A signature moment for the Saugus Cultural Council

Members have spent months planning the town’s first-ever Saugus Cultural Festival – a celebration of the community’s diversity

By Mark E. Vogler

Ever since its existence, the Saugus Cultural Council has been known as the volunteer agency that awards grants annually to local organizations and individuals in the arts and humanities to enhance the quality of life for town residents. Several members are hoping that the upcoming and first-ever Saugus Cultural Festival will become an annual signature event for the council – one that will bring the community together by spotlighting the diversity of Saugus residents.

“I am passionate about using various art forms to bring the community closer and celebrate diversity,” Nive Amarnath told The Saugus Advocate this week, following the council’s planning meeting for the Saugus Cultural Festival, which is set for Sunday, Feb. 23, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Saugus Middle High School.

“This was the driving force to join the council and this is what I hope we achieve through this festival. We are truly looking forward to this cultural celebration to become an annual event for our community,” she said.

Amarnath has been a Saugus resident since 2010 and a member of the Saugus Cultural Council since 2023.

A town of 25 different languages

It was former School Committee member Joseph “Dennis” Gould who first suggested the idea of a Saugus Cultural Festival early last year. “I have been impressed with the diversity of Saugus residents being able to speak 25 different languages and have been a strong supporter of the arts in Saugus in general, but more specifically Saugus Middle and High School students,” Gould told The Saugus Advocate.

“I mentioned in one of my first Saugus Cultural Council meetings how I would love to organize a Cultural Festival to showcase Saugus’s diversity and arts, and the members of the council immediately supported this idea and the entire council embraced the idea of planning a festival,” he said.

Gould, who has served the community for more than 20 years on various boards and commissions, including Town Meeting, is currently a co-chair of the Cultural Council.

“Feb. 23 came about by wanting enough time to organize the festival, but also to have it at the new Saugus Middle/High School complex on a non-interference basis with students or student athletes. Feb. 23 is the last day of February school vacation,” Gould said.

“This being our first of hopefully many annual events, I believe the council has done a good job of getting an excellent cross section of the arts to perform, activities for children and a good variety of food vendors for our Saugus families to enjoy,” he said. “The entertainment and activities are great for all age groups, and I truly hope many families, students and senior citizens come for a free afternoon of entertainment.”

Vanessa Dellheim, who has been on the Saugus Cultural Council for exactly a year, grew up in Saugus and is currently raising a family here. Dellheim called Saugus “an amazingly diverse community where our families support one another each and every day.”

“It is exactly this, our town’s diversity and inclusion, that should be highlighted and celebrated,” Dellheim said.

“My family has attended (and enjoyed!) countless programs that were funded by the Cultural Council, and it was these events where I learned about the council and the team helping create these programs for our community,” she said.

“I became interested about the grant cycle, and most importantly, the opportunities to give back to the community, which were just a few of the many reasons why I applied to join the council,” she said. “I am excited for all the positive work that the council supports throughout the community, the reception from Saugonians around our events, and am especially looking forward to the Cultural Fair this month – it’s going to be a great day for all ages!”