The Sounds of Saugus

Good morning, Saugus

  Selectman Corinne Riley, who was the driving force behind a nifty program that helps newcomers to Saugus – as well as old-timers – get better acquainted with their community, said “Saugus 4-1-1” won’t be happening this fall after successful Saturdays at the Saugus Middle-High School over the past two years.

“The Saugus 4-1-1 Committee would like everyone to know that the Saugus 4-1-1 event will be taking place, but will be held in March 2025,” Selectman Riley said in an announcement this week.

“Invitations to all new residents as well as non-profits will be mailed out in January. We are looking forward to having this wonderful event for new residents as well as those who have been here for years to learn what Saugus has to offer! More detailed information will be coming soon,” she said.

Stay tuned for updates on “Saugus 4-1-1.”

 

Fall Family Festival is tomorrow

  Here’s a good weekend best bet for parents with children who are looking for a fun activity this weekend.

In another week, it will be time for family gatherings at Breakheart Reservation, as the Annual Fall Family Festival is set for Saturday, Sept. 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This FREE event will include lawn games, a petting zoo, storytellers, music and family-oriented activities. Watch and learn about owls with Mass Audubon or hold a live snake with Cape Ann Vernal Pond Team. All this and so much more! This event is cosponsored by the Department of Conservation & Recreation (DCR), Friends of Breakheart, Saugus Cultural Council and S.A.V.E. The event will take place in and around the Christopher P. Dunne Visitor Center.

Please wear comfortable shoes and dress for the weather. Bring drinking water, sunscreen and insect repellent. Rain or shine. Look for rangers who will assist with parking.

SAVE plans to have a “It’s New to You” SWAP table at the Breakheart Fall Festival to keep still usable goods out of the waste stream/trash. Bring items in good condition that are too good to toss or come and find a treasure at our table to take home! Bring, take or do both! All FREE!

SAVE is also sponsoring a Live Owl Show presented by Mass Audubon. Come learn about these fantastic creatures up close. Show times are at 11:00 a.m., 11:30 a.m., noon, 12:30 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. Free admission to the public.

 

Food Pantry notes

The Saugus United Parish Food Pantry will be open today (Friday, Sept. 27) from 9:30-11 a.m. at 50 Essex St. in the basement of Cliftondale Congregational Church. The Saugus United Parish Food Pantry welcomes all neighbors facing food insecurity. If you are able to donate to the food pantry, you can also stop by during those hours or drop donations off at the Saugus Public Library during library hours.

 

Legion Breakfasts today

The American Legion Post 210 has begun its 2024-25 breakfast season. There’s a good deal for Saugus veterans and other folks who enjoy a hearty breakfast on Friday mornings. Doors open at 7:30 a.m., with breakfast served from 8-9:00 a.m. for an $8 donation. Veterans who cannot afford the donation may be served free.

 

Reliving UMass Amherst memories

  Last weekend was one of the best ones I’ve had in many years. I took the two-hour drive back to my alma mater – UMass Amherst – to be a part of the 50th reunion of the Class of 1974. It could be 30 years or more since I last stepped foot on the sprawling campus in Western Massachusetts where I embarked on a journalism career, which continues to this day.

Late last Friday morning, I drove from my home in Methuen to I-93, to I-495, to Route 2, to Route 202 and through some backroads with one mission – to meet at least one classmate I graduated with a half century ago whom I knew.

I had signed up for a special Saturday luncheon at the Old Chapel, where 75 Class of 1974 graduates would get to walk up to the stage and receive a “Golden Diploma” celebrating the 50-year anniversary of completing their college degrees. The Old Chapel is a famous UMass landmark, situated right next door to the W.E.B. DuBois Library, the third tallest library in the world, with 28 floors and 286 feet and four inches tall. At the time of its opening in 1974, it was promoted as the world’s tallest library.

It was during my days at the Massachusetts Daily Collegian that I researched and wrote an investigative story before the library opened with the lead paragraph: “The world’s tallest library has kingsize problems.” The article detailed some issues like fireproof carpeting that actually burned and doors that opened into the stairwell the wrong way, blocking firefighters’ access to standpipes. But those problems paled compared to bricks falling off the building, which gained national publicity years after the opening.

It was at the “Golden Diploma” luncheon in the Old Chapel that I got to accomplish my main mission: getting reacquainted after many years with a fellow classmate. I was thrilled to hear the name “Bill Ballou” announced. We were colleagues at the Daily Collegian. Bill went on to become an accomplished sports writer and columnist for many years at the Worcester Telegram & Gazette.

After the ceremonial diploma presentation ended, I went over to greet Bill and joined him and his wife Debbie for lunch. We reminisced about the old times and got caught up about lives and careers of fellow Daily Collegian colleagues, some of whom had passed. My conversation with Bill over lunch was indeed one of the highlights of my weekend.

Another memorable part of my UMass reunion weekend was walking all over campus to visit familiar landmarks and buildings that were part of my world back in the day. I must have walked more than 10 miles over the weekend, with frequent stops at buildings that got me going back into the time machine, recalling some favorite professors – mentors who helped shape my journalism education and prepare me for my chosen career.

At almost every stop, memories of times past – happy times spent with classmates as well as some challenging times – filled my thoughts. It was truly a nostalgic journey into my past. I made the grueling uphill climb to Grayson Hall on Orchard Hill, where I lived in a student dormitory for the first three years.

Students I talked with said they still call the grassy depression that was located in the center of the four dormitories on Orchard Hill “the bowl.” I remember students sliding into “the bowl” in the winter or sloshing into “the bowl” on a warm, but rainy spring day or night.

One of the students I talked to said walking up and down the trail to Orchard Hill was the worst part of his college life. I told him that I would make as many as three round trips a day from Orchard Hill to the heart of the campus back when I was at UMass Amherst.

The student was stunned when I told him that my annual college bill – tuition, room and board and other UMass-related expenses – only added up to about $1,700 a year when I was a student. Nowadays, the price of instate tuition alone costs more than $17,000 a year and overall costs exceed $33,000.

What a bargain it was for me to obtain an education when I did at UMass Amherst. I worked part-time to help pay my college expenses. There was no need to take out a college loan back then.

In my travels, I noticed some big changes to some of the places I frequented. One noticeable change to the UMass Campus Center was that the dive bar known as “The Blue Wall Cafe,” which once served 2,750 gallons of draft brew a week – the most of any bar on the Eastern Seaboard (an interesting stat I reported in a series I did on college drinking) – had been converted into a large food court full of fancy eateries of all kinds of cuisine with tables and chairs in the middle. It has enough space for 900 customers.

When I was a student, the legal drinking age was lowered in April of 1972 from 21 to 18, which probably was the main reason why the Blue Wall’s beer sales soared, then took a dive when the drinking age was moved back up to 21.

 

Jimmy Fund Craft Fair at The MEG Sunday

  Sharon Genovese and the members of Sharon’s Sneaker Crew will be involved again in the Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk, which is set for Oct. 6. The MEG Foundation announced that the Jimmy Fund Craft Fair – sponsored by Sharon’s Sneaker Crew – will be held at The MEG building (54-58 Essex St., Saugus) on Sept. 29 from 1 to 4 p.m.

 

A Pumpkin Patch “SHOUT OUT”

  Karen Spencer, one of the organizers of First Congregational Church’s annual “Pumpkin Patch,” offered the following “Shout Out.”

“Thank you to the members of the community that came to the First Congregational Church last Saturday morning to unload the delivery of pumpkins. A large tractor trailer truck came from the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico to Saugus with 4,000 pumpkins. Students from Saugus High School, Pioneer Charter School, N.E Vocational School, Pop Warner football players, cheerleaders, coaches and parents, School Committee member Stephanie Mastrocola, Athletic Director Matt Serino along with members and friends of the church formed an assembly line and passed pumpkins one to one until our lawn was full. They did this while it rained the entire time. Thank you also to Patrick Follis from Agganis Construction who showed up with a forklift to unload some pallets. It was like a scene from a movie watching these 100 people working together in the rain to help our church. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.

“If you would like to help, we have another delivery on October 12 @9.00 am.”

 

Want to “Shout Out” a fellow Saugonian?

  This is an opportunity for our paper’s readers to single out – in a brief mention – remarkable acts or achievements by Saugus residents or an act of kindness or a nice gesture. Just send an email (mvoge@comcast.net) with a mention in the subject line of “An Extra Shout Out.” No more than a paragraph; anything longer might lend itself to a story and/or a photo.

 

The Library hosts a Helen Keller portrayal tomorrow

  The New Friends of the Saugus Public Library welcome back actor Sheryl Faye in “Helen Keller: Champion of the Disabled.” Fae will perform in the Community Room of the Saugus Public Library from 2 to 3:30 p.m. tomorrow (Saturday, Sept. 28).

The program is written from Helen’s mind’s eye. The story is told on a taped voice-over as Helen reenacts her full life from her childhood through her discovery of language when she was seven years old to the writing of her 12 books. She will show the audience how she speaks and reads in Braille, and her story continues through her graduation from college. This is one of our most unique, very special programs, which helps us to understand and accept the different ways people do the same things and inspires them to be the best they can be with the talents they possess. The show is 45 minutes with questions.

Space is limited so registration is required. Register online at https://www.sauguspubliclibrary.org/events or over the phone (781-231-4168).

Sheryl Fae stars in 11 one-woman shows and tours throughout the country, performing for a variety of organizations for children and adults. She has been the recipient of many awards for both stage and film.

 

Library features paranormal investigations on Oct. 3

“Paranormal Investigation with Don DeCristofaro” will be featured at the Saugus Public Library on Thursday, Oct. 3, from 6-7 p.m. in the Community Room. Don will discuss paranormal investigation in general, then get into some memorable investigations, including Conjuring House, Hell House and the USS Salem. The USS Salem is a post–World War II Heavy Cruiser and is considered to be the most actively haunted location in New England! Don will share video, photographic and audio evidence with the audience.

Please register in advance using our online Events Calendar: https://www.sauguspubliclibrary.org/events.

 

Author Laurie King’s virtual visit on Oct. 7

  Residents who use the Saugus Public Library will be able to have an hour-long virtual visit with Laurie King, The New York Times bestselling author of the Mary Russell & Sherlock Holmes series, via Zoom on Monday, Oct. 7, at 7 p.m. Mystery lovers everywhere are welcome to meet the writer of one of the most celebrated mystery series – featuring Sherlock Holmes’ apprentice, Mary Russell, and the great detective himself – and celebrate the 30th anniversary of the publication of “The Beekeeper’s Apprentice,” the first book in the series. Follow the unlikely pair from their first meeting when the great detective, now retired, mistakes 15-year-old Mary Russell for a boy, to their most recent adventure uncovering Sherlock Holmes’s family secrets in “The Lantern’s Dance.”

Library visitors can register for An Evening with Laurie King at https://www.sauguspubliclibrary.org/events or https://www.eventkeeper.com/code/ekform.cfm?curOrg=SAUGUS&curID=722396

Every registrant will be entered to win A Beekeeper’s Apprentice Gift Basket!

 

Trivia Night Oct. 17

  The Saugus Business Education Collaborative (SBEC) is gearing up for the 12th Annual Trivia “Travaganza,” which is set for Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. at the Kowloon Restaurant.

All teams and players must be registered in advance. Entry costs $250 per team, with five players to a team. The price includes an all-you-can-eat buffet. The buffet opens at 6 p.m. and ends at 7 p.m. The overall winning team will win a trophy and bragging rights. Registration forms may be picked up at any Saugus public school, at the school administration building, at North Shore Bank (Route 1 South) and at Rossetti Insurance.

Spectators are welcome to cheer on the teams for only $25 per person. The price includes an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Please make checks payable to SBEC. For more registration information, please email Kim Lovett at Klovett@northshore-bank.com

 

Knights planning Oct. 19 flea market and craft fair

The Knights of Columbus Council 1829 plans to hold its Festive Holiday Flea Market and Craft Fair on Saturday, Oct. 19 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 57 Appleton St. The huge indoor affair is still several weeks away. But it’s not too early for participants to begin planning.

Vendor space for this year’s event will be $30 with free admission and free parking to go along with raffles, food and fun. Anyone with questions should call the Knights of Columbus at 781-233-9858. For more information, Paul Giannetta can also be reached at 978-239-1392.

 

Halloween Pet Parade Oct. 20

Breakheart Reservation will be hosting its Second Annual Halloween Pet Parade on Sunday, Oct. 20, at 11:30 a.m. Registration begins at 11 a.m. at Breakheart Reservation (177 Forest St., Saugus). There will be a $10 donation to enter the costume contest – cash only. Prizes will be awarded for best behavior and best pet costume. Raffle prizes will be open to all who donate. This fall event will include the Pet Parade, the Pet Costume Contest, Pet Photo Opportunities, local vendors, raffles and giveaways.

The event is sponsored by the Department of Conservation & Recreation (DCR), the Friends of Breakheart Reservation and Peter A. Rossetti Insurance Agency, Inc. For questions, please call Joyce at 781-233-1855, extension 1019 or Lisa at 781-808-7817.

 

Health and Wellness Fair Oct. 21

The Saugus-Everett Elks and the Saugus Senior Center are teaming up to cosponsor a Health and Wellness Fair on Monday, Oct. 21, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Saugus Senior Center (466 Central St., Saugus). There will be a variety of health organizations that will offer free health screenings, educational tables, giveaways, raffles and much more. This is a free event and open to the public for all ages.

 

“Evil Dead The Musical” next month

  The Theatre Company of Saugus (TCS) is proud to present seven performances of “Evil Dead The Musical” next month, beginning with an opening night performance on October 11. The six other performances are Saturday, Oct. 12 (8 p.m.); Sunday, Oct. 13 (2 p.m.); Thursday, Oct. 17 (8 p.m.); Friday, Oct. 18 (8 p.m.); Saturday, Oct. 19 (8 p.m.); and Sunday, Oct. 20 (2 p.m.). This cult classic is sure to have you laughing and rolling. The production takes place at the American Legion (44 Taylor St., Saugus, Mass.). Please join us for an Opening Night Reception immediately following the performance on October 11. “Evil Dead The Musical” is one of the craziest, funniest and bloodiest theatrical experiences of all time. (There will be a limited number of splatter zone tickets!)

Follow five college students to an abandoned cabin in the woods, where they accidentally unleash an evil force that turns them all into demons. It’s all up to Ash (a housewares employee, turned demon-killing hero) and his trusty chainsaw to save the day. What could be more fun?

Follow us on Instagram (@tcsaugus) for a peek into what goes on behind the scenes of creating this groovy production. “Evil Dead” features TCS veteran actors Brady Neiss-Moe, Dana Murray, Mariah Hanzel, Caroline DeBrota, Andy LeBlanc, Lauren Thompson, Brian Dion, Michael Silvia, Mark Damon, Melissa Sullivan, Meg Brown and Shawyoun Shaidani as well as newcomers Chelsea Callahan, Ian Page and Valerie Whiteneck.

“Evil Dead” is unlike any live show you’ve ever seen – it’s an experience! Join us for a fun-filled, bloody evening full of camp and music. Warning: for mature audiences (contains language, suggestive themes, blood and violence and is all around pretty gross). For more information or to order tickets, visit www.tcsaugus.org

 

About The Saugus Advocate

We welcome press releases, news announcements, freelance articles and courtesy photos from the community. Our deadline is noon Wednesday. If you have a story idea, an article or photo to submit, please email me at mvoge@comcast.net or leave a message at 978-683-7773. Or send your press release to me in the mail at PO Box 485, North Andover, MA 01845. Let us become your hometown newspaper. The Saugus Advocate is available in the Saugus Public Library, the Saugus Senior Center, Saugus Town Hall, local convenience stores and restaurants throughout town.