Free Events in Downtown Somerville All Summer Long!

When it comes to enjoying a night at the movies you don’t have to settle for confines of four walls, sticky floors and paying way too much money for a small popcorn! The Downtown Somerville Alliance’s newest outdoor event transforms Division Street Plaza into “the living room of Central Jersey” with a series of movies under the stars. For six Wednesdays this summer, the movie series is expected to attract over 3,000 attendees to Downtown Somerville offering everything from classics to comedies to family friendly movies. Films are shown on a giant outdoor screen with a state-of-the-art sound system so the movie is bright and clear and there is not a bad seat to be found! Downtowners are invited to enjoy dinner before the show or bring a blanket, lawn chair and your own picnic baskets or take out!

Movie line-up:
7/8 – Hairspray 7/15 – Jurassic Park 7/22 – Men In Black 7/29 – Jaws 8/5 – Gremlins 8/12 – Finding Nemo
Dates/Location/Cost: Wednesdays from July 8th to August 12th, Division Street, FREE
________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Somerville’s Friday Night Cruise Nights has been a nationally-acclaimed classic car show for over 25 years, taking place every Friday evening rain or shine from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

A 26-YEAR TRADITION! According to some, the origin of Somerville cruise nights goes as far back as the mid-1980s when the whole thing began with a service station owner in town. As the years passed, word spread throughout surrounding towns about the weekly gatherings in Somerville, and more classic car owners began to show up. One city block length of cars parked with hoods up gradually became two blocks, and then three. Visitors from neighboring towns became visitors from neighboring counties, and then became visitors from other states. The weekly gatherings grew in popularity to the point where the Borough of Somerville and the Downtown Somerville Alliance took over organizing the event in 2009.

Today, Somerville Friday night Cruise Nights are one of, if not the, largest weekly events of its kind in the United States; and a cursory glance of license plates from Maryland, New York, Delaware, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania makes their point hard to argue. On any given Friday evening, you’ll find classic American, British, German, Italian, and even some Japanese makes and models.

Over 100 classic cars regularly line Main Street along with many car clubs making Downtown Somerville a regular stop creating a classic American Downtown experience for the whole family!

Dates/Location/Cost: Fridays now until Labor Day, 6pm-9pm, Main St, FREE
View my pictures from Cruise Night HERE
________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Looking to hear the hottest local bands and solo acts? Then Downtown Somerville is the place to be! Warm Jersey evenings are the perfect backdrop for upbeat and entertaining music in Downtown Somerville. Their Summer Stage concert series features regional and local talent that attracts audiences from the greater Central Jersey area and beyond. Genres include jazz, blues, reggae, folk, country, zydeco, bluegrass, rock, and more! The free Saturday night concerts in July and August attract people of all ages with music fans enjoying dinner and dessert in downtown before, during and after the performances.  If a show is canceled due to weather conditions, we will update the Downtown Somerville Alliance Facebook Page and Twitter Feed.

Want even more live music? Division Street Music Series – Friday and Saturday evenings throughout the Summer and Fall, you can catch local bands on stage on Division Street and don’t forget many Downtown bars and coffee shops feature live music and bands throughout the year! Live music, outdoor dining and people watching in Downtown has become a weekly summer tradition in the local community; locals and visitors alike enjoy stumbling upon a vibrant downtown on a summer evening.

Dates/Location/Cost: Every Saturday at 7:00 pm from July 11th to August 15th, Division Street, FREE
________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5 Awesome Reasons to Support Downtown Somerville’s Farmers Market!

From savoring produce at the peak of freshness to meeting the people who grow your food, there are countless reasons to support farmers markets. Here are just a few!

1. Taste Real Flavors The fruits and vegetables you buy at the farmers market are the freshest and tastiest available. Fruits are allowed to ripen fully in the field and are brought directly to you—no long-distance shipping, no gassing to simulate the ripening process, no sitting for weeks in storage. This food is as real as it gets—fresh from the farm.

2. Enjoy the Season The food you buy at the farmers market is seasonal. It is fresh and delicious and reflects the truest flavors. Shopping and cooking from the farmers market helps you to reconnect with the cycles of nature in our region. As you look forward to asparagus in spring, savor sweet corn in summer, or bake pumpkins in autumn, you reconnect with the earth, the weather, and the turning of the year.

3. Nourish Yourself Much food found in grocery stores is highly processed and grown using pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, and genetic modification. Some of it has been irradiated, waxed, or gassed in transit. These practices may have negative effects on human health. In contrast, most food found at the farmers market is minimally processed, and many of our farmers go to great lengths to grow the most nutritious produce possible by using sustainable techniques, picking produce right before the market, and growing heirloom varieties.

4. Know Where Your Food Comes From A regular trip to a farmers market is one of the best ways to connect with where your food comes from. Meeting and talking to farmers and food artisans is a great opportunity to learn more about how and where food is produced.

5. Connect with Your Community Wouldn’t you rather stroll amidst outdoor stalls of fresh produce on a sunny day than roll your cart around a grocery store with artificial lights and piped in music? Coming to the farmers market makes shopping a pleasure rather than a chore. The farmers market is a community hub—a place to meet up with your friends, bring your children, or just slow down and get a taste of small-town life in the midst of our wonderful hectic lives.

Date/Address/Cost: Every Thursday from now through November 19th, Division Street, FREE