Fourth of July in Saugus

Lynnhurst Block Party celebrates its 108th birthday to continue a patriotic neighborhood tradition

By Neil Zolot

The Lynnhurst School is closed, but dozens of neighborhood residents came to its playground for the annual Independence Day festivities — for a concert Thursday night (July 3) and a traditional picnic Friday morning (July 4). As usual Brian Maes played July 3 night, and July 4 featured sack races, three-legged races, bike decorating and hot dogs, pie and, of course, watermelon.

“We had a decent turnout,” event organizer Derek Hickman said of the well over 100 people at the picnic.

“The weather was great,” Maes added. “It cooperated for us.”

Maes was accompanied by his 75-year-old cousin Gilbert, one of the oldest people present, who came back to Lynnhurst for July 4 after missing a few years. He said he was enjoying himself.

Many other extended families, with multiple generations of Lynnhurst students, attended. Retired Firefighter Stephen Johnson, 70, was there with his three sons and a number of grandchildren. He moved to the neighborhood as a boy in 1959 into his grandparents’ house, putting the family’s presence in the area over 100 years. He figured he’s gone to the July 4 picnic over 60 times.

Johnson’s father, Lee, was a teacher in Malden and helped organize the picnic in the past, which has been held in one place or another for 108 years. The neighborhood has held it on the Lynnhurst Playground since the 1960s. Before that it was held at the old Upper Lynnhurst School and Fairmont Avenue and the corner of Cleveland and Jefferson Avenues. It was originally organized by the Lynnhurst Men’s Club, with publicity fliers distributed by Boy Scouts.

The playground is named after Stephen Johnson’s late cousin Dana H. Johnson, who in 1971, at age 18, lost his life saving two boys at a beach in Marblehead. A stone memorial near the entrance of the Lynnhurst School honors the teenage hero from Saugus.

Stephen Johnson’s sons, Daniel, a 911 dispatcher in Chelsea, and Robert, a local firefighter, also came. Daniel’s daughter Abigail, 13, was also there, to add another generation to their tradition of attendance. “I’ve been coming here my whole life,” she said. “It’s fun.”

Mark and ToniAnn Merlina came with their children Anthony (or AJ) and Julianna. “It’s a yearly tradition for us,” ToniAnn said. “There’s a nice community feeling here.”

AJ decorated a bike, Julianna, a doll carriage. “We like to craft and create in our house,” ToniAnn reported.

Genice Anzalone and her daughter Delia Stanasek wore matching dresses. “She calls us twinnies,” Anzalone said of her daughter. “We have a lot of the same outfits.”

Stanasek gave a thumbs up when asked if she was enjoying the morning.

Another family with three generations attending the picnic was Donna Arone, her son Anthony, also a firefighter, and his very young son Louis. “I’ve seen a lot of friends from the school,” Anthony said. “Its nice people have stayed around.”

Hickman and his wife Jaclyn took over organizing the events in 2020 after longtime organizers Ed and Krissy Davey stepped down. It was part of their family history, too; Ed’s father was one of the Boy Scouts that distributed fliers when the picnic got started.

The Hickmans live about a mile from Derek’s childhood home. “We want to continue this,” he said in 2019. “I went to school here and have a lot of good memories. It’d be a shame to see this end.”

Jaclyn, a Precinct 5 Town Meeting member, is from the other side of Saugus and went to the Oaklandvale School. She said she didn’t know about the Lynnhurst gathering as a girl.

“Derek and Jaclyn do a fantastic job,” Anthony Arone said. “I’m glad they kept this going.”