THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, JAnUAry 17, 2025 Page 17 Members of the Saugus Middle-High School Ski And Board Club are shown getting ready to board a bus last week to Pat’s Peak in Henniker, N.H., for a ski trip. WIN Waste Innovations of Saugus sponsored the trip and several others that are planned, saving $100 for each of the 100 club members in grades 6-12. (Courtesy Photo to The Saugus Advocate) SOUNDS | FROM PAGE 16 for Jan. 22 and 29 and Feb. 5, 12, 19 and 26. Saugus Cultural Festival Feb. 23 Planning continues for the Saugus Cultural Festival, which is set for Sunday, Feb. 23, at Saugus Middle-High School. This inclusive and family-friendly event will celebrate Saugus’ cultural diversity through the showcase of food, performances and other activities, according to Tori Darnell, Co-chair of the Saugus Cultural Council – the event’s organizers. The Cultural Council is looking for: · Performers: Musicians, dancers, poets, actors and artists of all kinds are invited to showcase their talents on our stage. · Food vendors: Share your culinary creations with festival-goers. Local food trucks, caterers and restaurant owners are encouraged to apply. · Volunteers: Help us make the event a success by joining our team. Volunteers will assist with setup, guest services, event coordination and more. This is a great opportunity to share new experiences with the community. To apply or to learn more information, please contact the Cultural Council at: · Email: saugusculturalcouncil@gmail.com · Phone: 339-440-1017. Don’t miss out on being part of this exciting celebration in our Town! We can’t wait to see you there! Deadline for applications: Jan. 19. Please reach out if you have any questions. Saugus 4-1-1 set for March 1 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. “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 was the driving force behind the nifty program, which had two previous well-attended Saturdays at the Saugus Middle-High School in recent years (2022 and 2023). A Facebook Fiasco As part of my job as editor, I monitor reader comments about Saugus stories that pop up on the Advocate Newspapers Facebook page. I’m curious about the Saugus stories that are particularly popular with readers during a given week, as well as which ones that aren’t so popular. Sometimes there are story leads that develop from comments. But I don’t get involved directly with the readers. I’m not a social media animal. Even when the readers bash me or The Saugus Advocate with disparaging remarks, it’s not my place to argue with a reader. I don’t begrudge readers their right to exercise their first amendment right even when they are unfairly critical of me or the paper. But I couldn’t help but cringe last week when some of the readers seized the opportunity to exploit a breaking story about the tragic death of a young man on property owned by WIN Waste Innovations near their trash-to-energy plant. How despicable it was for some readers to post comments on a story about WIN Waste Innovations sponsoring students from the Saugus Middle-High School Ski Trip, implying in their reckless comments that something sinister happened to 21-year-old Cole Moment, an honors student from the Saugus High School Class of 2021, even before all of the facts were in. The story broke after our deadline, so these irresponsible readers even went so far as to suggest that The Saugus Advocate had squashed the story. And one reader demanded that we write an article about it or he would “no longer consume your newspaper.” The paper is free, by the way. A wise man once told me “never waste your time with fools.” And it’s been my observation over the past three decades that Facebook pages are full of fools who – though they are extremely misinformed on topics they are writing – will say anything. In this case, these people must not be aware that there are big differences in the deadline schedules for a weekly newspaper that comes out once a week and a television or radio station or daily newspaper that has multiple deadlines every day. I wouldn’t have commented on these Facebook follies, except they escalated their Facebook comments into emails to Advocate Newspapers, the parent company of The Saugus Advocate. Had these fools stuck to Facebook, I probably would have just ignored it. When people get stupid and write stupid and irresponsible things on Facebook, it’s best not to get involved. It’s a waste of time. In this case, it was unfortunate that the Facebook writing fools tried to exploit a tragedy so they could write their disparaging and irresponsible texts and emails. But they’re not worth any more attention. 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 THE SOUNDS | SEE PAGE 18
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