Wheels dominated on Ellery Street last Saturday as Swissnex's annual Kids on Wheels festivities and beautiful weather brought out hundreds of bikers young and old.

Click the image to watch the video....

From a pedal-powered blender churning up fruit smoothies to biking challenges for kids to a chocolate fountain drizzling over fruit kebabs, the Swiss Consulate celebrated Cambridge Science Festival with a family fun tribute to clean transportation and yummy food.

Later this month, Swissnex will sponsor bike dress up day so stay tuned!

What do clean transportation,sustainable energy,and chocolate have in common? Switzerland!

The Swiss Consulate here in Cambridge is hosting Kids on Wheels this Saturday as part of the Cambridge Science Festival.

Join bikeophiles and chocophiles Saturday May 1 from 2:00-5:00 at the Swiss Consulate: 420 Broadway (corner of Ellery St) just kitty-cornered from the Cambridge Public Library for

• A bicycle rodeo for kids with challenges and games to test bike control, reflexes, balance, awareness, navigation, and other fun skill tests.
• An exhibition on sustainable transportation
• A free bike check by a professional bike mechanic
• A chocolate fountain with dipping fruit kebabs

Flat Roofs stress city sewage system during storms

The recent record-breaking rains not only left in their wake a swath of flooded homes, mildewed and moldy basements, damaged foundations, eroded streets, but they put tremendous pressure on local sewers, some of which backed up. It’s bad enough to be flooded with rainwater, but sewage is a nightmare.

Storm water and Sewer water

Where the city has separated storm drains and sewer drains, the rain water runoff goes into the gutters and into the storm drains, remaining separate from the sewer drains so that in heavy rain the sewers don’t back up. read more...

It’s easy to miss the little sign outside the Charles Hotel parking garage, but it's worth noting the Charles Hotel Green Parking program.

After I got over my immediate Cambridgey knee-jerk reaction “nobody should drive, we should all be on Public Trans or bikes” attitude, I climbed down off my high horse and admitted that some people do have to drive some of the time and that the Green Garage program includes some innovative ideas.

Such as…
Free Bike lending and parking
The Charles Hotel has a free bike-lending program available to all hotel guests. The Men's and women's Electra Amsterdam Classic bicycles each come with a handlebar-mounted basket, a Giro helmet, a Kryptonite lock, and a local bike trail map.

The garage also offers complimentary bike parking. read more...

Flu Vaccines are popular this year.

Cambridge flu clinics have been postponed due to national shipping delays of injectable seasonal flu vaccine.

However FluMist, the nasal spray flu vaccine, is still available to children in Cambridge public and independent schools through the department’s school health program.

The Cambridge Public Health Department has vaccinated about 2,500 people since October 8 at flu clinics around the city.

When additional doses of injectable seasonal flu vaccine arrive in November, a revised flu clinic schedule will be posted. The target groups for the vaccine will be Cambridge seniors (age 65 or older), as well as Cambridge residents and workers with chronic health conditions that place them at risk for serious complications from the flu. read more...

Take advantage of Cambridge Health Alliance's Free Flu Clinic especially for kids and families tomorrow morning, Saturday October 17th from 10AM-noon.

The weather is going to be terrible anyway so grab the kids and stop in at the Tobin School (197 Vassal Lane) to get your flu shots and flu mist(for healthy children with no history of wheezing).

Kids and families go to the Upper Level and adults without kids go express to the Lower Level.

Remember, flu can KILL!
The best ways to prevent the spread of flu are:

• Get a flu shot
• Wash your hands often
• Cover your mouth for coughs and sneezes
• Stay home if you are sick

photo from commons.wikimedia.org

Quick Quick! Stop in tonight at the Cambridge Y at 820 Mass Ave from 6:00-7:30.

A panel of experts will present an overview of evolving H1N1 (swine) flu situation, and answer questions. And you can get information about the citywide flu vaccination program.

Panel members will include the department’s director of public health nursing, a Cambridge Health Alliance physician, and a representative from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

For more information about this free event, call 617-665-3800 or visit www.cambridgepublichealth.org.