, bottom, courtesy of Union United. Photo rendering, top right, courtesy of FitRow.
GET BUILT
ASSEMBLY ROW
FITROW
A truly all-in-one fitness destination will open right next to the Assembly Station Orange Line stop this spring, with five different fitness studios, a Squeeze Juice Co. outpost and a terrace garden operated by Green City Growers. The 15,000-square-foot concept will open on the second floor of the Partners Healthcare building (399 Revolution Dr.), and two studios—TITLE Boxing Club Boston and Orangetheory Fitness—have already signed on. The idea, according to Assembly Row representatives, is to bring independent, boutique studios together under one roof, allowing people to tailor a fitness and wellness experience that works for them. “FitRow is a collaborative effort between five fitnessfocused companies and a landlord to make wellness attainable for everyone,” said Dina Hagigeorges, marketing director at TITLE Boxing Club Boston, in a statement. “We’re so proud to be a part of this unique destination because we know that fitness and health prosper when a community comes together.” DAVIS SQUARE
JOHNNY D’S
“I thought, quite honestly, it’d be much further along now,” Johnny D’s owner Carla DeLellis said recently of renovations to
s Come in a a customer,
the building, according to the Somerville Journal. The beloved music venue shuttered in March 2016 to make way for new rental units and ground-level commercial retail space, but she told city officials in November that the retail component wouldn’t be ready before this fall. As noted by the Journal, DeLillis still owns the liquor license for Johnny D’s, which will be out of use for at least 18 months when all is said and done. Licensing Commission members don’t typically allow licenses to go unused for that amount of time, but officials say they’re not worried thanks to Johnny D’s “track record” and the new licenses that hit the market last year.
SOMERVILLE HIGH SCHOOL
Somerville is about to become home to the priciest school building project in state history. According to The Boston Globe, voters in the November 8 election voted 26,236 to 10,153 to pass ballot question 5, approving the $257 million plan to build a new high school at 81 Highland Ave. “It’s very exciting,” Mayor Curtatone said, according to the Globe. “Today the voters of Somerville came out and supported a brighter educational future and to continue the trajectory of excellence and achievement in the Somerville public schools.”
. leave as a friend
”Compared to other car buying experiences, dealing with John’s was like night and day in terms of quality. The buying experience was incredible from the moment I walked in the door. No matter how many times I went back over the course of a few weeks, everyone who worked there always remembered me and always showed utmost care and respect. I was pleasantly surprised as well when the owner himself offered to personally meet with me and make sure I got the best deal for my budget. John is very down to earth, friendly, engaging, and genuinely concerned for the well-being of his clients. By the time I settled on my purchase, I knew beyond a doubt that I had made the right decision to buy from John’s.” – Rev. Mikel E. Satcher, Ph.D. Director of Student Life, Andover Newton Theological School 181 Somerville Ave (across from Target) johnsautosales.com QUALITY USED CARS BOUGHT AND SOLD FOR 40 YEARS
AUTHENTIC MEXICAN CUISINE LIVE MARIACHI!
SOMERVILLE • MALDEN • LOWELL
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scoutsomerville.com January | February 2017
11
What’s New?
THE GREENERY GLX
In a unanimous and unprecedented December vote, the Board of Aldermen approved $50 million to fund the Green Line Extension. The infusion of funding from the city means construction on the project should begin in 2018, with the first new station opening in 2021. Officials were clear that the project could not proceed without contributions from the city but were nonetheless displeased at being asked to contribute municipal funds. “This is a momentous occasion for this city, and we do not go into this lightly,” said Ward 2 Alderman Maryann Heuston, according to the Somerville Journal. “Having had 16 years on this board, I can count on one hand the momentous votes I have taken, and this will be one of those votes.”
COMMUNITY PATH CHANGES
INNER BELT
ARTFARM CONSTRUCTION TO BEGIN
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fter a series of public hearings and focus groups—and with the help of roughly $1 million in grants—construction to transform a former waste-transfer site in Brickbottom into a one-of-a-kind arts, culture and agriculture space could begin later this year. ArtFarm (10 Poplar St.) will be a creative, cooperative community center that hosts pop-up shops, classes and more. The Somerville Arts Council, which is spearheading the project, still has another $1.6 million left to raise, but construction will begin in phases as funding becomes available. “We have been given the opportunity to activate the space,” the Arts Council’s Greg Jenkins said at a community meeting in December. “If you guys help activate the space, that in itself will be successful.” The Somerville Journal reports that there are four main pillars for the project: environmental sustainability, arts and cultural engagement, community unity and economic development.
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We have some good news and some bad news when it comes to the Community Path. The good news: Somerville Patch reported in December that a section of the path between Cedar and Grove Streets will be repaved this spring thanks to a joint effort from Friends of the Community Path and the City of Somerville, and more improvements are coming to portions of the trail west of Davis Square later this year. The bad news? Reducing costs for the GLX means scaling back the project’s initial plans, which means the Community Path Extension—once planned
to run along the entire length of the GLX—has been cut to just 1.3 miles. This news has been met with worry from bike and pedestrian advocates like the Somerville Bicycle Committee’s Lee Auspitz, who, at a December 7 meeting, said building the path as initially promised is crucial for the safety of cyclists. “We are really trying to keep people safe in the city of Somerville,” she said, according to the Somerville Journal. “There is no safer bicycle facility than the community path. This is a oncein-a-lifetime opportunity to get people safely from not only Somerville and Medford, but from Lexington and Arlington, to not only Cambridge, but to Boston.” DAVIS SQUARE
MEDICAL MARIJUANA DISPENSARIES
After an October 6 statement from the mayor’s office announcing that the city would begin accepting permit applications for medical marijuana dispensaries, two businesses—Sage Cannabis and Garden Remedies—hope to open their doors across the street from one another in Davis Square. “Marijuana growing has been known in the past as kind of an underground, clandestine activity,” Sage Cannabis founder and CEO Michael Dundas said at a recent meeting, according to the Somerville Journal. “[Sage Cannabis] is anything but.” The Zoning Board of Appeals will review the applications over the next few months. Pretty high stakes stuff.
Photo, left, by Adrianne Mathiowetz. Photo, top right, by Ben Schumin under Creative Commons license.
NEW AND IMPROVED
SOMERVILLEMA.GOV REDESIGN
The City of Somerville website got a much-needed overhaul in December. Looking for info on street sweeping, snow emergencies, school closures or trash and recycling pickup? That’s easily accessible from the homepage. Need to pay a parking ticket, sign up for alerts or make a 311 request? Want updates from the city about events or public meetings? All are available in an intuitive new interface. And, perhaps best of all, the site is now easily translated into more than 100 languages thanks to a menu at the top right. You
can play around with the site and submit your feedback on the redesign at somervillema.gov.
LINCOLN PARK
In December, Somerville received a $400,000 grant from the state that will go towards improving and redesigning Lincoln Park. The money will aid in the installation of an array of fun new equipment, including a sustainable 15-jet “splash pad,” a picnic area, a refurbished basketball court and a parkourspecific play area, according to Somerville Patch. Renovations to the 6.6-acre park began in June 2016.
SCOUT CHECK Catching you up on news we already covered recently, in print or online.
Davis Square outpost just down the road (261 Elm St.) on December 1.
• Can’t wait for Manoa’s return to satisfy your poke needs? Pokéworks, a small chain with locations in California, Seattle and New York, opened a
• Initially slated to debut in mid- or late-November, the oatmeal café Oat Shop (22 College Ave.) is now looking to open by mid-January.
YOUR TRACK 2 AND TO D STEPS E YOUR ELEVAT TE WITH RA HEART ODERN FUN, M R HIM, FO GIFTS OUSE HER, H BY. A AND B
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DAVISSQUARED.COM scoutsomerville.com January | February 2017
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NEWS
AT WALNUT STREET CENTER, ADULTS WITH DISABILITIES FIND A CARING COMMUNITY But the organization won’t have a home in Somerville for long— its land has been seized for development by the MBTA. BY ELIZA ROSENBERRY | PHOTOS BY JESS BENJAMIN
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n a bustling Friday afternoon at Walnut Street Center, dozens of people are putting together toiletry kits for victims affected by Hurricane Matthew in Haiti. Some move carefully down an assembly line, holding paper bags out at each station where others drop in their items—a toothbrush here, a tissue pack there. When they finish filling more than 30 overstuffed packages, the group gathers to take a celebratory photo. Walnut Street Center, or WSC, is a Somerville-based healthcare nonprofit that serves adults with disabilities. In addition to its facilities outside Union Square, the center oversees more than 20 residential properties where program participants live together, taking a van to and from WSC on weekdays. Some receive individualized medical or habilitation support, while others are enrolled in community work and volunteer programs. Through partnerships with local businesses and organizations, WSC has focused in recent years on getting its members out and about in the community, moving away from assignments and activities that previously kept them inside the facility. In addition to opportunities for landing volunteer or paid work in Somerville, WSC programs include the opportunity for participants to engage in recreational and educational activities. David Melvin, a participant at WSC, particularly enjoys the center’s recreational excursions—like tours of Fenway Park, kayaking and horseback riding, where he bonded with the horses. “They just walk on gently,” he says. Another of his favorite activities at WSC is gardening; he and other participants travel to Gaining Ground—a nonprofit farm in
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Concord—to learn about farming and produce. “Every day, we should be accessing the community in some fashion,” says Jay Haston, the center’s director of day facilities.
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ob Landry is a business manager at WSC, where he’s worked for nearly 10 years after a career in consumer product engineering for companies like Gillette. He says people often ask him how he’s adapted to working in the nonprofit services world, coming from a fast-paced, global, corporate career. “It’s rewarding in other ways,” he smiles. Landry helps connect local businesses and partners with WSC for employment and volunteer programs at places like Aeronaut Brewery, where participants stamp coasters and fold towels, among other tasks. “They do awesome work,” says Aeronaut CEO Ben Holmes. “It’s fun for our team to have new company, and I think that it provides a really good destination for the Walnut Street crew as well.” WSC participant Kim Coveny is employed through the program by Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services (SCES) Meals on Wheels program. “I believe it is important to provide adults with developmental disabilities the opportunity to work in the community,” says Deb McLean, nutrition director of the SCES Community Meals Program. Coveny works one shift a week alongside other participants and staff members, delivering meals to senior citizens in the Davis Square area. She loves it so much, Landry says, that WSC’s visiting musical therapist wrote a song dedicated to their Meals on Wheels work.
WSC employs 220 staff members who work in rotating shifts all day, every day—even on holidays, for which WSC Executive Director Carolyne Guffey says she’s incredibly grateful. Providing consistent, direct care at WSC is critical. “You’re not a babysitter,” Guffey says. “You’re a teacher, a counselor, an advocate.” Much of WSC’s funding comes from Medicaid and from the state, and staff members and participants occasionally visit the state house to advocate for funding. Guffey explains that prioritizing programming— from classroom-style education to community-based experiences— while improving residential facilities—from institutionalization to group homes—presents an ongoing negotiation for an organization like theirs, because state funding often doesn’t keep pace with need.
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t home for the evening, Coveny’s five housemates look through their paychecks and mail at the dining room table. The kitchen is warm and cozy, and a TV is on quietly in the living room. Upstairs, Coveny has large photographs of nieces, brothers and other family members hanging on her walls. She says she can’t wait for upcoming family holidays. It’s October, but she’s already selected dresses—hanging outside her closet—for Thanksgiving, Christmas and her January birthday. The women take turns making dinner at home. Tonight, one housemate is making an eggplant pasta dish, and Coveny is helping house manager Colleen Levasseur make pumpkin spice muffins. They’re making a concerted effort to be healthier at home, Levasseur says. The muffins are made with raw pumpkin from a healthy recipe website, and this year they even had a small garden at the house. They’ve instituted a walking group around the neighborhood, too—in fact, staff at the nearby Magoun Square restaurant Daddy Jones saw them walking so often that they approached Levasseur and invited the group to dine on the patio. Levasseur has been house manager here for over a year. There are other staff members on duty—always at least two staff at the house when residents are there. After working her way up to higher-level administrative work at other direct care facilities, Levasseur says she’s returned to working directly with residents. “This is the stuff I love,” she says.
The greatest satisfaction is understanding our client’s needs to translate their vision into form and functional art.
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fter four decades in Somerville, WSC is moving out in early 2017. The MBTA has seized its longtime location through eminent domain to make room for the coming Green Line Extension. Most of the center’s residential properties are in Somerville and will remain here, but the new day facility will be in Medford, at 291 Mystic Ave. “We weren’t expecting to be displaced,” Guffey says. “But we’re making the best of it. For me, that’s being able to design the place exactly as we wanted to.” The new building is larger—a one-story, handicapped-accessible building with accommodations for a broader range of needs. Administrators worked with program participants to see what kinds of resources and amenities would be most important to have in the new building. As a result, there will be designated space for new music and movement programs, as well as art classes. WSC also hopes to expand services in the new building to help people who have brain injuries with everyday activities and daily living skills. Participants will no longer need to travel to Concord to learn about farming and produce—the new building will have indoor and outdoor gardening facilities and nature programming. The next initiative in residential services is a shared living facility, modeled like a foster care program, according to Guffey. “With the new building we had the chance to design the internal layout ourselves and really create a space that works for our programs,” she says. “We’re excited that we will be able to offer even more to the individuals we serve, and we can’t wait to see them getting to try it all out for the first time.”
Architectural Services
• New construction, additions, renovations • Interior design • Sustainable materials & methods
amortondesign.com 617.894.0285 info@aMortonDesign.com scoutsomerville.com January | February 2017
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COMMUNITY
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n 2010, Randi Freundlich was working as a social worker in Allston and Brighton, where—thanks to her involvement in parenting and family programs—she was meeting people who came to America from all over the world. “What I was so fascinated by was that the things the parents were dealing with— their stories—were the regular parenting challenges,” she says. “But on top of that, there was so much else that had to do with being an immigrant and having no family support, or not understanding how the schools work, not understanding cultural differences or different styles of raising children.” Freundlich found the children especially fascinating. She started photographing the kids she worked with, and she later began interviewing them to really capture the full picture of their experience. Freundlich called the series Children of the World | Boston. She’s since collected the stories of 55 families from 55 different countries, and last year, she received a grant from the Somerville Arts Council to photograph immigrant children here in Somerville. Many of those images are collected in a 2017 calendar, sales of which benefit the immigrant advocacy group The Welcome Project. She’s also collaborated with The Welcome Project for a series of kids’ photography classes. The photos taken by participating children will be on display alongside Freundlich’s at city hall later this year. “I’m proud of Somerville,” says Freundlich, who’s currently looking for more local families who would like to have their children photographed. “I’m proud to be living here.” We asked her to share some of her favorite photos from the series here. You can learn more about Children of the World | Boston, find Freundlich’s contact information and order a calendar at randifreundlichphotography.com.
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VAN ADO, Dominica “I consider myself American, as a citizen, but ... it’s not where my roots come from ... I was just born here. ‘American’ is just a label, it doesn’t mean anything. My blood is from Dominica.”
MAYA & SOFIA, Algeria “When I left Algeria in the ’90s it was really bad because of terrorism. It scarred me for life. In my family, my cousin’s husband was killed. My dad worked for the government, so we were always worried—is he home safe? Is he gonna be killed, God forbid? When I got the green card, I was one of the lucky ones .. I miss my parents, my family, my friends. I don’t miss how the government runs the country, I don’t miss the lack of safety. I had a wonderful childhood. But the bad memories took over.” — Maya & Sofia’s mother
RAT ‘EM OUT S
ADRINE & SYALOMEE, Nepal
“We should do all the things in the culture even if you’re not in Nepal, like the holidays, speak the language even if you only know a little bit. I have not been treated badly, but I know some immigrants are. Everybody should not treat them badly, because they can stay in the U.S. They don‘t have to leave unless they want to.” — Adrine
KEVIN & BRANDON, Guatemala
“If American people went to Guatemala, then they would feel what it’s like to be in a new country, where everything is strange. Maybe then they would treat immigrants better here.” — Brandon
ZAHRAA, Iraq
“It was scary when we got here—everything was different. It was winter and we only had shorts and flip-flops. We were refugees and didn’t have winter clothes!”
omerville is a beautiful city—but it’s still a city. And that means it has rats. Rat populations have been growing in urban areas in recent years. Looking for food and shelter, they slip through holes in a property’s exterior, squeeze under your door and even get inside through the sewers. You’ll know you have a rat problem if you see what appears to be a really big mouse scampering about or if you find raisin-sized droppings in your home. You can prevent rats from coming in by making your home the least appealing option. Don’t leave food out, cover your trash and don’t store things under decks and porches. It’s also a good idea to keep your lawn mowed—rats use long grass as shelter. But if they’ve already made their way inside, it’s time to rat them out. If you think you have a rat problem—or just want the peace of mind that comes with knowing you don’t—make a quick call to Best Pest Control Services. Unlike other companies, Best Pest will treat your home only if it’s necessary. We’re a locally-owned and family-operated business. We’ve been serving Somerville and Greater Boston since 1984—and not just for rats. Ants, bedbugs, mice, roaches—you name it, we’ll get rid of it. Our rates are reasonable, and customer service is our top priority.
63 ELM ST, SOMERVILLE 617-625-4850 • bestpest.com
FIND YOUR FIT
L L A W E H T OFF Workouts If you’ve never been able to make yourself join a gym and the thought of lifting weights leaves you feeling weak, maybe you just need a fitness program that’s a little different. BY EMILY CASSEL | PHOTOS BY JESS BENJAMIN
Davis Square Martial Arts DAVISSQUAREMARTIALARTS.COM | 408 HIGHLAND AVE.
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avis Square Martial Arts founder and head instructor Mark Carletti was always active—lifting weights, playing sports—and even worked as a personal trainer for a time. But eventually, he was drawn to the unique physical and mental benefits of the martial arts. “[I liked] the idea of martial arts, where I would be getting a workout but also learning and acquiring a skill that didn’t have an end to it,” Carletti explains. “You can always learn more, you can always improve your technique, you can always get better—it was the full combination of philosophically engaging, learning self defense and working out.” He opened Davis Square Martial Arts on New Year’s Day in 2000. People come to the center—which specializes in kung fu and tai chi— for myriad reasons. Many begin practicing tai chi for stress reduction, relaxation or increased energy. Kung fu, which is a more physical martial art, tends to bring in people hoping build their physical strength. “In the beginning it’s physical, a change in physical flexibility,” Carletti says. “But you can actually then become a little bit more of a flexible person—more mentally flexible, a little more patient with yourself, a little more confident.” 18
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It’s those benefits and the feeling of accomplishment that comes with them that Carletti believes is part of what keeps students coming back. While he estimates that the “average” student at the center is between 25 and 40 years old, there are participants as young as three. Some students have trained at Davis Square Martial Arts since they were kids and now participate in the adult program. Carletti says he feels extremely lucky be located in Davis and to share a name with the square. “It’s just such an amazing community. The people are open-minded, they’re diverse,” Carletti says. “They want to learn. It creates such an easy place.” He and his fellow instructors foster that feeling of openness in the martial arts studio as well, encouraging people to push themselves as much as they’re comfortable, take their time and ask questions when they have them. He doesn’t want people to feel intimidated. If someone is reticent to try something, he and his instructors won’t push it. In other words? “We’re not the school of black eyes and bloody noses,” he says. “Our goal is to help people feel good about learning.”
Want to learn even more about the workouts highlighted here? No problem! This story is the second installment of SCOUTV, a new multimedia collaboration between Scout Somerville and our friends at SCATV. Head to scoutsomerville.com/ scoutv to find in-depth video interviews and footage of these martial artists, acrobats and parkour practitioners in action.
scoutsomerville.com January | February 2017
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Find Your Fit
Off-The-Wall Workouts
Parkour Generations Boston PKGENBOSTON.COM
“A
lot of people think of parkour as only for young, athletic men who train with their shirts off,” says Blake Evitt, director of Parkour Generations Americas and founder of Parkour Generations Boston, with a grin. “In reality, parkour is for everybody.” Parkour, Evitt says, is much more than the high-flying, death-defying stunts you might have seen on YouTube—it’s a discipline, an artform and a fitness program. It means different things to different people. For some, it’s about the acrobatics; for others, it’s a practical way to get around, not unlike cycling or running. And the practice is progression-based. Everything Evitt teaches is scalable for people of different ages and abilities, and he has students from age four to age 70. “My parkour may be different than yours,” he says, “but at the same time, we’re all training together.” Evitt describes parkour as “functional fitness,” something you can do at an indoor space like Brooklyn Boulders, where he’s readying to teach a class on this winter evening, or at a local park, where his classes take place—regardless of the weather, and even on holidays like Christmas and New Years—each Sunday. The sport is all about using your body to travel safely and effectively through any environment, and that means being able to handle whatever Mother Nature throws at you. To Evitt, parkour can also be an agent for positive social change. He participated in a postgraduate fellowship that let him travel the world studying its practical applications. After years abroad learning the ins and outs of parkour, he returned to Somerville to found Parkour Generations Boston in 2012. At the time, there really wasn’t anyone teaching the sport in Greater Boston. “We kind of started from square one,” he says. Today, you’ll see parkour practitioners bounding through Somerville’s streets or scaling equipment at area gyms. The Parkour Generations kids’ program is available in all of the local public schools, and many of the coaches are from Somerville. “We’ve kind of made Somerville our home,” Evitt notes. For its part, Somerville is happy to have them—this summer, the city will become home to the first parkour park east of the Mississippi as part of the renovations to Lincoln Park.
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scoutsomerville.com January | February 2017
21
Find Your Fit
Off-The-Wall Workouts
Esh Circus Arts 44 PARK ST. | ESHCIRCUSARTS.COM
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llen Waylonis knows that when people think of the circus, they tend to think of the theatrical side—things like clowning. But at Esh Circus Arts, the school just outside Union Square she runs with co-owners Rachel Sable Stewart and Roger May, clowning is just one in a host of physical classes in everything from acrobatics to aerials to tumbling to trapeze. They teach a little bit of everything—partner balancing, hooping, juggling, tight wire walking, contortion and more—which is important, since Esh serves just about everyone. “There really is not a typical Esh student. We have folks from 18 months up through their late sixties taking classes here—everybody from professionals who come here after work to college students to kids who come here after school … everybody,” Waylonis smiles. “This is a very large, diverse community.” That could be because at Esh, there’s no pressure to progress at a fast pace. While the benefits of circus arts training include better endurance, greater strength and improved flexibility, in the circus, Waylonis says, you’re only “competing” against yourself. “People come here mostly for fun,” she explains. “Some people come here because
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it’s more fun than being on a treadmill at the gym—although that’s good, too. Some people come here because it’s a great creative outlet.” Waylonis likes that the circus is a very personal pursuit—that you’re not comparing yourself to others, but rather expressing yourself through your own physicality. And while individual expression is the goal, there’s also an emphasis on community that’s evident in the warm smiles, laughter and high-fives exchanged by Esh’s acrobats. Waylonis explains that circus started as a family tradition—circus artists were either born into it or married into it. It wasn’t until the 1980s that professional circus schools started appearing, making the art accessible to anyone. For Waylonis, the most important thing about Esh is that familial, community-focused vibe—it’s a warm, inviting place where beginners are always welcome. “We don’t care if you’ve ever been in a gym before in your life. We don’t care if you can touch your toes,” she laughs. “It doesn’t matter how tall you are, what size you are—anything about you. This is a big, welcoming, warm space.”
Somerville Community Access Television congratulates the community media makers who are recipients of the:
ASCATDEMY AWARDS 2017
LE C R E AA R N S H A TE RE
SCATV would also like to thank our members and supporters for a great 2016. Stay tuned for even more in 2017!
90 UNION SQUARE • 617-628-8826 SCATVSOMERVILLE.ORG
scoutsomerville.com January | February 2017
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FIND YOUR FIT
BEYOND BARBELLS STORY AND PHOTOS BY KATE DOUGLAS
Sometimes all you want from a gym is to pop in your earbuds, jump on a treadmill and tune out while you work out. But if you’re looking to get fit in a space that offers a little more, you’ll want to check out one of these area gyms where community is one of the keys to success.
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Commonwealth CrossFit 630 Somerville Ave. | commonwealthcrossfit.com
I
n a building that was once a bottle and can return center, Brian Buell finishes talking a small group of CrossFit clients through a workout. As the class wraps up, he goes over what foods everyone should be eating for the rest of the day and outlines ways to properly recover from the session. He’s committed to the well-being of his clients, because he knows firsthand just how well CrossFit works. Buell opened Commonwealth CrossFit after attending North Shore CrossFit in Danvers. While training there, Buell began volunteering as a coach for Soccer Nights in North Cambridge, where he would later serve as director. He fell in love with the area and the people, but he had a few concerns. For starters, he felt that people were becoming further and further separated from their physical surroundings: sitting at desks all day, walking on pavement, not interacting with the natural world. He also felt that people weren’t connected to one another outside of work— certainly not in a way that incorporated fitness. He saw the physicality of CrossFit as a solution to this dilemma. “I love CrossFit’s capacity to create a community,” Buell says. So, he brought that community to Somerville. CrossFit may seem intimidating to fitness novices—and even to some regular gym-goers. The name itself conjures images of ripped bodybuilders hustling through high-energy, high-intensity workouts. But that’s far from the average CrossFit experience. Commonwealth
CrossFit is an inclusive space for people of all ability levels, from training experts who feel like they’re losing their edge to novices who don’t even know where to start. The large, open-concept building on Somerville Avenue houses plenty of equipment for Buell’s CrossFit members. “It’s more like a playground than a gym,” he says of the space. The lively concept for the gym is aligned with its philosophy—fitness, community and joy. “It’s all about connecting people,” Buell says. “With goals or with one another.” At the beginning of each class, everyone introduces themselves and gets acclimated before starting the joint workout. The relationships between clients, coaches and even Buell himself make Commonwealth CrossFit a gem among gyms. With close to 200 current members, it could be easy for people to come and go unnoticed or slip through the cracks. But Buell is so committed to his clients’ success that he personally makes sure everyone is leaving each session satisfied. Every week, Buell and his team audit who attended class and who was a no-show. If it looks like someone has stopped showing up, Buell reaches out to them directly. If there’s a problem, he and his coaches catch it right away. It’s this support and accountability that keep clients coming back week after week, year after year. “As long as you get here,” Buell says, “you’re going to make a change.”
scoutsomerville.com January | February 2017
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Find Your Fit
Beyond Barbells
The Training Room
691A Somerville Ave. and 373 Washington St. | thetrainingroomboston.com
“D
edication lives in this room.” That’s the motto at The Training Room, which coowners Heidi Shalek and Maren Kravitz founded in 2009. Both Shalek and Kravitz spent years working at corporate gyms, an experience that left them feeling like the industry was missing a sense of accountability, so the two women decided to open up their own facility. The Training Room does things a little differently than those big box gyms. It’s a fitness space with no memberships, where clients are instead held accountable through their relationships with trainers and fellow members. When The Training Room opened, it was just about the only game in town. Now in its eighth year, the gym has expanded into a second location, and Shalek and Kravitz are as dedicated as ever to their core values of client education and community building. “It’s like a family here,” Kravitz explains. The facility is staffed by a group of talented, caring people who share the founders’ commitment to teamwork and cooperation. Every trainer is coached to teach all of the many classes the gym offers, which means every trainer can work with a broad range of clients who have varied needs and goals. It also means there’s none of the possessiveness over clients that sometimes exists in other gyms. Here, the goal is to help everyone who walks through the door. “It’s not about us,” Kravitz says. “We’re simply here to equip people with tools.”
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The Training Room offers a selection of classes and training options without mandating a menu of services clients won’t use. There are group classes, one-on-one sessions and one of The Training Room’s best features—TRAC, a hybrid of personal training and group classes. This system provides structured workouts while keeping a focus on individual progress at the forefront. Shalek and Kravitz want to break the stereotypes about what fitness is and what it looks like. Both women understand there’s no one body type that embodies physical fitness, and they’ve made a space for non-traditional gym-goers and for clients of all backgrounds and abilities. They boast a diverse clientele and serve people of all ages. Their youngest participant is 13; their oldest clients are in their 80s. One of those clients is local restaurateur and renowned chef Tony Maws, owner of Craigie on Main and the Kirkland Tap and Trotter. “It’s whatever you want it to be,” Maws says of The Training Room. “They’re not following a formula—it’s personal.” Not only does Maws choose this space for his workouts, but his wife, aunt and 76-year-old mother all train here, too. If their no-membership approach or stellar online reviews aren’t enough, one trainer— Kevin Duong—might have a story that sells you on the space. Duong drives 45 minutes every morning to work at the gym. His motivation for making the trek? “I want to make a positive impact on people’s lives,” he says.
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“W
e want to be the anti-gym,” says Achieve Fitness coowner Lauren Pak. She and husband Jason Pak opened their gym four years ago. Since then, they’ve built a business that thrives on its members’ success. The Paks created a blueprint that keeps Achieve from falling into the “cookie-cutter” formula of other gyms. They saw a need for a space that not only allowed members to work out without feeling judged or intimidated but also offered real support and a sense of solidarity. “The missing link for most people is confidence,” Lauren notes. “Achieve takes the fear away. It’s not a competitive space—it’s a genuine, supportive environment.” It’s a model that seems to be working. Most of Achieve’s 225 current members aren’t looking to win any bodybuilding competitions—they’re just folks who want to get fit and maintain a healthy lifestyle. “Achieve doesn’t offer anything too fancy,” explains coach Emily Beinecke. “What we offer is efficacy-based and research-based.” Most training here is done in groups rather than one-on-one, but the gym still offers an individualized experience. Every new member is given a customized training program that takes a holistic approach to their fitness level and lifestyle. Members then get a personalized plan that incorporates both solo workouts and the gym’s other selling point—group classes, of which there are a large variety. Every coach is trained to teach the entire range. And that word, “coach,” is important. Employees are intentionally not referred to as “trainers,” and they’re there to teach and encourage on a personal level. This sort of support is indicative of the gym’s larger philosophy. As they work out, members chat with fellow gym-goers and coaches. And every month, Achieve hosts a social event. Sometimes the fun is fitness-related, like trampoline dodgeball. Other times, it’s not. (December’s gathering was a Love Actually viewing party.) Lauren describes her vision for fostering relationships at Achieve as a “trickle-down process.” Everyone wants to see everyone else succeed, so she trains her staff in this idea and imparts it on her clients. From Pak and Perreault to the coaches to individual members, everyone is committed to mutual success.
SOMERVILLE
Multi: $1,050,000 PENDING
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www.VisitGriffin.com 55a Elm Street, Somerville 2285 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Call: 617.354.5888 scoutsomerville.com January | February 2017
27
FIND YOUR FIT
A TRIO OF TERRIFIC TRAINERS MEET CALLIE DURBROW, ANTHONY ORTIZ AND LAUREN HEFEZ, THREE STANDOUT SOMERVILLE FITNESS EXPERTS WITH ONE THING IN COMMON: THEY’LL HELP YOU REACH YOUR GOALS (AND HAVE FUN DOING IT). BY HANNAH WALTERS
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LAUREN HEFEZ
SOUL TRAIN | LAURENHEFEZ.COM
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hen Lauren Hefez talks about almost anything— how she takes her coffee, the cold weather, socks—it’s impossible not to notice her natural, easy enthusiasm. It’s a glow she can’t seem to shake, even if she’s just finished putting her 8-month-old son down for his first nap of the day. That sparkling disposition is part of what makes her one of Somerville’s most popular trainers. Her classes at Soul Train are a mix of cardio and high-rep light-weight exercises with a distinctive dance feel, and they’re all about letting energy out. “I go in there, I dim the lights and we just have a party,” she effuses. Hefez came to training through Zumba almost 10 years ago—before it was the craze it is now. Always a dancer, the then-college student fell in love with teaching. Even after she graduated and landed a communications job, her favorite part of the day was leading her 6 p.m. class. Eventually, she built up her following and launched a full-time fitness career. Hefez’s energy is one of the things that keeps people coming back—and looking forward—to her classes. “I’m very excitable, and I’m genuinely happy for my students,” she says. “I think they feed off my energy.” But it’s her communications background that sets her apart in the fitness world beyond Greater Boston. Hefez has a YouTube channel with almost 600,000 followers, and she’s recorded a vast number of athome how-to videos, many of which are accompanied by blog posts. This makes her available to people around the world, but it’s also appreciated by locals who may not be able to get to her classes because of childcare, travel or brutal New England snowstorms. Hefez envisioned creating a global reach on YouTube from nearly the beginning of her training career. “I think that’s just my personality. I like to go big,” she says, cracking her infectious smile. “If I can make people happy and change their lives here, why not everywhere?” As she’s built her business and strengthened her brand, Hefez has earned additional fitness training certifications. She now offers a mix of group classes, one-on-one training sessions and even some lessobvious workout opportunities like bachelorette parties. “Oh, they are so fun,” she beams. And the sincerity and perseverance she’s poured into the community—both in Somerville and online—has come back to her. When her son was born premature this past spring and spent more than three months in intensive care, Hefez and her husband received an outpouring of well-wishes from people here in the area and around the world. “The support from people I don’t even know has been incredible,” she says.
“If I can make people happy and change their lives here, why not everywhere?”
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scoutsomerville.com January | February 2017
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Find Your Fit
A Trio of Terrific Trainers
CALLIE DURBROW
DURBROW PERFORMANCE DURBROWPERFORMANCE.COM
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“I thought back to when I was an athlete. We always trained as a team. I was inspired working out with my team.”
e ask our clients, ‘Could you work out like this forever?’” explains Callie Durbrow, founder of Durbrow Performance Training in East Somerville. It’s her goal to have clients answer this crucial question with a heartfelt, “Yes!” The cornerstone of Durbrow’s mission is to foster a supportive environment while helping clients build a sustainable new lifestyle that extends beyond the gym. The Durbrow Performance website promises results in 90 days—but this is more than a kick-your-butt workout that ends after a few weeks. Durbrow creates lasting results by honing in on the accountability factor that can come with tight-knit small group workouts, which are complemented by services like nutritional counseling and regular goal-setting sessions. Years before Durbrow founded her own gym, she was largely doing one-on-one personal training. Over time, she began to group her clients’ solo sessions together. She realized that her trainees fed off of each other’s energy—they were more invigorated, more motivated and simply having more fun than when they were alone. “I thought back to when I was an athlete,” she explains. “We always trained as a team. I was inspired working out with my team.”
Durbrow wasn’t the only one who thought it was more fun. With the encouragement of those close to her, she took the plunge and founded her own gym in 2010 with that small-group athletic training model in mind. She’s since expanded to employ four other trainers while growing her client base. And her team has stood by her all the way. The longest-standing Durbrow Performance trainee started working with her eight years ago, predating the brick-and-mortar building. While clients at Durbrow Performance gain the social accountability and support of a team, they don’t lose out on individualized attention. Part of joining Durbrow is receiving regular guidance and personal goal setting along with your workout package. Moreover, Durbrow and her trainers are sure to give individual attention to each member’s fitness levels. “We tailor to the individual who joined that day [in addition to] the veteran member who has been going for six months,” she explains. The community building doesn’t stop at the threshold of the gym, either. Every month, Durbrow Performance offers a charity class where clients and newcomers alike can come work out and give a donation to a featured nonprofit.
ANTHONY ORTIZ RX STRENGTH TRAINING RXSTRENGTHTRAINING.COM
A
nthony Ortiz has always been active and energetic. Even as a kid, he spent his days biking, playing tag and wrestling. Over time, running around and roughhousing with friends evolved into a love for organized team sports: floor hockey, baseball, basketball, soccer. He became increasingly interested in what he could accomplish physically and mentally when he trained. But it took a little time for Ortiz to see this passion as a career. “After high school, I didn’t really know what
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Photo, bottom, by Eric Snyder.
career path I wanted to take,” he explains. He was in the gym every day, but this felt natural to him. It wasn’t until others kept asking what he actually did in those daily workouts—and how he was achieving his fitness goals—that Ortiz started to think fitness training could be his livelihood. Today, Ortiz has combined his love for working out and his inherent ability for it with his love of helping others achieve their goals. And if you think because he works at a strength training gym he sticks to old-school ideals, think again—he also has a ferocious appetite for learning new training techniques and an enthusiasm for innovation. “The industry is constantly changing,” he says. “New research, new training techniques … It’s important to have an open mind and to always keep learning.” As winter sets in, you’ll find Ortiz ready to train you with a warm smile at Rx Strength. And when winter snow gives way
“It’s important to have an open mind and to always keep learning.” to spring, Ortiz’s outdoor boot camps—a huge hit with clients— will be in full bloom. “I’ve had people from ages 17 to 65 take it and love it,” he says of the boot camp-meets-summer camp class. “It requires minimal equipment, we play games, run hill sprints, timed miles or even run through the park—literally.” Like much of Ortiz’s work as a trainer, these camps upend notions about what strength training can look like. And Ortiz is a far cry from the hardass drill sergeant you might be picturing— he’s friendly and thoughtful, and he isn’t afraid to tell his clients how he feels. “I genuinely care for and love every single one of them,” he says simply. scoutsomerville.com January | February 2017
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FIND YOUR FIT
For She’s a Jolly JILLIAN D’AMATO JUST WANTED TO START AN ACTIVEWEAR COMPANY. SHE ACCIDENTALLY BUILT SOMETHING MUCH MORE MEANINGFUL. BY EMILY CASSEL | PHOTOS BY JESS BENJAMIN
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n a Tuesday evening in Porter Square, dozens of runners have gathered along Mass. Ave., where they stretch, fiddle with playlists on their iPods or adjust their laces. Some talk training or injury recovery. Others chat about new movies and restaurant openings. Many wear bright blue or lime green tanks and tees emblazoned with a positive, all-caps proclamation: “I like your pace.” Eventually, they gather in the lot behind Tavern in the Square, where a beaming Jillian D’Amato greets the group and welcomes any newcomers. She’s the reason everyone is here. Those shirts are part of her activewear line—Runfellow—and this is Runfellow Run Club. After an enthusiastic cheer, they’re off, pounding pavement on a three-mile route that weaves through Cambridge and Somerville. Small groups begin returning to the lot about 20 minutes later, where they form a receiving line of sorts, high-fiving every person who finishes the loop. When every last runner has returned, the sweaty bunch heads inside to catch up over food and drinks. Runfellow Run Club, or RFRC, meets every Tuesday at a different Somerville or Cambridge bar. In the winter, the club’s numbers hover between 30 and 50 runners each week. In warmer months, that figure regularly climbs to 70 or 80, sometimes swelling to nearly 100. Which is funny, because D’Amato never planned to start a run club at all. Years ago, on a pleasant spring day, the self-proclaimed “fairweather runner” was crossing the Longfellow Bridge after a winter off— and she was struggling. She was just about ready to give up and walk when she passed another runner heading the opposite way. “He smiled at me like he had been in my shoes,” D’Amato recalls. She says that convivial grin conveyed so much: He understood how hard this was, knew how tired she felt and wanted her to keep pushing. It was a smile that said you’ve got this, and it was enough to give her the boost she needed to run the rest of the way home. The moment stuck with her long after that run was over. “I really 32
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thought about that interaction of one person passing another person going the opposite direction, smiling at each other, reading each other’s shirts—this kind of silent community that was being built,” D’Amato says. It made her wonder: Why not intentionally use clothing to reinforce that unspoken bond between urban runners? A shirt could literally say what body language or a smile only implied. She came up with that slogan, “I like your pace,” and, after a GoFundMe campaign largely supported by friends and family members, she printed her first 50 shirts. “The run club was not even something that was ever on the radar,” remembers Josh Howell, who encouraged D’Amato to get the company off the ground. At the outset, Runfellow (stylized RUNFELLOW) was a clothing brand first and foremost. Howell helped D’Amato sell the gear, waking up early on weekend mornings to pack her car with boxes and drive to road races throughout the region. But while people loved the shirts and dug the positive message, everyone kept asking the pair if they had a run club. So in July 2014, D’Amato started an RFRC Facebook group and printed out dozens of bright green flyers advertising their first run. She and Howell biked through Somerville and Cambridge together, posting them on lampposts and bulletin boards. Nearly 30 people showed up for the inaugural meetup in Union Square. “There was a real appetite for that kind of outlet in the community,” Howell says. “I was doing this—making shirts— because these were things I thought I needed,” D’Amato adds. “It turns out, all of these other people wanted something, too.” One of those people was Jimmy Doan, who had been working at MIT for about a year and was introduced to Runfellow when he noticed the slogan on a colleague’s shirt. A few days later, he saw one of the bright green flyers and decided to check it out. Doan missed the first two weeks of the run club—“I’m still upset about that to this day,” he laughs—but he was at the third one, and he hasn’t missed too many since. “The cool thing about Runfellow from the beginning for me was that it was all these different people that weren’t doing the same work that I was doing,” Doan says. “They could talk about life, they could talk about their love for running, they could talk about the cool spot that just opened down the street.” He and D’Amato have become close friends, and as RFRC grew far bigger than just 30 runners each week, he was more than happy to help create routes, communicate with bar and restaurant owners and promote the club. Participating in the runs is easy. The host bar changes each week, and locations are posted on Facebook. There’s no need to sign up or register—just show up at 7:30 p.m. and wear visible gear. If temps fall to the single digits or if there’s ice on the ground, they’ll cancel. The expectations are minimal—almost nonexistent, in fact. Runners can come as frequently or infrequently as they want, every pace is welcome and no one heads inside until all runners have finished and Runfellow’s Myra O’Neill and Chase Ferree, dashing through the snow.
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scoutsomerville.com January | February 2017
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Find Your Fit
For She’s a Jolly Runfellow
Meet Your Fellow Runners These are just a few of the friendly faces you’ll see each week at RFRC. Photos by Alexandra Roberts.
Jillian D’AMATO
“You’ve gotta be a cheerleader no matter what. Whatever kind of day you had at work, you have to be the person to get up there and make a fool of yourself to get people excited. And I’m okay with that.”
Jimmy DOAN
“Jimmy’s been running with us since week three and has become one of our most invested members. He’s a vital part of RFRC who is responsible for planning and coordinating our weekly runs. Without Jimmy, I’d have a whole lot more on my plate.”
Josh HOWELL
“ Josh lit a fire under me to get RUNFELLOW off the ground—he was the one who said, ‘It’s a great idea, why don’t you launch it and see if other people think so, too.’ He’s helped me from day one, and for that I am sincerely grateful.”
Nikki GUERIN
“ Nikki’s been running with us for over two years and now is co-leader of RFRC Boston. She’s become a fixture at Run Club, and her spirit and enthusiasm for fitness are infectious.”
Kristin DE JONG
“ Kristin comes to Somerville every week from South Boston and volunteers to run as ‘caboose.’ She puts her own pace aside to make sure that our last runners make it back and have a companion to run with.”
Chase FERREE
“ Chase brings a comedic spirit to RFRC, and he also does our cheer each week. When Chase isn’t there to kick things off, it just isn’t the same.”
Jason STONEHOUSE
“ Jason’s probably RUNFELLOW’s biggest cheerleader. He comes to almost every race as team captain, snaps pics, tweets and also recruited his wife Gena and his son Nathaniel to join.”
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gotten their high fives, whether there are 15 or 100 participants, if it’s 15 degrees outside or 100. There are new faces every week, and there’s no pressure to come back if you don’t like it. But there’s a network of supporters there for those who want or need it— especially when it comes to getting out in brutal New England winters, which is what keeps people like Doan returning week after week. “I know that other people like me are out there running,” Doan notes. “We’re on text chains with each other saying, ‘We have to get out there.’” He started working out with RFRC because he wanted to get back in shape. “It’s the community that kept me,” he says. That’s become D’Amato’s focus, too. She set out to encourage solidarity through clothing, but now people know the brand because of RFRC. “The reason Runfellow was started was to build community,” she says. “Now we have built it, so we need to make it even better.” That means connecting with restaurateurs to get her crew in more local bars— though Daddy Jones will always be a particular favorite—and working with other kinds of like-minded businesses. Last year, she teamed up with Achieve Fitness for a strength training series that she’s bringing back in 2017. She worked with the Training Room to do a fundraiser for Somerville Local First, and she’d like to develop more collaborative programming, whether that’s a yoga for runners series or a “fitness pub crawl” where runners go from gym to gym for different workouts and end up at a brewery like Aeronaut or Slumbrew. At this point, the run club has taken on a life of its own. RFRC Boston launched in April. The group meets each Thursday, but D’Amato doesn’t organize it at all. A group broke off to take long weekend runs while training for the Cambridge Half Marathon in November, and one pair of runners who met through the club recently ran a marathon in Iceland together. Duan says everyone brings something different to the table. Some help plan the routes and sell gear at races, others contribute by supporting local businesses, buying food and drinks until they’re kicked out of the bar Wednesday morning. D’Amato and Howell no longer need to cycle through the city posting flyers—and not just because the city of Cambridge once threatened to fine them if all 150-odd posters weren’t taken down. The message of RFRC spreads almost entirely through word of mouth. To be clear, it’s a lot of work for this small, scrappy team. “I have moments where, like anything, you feel overwhelmed or feel like what you’re doing isn’t making a difference,” D’Amato admits. “And then, you have moments where you have to step back and say, ‘Wow, look at all these people who are here. Look at all these people who continue to come back. Look at all these people who are new every week because I decided to hang up some flyers and say, ‘Hey, come run with me.’” And for people like Doan, the work is worth it. When he came to his first RFRC, he was recovering from an injury sustained when he tried to run just three miles. In October, he ran the Cape Cod Marathon. Of course, he didn’t do it alone. While only two other Runfellow runners were competing in the race, a group of about 15 traveled down to the Cape with them. “There were definitely moments during that race where I was like, ‘Why the hell am I doing this?’” Doan says. “To see them at the top of a hill as I’m climbing it and have them cheer me on—it’s much more than running a race, at that point.” Photo, top: From left: Alan Van Vlack, Jillian D’Amato, Kristin de Jong, Chase Ferree and Ben Lipiecki.
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– MAYOR JOE CURTATONE
PAID FOR BY THE COMMITTEE TO ELECT JOE CURTATONE
scoutsomerville.com January | February 2017
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FIND YOUR FIT
PUTTING THE ‘CREATION’
IN RECREATION With STEM camps and songwriting classes, Somerville’s Rec Department is thinking inside and outside the gym. BY KAT RUTKIN | PHOTOS BY JESS BENJAMIN
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hen George Scarpelli took on the role of Somerville Recreation Department program director nine years ago, the organization looked far different than it does today. Most of its offerings were limited to the summer months, and just about every activity was aimed exclusively at children. But not long after he started working for the city, Scarpelli found himself in a meeting with Mayor Curtatone, who had a somewhat ambitious proposal for the newly minted director. “The mayor said to me, ‘Let’s do everything for everyone in the city,’” Scarpelli laughs. Curtatone wasn’t kidding, and he wasn’t afraid to fail. Scarpelli says he was encouraged to experiment without worrying about what might not work. “He just said that we’d see soon enough what stuck,” Scarpelli says. “Our successes would outweigh our failures.” The first step was to figure out what Somerville residents were looking for in recreation programming, so Scarpelli organized a youth summit to find his target audience. He started small, reaching out to neighboring cities and towns to see what they were offering and what was working best for them. It paid off: In that first year alone, Scarpelli more than doubled the number of recreational programs, and demand has continued growing steadily ever since. The department currently has 29 active indoor programs for Somervillians ages two and up over the winter. Even more 36 January | February 2017
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programming—like a canoe skills camp on the Mystic River—has been added during the warmer months. The athletic options have also expanded to include cold-weather kids’ classes and winter vacation clinics in sports like floor hockey and lacrosse, and the department has debuted several early spring series like Sprout Sports, a six-week sampling of sport skills for kids ages 3 to 5 held in the gym of the Capuno School. Ice skating is offered almost every day of the year at the Veterans Memorial Rink on Somerville Avenue—an activity that’s totally free if you bring your own skates, though the rink does have rentals and lessons. It isn’t just the kids who get to have all the fun. Somerville Recreation now offers adult classes including yoga, zumba and a twiceweekly body sculpting intensive that are perfect for getting active on a budget. Fees range from $30 to $60 per session. But unlike many gyms, there are no annual membership fees or early cancellation penalties. For those who prefer organized sports to classes or routine workouts, the department has debuted basketball, softball, flag football and hockey leagues for men, and there’s a weekly open gym night for women’s basketball. Women’s softball will also return this spring. And if residents want to try out a sport that isn’t currently available, Scarpelli says they shouldn’t hesitate to make a suggestion—he maintains an open door policy. “This is the people’s rec department,” he says. “I just facilitate their vision.”
In an effort to make the most of city space and to engage with more kids, the department is getting creative, taking an expanded view of what recreation really means. Its offerings now go beyond sports and into the arts and sciences—there are songwriting classes taught by youth arts coordinator and musician Jimmy DelPonte, and February vacation programs will include a Lego STEM challenge camp and a space camp complete with rocket building that also gives participants a chance to wear a genuine space suit. Still, it’s the summer programming that remains the department’s anchor. There’s a summer camp held at the West Somerville Neighborhood School and a free program that places play facilitators in the city’s neighborhood parks. Most rec programming is free-form, which is in line with Scarpelli’s belief that children need unstructured time in their lives to play and explore, and he works hard with the staff to make the summer experience magical for all the kids. “For many Somerville kids, this is their Disneyland, their house on the Cape,” he says. “This is where they make their memories.” And, much like Disneyland, the magic doesn’t necessarily wear out as kids age. Many remain in the rec community for years, which offers not only activities for young children, but summer jobs for Somerville’s teenagers. Most of the teens who work as camp and park instructors are part of the mayor’s summer jobs program and were once participants themselves. Scarpelli is clear that the rec department is here not only to get people active but to bring them together as part of something bigger. “This programming is for all children,” he explains. “Every kid who grows up here or moves here becomes part of a community.” The only real limitation? Securing space. There are only so many gyms and fields in this densely populated city that are suitable for recreation, and it comes as a surprise to no one that real estate here is at a premium, which poses a challenge for a public department determined to keep costs low. “The mayor is committed to not making a dime off kids participating in activities,” says Scarpelli. The department offers scholarships and sliding-scale fees for participants of who meet the income requirement. And despite spatial constraints, even more innovative options will debut this spring, including a pilot after-school program at the
“FOR MANY SOMERVILLE KIDS, THIS IS THEIR DISNEYLAND, THEIR HOUSE ON THE CAPE.” – GEORGE SCARPELLI
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Founder’s Rink, which will be covered in turf and used as an additional indoor recreation space. Scarpelli is keeping the format loose, providing guidance and homework assistance but letting the kids choose what activities to do in the rest of their time. He reasons that children spend most of their days highly scheduled once school begins, so this program will be a release after the stress of the school day. “Rec time is free time,” Scarpelli says, in an enthusiastic tone not often used by someone discussing their day job. “I get to put programs together that let kids have fun. I have the best job in the world.” For more information about Recreation Department programming, head to somervillerec.com or check out the annual Recreation Fair on March 11 at the Somerville High School gym—a fun day out for kids even if you’re already aware of all the great things the department has to offer.
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FIND YOUR FIT
Pick up the Pastry Enough about workouts—it’s time to talk fitness-fueling food.
Whether you’re looking to carbo-load before a long run, are indulging in a cheat day or want all of the flaky, sugary goodness without quite so many calories, we’ve got your list of Somerville’s best baked goods (and a few bonus sweets) right here.
FOR YOUR MID-AFTERNOON PICK ME UP Vegan Cinnamon Sugar Donut, Union Square Donuts 20 Bow St. | unionsquaredonuts.com Union Square Donuts has a rotating menu of vegan options, but a regular visitor to the list is the cinnamon sugar donut. Made with coconut oil and coconut milk, it’s not only vegan, it’s full of heart-healthy fats. Cakey but not dry, sweet but not too sugary, this baby hits the sweet spot without building up any cavities. WITH YOUR AFTERNOON TEA Gluten-Free Walnut Olive Oil Cake, Juliet 257 Washington St. | julietsomerville.com Juliet’s gluten-free walnut olive oil cake is slightly sweet and moist, with a good crumble and a lot less of the bad stuff than your average coffee cake. While the exact flavoring offerings vary, they always have some kind of gluten free olive oil cake, making it a safe bet for a quick snack. FOR DESSERT Fruit Tart, The Biscuit 406 Washington St. | visitthebiscuit.com The Biscuit may be better known for its scones and breads, but on the sweeter side, this fruit tart beautifully balances ripe fruit, crispy pastry shell and creamy filling, making for a healthier alternative that’s still satisfying.
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For your cheat day A DECADENT START TO THE DAY Raspberry Turnover, Lyndell’s 720 Broadway | lyndells.com With almost 130 years of experience under their belts, Lyndell’s had better make a good turnover. Thankfully, they deliver—and then some. Thick, flaky pastry that’s just a little sweet covers a rich, sugary center dotted with raspberry seeds. The texture from the raspberry filling keeps the pastry from turning into a mushy, doughy mess, and the brilliant crimson filling is a jewel to behold.
For when you’re dieting A HEALTHY START TO THE DAY Breakfast Cookie, Three Little Figs 278 Highland Ave. | 3littlefigs.com The breakfast cookie as a concept is pretty genius—just take everything good about oatmeal and make it portable. Three Little Figs heightens the cookie-asbreakfast experience by blending coconut oil, maple syrup, zucchini, chia seeds and walnuts into the mix to form an Actually Healthy Cookie™ that’s still delightful. Moist, chewy, not too sweet and loaded with fiber, they’re a win-win for the health-conscious and the pleasure-seekers alike.
BY KENDRA LONG
Alex Trimm Photography
FOR YOUR MID-AFTERNOON PICK ME UP Almond Bun, Forge Baking Company 626 Somerville Ave. | forgebakingco.com Forge, from the duo behind Bloc 11 and Diesel Cafe, gets to bloom as a bakery in a way the pastry counters of its siblings couldn’t quite do. With everything from homemade pop tarts to baklava croissants, the baked goods are—across the board—simply delightful. The almond croissant, sometimes labeled an almond bun, is a particular gem. The menu changes pretty regularly, though. So if the sweet, sometimes frosted, flaky little treats aren’t available, console yourself in the curved arms of a plain croissant with house-made jam. WITH YOUR AFTERNOON TEA Peanut Butter Bar Ice Cream Sandwich, Gracie’s Ice Cream 22 Union Sq. | graciesicecre.am Gracie’s ever-changing ice cream menu—with its s’mores-crusted sugar cones and flavors like blueberry crumble and salted whiskey—is always a good idea. When they take that ice cream and scoop a fat blob of it between two thick, creamy peanut butter bars—well, you might have to leave work early to spend some personal time with it. The peanut butter bars alone are beauties— creamy and buttery with a layer of chocolate to cut through the saltiness of the peanut butter. And when combined with any of the shop’s inventive ice cream flavors, they ascend to a whole new level. FOR DESSERT Chocolate Mini Cheesecake, 7ate9 Bakery 199C Highland Ave. | 7ate9bakery.com 7ate9’s cheesecakes are criminally good. The “mini” is still a pretty hefty portion of cheesecake that’s luscious and creamy and dense. Very, very dense. It’s like biting into a wedge of ice cream. The mocha and ganache-dipped varieties are equally delightful, but the chocolate cheesecake has the right blend of sweetness and bitterness thanks to Taza chocolate. You’ll want to devour the entire thing in a single bite, but savor every little taste. Or, buy a full-sized cheesecake and go nuts. It’s your cheat day, after all.
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SCOUT OUT
“SEE IT WITH THE RIGHT AUDIENCE THIS TIME ” The Boston Sci-Fi Film Festival and Marathon has been a home for weird, wonderful, campy and creative flicks since long before binge-watching was a household term. BY DANIEL KIMMEL | PHOTOS BY HARRY O. LOHR, JR.
O
n February 10, the curtain goes up at the Somerville Theater for the 42nd annual Boston Sci-Fi Film Festival and Marathon, an 11-day science fiction celebration that—much like the Blob and other monsters that refuse to die—has survived a fire, multiple relocations and even a blizzard that shut down the MBTA. Garen Daly, executive director of the festival, has been involved since its third year: SF3. As a manager at the Orson Welles Cinema in Cambridge—where the festival originated in 1976 as a 24-hour movie marathon held on President’s Day weekend—the veteran motion picture exhibitor helped ensure that the one-of-a-kind event could survive and thrive well into a second century, making it one of the oldest genre festivals in the world. (He also began the tradition of numbering them— this year’s event is SF42.) In 1986, Daly had moved on to run the Somerville Theatre. That May, a fire shut down the Welles. At the time, it was thought the theater would eventually reopen. “When the Welles burned down, there was concern that the marathon was done,” recalls Daly, who’s working on a documentary about the Welles and its unique place in movie history. “If the Welles came back, they would get it.”
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Daly arranged to hold the festival at the Somerville Theatre in 1987. But the Welles didn’t come back, and when Daly left the Somerville Theatre he took the marathon with him. It ended up spending several years at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, but the theater then had only two screens, and studios objected to losing the main theater on a holiday weekend. The marathon had brief sojourns at the West Newton Cinema and the Dedham Community Theatre before finally returning to Somerville. “Ian [Judge, Somerville Theatre director of operations] and I ran into each other one day and he said, ‘You should bring it back,” said Daly, who says working with the Somerville team has been a pleasure. “It’s one of the best relationships I’ve had in the business.” The feeling is mutual. “We love the event ... Garen is an oldfashioned showman,” says Judge. “In exhibition, there’s not a lot of showmen left.” Since settling at the Somerville Theatre, Daly has looked to expand the event. Several years ago, he began running a (slightly) more traditional film festival that would lead into the 24-hour marathon, which features classics like Forbidden Planet and 2001: A Space Odyssey as Photo: The marathon audience readies for a screening of It Came From Outer Space in 3D at at the Coolidge Corner Theatre, 1997.
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Scout Out “See it with the Right Audience This Time”
well as recent hits and occasional turkeys and obscurities. The festival sometimes features rediscoveries, but it tends to favor new filmmakers as well as showcasing short works. Suzzanne Cromwell, co-curator of the festival, focuses on the shorts with the help of a number of volunteer judges. Cromwell says the filmmakers “simply want their work to be seen by an audience,” and Daly notes that every year, 10 to 15 films that played the festival end up with some sort of distribution deal so they can be seen by an audience far beyond Somerville. While many more films are submitted than the schedule has slots to fill, judges don’t highlight the glitziest and glossiest of the bunch. “We’re looking for quality in the storyline,” Cromwell explains, acknowledging the limited budgets featured filmmakers may have. “We don’t look for super high production values.” The attendees of the annual event are—obviously—fans of science fiction films, but they come from all over. People have traveled from as far as Seattle and even Dublin, Ireland, to attend, and filmmakers will also travel in support of their movies. The audience is a mix of veterans of the festival and newcomers. One veteran is Frank Urbano, who has been attending since SF3 and whose contribution has become one of the marathon’s traditions. For several years, Urbano, who lives in Holliston, owned a collectibles store, and he would donate some of the prizes that were handed out during the event for various contests. When he closed the store, he had a lot of overstock, and he started making up grab bags of comics, books, DVDs and other items of fan interest. “I don’t make money on this,” he says. “I just like doing it.” With somewhere between 30,000
Fans have traveled from as far as Seattle and even Dublin, Ireland to attend the annual festival.
Renowned director and special effects supervisor Douglas Trumbull (left), who has worked on everything from Blade Runner to 2001: A Space Oddyssey, and Boston Science Fiction Film Festival and Marathon director Garen Daly. 42
January | February 2017 scoutsomerville.com
and 40,000 comics books still on hand, it’s a tradition that’s likely to continue for some time. The 24-hour marathon changes from year to year—although it always starts with a countdown and a screening of Duck Dodgers in the 24th and a 1/2 Century as many attendees ingest their complementary Atomic Fireballs. Some movies are greeted with reverence, as when Blade Runner (1982) was shown the year after it had flopped. “See it with the right audience this time,” the program notes read. Others provide unintentional laughs, whether from a shoutout from the audience or just plain clunkiness. Often, there’s also the thrill of discovering some long-forgotten film or viewing something obscure that turns out to be a real find. Actor Nicholas Brendon made a splash a few years back with Coherence (2013), a movie that combines a suburban dinner party with quantum physics. It never got a general theatrical release but has become a cult favorite that’s available on DVD or through streaming services. One of the biggest challenges was two years ago, when a weekend storm shut down the T just as the Marathon was readying a 40th anniversary celebration. “That was a nightmare,” recalls Judge. By Sunday morning, roads were plowed and the snow had stopped. “The big challenge was: How we get people there?” Daly says. With 24 hours worth of movies queued up at the theater, there was no way to rebook the event. So when word came that the Alewife parking garage was open, Daly arranged for shuttle service from the garage to Somerville. Amazingly, nearly 300 people found their way to the event. At press, the list of SF42 titles was still being finalized, but Daly has announced the U.S. premiere of a 1993 film called Energy! starring Dr. Timothy Leary; The Landing, a fake documentary about the Apollo 18 moon mission; and Without Name, an environmental horror story from Ireland. For tickets, schedules and more information on SF42, go to bostonscifi.com or to the BostonSciFi page on Facebook.
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CALENDAR
1
SHOPPING | Sundays
6
FUN & GAMES | January 23
2
THEATER | January 8 - 30
7
NATURE | January 28
3
PHOTOGRAPHY | January 11 - February 3
8
ACTIVISM | February 3 and 4
9
BOOKS | February 8
4
5
THE SOMERVILLE WINTER FARMERS MARKET 9:30 A.M. - 2 P.M., FREE ARTS AT THE ARMORY, 191 HIGHLAND AVE., SOMERVILLE Grab all the local produce, meat, baked goods and more you could ever want while enjoying live music from bands including The Ways and Means Committee (January 21), The Wicked Pickers (January 28) and The Hoot Owls (February 11).
BOSTON CRIME SCENES 4 AND 7:30 P.M., $25 - $30 THE ROCKWELL, 255 ELM ST., SOMERVILLE Locals will love this Boston-centric production from writer and director Pete Holm, a three-act musical homage to Hollywood favorites—Boondock Saints, The Departed, The Town—that have Massachusetts roots.
COUNTERMOVES: CUBA & UGANDA 10 A.M. - 5 P.M. MONDAY - FRIDAY, FREE THE CHANDLER GALLERY, 25 SACRAMENTO ST., CAMBRIDGE This exhibit brings together Robin Z. Boger’s photographs of rural Cuba and Sean Kernan’s shots from a boxing club in Kampala, Uganda. “We both went into other universes than our own,” says Kernan. “But our responses were quite different.” Opening reception on January 22 from 5 to 7 p.m.
MUSIC | January 19
WILL DAILEY & THE FAITHLESS ELECTORS 7-INCH VINYL RELEASE 10 P.M., $12 OR $15 AT DOOR ATWOOD’S TAVERN, 877 CAMBRIDGE ST., CAMBRIDGE Hot off the heels of his Boston Music Awards win for Best Male Vocalist, Will Dailey and his new band, The Faithless Electors, are hitting the stage to celebrate the release of an exclusive 7” with two brand new tracks that the singer says will never be available digitally.
FILM | January 21 and 22
SAILOR MOON R: THE MOVIE 1 P.M., $15 THE BRATTLE THEATRE, 40 BRATTLE ST. This special engagement brings Sailor Moon to the big screen for the first time ever. Catch the 1993 flick on Saturday (subs) or Sunday (dubs) and get those tickets early—the Brattle is giving out a special gift to ticket holders while supplies last.
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BOARD GAME BONANZA 6:30 - 10:30 P.M., FREE AERONAUT BREWING CO., 14 TYLER ST., SOMERVILLE Whether you’d rather settle Catan, slide down some Chutes & Ladders or ruin longstanding friendships over a game of Monopoly, this board game night in the Aeronaut taproom has you covered.
THE TAPPING OF THE TREES 2 P.M., FREE TISCH LIBRARY AT TUFTS UNIVERSITY, 35 PROFESSORS ROW, MEDFORD Don’t let winter sap your enthusiasm for the outdoors! Kick of Somerville’s syrup season— yeah, it’s a thing—with the annual tapping of the trees, then head to Union Square on February 22 for a Maple Brunch hosted by the Independent. It all leads up to the Maple Syrup Boil Down Festival on March 4 at the Somerville Community Growing Center.
BLACK LIVES MATTER: MUSIC, RACE AND JUSTICE 9 A.M., FREE 3 OXFORD ST., CAMBRIDGE This graduate conference at Harvard—which is open to the public—“seeks to interrogate the place of music, musicians and sound in light of the Black Lives Matter movement and the crises to which it responds.”
JOHN DARNIELLE READS FROM UNIVERSAL HARVESTER 5:30 P.M., $5 OR $26.25 (INCLUDES BOOK) BRATTLE THEATRE, 40 BRATTLE ST., CAMBRIDGE John Darnielle, author of acclaimed 2014 novel Wolf in White Van and frontman of acclaimed folk band The Mountain Goats, reads from his latest novel, which tells the story of a small Nevada town that’s upended when disturbing footage begins appearing on VHS tapes at the local Video Hut. (Yes, it’s set in the ‘90s.)
SCIENCE | February 18
2017 MIT TECH CONFERENCE 8 A.M. - 5 P.M., $30 - $100 MIT MEDIA LAB, 75 AMHERST ST., CAMBRIDGE This year’s conference highlights “exponential technologies,” or emerging technologies that propel society forward, including virtual reality, artificial intelligence, robotics and more. Find more info and tickets at mittechconference.com.
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SCOUT YOU
Photos by Adrianne Mathiowetz
Jeff Trethewey shovels fast-falling Saturday morning snow in front of Eat at Jumbo’s in Ball Square.
Kids try out their downward dogs during Janine Duffy’s Toddler Yoga class at Bow Street Yoga.
Seattle-based poet Josh Fomon reads from his new book Though We Bled Meticulously during “Son of BASH,” hosted by Black Ocean Publishing at Vernon Street Studios. 46 January | February 2017
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Dorcas Z Thete and a friend read Kelly Smith’s “Produce Aisle” during Grown Up Story Time, held at Aeronaut Brewing Company on December 14.
Jill restocks stocking stuffers for a Christmas display at Comicazi in Union Square.
Designers look on during the December ArtFarm community meeting at the Center for Arts at the Armory.
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