Saugus Celebrates America

A special town committee makes plans for July 4th 250th celebration at the Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site

By Mark E. Vogler

On this upcoming Fourth of July, communities throughout the country will celebrate America’s 250th Anniversary of the Signing of the Declaration of Independence. Saugus’ signature moment will be the launching of a canoe from the Hamilton Street side of the Saugus River, paddled by people dressed as Native Americans to the docking area of the Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site, where there will be a patriotic reenactment of that historic day back in 1776.

“Saugus played a key role in supporting the overthrow of the reign of King George as approximately ninety-nine men from our town answered the call and marched to Lexington and Concord muskets in hand and ready to fight,” former Saugus Selectman Corinne Riley wrote in a recent letter to Town Meeting members, inviting them to participate in the day’s festivities.

“After prior discussions with the Town Manager, I gathered a small group of wonderful volunteers together with the goal of organizing a committee honoring the upcoming July 4, celebration of the 250th anniversary of our country,” continued Riley, who chairs the small group that is making plans to recreate Saugus during the period of 1774-1776 during an event which is planned for noon through 4 p.m. on July 4 at the Iron Works, which is known as the birthplace of America’s iron and steel industry.

In her letter to Town Meeting members, Riley said she considered having a patriotic parade. But instead of the parade, the Saugus 250th Celebration Committee is hoping that each of the 10 Town Meeting precincts will design a pickup truck or any other type of vehicle decorated in red, white and blue colors with stars and stripes to be parked and put on display at the Iron Works. Judges will choose the best design, with a prize being awarded to the winning precinct.

“We would love to have the entire Saugus Town Meeting members join us in paying tribute to our town,” Riley wrote. “We just recently received permission from the Iron Works Association to hold our event on the lawns of their park! We will also be looking for many volunteers for help with the BBQ, children’s games, food distribution … etc. This will be a great townwide, old fashioned get-together celebration!”

At the most recent Saugus 250th Celebration Committee meeting, held on Tuesday at the MEG Building, the committee unveiled some of its tentative plans for the celebration:

• An appearance by somebody dressed up in period costume as General George Washington, who went on to become the nation’s first president
• A reenactment of the Signing of the Declaration of Independence
• An appearance by an actor dressed as Parson Roby, who will give a speech on his role and Saugus’ involvement in the Revolutionary War
• There will be an awards presentation to winners in the Best Decorated Pickup Truck and the Children’s Essay contests. As part of the July Fourth celebration, Saugus students in grades 1 through 5 will be asked to answer the question “What Freedom Means to Me.”
• There will be children’s games throughout the Iron Works property: Tug of War, three-legged races, sack races and stilts – to name a few.
• The event’s food will include free hot dogs (the committee has already purchased 600), baked beans, popcorn and lemonade.
• Patriotic pinwheels and 250th celebration flags will be distributed.
• Plans are in the works for a reprinting of the patriotic coloring book from 2000 that was authored by Marilyn Carlson, with illustrations by Bob Sacco and Elliot Hurvitz. The 60-page coloring book tells the story of the settlement of Saugus in 1629. It also details how English merchants established the Saugus Iron Works along the Saugus River – the first successful one in colonial America. Several pages provide descriptions of famous people and places in Saugus. One page includes drawings of a few of the commercial landmarks of Route 1, including the Orange Dinosaur, Hilltop Steakhouse, Chickland and Kowloon Restaurant.
• Local DJ Anthony Arone will be playing some patriotic tunes during the event, which is expected to last from noon to 4 p.m.
• Kids and adults will be able to get photos of themselves with their faces on the head of a piece of artwork of George Washington dressed as he would back in the day.

It’s been years since Saugus has had a townwide celebration on the Fourth of July. Saugus families usually celebrate that patriotic holiday by going to the July 3-4 century-old festivities in Lynnhurst, which includes a concert on the night before July 4 and a block party the next morning. If parents want to take their kids to a local parade, they still have time to attend the annual July 4 parade in the nearby town of Wakefield.

“We scheduled this event to accommodate everybody,” Riley said of the Saugus 250th July 4 celebration.

“People can still go to Lynnhurst and the parade in the morning and then come to the town’s July Fourth celebration,” she said.

“We’ve planned this as a grass roots event and are trying to involve everyone in the community. We know how important this celebration is, with everything going on in the country and the divisiveness. We want to get the town together and celebrate it,” she said.

Riley was joined by four other committee members at this week’s meeting. They each offered their views on the importance of the upcoming celebration:

Ellen LeClair, a member of the Saugus Historical Commission: “This event is all about bringing our community together, celebrating the founding of our country and teaching our children about history.”

Gail Cassarino, a 25-year member and current local leader of the Parson Roby Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR): “This is a chance to bring back patriotism and a sense of community for Saugus, and a chance to teach young kids about the history of their town and country. We have a lot of history in Saugus that needs to be shared.”

Jean Swanson, a member of the Saugus Historical Commission for more than 10 years: “This is an event in which we want to celebrate the history of our town and country.”

Janice Jarosz, a lifelong Saugus resident, town historian, book author and writer of Saugus history: “It’s our patriotic duty to have an event like this. Here’s a chance for Saugus residents to go back in time on July 4 and relive part of their history, with no cell phones involved.”

Other members of the Saugus 250th Celebration Committee include Board of Selectmen Chair Debra Panetta and Precinct 1 Town Meeting Member Mark Bell and Precinct 5 Town Meeting Member Jaclyn Hickman. The committee plans to hold its next meeting at 3 p.m. on May 12 at the MEG Building.

“Anyone who wants to see what’s going on, has some ideas about how to improve the event or is interested in becoming a part of it is welcome,” Riley said.

“The committee is going to need many volunteers to make this a memorable event. We need help with the cooking, distributing the food, overseeing the children’s games and helping out with other parts of the celebration. Please come and join us on May 12,” she said.