The Sounds of Saugus

By Mark E. Vogler

 

Good morning, Saugus

For the first time in nearly nine years as The Saugus Advocate editor, I get to wish our readers best wishes for a happy holiday season and all the best for a Happy New Year. That’s because today will be the final paper for this year. The Advocate Newspapers staff – which includes The Saugus Advocate and our three sister papers in Everett, Malden and Revere – will get to enjoy the Christmas week off next week. The Advocate Newspapers will return to work the following week – with the year’s first edition on Jan. 3, 2025.

Best wishes to all of our readers and Saugus residents for a happy, healthy and safe holiday. If you are out partying on New Year’s Eve, play it safe and leave the driving to a designated driver.

 

Begin 2025 with a Breakheart hike

For those folks who want to get the new year off to a healthy start, consider participating in the First Day Hike at Breakheart Reservation on Jan. 1. The state Department of Conservation & Recreation and the Friends of Breakheart Reservation will once again be cosponsoring this event. Take some sage advice from the Friends: Start off the New Year with an invigorating First Day Hike in a beautiful state park and make a resolution to burn off those extra holiday calories!

We will have two guided hikes – a two-mile hike and a three-mile hike – through the paved loops of Breakheart. We’ll be viewing animal tracks, CCC projects and the Lower and Upper Ponds. Be prepared for cold weather; dress in layers and wear winter boots. Warm up with hot chocolate and clam chowder from Kelly’s Roast Beef by the fire at the Visitor Center after the hike! Bring your friends and family!

Plan on meeting at the Visitor Center at 10 a.m. on Jan. 1. Breakheart is located at 177 Forest St. in Saugus. For more information call 781-233-0834.

 

Year in Review issue on Jan. 3

As in past years, The Saugus Advocate plans to publish a Year-In-Review edition on Jan. 3, recapping the major stories of the year with a listing of the main headlines for each month. We usually let the elected town officials reflect on the year’s most important stories.

This year, we will also solicit comments from our readers on what they thought were the top stories. Feel free to share your thoughts with an email to me at mvoge@comcast.net. If you wish to tell us what you think the top stories for 2024 were, please slug your email to me “Top Saugus stories 2024.”

Thank you and best wishes to you for a great new year.

 

Still time to write Santa

Karen Coburn, the retired postal worker who enjoys writing letters back to Saugus kids in response to letters they mail to Santa Claus, said there is still time for kids to write Santa. “Probably until the twenty-third so the mailman can get them to the kids by the 24th,” she told me earlier this week.

Karen, as we reported last week, wasn’t allowed to put her special “Letters to Santa” mailbox in the lobby of the Post Office this year. Fortunately, Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree agreed to let her set up her mailbox at Town Hall. And she already got 60 letters over the past week.

The kids will be happy.

 

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. If you are able to donate to the food pantry, you can also stop by during those hours, drop off donations at the Saugus Public Library during library hours or contact office@cliftondalecc.org to make an appointment. Please note that the food pantry will be closed on Friday, December 27, in observance of Christmas.

 

No new Legion Hall bookings till 2025

  The American Legion Post 210 announced recently that it will honor any contract it has signed for a party from now through the end of December, but will not book any new ones until after the first of the year.

 

This week’s “Shout Outs”

Avid Saugus Advocate reader Sue Fleming offered multiple “shout outs” for this week’s paper:

“A big Shout Out to everyone involved in the lighting and decorating around town which looks awesome! Very festive and everyone should be thankful.

“Another Shout Out to Karen and John Coburn for all the hard work they do with the Santa letters for the kids in town. Disappointing that the Post Office is no longer an option but a big thank you to Town Manager Scott Crabtree for offering the front of Town Hall to locate the Santa mailbox. Thank you!

“And an RIP for Benny Coviello, who worked at Stop and Shop for so many years. Always had a smile and a friendly Hello for the shoppers. He will be missed!”

  Eden Bloss offered this “Shout Out” for Saugus Middle School students:

“Saugus Middle School reached a historic milestone – achieving a #1 rank in the state of Massachusetts for 8th grade math performance improvement using the Carnegie Learning Middle School Math Solution. The average student growth percentage (SGP) is up +10.9 points from 2023 and up +31.2 vs. the state average in Massachusetts.

“Saugus administrators faced a formidable challenge at the beginning of the 2021 school year: improve math proficiency among their 8th grade students – at the time ranked 169/300 in the state – in the midst of a pandemic. The school leadership doubled down on high quality instructional materials – MATHia and MATHbook – to align with the deep critical thinking and conceptual mathematics learning students should be doing in class.”

Carnegie Learning CEO Barry Malkin added to the praise:

“Reaching number one in the state for 8th grade math improvement is a remarkable achievement. It’s a testament to the commitment of Saugus leadership to continuous improvement, to maintaining a high level of student engagement and accountability, and off-the-charts teacher collaboration and support. We know that math proficiency opens doors to infinite opportunities – more than half of the jobs of the future will require math as a core skill – and Saugus students are well on their way to taking advantage of all the opportunities available to live life to the fullest while setting the standard for others to follow.”

 

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.

 

Area Republicans meet Jan. 15

Saugus Town Republican Committee Chair Chris Luongo announced this week that area Republicans are confirmed for Jan.15 at 6:30 p.m. at Old Tyme Italian Cuisine in Lynn.

“I am looking forward to meeting you all. Some of you have responded, but if you can once again confirm whether you or how many from your committee will be attending, this will be helpful to make sure we have enough room. Your presence is important and will greatly contribute to the success of our meeting. As this is our first meeting, I would like to have each town do a small introduction and what the types of activities you do as a committee. Please pass the word around to anyone you think might be interested. The following towns have responded. Saugus, Lynn, Nahant, Middleton and Malden

“If you have any contacts with other towns, please get in touch with them and let them know. Let us grow our republican numbers and take our State back.”

 

Saugus 4-1-1 set for March 1, 2025

The Saugus 4-1-1 Committee would like everyone to know that the Saugus 4-1-1 event will be taking place on March 1, 2025. Invitations to all new residents as well as nonprofits will be mailed out in January.

“We are looking forward to having this wonderful event for new residents as well as those who have been here for years to learn what Saugus has to offer!” Selectman Corinne Riley wrote in an email recently. “Also, if you have a local business or service to promote, send your request or further inquiries to Saugus411@gmail.com. There are ‘Welcome Bags’ that are given out to the new residents with all kinds of information which could include your business or services offered to our Saugus residents. Stay tuned for further updates!”

Selectman Riley is the driving force behind the nifty program, which had well-attended events at the Saugus Middle-High School last year and in 2022.

 

Here’s what’s going on at the Saugus Public Library

  Five bucks for a bag of books! The New Friends of the Saugus Public Library are offering quite a bargain: $5 for a bag of books. Purchase a New Friends of the Saugus Public Library mesh book bag at the Main Desk for $5 and fill it with as many books as you’d like. Proceeds benefit the New Friends so they can support public library services in Saugus.

Now available! Foreign Language Books! Foreign Language titles for Adults and Teens are now available for checkout. We have books in Spanish, Portuguese, French, Arabic, Haitian Creole and Vietnamese. Check out our brand-new collection located on the second floor past the Young Adult Fiction books.

 

Chestnut Woods Rehab begins “Operation Santa Paws”

Chestnut Woods Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center in Saugus, where residents often benefit from animal-assisted therapy visits, has launched “Operation Santa Paws” to collect pet supplies and donate them to the Protection of Animals in Wakefield Society (PAWS). Through Dec. 22, the skilled nursing facility at 73 Chestnut St. welcomes donated items, such as blankets and towels, dog and cat beds, unopened pet food/treats, pet toys, grooming products, collars and leashes and food/water bowls.

Therapy animals play a vital role in long-term care residents’ lives, particularly those living with dementia and Alzheimer’s. Benefits of animal therapy for seniors include emotional uplift, increased self-esteem, improved social skills and reduced risk of depression and anxiety.

For more information, visit ChestnutWoodsRehab.com.

 

A Video for Vets

  Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree and Veterans’ Service Officer Paul Cancelliere have collaborated on a video that highlights the work the Town of Saugus’ Veterans’ Services Office does to help local veterans and their families. In the video, Cancelliere explains how the Veterans’ Services Office follows three main pillars in advocating for veterans. These pillars are:

• Implementing a variety of state benefits to aid veterans and their families
• Processing U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) claims for veterans and offering assistance for things such as homebuying, education, life insurance and burials
• Community outreach by working with the Saugus Veterans Council to help put together events, such as the Memorial Day Parade, POW/MIA Recognition Day and the Veterans Day ceremony

The Saugus Veterans’ Services Office is located on the main floor of Saugus Town Hall at 298 Central St. Paul Cancelliere serves as the veterans’ services officer, and Nancy Stead is the administrative assistant for the department. For more information call 781-231-4010 or email pcancelliere@saugus-ma.gov, veteransservices@saugus-ma.gov or nstead@saugus-ma.gov

 

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 photo to submit, please email me at mvoge@comcast.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.