The Sounds of Saugus

By Mark E. Vogler

 

Good morning, Saugus

  It’s been more than 20 years since my grandmother passed away. She was 97. It will be 19 years this July that my mother died at age 84 after battling cancer.

Nana and Mom have both been gone for nearly two decades now. But I’ll be thinking of them both on Sunday (May 12) when the nation observes Mother’s Day, which has been celebrated as a national holiday on the second Sunday in May since 1914 when President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation designating the special day.

If you love your mom, grandmother or other special mothers who are important in your life, at least take the time to thank them for all the kind things they have done for you over the years and continue to do. You could take your mom out for dinner to express your gratitude for all the kind and loving things she’s done for you going back to the day you were born. But flowers, candy, a small gift, a Hallmark card, a thoughtful note, a personal visit or just a simple telephone call will probably make mom’s day. Don’t get lazy and try to do something creative to make your mom feel special, appreciated and loved.

It doesn’t have to cost a lot of money to provide a decent gift. And don’t look upon it as a chore, where you have to spend a lot of time thinking about it. Just think about your mom and all the sacrifices she made for you growing up, from the day you were born. Tell her you love her for the many acts of kindness she has showered on you.

And do take the time to express some well wishes for every mom you meet on Sunday – especially your friends, relatives, coworkers and acquaintances.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of our readers.

 

Spring Flower Sale at St. John’s tomorrow

  St. John’s Episcopal Church in Saugus will be holding its 7th annual Spring Flower Sale tomorrow (Saturday, May 11). All in-person and online orders will be available for pickup from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the church (located at the corner of Central and Prospect Streets in Saugus). The sale will be held rain or shine!

Beautiful hanging baskets and individual potted flowers in a spectacular assortment of colors and varieties will be available. Spruce up your yard or pick the perfect flowers to honor that someone special on Mother’s Day! Online purchasing is also available by visiting the site:   https://st-johns-church- 6.5saugus.square.site.

 

 

Spring Track is underway

  Coach Christopher Tarantino’s popular spring track program began this week for grades 1 through 5 at the track at Belmonte STEAM Academy. The spring program will run for six weeks on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 4 to 5:15 p.m. The cost is $100 for the first year; $50 for returning athletes.

Summer Track for youths ages 5 through 18 begins on July 1. The program is scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. at the track outside Belmonte STEAM Academy.

Registration will run from June 24-28. Here is the schedule:

July 1-5: first formal week.

July 8-11: second formal week.

July 12, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.: makeup practice (*if necessary).

July 12, 6 p.m.: pasta dinner at Prince.

July 13, 9 a.m.: in-house meet at Serino Stadium.

July 15-18: retrain week.

July 20: Summer Showdown, Cranston, R.I.

July 24: wrap up.

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

Please note that these programs are not being offered through the town’s Youth & Recreation Department. Please contact Coach Christopher Tarantino directly with questions at 781-854-6778 or christophertarantino24@gmail.com.

 

Spring Fun Run/Walk on May 19

  Joyce Vecchiarelli of the Friends of Breakheart Reservation has a special message for people who like running or a little exercise at a pace at which they won’t overexert themselves.

“We are hosting our second annual ‘Spring Fun Run/Walk’ on Sunday May 19^th. We got a very good turnout our first year and am trying to keep it going. If you can post something that would be great. Friends of Breakheart and the DCR are hosting the event. We are asking people to bring their own water ‘containers’ as the DCR has banned giving out any plastic in all the parks.”

The 5K race or 3K walk, which will be cosponsored by the Friends of Breakheart and the state Department of Conservation & Recreation, will begin at 10 a.m. on May 19. Registration is at 9:30. The event will go on, rain or shine. A $10 donation is requested to enter. Cash or check only. The proceeds will be used by the Friends of Breakheart for park activities and future events. Prizes will be awarded to the fastest male and female runners. Raffle prizes will be open to all who donate.

 

Garden Club Fundraiser May 22

  The second floor auditorium at Town Hall will host the Saugus Garden Club’s Annual Fundraiser at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 22. Guest Speaker Neal Sanders will present “Gardening is Murder.”

Why is so much gardening information on the internet so awful? Why is it impossible to do just one thing in the garden? Why should you never compute the value of your labor when you garden? And, why do we have garden benches if we never sit in them? These are the questions that keep Neal Sanders awake at night. As the spouse of an avid gardener with no ‘real’ responsibilities other than to dig holes and move rocks, Neal has lots of time to observe gardeners and their foibles.

“Gardening Is Murder” weaves those observations into an illustrated talk that is humorous, informative and poignant. Is it a gardening lecture? Is it a comedy routine? Whatever it is, it is laugh-out-loud funny while managing to impart a modicum of useful and genuine horticultural information and knocking down some gardening myths.

And it all comes to Saugus on Wednesday, May 22 at 6:30 p.m. when the Saugus Garden Club opens its doors to guests.

After a 35-year “corporate” career, Neal Sanders turned his attention to writing and has since authored 15 mysteries, many of which revolve around horticulture or use garden club settings. He writes the popular “The Principal Undergardener” blog, which addresses gardening as a non-gardener who loves gardens. He lives near Boston and speaks across the country.

 

Upcoming Garden Club events

  The Saugus Garden Club has a busy schedule through the spring. Here are some upcoming events:

• Saturday, May 18, the Saugus VFW will host a workshop at noon to make 20 small floral centerpieces for a fundraiser to benefit Wounded Warriors.
• Saturday, May 25, St. John’s Episcopal Church will host a workshop to make container gardens for the Garden Club Plant Sale at next month’s Strawberry Festival.
• Saturday, June 15, the Saugus Historical Society will host its annual Strawberry Festival from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the American Legion Hall while the Saugus Garden Club holds its annual plant sale on the front lawn of the Roby School on Main Street.

 

CHaRM Center is open

  The Town of Saugus recently announced that the CHaRM Center is open Wednesday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Residents will be required to buy a $25 Sticker to use the Compost Facilities as well as to recycle hard plastics. The rest of the Facility’s features are free to use for any Saugus resident.

Residents are also allowed three TVs or computers/CRT monitors for free per household each year. The Town of Saugus reserves the right to refuse any material if quantity or quality is questionable.

The final date the CHaRM Center will be open for the season is December 14. However, the Facility will be open the following winter dates, weather permitting: January 18, 2025, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.; February 15, 2025, from 8 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.; March 15, 2025, from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Please contact Solid Waste/Recycling Coordinator Scott A. Brazis at 781-231-4036 with any questions.

 

Spring curbside leaf collection begins next week

The Town of Saugus announced that spring curbside leaf collection will take place during the week of May 13. Residents may dispose of leaves curbside on their regularly scheduled collection day, between Monday, May 13 and Friday, May 17. Leaves should be left outside at the curb by 7 a.m. on the appropriate days. Please ensure that leaf containers are physically separated from trash and recycling.

Paper leaf bags are the preferred method of leaf disposal. If you are using barrels, they must be clearly marked with yard waste stickers. Stickers, which are free, may be obtained at Inspectional Services in the lower level of Town Hall at 298 Central St., Saugus. Barrel covers must remain removed so that the leaves are visible.

Plastic bags, cardboard boxes, branches and brush will not be accepted.

Please note that separate trucks collect the rubbish, recycling and leaves, so the leaves may be collected at a different time of day. “Missed pick-ups” will not be conducted. Please contact Scott Brazis at 781-231-4036 with any questions.

 

This week’s “Shout Outs”

  We received nominations from two of our readers this week for citizens who are deserving of public praise for acts of kindness, contributions to the betterment of Saugus or significant achievements.

Precinct 8 Town Meeting Member Tom Traverse offered this compliment in his role as a member of the Disabilities Commission: “‘Shout Out’ to Town Manager Scott Crabtree and staff. The handicap ramp behind Town Hall were redone, repairs were made to ramp/stairs at the Annex and safety grab bars were installed at the Senior Center.”

Loyal Saugus Advocate reader Sue Fleming was so thrilled about last weekend’s “Welcome to Cliftondale” that she sent us a nice email, complimenting the people who worked behind the scenes to make the event a special one: “I would like to give a ‘Shout Out’ to Janice Jarosz and everyone who was involved in the “Welcome To Cliftondale” event at The MEG last weekend. It was so well organized and interesting to see the old Cliftondale School and how well maintained it is. There were lots of photos of former students and some history of what the Cliftondale area was like back then. Well done!!!!”

 

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.

 

Food Pantry notes

The Saugus United Parish Food Pantry is open today (Friday, May 10) from 9:30-11 a.m.

 

Legion Breakfast today

There’s a good breakfast deal for Saugus veterans and other folks who enjoy a hearty breakfast on Friday mornings. The American Legion Post 210 at 44 Taylor St. in Saugus offers Friday morning breakfasts in 2024. 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.

 

“Distinguished Trees of Saugus” Thursday night

  On Thursday (May 16), Laura Eisener will present a program on “Distinguished Trees of Saugus” in the Community Room at Saugus Public Library from 6:30 to 7:45 p.m. It is free and open to the public. Beautiful and old trees around town – on streets, in parks and in our forests – will serve to inspire you. This program is connected with the art workshop taught by Kelly Slater in April, which provided the art on display in the library reading room this month. Learn more about trees like the beech on the ironworks lawn, the old elm at Main Street and Route 1 that survived Dutch elm disease, our spruce in the rotary, the grove of birches at Breakheart Reservation and more. Get some tips about choosing trees for your own garden, too! Laura writes the “Saugus Gardens” column in The Saugus Advocate. She is also a garden designer, horticulture teacher and president of the Saugus Historical Society. Laura will discuss how these trees or their fellow species members have been intertwined with the town’s history.

Registration is recommended but not required. For more information or to register, contact Mary McConnell at the Saugus Public Library at moconnell@noblenet.org

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Saugus Cultural Council, a local agency that is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

 

What’s going on at the library?

There’s always something interesting going on at the library. Here’s a few activities worth checking out:

• Check out Toni Gangi’s Italian American Street Culture & the Street Organ on Monday, May 13 at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Room. The hand-cranked street organ has a historical connection to Italian-American culture, particularly in Boston. Italian immigrants brought the hand-cranked street organ to the United States, where it became a melodious fixture in Italian neighborhoods. Join Gangi and hear him play the music of the streets on his Barrel Organ. He may even make his talk really hit home, as he’s researching Saugus history involving organ grinders for his talk.
• Come relax with our continuing Adult Coloring Group on Wednesday (May 15) at 10 a.m. in the Brooks Room on the second floor of the library. It’s a great opportunity to take time to unwind, be creative and have fun, no experience necessary! We have pencils and coloring pages ready and waiting… See you there! Spaces limited; please call to register: 781-231-4168 x 3106.
• Check out Peter Jackson’s Magic To Go on Saturday, May 18 at 2 p.m. in the library’s Community Room. Reservations are required – ages six and up – reservations open April 15. Seating is limited.

 

Blood Drive at Legion Hall on June 1

Saugus American Legion Post 210 plans to sponsor a Blood Drive from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 1 at Legion Hall, 44 Taylor St., Saugus. Post 210 Commander John Macauda said the upcoming Blood Drive will be organized in Memory of Cpl Scott J. Procopio & Capt. William G. Shoemaker. Please call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit RedCrossBlood.org and enter: sauguscommunity to schedule an appointment.

 

Brick program for Saugus War Monument

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 an 8″ X 8″ brick (five lines). Each line is 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 Sept. 10 to ensure the bricks will be ready for Veterans Day. Please contact Corinne Riley at 781-231-7995 for more information and applications.

 

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. 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.