The Sounds of Saugus

By Mark E. Vogler

 

Good morning, Saugus

A belated “Happy New Year” to all of our Saugus Advocate readers. Our last edition was published on Christmas Eve. So, I didn’t get to wish a lot of folks the best for 2026.

As I told readers in this column before, I will continue to work as Editor of The Saugus Advocate as long my health permits and as long as my publisher, Jim Mitchell, wants me to continue to oversee our weekly news magazine. With our first paper next March, I will have worked a decade as the newspaper’s editor. My goals for the new year are to strive to work to make the paper even better than last year, as best as I can with the resources I have.

It’s been a difficult environment for newspapers these past few years. Saugus is fortunate to have a publisher who wants to maintain a high-quality weekly newspaper that covers the town exclusively.

 

Saugus United Parish Food Pantry

The Saugus United Parish Food Pantry will be open today (Friday, Jan. 9) from 9:30-11 a.m. at 50 Essex St. in the basement of Cliftondale Congregational Church. The food pantry welcomes all neighbors facing food insecurity on Friday mornings. Volunteers are also welcome. Please call the Food Pantry Office at 781-233-2663 or go to the website (cliftondalecc.org) for details.

 

Legion Breakfast on Fridays

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 for the 2026 season. 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.

 

What’s happening this weekend?

Things seem to slow down this time of year. But there are a few events worth checking out this weekend:

• Tomorrow (Saturday, Jan. 10) the Saugus Public Library will host Janet Parnes, of Historical Portrayals by Lady J, as The Etiquette Expert of 1890. Guests will step into late-Victorian America to discover life at the turn of the century – the era of corsets, calling cards, and decorum. Proper Victorian lady Mrs. Russell Parsons will guide attendees through the intricacies of tea drinking, fan language, ball etiquette, fashion, a courtship catastrophe, and more.

The Etiquette Expert of 1890 will take place from 1:30-2:30 p.m. at the Saugus Public Library (295 Central St., Saugus). The performance is free. No registration required. Questions? Call the library at 781-231-4168 or visit sauguspubliclibrary.org/events.

• Tomorrow night at 7:00, the Theatre Company of Saugus will hold a Broadway Karaoke Fundraiser. Everyone is invited to sing or just listen to the theatre company’s fantastic musical theater talents. The Theatre Company will have a complete sound and song system, and a method of queueing up the singers.

Patrons will pay $3 to sing (or to send a song to your favorite singers). There’s a $10 suggested donation for non-singer-listeners. Snacks, soft drinks and water, as well as raffles, will be for sale for great prizes, including tickets to the next production, “The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals.”

For those folks who fancy themselves as singers, this may be an event that’s worth checking out.

 

Curbside Christmas Tree disposal dates

The Town of Saugus announced that Christmas trees will only be picked up curbside on the following dates:

• Today (Friday, Jan. 9)
• Monday, Jan. 12, through Friday, Jan. 16.

Residents may dispose of their Christmas trees on their regularly scheduled trash collection days. Trees should be left curbside near trash and recycling barrels. The Town of Saugus would like to thank everyone for their cooperation.

Please contact Town of Saugus Solid Waste/Recycling Director Scott Brazis at 781-231-4036 with any questions.

 

Saugus government at work

The Saugus School Committee and the Board of Selectmen are already gearing up for the new year. Last night (Thursday, Jan. 8), the Saugus Public Schools Superintendent was scheduled to present his proposed School Department budget for the 2027 fiscal year that begins July 1. Stay tuned for details in next week’s Saugus Advocate. Meanwhile, the Board of Selectmen are preparing for a busy month. The board has meetings posted for Jan.13, January 27 and Feb. 11 (a Wednesday).

“We are having the cheerleaders in at our January 13 meeting,” Board of Selectmen Chair Debra Panetta said of next week’s meeting. The board plans to honor the Saugus U10 Cheerleaders and coaches as special guests for their recent third-place finish in national competition. The second floor auditorium should be near capacity that night as the cheerleaders receive citations and lots of cheers.

“At our January 27 meeting, we’re having an Eagle Scout in for a citation,” Panetta said.

“It looks like February 5 will be the date for the E bike/scooter forum. I’m just trying to get everything finalized,” she said.

 

This week’s “Shout Outs”

We didn’t receive any nominations from readers on remarkable acts of kindness or impressive achievements by Saugonians this week. So, I will offer an editor’s collective, “super shout out” to all of those folks who contributed to The Saugus Advocate over the past 12 months. We are not your typical weekly newspaper. We are more of a weekly news magazine, an eclectic collection of news articles, photos, essays, features, sketches and sometimes even poetry that offers the reader useful information, news and entertainment in a format that truly captures the spirit of Saugus and its people. We welcome contributions from the public. And we look forward to a productive year.

 

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 (mv***@*****st.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.

 

Looking back on 2025

Hopefully, readers will enjoy our photo spread in this week’s paper that includes the top cover photos of each month during 2025. It’s time-consuming, but fun to do this every year for our readers, usually following our Year-In-Review issue. Sometimes the photos are in the same issue. This year, we’re doing our photos a little earlier because our Year-In-Review issue was published on Christmas Eve.

I’d like to thank my good photojournalist buddy, David Spink, who wrote about Saugus and took a lot of photos in town many years ago when he was a staff writer and photographer at North Shore Sunday. He loved writing articles about Saugus so much that we split a few bylines back in the late 80s and early 90s. David has been an avid reader of The Saugus Advocate since I became editor in March of 2016. Practically every week, he helps me out with his photographic expertise by recommending which photo shots belong on page one and which ones don’t.

Here’s David’s take on our best photo of 2025 – the one I took of Santa Claus and a child at the town’s Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony and Festivities – one of my favorite events during my decade as Saugus Advocate editor. I suggested that Dave consider an entry other than one of my photos for the Photo of the Year. But after considerable review, David gave his vote to Santa and the kid:

“I just put my Christmas tree out for the Public Works Department to take away this morning. And I was about to do something similar with this photo. It was going to be the easiest to cut. But something caught my eye and I took a second look at this photo that we’ve all been in and seen a thousand times. I took a hard look at the people in the photo. I zoomed in a little on the faces. ‘Photo of the year,’ I thought. And I’m about to hit SEND with a New Year’s Resolution in mind: Take more second looks.”

I asked David to select two Honorable Mentions. And both of them could have wound up as a winner. David nearly selected the best photo for the month of July by Neil Zolot as the cover Photo of the Year. It captured Jenice Anzalone and her daughter Delia Stanasek striking a patriotic pose – wearing matching flag dresses at the 108th Annual Lynnhurst Fourth of July Block Party. Here’s what David had to say about the mother and daughter in flag dresses:

“Saugus is one hot town for patriotic garb and red-white-and-blue wear shows up in photos considered for year-end recognition without fail. So I’m not easy to impress. But this photo made me put on a pair of shades myself, blast Whitney Houston’s 1991 Super Bowl classic take on the Star Spangled Banner on YouTube, while standing and saluting. At a minimum, good photos fire the imagination. Sometimes they spur you to action.”

For the second Honorable Mention, David selected Amy Melton’s photo of Dom DeVico holding a toy ice cream cone while waiving a prize he had won for being one of more than 400 kids who combined for more than 4,000 hours of reading during the Summer Reading Program at the Saugus Public Library. David’s take: “I almost rejected this photo because the ice cream cone is plastic. But then I had second thoughts. The kid looks pretty good with a fake cone. How would he look with a real cone? Maybe we’ll find out in 2026. Would somebody please buy this kid a real cone this year, at least a triple dip cone, and send a photo to the editor. Thank you for your attention to this matter.”

David offered a few remarks for some the photos of the month he selected:

“March: Pinewood Derby: Timeless fun.

“April: Centenarian: 100 year olds make the annual wrap up every year. They tend to look good, a clue that they feel good, no doubt a key to longevity. But xxxx xxxx is the first centenarian I’ve seen whose body language seems to say, ‘Nuthin’ to it.’ Many happy returns.

“May: Superintendent and his student counterpart for the day. Second prize was a day backing up Drake Maye.

“June: Strength in diversity. Graduation speakers.

“August: Joe Andruzzi  Tables turned as Andruzzi pulls for a fan.”

Feel free to weigh in with your opinion, loyal Saugus Advocate readers.

 

Creative Craft Group on Jan. 15

  Here’s a special event for the creative people of Saugus. You are invited to bring your project to work on at the Saugus Public Library from 10 to 11 a.m. next Thursday (Jan. 15) while relaxing and visiting. Bring your knitting, painting, beading, needlework or other crafts. There are limited spots available. So please visit the library’s online events calendar to register.

 

C.H.a.R.M. Center winter dates

  The Town of Saugus Solid Waste/Recycling Department announced that the Center for Hard to Recycle Materials (C.H.a.R.M.) will be open on the following winter dates, weather permitting:

Saturday, Jan. 17, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 21, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Saturday, March 21, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The C.H.a.R.M Center is located at 515 Main St., Saugus, behind the Saugus Department of Public Works. Residents will have access to the compost facilities as well as to the recycling facilities during the three winter dates. Go to https://www.saugus-ma.gov/solid-waste-recycling-department and click on “Recycling Guide” for a comprehensive list of items that are accepted or not accepted at the C.H.a.R.M. Center, in addition to guidelines for how to prepare different items for disposal at the facility.

By purchasing a $25 sticker, residents will be permitted to dispose of yard waste and brush at the C.H.a.R.M. Center. The $25 stickers purchased in 2025 are still valid for yard waste/brush disposal on the three winter C.H.a.R.M. Center dates.

Please note that the C.H.a.R.M. Center does not accept any household trash or construction materials and debris. The Town of Saugus reserves the right to refuse any material if quantity or quality is questionable.

Saugus residents are also allowed to dispose of three TVs or computer/CRT monitors for free, per household, each year at the C.H.a.R.M. Center. Free stickers from 2025 will no longer be valid for the disposal of televisions and computer/CRT monitors. Residents will need to get new stickers for 2026 free of charge when visiting the C.H.a.R.M. Center.

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

 

Winter events at Breakheart

  Winter is by no means a slow period at Breakheart Reservation. Breakheart offers many great activities for area residents. There are guided walks several days a week all winter, and the very popular Fireside Chats in February have moved to Saturdays as several people have Requested. The Visitors’ Center is open Wednesdays through Sundays, 8:30 am to 3:30 p.m. You can relax in the Visitors’ Center even on most rainy or snowy days.

As nature begins to show signs of spring, the Maple Sugarin’ Days celebration will be held on Saturday, March 14, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will be various maple-related activities inside and outside near the Visitors’ Center.

The current winter schedule of programs is online at: https://www.mass.gov/doc/breakheart-winter-programs/download

Here is a summary of some upcoming events:

• Wild Breakheart Winter Tree ID series: Wednesdays in January, 9-10 a.m.
• Wild Breakheart Animal Tracking series: Wednesdays in February, 9-10 a.m.
• Step into the Past: Thursdays 10 a.m.-12 p.m., Jan. 29, Feb. 12; hikes of about 2.5 miles, moderately difficult terrain. Themes include “stories in stone” and “glacial giants.”
• The Beavers are Back! Thursdays, 10-11:30 a.m., Jan. 22, Feb. 5; meet outside the Visitors’ Center to learn about beavers and their history while enjoying a walk in Breakheart.
• Kidleidoscope: Fridays 10:30-11:30 a.m., January-February; storytime and easy walks for children and their adult caregiver.
• Nice and Easy Hike: Saturdays, 9:30-11:30 a.m., in January; moderate hikes for ages eight and up; can include some uneven and rocky terrain, two to three miles, moderately paced.
• Fireside Chats: Saturdays, 9-10 a.m., Feb. 7, 14, 21, 28; programs inside Visitors’ Center presented by various “Behind the Scenes” experts. Speakers to be determined, no walking required.

Heavy rain or snow or icy surface conditions may cancel outdoor events. Please wear appropriate footwear for walks/hikes.

Breakheart Reservation, Department of Conservation & Recreation, 177 Forest Street, Saugus, MA 01906, 781-233-0834.

 

SRWC Annual Meeting Jan. 26

The Saugus River Watershed Council will hold its annual meeting Monday, Jan. 26, at 6:30 p.m. at the Marina at The Wharf (543 North Shore Rd. in Revere). This is being billed as a fun night with stewardship awards, silent auctions and raffles. Steve Fantone will present the keynote presentation and wildlife slide show. Those who attend the annual meeting can also learn about the new Rumney Marsh Conservancy. Tickets cost $35. For details, go to www.saugusriver.org.

 

Teen Creative Writing Group meets Feb. 9

Teenagers who want to get creative are welcome to join the Teen Creative Writing Program being offered at the Saugus Public Library at 4 p.m. Monday, Feb. 9, in the Brooks Room on the second floor. You can work on any creative writing project, such as a story, novel or poem. No registration required. This program is suitable for 5th graders and up. For details, please contact Rachel Huntington, the Reference and Young Adult Librarian, at 781-231-4168 or rh*********@******et.org

 

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 mv***@*****st.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.