The Sounds of Saugus

By Mark E. Vogler

 

Good morning, Saugus

I hope and pray that good weather prevails for tonight’s 154th Commencement Exercises for the Saugus High School Class of 2025. My personal preference is to be out there milling around on the playing field of Christie Serino Jr. Memorial Stadium, without a raincoat or umbrella. But even the rain can’t and shouldn’t spoil the evening for the 180 or so graduates who will be receiving their high school diplomas. If the weather doesn’t cooperate, there’s a nice auditorium inside the Saugus Middle High School where the show will go on, rain or shine.

Best wishes to the students of this class and their families as they embark on a new phase of their lives. Of special note is that 72, or approximately 40 percent, of the young graduates will be first-generation college students, according to information provided by Saugus Public Schools. Hats off to the Saugus High Class of 2025 and the best of luck to each of you individually as you pursue your future endeavors and dreams. May you be good citizens and contribute to the betterment of your community, whether it be Saugus or any other place you call home.

 

This week’s “SHOUT OUTs”

We received one from Precinct 6 Town Meeting Member Jeanie Bartolo: “This ‘Shout Out’ goes to my Pen Pal Ariana Lemus and her best friend Tiffany Rivas. Ariana and I exchanged letters all school year and we finally got to meet in person on Tuesday at the Senior Center where they hosted a Pizza Party for all of us. Besides being pretty and sweet, Ariana is engaging and extremely intelligent for her age and is just a joy to know. My life is richer because I met her. Our future looks brighter with Ariana and Tiffany leading the way for us all, and I have no doubt they will reach all of life’s goals they set for themselves. The best Luck to both of you. Your Pen Pal forever!”

We also received a special “Shout Out” from Mike Sullivan of the Saugus Band and Chorus Parents Association: “We would appreciate it if your fine publication could share a few photos from the Saugus Middle School Band and Chorus Spring Concert, on May 21. Over 200 family members, friends, and school district staff attended the dynamic and crowd pleasing show.”

Here’s an Editor’s “Shout Out” to Dave Arwine, President of the Saugus Band & Chorus Parents Association, who took the photos of the Saugus Middle School Band and Chorus Spring Concert and shared them with our readers.

Here’s another Editor’s “Shout Out” to the members of the Saugus High School Class of 2025, who will walk across the stage tonight – either at the Christie Serino Jr. Memorial Stadium or inside the auditorium of the Saugus Middle High School – to receive their diplomas. And a special “Shout Out” to all of the parents, teachers, staff and others who contributed to the academic success of the 180 young people who will be celebrated at tonight’s 154th Commencement Exercises of Saugus High School.

 

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 (mv***@*****st.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.

 

Final weekend of Kindergarten Kickers

Kindergarten Kickers, a youth soccer program in Saugus for children ages four to six (in kindergarten or entering kindergarten in the fall), will be finishing its spring season on Sunday (June 8) from 2:30-3:30 p.m. at Anna Parker Playground.

“It was a big success in the fall and again this spring,” according to Liz Venezia.

“We have 76 players (with a waitlist) across 6 teams with the help of 18 awesome coaches,” she said.

 

Saugus United Parish Food Pantry

The Saugus United Parish Food Pantry welcomes all neighbors facing food insecurity on Fridays from 9:30-11 a.m. at 50 Essex St. in the basement of Cliftondale Congregational Church.

 

American Legion Blood Drive

The American Legion Post 210 in Saugus will hold a blood drive from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, June 7, at 44 Taylor St. in Saugus. Please call 1-800-Red Cross (1-800-733-2767) or visit RedCrossBlood.org and enter Saugus community to schedule an appointment.

 

Firefighter Memorial Sunday

The Saugus Firefighters Relief Association invites you to our Firefighter Memorial Sunday, Sunday, June 8, at 10 a.m. at the Public Safety Building on Hamilton Street. Friends and family are welcome to attend. Collation to follow in the third floor training room.

 

Town Democrats meet June 11

The Saugus Democratic Town Committee invites you to join our next monthly meeting on Wednesday evening, June 11, at 7 p.m., on the 2nd floor of the Saugus Public Safety Building, 27 Hamilton Street, Saugus.

If you have shared democratic values and want to resist the threats to our Constitution, please attend and be with fellow concerned citizens and take action. Any questions, contact sa*******@***il.com (submitted by Lin Bell, SDTC Secretary).

 

Strawberry Festival June 21

The Saugus Historical Society Strawberry Festival and the Saugus Garden Club annual plant sale will be held on Saturday, June 21. Strawberry shortcakes will be served at the American Legion Hall from 10-2, and the plant sale will be taking place on the lawn of the Roby School, facing Main Street, along with several craft vendors.

 

SAVE Annual Meeting & Dinner June 25

The Saugus Action Volunteers for the Environment (SAVE) will hold its 52nd Annual Meeting & Dinner on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, at the Grill House Restaurant at 817 Broadway / Route 1 South, Saugus (social hour begins at 6:30 p.m., dinner buffet to begin at approximately 7:00 p.m.).

The Public is cordially invited and we hope you can join us for the Dinner Buffet consisting of Fresh Garden Salad, Grilled Mixed Tips, Baked Haddock, and Cheese Ravioli, Vegetable, Rolls and Butter, Dessert, and Coffee, Tea, or Soda.

Joining us this year as guest speaker will be Andrea Lacroix. Andrea is affiliated with Beyond Plastics, raising awareness of plastic pollution and sharing plastic reduction initiatives.

Tickets are $35 per person. Payment can be made by check or Venmo.

Please make payment as soon as possible, but no later than June 13th either via mail to SAVE Treasurer, Mary Kinsell, 11 Sunnyside Avenue, Saugus, MA 01906, with a check payable to SAVE, Saugus, or, make your payment by Venmo to @SAVE-org and complete your forms here: https://forms.gle/KEYAU8CUnAWhoxQEA

You may also contact Ann at ad*****@*****10.net or Mary at Mk******@*****on.net

Please let us know if you are able to join us for a fun and informative evening, as well as a wonderful buffet dinner, as soon as possible. Free parking is available on site, and the facility is ADA accessible.

 

A special call for art

Here’s a special request from Tori Darnell, co-chair of the Saugus Cultural Council:

I wanted to share with you that the Saugus Cultural Council has partnered with Bike to the Sea to host an outdoor art show along the Northern Strand Trail on Saturday, July 19th. This special 1-day event is to celebrate local creativity and community spirit by showcasing artwork from residents of all ages who live along this community-connecting trail.

I am reaching out to community groups and leaders along the trail; Everett, Malden, Revere, Saugus, and Lynn, for their support in promoting the call for artists for this community-connecting event. Artists are to submit artwork through this online form: https://forms.gle/sM9KLBzskdJHKaUc6/. Artwork deadline entry is July 1st, 2025.

Tori can be reached at 339-440-1017 for more details.

 

Saugus Sachems Summer Track Camp 2025

Coach Christopher Tarantino – also known affectionately as “Coach T” – has announced plans for his Summer Track Camp. Registration will get underway soon. “This vibrant program, now in its 20th year, is where student athletes from a wide range of ages come together to listen well, work hard, and have fun!” Coach T said in an email.

Track Camp runners will be guided by Coach Tarantino, his coaches, counselors and alumni, as well as current middle and high school track team members.

“Participants work on social and team building skills, as well as setting individual and team goals, all while learning the fundamentals and or the advanced techniques of this dynamic sport, track and field,” Coach T said.

Here’s a summary of what interested kids and their parents need to know.

Who: five to 18 years old.

Where: Belmonte Track.

When: 6-8 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

June 23-27 – final registration week/returning athlete training

June 30-July 4 – first formal week

July 19 – Summer Showdown in Cranston, R.I.

July 23 – Wrap up

Cost: $300 first year (was $250 if registered by June 1), $200 returning with uniform, $150 if three years or more in summer program; includes pasta dinner, t-shirt, uniform and entry into Summer Showdown.

For any questions, further information or to register, please contact Coach Christopher Tarantino (Coach T) at 781-854-6778 or ch********************@***il.com

 

A “Zip Trip” stop in Saugus on June 27

Mark Friday, June 27, on your calendar if you happen to have some free time that morning. Boston 25 is hosting a Zip Trip in Saugus right outside Saugus Town Hall. Jessica Howard DeThomas, the Senior Morning Producer for the television station, tells me they will spend a few hours that day interviewing Saugus folks about what makes the town special.

Stay tuned for more information as that day approaches.

 

Narcan presentation July 14 at Senior Center

The Saugus Everett Elks Drug Awareness Committee will hold a Narcan Presentation at the Saugus Senior Center (466 Central St. in Saugus) on Monday, July 14, at 10 a.m. This is a free hour-long presentation. Become educated on how to save lives from an accidental overdose. Light refreshments will be served. Call the Senior Center at 781-231-4178 to reserve your seat. Walk-ins are welcome.

 

Visitor Services available at Saugus Iron Works

The Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site has begun its “visitors’ services,” marking the opening of restrooms and the museum. This is the expected schedule of tours for the summer: Wednesday–Sunday at 11 a.m., house tours, 1/2 hour; Wednesday–Sunday at 2 p.m., industrial site tours, which will include waterwheel demonstrations when staffing permits. On Fridays and Saturdays only, there will also be a 10 a.m. waterwheel demonstration. Visitors’ services will end on Oct. 31.

 

Conversation Circle at the Saugus Public Library

Would you like to practice speaking English in a comfortable and supportive environment?

Intended for intermediate and advanced-level speakers of English to practice speaking in an informal setting, the Conversation Circle promotes speaking and listening in English. It improves fluency and confidence. This group will meet from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Brooks Room on the second and fourth Tuesday evenings of June 2025: Tuesday, June 10, Tuesday, June 24. If there is enough interest, additional dates will be scheduled. There is no cost for this program. Walk-ins are welcome.

 

Buy-A-Brick for a veteran

The Saugus War Monument Committee, once again, is sponsoring the Buy-A-Brick Program to honor all those who have served their country. If you would like to purchase one in the name of someone who is presently serving or has served, in the memory of a loved one, or just someone from your family, school, etc., the general pricing is $100 for a 4″ x 8″ brick (three lines) or $200 for a 8″ x 8″ brick (five lines). Each line has a maximum of 15 characters. The improvement and upkeep of the monument on the corner of Winter and Central Streets rely on the generosity of donors through fundraising.

The brick application must be in by September 10 to ensure the bricks will be ready for Veterans Day. Please contact Corinne Riley at 781-231-7995 for more information and applications.

 

C.H.a.R.M. Center is open

The Town of Saugus Solid Waste/Recycling Department announced that the Center for Hard to Recycle Materials (C.H.a.R.M.) has opened for the season, with normal operational hours of Wednesdays and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The C.H.a.R.M. Center is located at 515 Main St., Saugus, behind the Saugus Department of Public Works. Residents are welcome to use the C.H.a.R.M. Center for their recycling needs. Saugus was the first municipality in Massachusetts to open a C.H.a.R.M. Center.

The C.H.a.R.M. Center accepts the following items at no cost to residents:

• Bottles and cans
• Paper and cardboard
• Scrap metal
• Shoes, clothes and other textiles
• Fluorescent light bulbs and batteries (button and rechargeable)

Residents are also permitted the free disposal of three TVs or computers/CRT monitors per household each year at the C.H.a.R.M. Center.

Residents can obtain new stickers for this year free of charge when visiting the C.H.a.R.M. Center. By purchasing a $25 sticker that is valid for the entirety of the season, residents will be permitted to dispose of yard waste and brush at the C.H.a.R.M. Center. The $25 sticker also covers the cost to dispose of hard/rigid plastics at the facility. The C.H.a.R.M. Center accepts CHECKS ONLY, no cash or cards.

Please note that the C.H.a.R.M. Center does not accept any household trash or construction materials and debris. The Town of Saugus reserves the right to refuse any material if quantity or quality is questionable. Go to https://www.saugus-ma.gov/solid-waste-recycling-department and click on “Recycling Guide” for a comprehensive list of items that are accepted or not accepted at the C.H.a.R.M. Center, in addition to guidelines for how to prepare different items for disposal at the facility.

The C.H.a.R.M. Center will remain open on Wednesdays and Saturdays through the season until the winter. Please contact Solid Waste/Recycling Coordinator Scott A. Brazis at 781-231-4036 with any questions.

 

Saugus High Class of 1980

Attention, Saugus High Class of 1980. Mark your calendars for Nov. 29 (Saturday after Thanksgiving) and reach out to your friends that you’d like to see at the 45th Class Reunion for 1980 graduates and friends. The reunion will be held that day from 1 to 6 p.m. inside the Saugus Elks.

Invite Saugus High friends from other classes that you may want to be at our 1980 Class Reunion. Our last Saugus Class BBQ event a couple of years ago had three sisters from three different classes attend and they had a blast – so many loved seeing them and appreciated them being there. So many old friends reconnecting after decades; friends from overseas and across the country came; Saugus Classmates that left in Jr. High and that went to other High Schools came. How special it was for so many people to see each other after over 40 years.

Reach out to your friends who are not on Facebook to give them some early notice in case they may want to attend and need to make travel plans. Some of our Classmates have kept in touch with some of our High School teachers, and they attended our last two Saugus High Reunion events – we hope they’ll join us again. Feel free to reach out to any of your favorite teachers that you may want there – I’m sure they would love to hear from you.

More information is forthcoming. Any questions, please feel free to reach out to Andrea or Pete:

Andrea Saunders (1980 Class President) can be reached at pa********@*ol.com or 978-482-5787.

Pete Nicolo can be reached PS**********@*****st.net or 978-815-8234.

 

About The Saugus Advocate

We welcome press releases, news announcements, freelance articles and courtesy photos from the community. Our deadline is 6 p.m. on Tuesday. If you have a story idea, an article or a photo to submit, please email me at mv***@*****st.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