What an epic ending to the last official weekend of summer. Fluff Fest shut down Union, the Night Market took over Central, and while we're about to get some rough cloudy days, the rest of fest season just got started.

The breweries run the show for a lot of this week, even if you're not drinking. Singles events to delete the apps, drawing parties for the creatives and social prompts to help you make new friends. Though you should start planning for a busy weekend too.

One of the most anticipated events of the fall is this Saturday. That's right, you guessed it, Meowfest. Scroll down and make sure to check out the tour map before you go.

Happy first week of fall.

Week's Forecast

Stories 'Round The Squares

Somerville cuts the ribbon on the Tufts Street Neighborway on October 6, closing out a three-year redesign with raised crosswalks, wider sidewalks, a new mural and about 45 trees going in · Patch

A three-month investigation into drug distribution in North Cambridge and Central Square ended with the arrest of a 65-year-old Somerville resident on multiple distribution and possession charges · The Somerville Times

Cambridge photographer Mario Quiroz turned City Line Laundromat into a gallery, a venue in East Somerville he says he would choose over a solo show at the MFA · WBUR

Jason Isbell and three other musicians filed a class action against Cambridge-based AI music platform Suno, alleging it encoded their identities into its model and sells songs that evoke them without consent · Boston.com

The Somerville Police Department welcomed four new officers to its ranks this week · The Somerville Times

Happenings

Spotlight Of The Week

Mingle Mayhem: Big Singles Bash @ Aeronaut Brewing, Somerville - Somerville's most well known singles organizers are here again but this time at the taproom. Skip the speed dating rounds for games designed by scientists and matchmakers. 82% of past attendees walked out having made a connection

MEET & MINGLE

Monday September 21st

U.S. Steinholding State Qualifier @ Aeronaut Brewing, Somerville - Oktoberfest season is running full steam ahead and Aeronaut chips in with a steinholding qualifier where competitors keep a full stein extended at arm's length. A senior citizen round starts at 6, followed by a general round at 7 | FREE • 6-9PM

STEADY MY STEIN

Skip the Small Talk @ Aeronaut, Somerville - Moving into a new community and making friends can be hard and Skip the Small Talk provides a solution. They're back at Aeronaut to help you have more authentic conversations and meet people you'd otherwise call strangers. Typing STOOP20 at checkout snags you a discount | $24 • 6:30PM · Sponsored

SEE THE EVENTS

Indie Movie Monday: Juno @ Lamplighter Brewing Co., Cambridge - Rain is set to hit on Monday so you might as well settle into Lamplighter for their movie nights. Tomorrow launches a monthly indie film series screening Juno | FREE • 7-9PM

WATCH A MOVIE

Tuesday September 22nd

Mini Golf for Good @ Tech Square, Cambridge - Life Science Cares Boston marks ten years with its mini golf tournament in Kendall, drawing 500 plus people from life science and nonprofits. Food trucks and lawn games for a can't-miss afternoon | • 4:00PM

PUTT FOR PURPOSE

The Tuesday Table Mahjong @ CanalSide Food and Drink, Cambridge - Learn one of the fastest growing table games with Mahjesty's weekly Mahjong night at CanalSide. Beginners and regulars all welcomed | $30-$55 • 6-8PM

SNAG A SEAT

Wednesday September 23rd

The Community Chest Citizens Rock Climbing Competition @ Central Rock Gym, Cambridge - Central Rock Gym starts a five-day bouldering competition on Wednesday with the grand prize being 3 months of free membership. Open to non-members | $15-20 • SEPT 23-27

CLIMB & COMPETE

Matcha Meetup with Nomu @ Kendall Center Urban Park, Cambridge - Love matcha? Good. Catch a weekly rooftop pop up with matcha from Nomu to help transition into the fall season. Bring friends or make new matcha-loving ones. First 150 guests get a complimentary...you guessed it: matcha | FREE • 1-4PM

MEET & MATCHA

Start Where We Are Earth Music Festival @ Bow Market, Somerville - The Start Where We Are Earth Music Festival returns to Bow Market with six local acts Upstairs at Bow and courtyard fires burning through the night | FREE • 6-10PM

TELL ME MORE

YogaSix Fall Equinox Class @ Baxter Park Amphitheater, Somerville - YogaSix Assembly Row moves their fall equinox class to the Baxter Park Amphitheater before the cold sets in. Breathwork and techniques for all levels | FREE • 6:30-7:30PM

STRETCH AT THE PARK

Survivor Premiere Watch Party @ Lamplighter CX, Cambridge - Lock in for season 51 of Survivor, premiering at the Lamplighter CX brewery, the first of an ongoing weekly Wednesday run. Special beer flights & Survivor Bingo included | FREE • 8-11PM

SIP & SURVIVE

The Stoop's Picks

Harvard Art Museums at Night @ Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge - Drop into the Harvard Art Museum for their monthly night outing where you can explore more than fifty galleries, hang in the courtyard, and try new local vendors. Great for a solo night or a group adventure

EXPLORE AT NIGHT

Skip the Small Talk @ Aeronaut Brewing, Somerville - If you’re still new to the area, Skip the Small Talk sets up at the brewery for a chance to meet new people and have more intentional conversations. Prompt cards handle the introductions and partners rotate through

SEE ALL THE EVENTS

Thursday September 24th

Harvard Art Museum at Night @ Harvard Art Museum, Cambridge - Harvard Art Museum's monthly late night outing is back with this month's theme focusing on their new photography exhibition. DJs in the courtyard, and over 50 galleries to wander | FREE • 5-9PM

EXPLORE THE MUSEUM

Drink n' Draw @ Aeronaut Brewing, Somerville - Drink n' Draw is exactly what it sounds like. No experience needed, work off prompts and make new friends and have a slow Thursday night | FREE • 7-9PM

DRINK N' DRAW

Mingle Mayhem: Big Singles Bash @ Aeronaut Brewing, Somerville - One of the biggest singles events in Somerville is here with a structured night that trades speed dating for games built by scientists and matchmakers. 82% of past attendees said they made a connection they wanted to follow up on | $34 • 7-9PM

SWIPE RIGHT IRL

Weekend Sneak Peek

Cambridge Cat Tour & Meowfest @ Dana Park, Cambridge - Yes, you read that right. Cambridge hosts its first ever walking tour of our feline friends, the porch greeters and professional loafers. Register your cat, walk the tour or pull up to Meowfest afterwards

CATCH THE CAT TOUR

Smoke This" Rib Fest @ Cambridge Street, East Cambridge - The 17th annual rib competition closes down Cambridge Street between Fulkerson and Fifth, pitting 19 restaurants against each other for Best Ribs in Town. A Taste Ticket gets you 10 samples and a vote for the People's Choice Award

RANK THE RIBS

Crime & Safety

Cambridge

147 INCIDENTS 24 ARRESTS  Per day · Sep 7-13, the most recent logs CPD has posted

Mon 9/7
19
Tue 9/8
25
Wed 9/9
25
Thu 9/10
25
Fri 9/11
26
Sat 9/12
12
Sun 9/13
15

September 7 through 13 ran 147 incidents and 24 arrests, the busiest week we have charted, with the first five days holding steady in the mid-20s before dropping off sharply on the 12th and 13th.

NOTABLE: Two people were arrested in Central Square around 2:30AM on September 13 after a street fight in which they kicked a person badly enough to cause significant injury. Because they were wearing shoes, the charge became assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, which is how Massachusetts treats a kick. One of them also kneed a responding officer.

Shoplifting dominated everything else, with close to 30 reports, four at the same Alewife Brook Pkwy strip inside two hours on September 11 and three people walking out of a Mass. Ave. store with $400 on September 13. Bikes were the other constant, eight gone and topped by a $3,000 e-bike off JFK St., though a Porter Square stop on September 12 turned up a rider with a stolen one. Scam calls kept landing, one from a fake NYPD officer, another from a fake bank. Odder entries: coconuts thrown through a Rindge Ave. windshield, a $600 child stroller taken from a Chatham St. porch, and a 76-year-old arrested on September 8 for throwing a stick during an argument over an Upton St. parking space.

Somerville

1 ARREST  Per day · Sep 7-13, the most recent log posted

Mon 9/7
0
Tue 9/8
1
Wed 9/9
0
Thu 9/10
0
Fri 9/11
0
Sat 9/12
0
Sun 9/13
0

Somerville's newest log covers the same week and shows a single arrest, down from five, with six of the seven days coming back empty.

NOTABLE: Somerville's one arrest of the week, on September 8, came with a full burglary stack: breaking and entering at night for a felony, larceny from a building, possession of burglarious tools, and two counts involving a depository, the legal term for a safe, vault or ATM. An outstanding Cambridge warrant was tacked on.

State law keeps juveniles, domestic violence and sexual assault out of both cities' public logs, so neither set of numbers is a full count.

Sources: Cambridge Police daily logs and the Somerville Police weekly arrest log.

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