Page 10 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2022 By Mark E. Vogler We have a winner! C ongratulations to Saugus Fire Chief Michael C. Newbury for making the right identification in last week’s “Guess Who got Sketched!” Contest. He was one of several readers answering correctly, and the one who had his name selected from the green Boston Red Sox cap. Here’s the correct answer, offered by the person who goes by the name of The Sketch Artist: “Last week’s sketch was of one of Our Saugus Firefighter Captains, Captain Christopher Vinard! Captain Vinard was one of three to be awarded a group Award. Every year, The Massachusetts 32nd Annual Firefighters Premier Awards Ceremony held in Worcester celebrates exceptional Firefighters. “The distinguished Ceremony draws many news reporters & coverage throughout The State. “Firefighters who are Heroes such as Captain Chris Vinard are recognized and honored. “In 2021 The Group Meritorious Conduct Award for outstanding Acts of bravery and dedication throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts was awarded to Captain Vinard, (Firefighter since 1988), Firefighter Greg Cinelli and Firefighter Sean Bohannon. (What an Achievement!) “Our Firefighters brought a great salute of honor to the Saugus Fire Dept., which already shows exemplary examples of excellence in service to the Public. “Governor Baker, The State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey, Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito, Public Safety and Security Secretary Terence M. Reidy honorably awarded these medals & awards to Heroes! “Secretary Reidy was quoted in the Saugus Advocate Paper (Nov. 24th page 2) stating: ‘The heroic deeds of the firefighters being honored perCONTEST SKETCH OF THE WEEK THE SOUNDS OF SAUGUS sonify the qualities of bravery and heroism.’ “As well as leadership skills and fast thinking Captain Vinard brings a wealth of the life saving split second decision makings of the Paramedic’s mind set and life experience. “Captain Vinard served as a paramedic with Cataldo Ambulance Services Inc. of Peabody for 15 years. “It was striking to see how much Integrity and leadership he exudes so I tried to capture that as well in his sketch. :) Congratulations to one of our heroes!! Keep holding that torch of lightness for us all! “Yours truly, “The Sketch Artist” Two “Shout-Outs” for this week We received two nominations from readers this week for people deserving of “Shout Outs.” The first one is from Saugus Deputy Fire Chief Thomas D’Eon, Jr.: “To all of those considerate Saugus citizens who helped us during Saturday’s snowstorm. The Saugus Fire Department appreciates the assistance we received from residents who shoveled out the snow around the fire hydrants. Thank you so much.” Joanie Allbee offered this one: “I would like to give a shout out to the Saugus Senior Center for having the ingenuity of putting a “ Hug Coupon “ in the February Newsletter ! It’s a needed touch of warmth in the depth of winter. * I just gave a coupon to a dear soul who redeemed a coupon for a needed kind embrace. 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 the mention in the subject line, “An Extra Shout Out.” No more than a paragraph. Anything longer might lend itself to a story and/or a photo. Concert tonight at the MEG Tonal Chaos, the Saugus High School A Cappella group formerly known as “The Sachimes” will be performing their International Championship of High School A Cappella (ICHSA) competition pieces, with a few special guests and performances, in a preview concert today (Friday, February 4th) at 6 p.m. at the MEG Building, 58 Essex St, Saugus. A suggested donation of $5 per person can be made to the Venmo account @tonal-chaos (please note your name and how many seats you will need), or cash at the door. There will also be a raffle and bake sale at the event. Tickets to the ICHSA performance on Sunday, February 13, 2022, at 3 p.m., can also be purchased: Venue: Galvin Middle School, 525 Main St., GUESS WHO GOT SKETCHED? If you know the right answer, you might win the contest. In this week’s edition, we continue our weekly feature where a local artist sketches people, places and things in Saugus. Got an idea who’s being sketched this week? If you do, please email me at mvoge@comcast.net or leave a phone message at 978 683-7773. Anyone who identifies the Saugonian being sketched correctly between now and Tuesday at Noon qualifies to have their name put in a green Boston Red Sox hat with a chance to be selected as the winner of a $10 gift certificate to J&M Italian American Cuisine, 340 Central St. Saugus. But you have to enter to win! Look for the winner and identification in next week’s “The Sounds of Saugus.” Please leave your mailing address in case you are a winner. (Courtesy illustration to The Saugus Advocate by a Saugonian who goes by the name of “The Sketch Artist”) Wakefield. Phone: 781-246-6410 Website: http://wakefieldpublicschools.org/WPS/galvin/ A belated Christmas gift I would have to say that the best present I got this past Christmas was the great news I received last month (Jan. 24), when I took my brother Wayne in for an office visit at Dr. Mark A. Ringiewicz down in Swansea. I have mentioned previously in this column about my brother’s health issues and the challenges of being his advocate, particularly the frequent monthly drives down to Southeastern Massachusetts. It’s like having a second job during some weeks. But on his recent visit to his doctor’s office, Wayne weighed in at 305 pounds. And given that he hasn’t had a weigh-in at his doctor’s office or his nutritionist office since before Thanksgiving, I was expecting that he would have put on a few pounds like most of us over the holiday season. And to make matters worse, a snow storm last month canceled his quarterly meeting with his nutritionist, Dr. Jessica Inwood of Fall River. So, 305 was great – and a 12 pound weight loss from when he saw Dr. R. last October. (Meanwhile, I have put on close to 12 pounds since I had my annual physical last October, from overindulging!) What makes Wayne’s weight loss such a great story is that he has lost 72 pounds since October 5, 2020. When he weighed in at Dr. R.’s that day, he tipped the scales at 377. I was at wits’ end and asked if there was something the doctor could do before Wayne bloated into the 400 pound zone. Dr. R. referred Wayne to a nutrition soon after and the rest is history. He continues to see his primary care doctor every three months, as he does for his nutritionist, Dr. Inwood. Visits with her have apparently worked some wonders for Wayne Dr. R. has set a goal of 275 pounds for the spring for Wayne. I told him I want to see him at 270 by then. For people who are having trouble losing weight or who want to lose weight, you can do it – if you put your mind to it and have some reinforcement from your doctor. My brother Wayne, who turned 70 in late December, is a good example of what you can do. He’s a retired school teacher in Swansea Public Schools who hasn’t seen 250 since High School days. But 250 is a realistic goal now if he continues to eat smart and exercise. Here’s to a happy new year and a year of good health! Food pantry seeking driver volunteers The Saugus United Parish Food Pantry seeks volunteers to make food and bread pickups on Thursdays and Fridays, from 7:30 to 9 a.m. Anyone who has the time and interest to help out should contact Jeff Hirtle at 781-922-0661. The food pantry operates out of the basement at Cliftondale Congregational Church at 50 Essex st. in Saugus. Friday breakfasts at Legion Hall still on hold Concerns about COVID-19 have led to a temporary shutdown of the popular Friday morning breakfasts at the Saugus American Legion Cpl Scott J Procopio Post 210. Legion Hall, located at 44 Taylor Street. Legion Hall was supposed to reopen recently for the breakfasts. But, the reopening has been delayed again. Debra Dion Faust, Building Manager of American Legion Post 210, has said the American Legion membership voted to delay the re-opening until Friday, Feb. 4. But, the reopening has been delayed again – at least until next Friday (Feb. 11) Here’s an email we received from Debbie this week: “Hello, all: Thanks for your patience over these last months of closure. The good news is that the Covid numbers are down in Saugus from a high of 668 four weeks ago to 214 this past week, so the membership voted last night to re-open the breakfast. The bad news is that Mother Nature has another storm coming in tomorrow, that starts with a warm, rainy day, and devolves overnight into freezing temperatures, black ice, a dicey mix of snow and rain, followed by twelve hours of snow— though the totals are expected to be much lower than last Saturday’s. Thus, Friday morning will be a mess, and we thought it prudent to wait one more week. So we will reopen next Friday, February 11. Once open, we will stay open, and not take a day off in February as we would during a “normal” season. Please be aware that the town has passed a mask mandate THE SOUNDS OF SAUGUS | SEE PAGE 11
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