Sorry for the lateness of this week's PIO Update
12th Annual Danehy Park Family Day Saturday, Sept. 29

The City of Cambridge will host the 12th Annual Danehy Park Family Day Saturday, September 29, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.  Enjoy a fun-filled day of children's amusement rides, arts and crafts, music and roving performers, plus free hot dogs, chips, sodas, and T-shirts while supplies last! Check out performances throughout the day at the children's stage.  Other special giveaways include colorful kites that appeal to kids of all ages! There is no rain date. Danehy Park is a 55-acre facility located at 99 Sherman Street in North Cambridge (adjacent to Garden and New Streets). This free event, sponsored by the City of Cambridge, attracts over 4,000 people annually and offers something for everyone.   Visit the Energy Adventure Tent, which will feature activities and information about energy conservation and alternative energy sources.  For more information, call 617-349-4301 or visit www.cambridgema.gov.

Northeast Sector Walkabout Sept. 24, 6-7:30 p.m.
Front Door of Water Purification Facility, 250 Fresh Pond Parkway

Chip Norton, Watershed Manager for the Cambridge Water Department, will give a tour of Fresh Pond Reservation’s Northeast Sector. Much work has been done this summer. This two-mile walk will be on paved roads and unpaved paths. This Friends of Fresh Pond Reservation event is FREE and open to the public. Children are welcome in the
company of an adult. Please register to receive important information on parking. E-mail Elizabeth Wylde at
friendsoffreshpond@yahoo.com or call (617) 349-4793 and leave your name and phone number

Multi-Service Center 20th Anniversary & Open House Sept. 25

Please join us on September 25 in celebrating the Multi-Service Center’s 20 years of helping homeless and at-risk Cambridge families and individuals find and retain housing.

Open House at the Multi-Service Center, 19 Brookline Street, 1-5 p.m.
Come meet the staff, have a brief informal tour and refreshments and learn more about what the MSC does.

Evening Event at Citywide Senior Center, 806 Massachusetts Avenue, 5-8 p.m., Festivities/buffet supper.
Featured speakers:  Jill Herold, former Assistant City Manager, and Philip Mangano, founder of the Multi-Service Center and now Executive Director of the Interagency Council on Homelessness in Washington D.C.

For more information or to RSVP for the evening event, please contact Jose Soares, jsoares@cambridgema.gov, extension 6343.

Voter Registration Sept. 26

The Cambridge Election Commission is conducting voter registration training on Sept 26 at 7 p.m., 51 Inman Street, Cambridge, MA. to further the Motor Voter Law’s goal of encouraging community outreach by making voter registration forms available to people wherever they work, visit or otherwise conduct business. Materials to be provided include a Voter Registration Training Manual, voter registration forms in multiple languages, and voting posters which will also be available at the Commission office. The manual’s information includes how to correctly fill out voter registration forms, and answers to frequently asked questions about voting. It will be posted on the Commission’s website. Go to  www.Cambridgema.gov  then click on departments, Election Commission. Voter registration forms are available at the Cambridge Election Commission, 51 Inman Street, Cambridge, MA, and various sites in the city including Libraries and Post Office branches.  Or call 1-800-462-VOTE or 617-727-2828, visiti the State’s election web site at http://www.state.ma.us/sec/ele/elestu/stuidx.htm.  To vote in Cambridge a person must be a Cambridge resident, U.S. citizen, and age 18 by Election Day. For more information contact the Election Commission at 617-349-4361.

CRS Training Opportunities…

CRS Request Submission Training          
Wednesday, Sept. 26, 10-11 a.m.

CRS Complete Basic Training                    
Wednesday, Sept. 26, 1–4 p.m.

Both trainings will be held at the IT Training Room. Contact Reina Charles at rcharles@cambridgema.gov  or x4140 to register.

Brain Terrain: An Exhibition of Paintings and Drawings by Heidi Whitman Sept. 24 – Nov. 9
Opening Reception:  Wednesday, Sept. 26, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
CAC Gallery, Cambridge City Hall Annex, 344 Broadway, 2nd Floor

This exhibit provides a context for Whitman’s first permanent public art project - a mosaic for the new Lafayette Square Plaza in Central Square. For more info. visit:
http://www.cambridgeartscouncil.org/exhibitions_upcoming.html

Cambridge School Volunteers – Fall Kick-off Orientation
September 27, 5:30-7:30 pm

Cambridge School Volunteers (CSV) invites those interested in volunteering in the Cambridge Public Schools, to attend their kick-off orientation event at the Media Café of Cambridge Rindge & Latin School (CRLS), 459 Broadway, with a light dinner, and then move to the CRLS Library for an information and discussion session. Come learn about the different volunteer opportunities in grades K-12 and meet CSV staff. To register for the event, contact CSV at 617-349-6794 or csv@cpsd.us.

The Art of African Head Wrap Sept. 27 @ 7 p.m.
Central Square Branch, 45 Pearl Street, Cambridge, MA 02139

The House of Tafari Collection and the Cambridge Public Library are proud to present this great educational workshop, designed to reconnect children of the African Diaspora to their cultural heritage. This workshop has also been sponsored by the American Cancer Society “Look good, feel better” program to introduce alternative beauty solutions for individuals experiencing hair loss. Learn the history of the usage of African headdress in Rwanda and Zaire; Experience first-hand a demonstration of the art of African head by Imani Mcfarlane: Fashion designer, Interior Designer, Fabric Consultant and Seamstress of the House of Tafari Collection; Obtain textile recommendation for head wraps; Receive handouts of step-by-step instruction for wrapping African textiles; and Receive complimentary African Head Wraps from the House of Tafari Collection.

Cambridge Public Library Walk and Learn  - September 28

The Friday Morning Walking Group at the Cambridge Public Library is winding down the season.  The last walk will be Friday, September 28.  The program features weekly 60 minute walks exploring the local neighborhood via varying routes and themes.  Librarians supplement walking with stories and facts about the chosen themes.  Meet in the front lobby at the Main Branch, 359 Broadway at 10 a.m. every Friday, rain or shine, through September.  Open to all.  The only requirements are comfortable walking shoes and a desire to walk for fitness, learning or just plain ole' fun! The final themes is"African American Heritage Trail II" on September 28.  Contact Susan or Ingrid for more information at 617-349-4044 or via E-mail: sciccone@cambridgma.gov  or  inowak@cambridgema.gov

City of Cambridge Partnering with Green Streets Initiative:
Walk/Ride Day is the Last Friday of Every Month

The City of Cambridge and the Green Streets Initiative want you to get involved!  Green Streets is a Cambridge based grass roots organization started in 2006 whose Walk/Ride Days have been sweeping the town.  The idea is simple: On the last Friday of every month willing participants all over the city choose to give up their cars for an alternative mode of transportation: walking, biking, riding public transportation (horses, unicycles, rollerblades, also acceptable). This throng of Walk/Riders stands out from the rest by wearing something green.  This “green status” makes them eligible to visit participating businesses who offer fabulous incentives.  Discounts, freebies, raffles, free passes, are a few examples of what a green sporting Walk/Rider might discover on his or her journey. 
The idea is to create a city-wide party that individual citizens, businesses, and retailers alike create by going green.  The City of Cambridge will be kicking off Walk/Ride celebrations in the upcoming months. Stay tuned for more information and in the meantime, mark the last Friday of every month on your calendars as Walk/Ride Days.  
Visit the Green Streets website for more information about how to get involved, win prizes, and go green : www.gogreenstreets.org

Cambridge Bike Ride Sunday September 30

Join the Cambridge Bicycle Committee for a leisurely ride through the streets of Cambridge. This fall's ride will pass by, around and through a good fraction of Cambridge's nearly 100 parks and playgrounds. We will make three stops along the 14.5 mile route for short talks. A fourth stop will be near the end of the ride at Lechmere Canal Park (behind the CambridgeSide Galleria), where refreshments will be provided. The Cambridge Police Bike Patrol will escort the ride. The ride begins and ends at Cambridge Common (just north of Harvard Square along Mass Ave). Please arrive by 10:15 am. The ride will depart at 10:30 and take about two and a half hours. The rain date is Sunday October 7, same time. Announcements regarding rain will be sent to the ride email list and posted on www.cambridgebikes.org. There is no registration or charge for the tour -- just show up and enjoy! Supporting content for the ride provided by the Cambridge Community Development Department and the Cambridge Arts Council. For more information, visit www.cambridgebikes.org

Domestic Violence Awareness Candlelight Vigil Oct. 1

Please join us for a silent candlelight vigil on Monday, October 1, at 6 p.m., on the steps of City Hall to honor those who have lost their lives to Domestic Violence in 2007.
 
Cambridge Tourism Website Gets a Facelift and an Award Nomination

The newly revamped Cambridge Tourism website has been nominated for a Pixel Award! There is a people's choice award, where people can vote online. The Tourism Office's web design firm, Lumen Eclipse, put an ad up on the home page of the Tourism website to encourage people to vote. Check it out!! www.cambridge-usa.org
 
Weight Watchers at Work Begins Sept. 25
 
Need a little help shedding those extra pounds?? Sign up for the next at-work Weight Watchers session which starts Tuesday, Sept. 25 at Noon at 831 Massachsetts Ave. (Registration was held last Tuesday but there is still time to join as it officially begins Sept. 25. Some city health plans reimburse a portion of the session costs. Contact Penny if you are interested or want more information: x4205 (m-th) or ppeters@cambridgema.gov.

Cambridge Arts Council Grant Program
Application Deadline: October 15, 2007
CAC's Grant Program awards funding to high quality artistic projects directly benefiting the citizens of Cambridge. Support for this program comes from the City of Cambridge and receives an annual allocation from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. Information and the application form: http://www.cambridgeartscouncil.org/community_grants.html

Save the Date: Winter Wonderball City Employee Semi-Formal
Friday, November 30 at 7 P.M.
Dinner, live music, and dancing at the Charles Hotel
Tickets: $50.00/person or $100.00/couple
This is not a City sponsored event. A Limited quantity of tickets are available.
For tickets for information, contact Jeana Kurilik (x7715) or Charles Walker (x4330)