Mayor’s Senior Picnic
Scout photographer Kelly MacDonald snapped these great shots at the 30th Annual Mayor’s Senior Picnic today in Powderhouse Park, just outside Ball Square. Attendees enjoyed good food, music and lots of fun!
Read all about Ball Square
Sounds of Somerville
Shirley Ortiz founded Choices Restaurant & Lounge (381 Somerville Ave) in 1983. Today, her son Victor Ortiz is in charge.
Tina DeLellis opened Johnny D’s (17 Holland Street) in 1969. Today, her daughter Carla DeLellis runs the show.
Pose Ortiz and DeLellis alongside one another – as Somerville Scout did during a recent interview at Bloc 11 (11 Bow St) – and they hardly look like vocational twins. Ortiz stands 5-10, weighs 240 and has linebacker’s shoulders. He used to be a bouncer in Boston and a police officer in Cambridge. He remains an active firefighter in Chelsea. And he looks like it. By contrast, DeLellis has the lithe build of a ballerina. If she told you she taught dance for a living, you’d believe her. In fact, she is a former programmer at IBM.
What’s New
BALL SQUARE
Ball Square Fine Wines (716 Broadway, ballsquarefinewines.com, 617-623-9500) has doubled its space and expanded its food offerings, including a selection of artisan cheeses from around the world. There’s also a new tasting bar for weekly events.
Pescatore (158 Boston Ave, pescatoreseafood.com, 617-623-0003) has completed its dining room renovation.
Eat at Jumbo’s (688 Broadway, eatatjumbos.com, 617-666-5862) has new menu items including calzones and vegan-friendly tofu tenders. Eat at Jumbo’s is also sporting a new storefront sign.
DAVIS SQUARE
Building a Business-Friendly City
The City of Somerville was incorporated in 1872, in the midst of a 6-fold population boom. During this time, the processing of textiles and the manufacturing of brass and copper tubing and bricks carried Somerville into the American Industrial Revolution. At the height of Somerville’s brick making industry, over 24 million bricks were produced a year…
