SOUNDS | FROM PAGE 14 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, FEbrUAry 16, 2024 TOUCHDOWN TALES| FROM PAGE 8 • Feb. 21: JP Patton, DCR Archaeologist, 10 a.m. Delve into the fascinating world of archaeology as JP Patton shares discoveries and insights into archaeological finds at Breakheart Reservation. • Feb. 28: Ben Jenelle, DCR District 5 Fire Warden, 10 a.m. Hear firsthand accounts of the Breakheart fires from the Spring/Summer of 2022 and understand their impact on the reservation. The Warden will tell us about the measures taken by DCR to manage and mitigate future fire risks. Winter is calling at Breakheart If you love hiking, nature and the great outdoors, there’s a lot going on this winter at Breakheart Reservation – courtesy of the state Department of Conservation & Recreation (DCR). All Programs are free and open to the public. An adult must accompany children. Reasonable accommodations available upon request. Parking fees may apply depending on the program location. For more information, please email Jessica Narog-Hutton, Visitor Services Supervisor, at jessica.narog-hutton@mass.gov Here are a few programs that DNR has in the works: • On Sundays now through March, why not do something easy, like a Sunday morning hike from 10 a.m. to noon. Check in at the Visitor Center (177 Forest St., Saugus). Join the Park Interpreter for a weekly guided hike. Each trip will highlight natural and historic features that make Breakheart unique. Hikes will be moderately paced and range from two to three miles over sometimes uneven and rocky terrain. This activity is best suited for ages eight years and up. The hike will be canceled in the event of heavy rain. • On Thursdays now through March, the Camp Nihan Educational Center (121 Walnut St., Saugus) will offer the Wild Breakheart Series from 9 to 10 a.m. Join Breakheart staff for this rotating nature series that will explore different aspects of Breakheart in the wintertime. This month learn about animal tracking. Discover how tracks that animals leave behind can tell us a story about what they do when no one is around. In March be a part of the Breakheart Birding Club. Discover what birds are starting to come back for the spring and what birds stay from the winter. • On Fridays now through March, check out Kidleidoscope from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Visitor Center (177 Forest St., Saugus). Come join a park interpreter for a story time and nature walk. Complete a small craft and explore the woods! Walks are gently paced and approximately one mile, though not accessible for strollers. This activity is appropriate for families with children who are three to five years old. Meet at the Visitor Center. • On Saturdays now through March, “Step into the Past” from 10 a.m.to noon at the Visitor Center (177 Forest St., Saugus). Join the park interpreter to discover the park history. Hikes are about two and a half miles and of moderate difficulty along rocky trails with several stops. Best for adults and older children with a keen interest in history. Meet outside the Visitor Center. This activity will be canceled in the event of rain. • First and third Saturdays: Stories in Stone: Breakheart has been shaped not only by nature but by the many people who have called it home. • Second and fourth Saturdays: Glacial Giants: Countless clues to a glacial past dot the landscape. If one knows where to look, this hidden geologic history can be revealed. 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. le because she’s completely protected,” Monastiero said. “With flag there’s a push now to start wearing a soft covering, a headband style soft helmet. A lot of teams are required at this point. One of the leagues that we go to for tournaments is recommending it strongly. So I think there’s a push in that direction at least to have some head protection. And then they have a mouthguard. But that’s it for flag. It’s a lot of collisions.” Finding a home with flag Mom’s still 100% behind her daughter in flag and anything she wants to do. And nothing’s derailed McKanas. She started playing flag in July of 2019 in 6u and stopped when COVID hit. She resumed in the spring of 2022. She tried out for NEFFL Elite in the spring of 2023 on a whim. She also plays rec league locally in the NEFFL league itself as well as New England Sports run by Nathan Farrar, which keeps her love for the fun of the game alive, ASKS | FROM PAGE 7 about yourself. A: I was born Nov. 30, 1931. I grew up in Gloucester. I graduated from Gloucester High School in 1949 and finished my RN training in 1952. I went into nurse training when I was 17. Q: Being a nurse – was that a childhood ambition? A: I went to work when I was 12 at Addison Gilbert Hospital in Gloucester and decided I was going to be a nurse, and I later trained at Newton-Wellesley Hospital. I didn’t like to be recognized or made a big deal of, but I knew I wanted to be a nurse. And I saw a cesarean section when I was 12 years old. Q: You’ve had a good life together with Louis? A: Yes, we have. We fight, but not that bad. You have to, when you’re two separate people. But I’m the boss. You know that. I would say we’ve lived a simple life – not extravagant. And we’re lucky to have lived in this part of the country. We celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary on our 49th, while we were still alive. But we’ve lived a lot longer. The times have gone by fast. The roller-skating years were the fun years. And we did candlepin bowling. We always had animals – cats and dogs. We always had company. We had a small boat in Revere. We’ve done a lot of things together. Louis used to come and wait while I was finishing a 3-11 shift at the hospital. They let him hang around and never kicked him out. Mom said. “She has a huge village of support including her grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles and teachers,” Monastiero said. “She maintains her crazy schedule of practice, games, trainings and travel while keeping excellent grades and friendships.” McKanas feels the support, which also includes brother John, 8, and Lucy, 6. Asked by this reporter toward the end of the interview if there was anything she’d like to add, she immediately wanted to “shout out” her coaches: current coaches Tony Ramos and Terrell Patterson and all her past mentors in the game, such as Derek MacMillan, who is greatly responsible for her falling in love with flag. “They’re the ones who really pushed me and made me better,” McKanas said. She’s also got a fan in her coaches. Patterson, 42, director of operations at the Lynn Community Health Center, first got involved Page 15 with flag football volunteer coaching. When his daughter Kaileigh Patterson was 5 and playing her first season, he was not fond of the way coaches coached young girls. “That’s when I made a decision to volunteer and give young girls an equitable experience learning the sport,” Coach Patterson said. “I committed to coaching girls no different than coaching boys. Along the way throughout the years, more like-minded families and young girls found a place with flag football.” Enter McKanas, who Patterson calls a standout starting wide receiver who “lets her game speak.” “Haleigh complements the offense well with being a play-making threat,” the coach added. “She is the ultimate teammate who shows up to work hard and never complains.” What does he mean by “lets her game speak?” Ask McKanas: “Like basically, you don’t show off,” she says. “You don’t say anything. You just let your game speak. You show people what you can really do.” She’s absolutely not like Taylor Swift’s boyfriend. A ROLLER-SKATING ROMANCE: Marilyn and Louis Fantasia earlier this week in an interview at the Saugus Rehabilitation & Nursing Center reminisced about their roller-skating days in the late 1950s in Revere, where they first met, became close friends and wound up getting married in 1959. Louis turns 100 today. (Saugus Advocate photo by Mark E. Vogler) Q: You lived in Saugus a long time and still own a house on Castle Rock Road. What do you like about Saugus? A: Saugus reminds me of growing up in Gloucester, and it’s been good to me. The people and the type of living – I think that’s why I got used to it right away. I loved living in the Golden Hills area, where we had skating in the winter time and swimming in the summer. We had a neighborhood crime watch in the Golden Hills area. We never had children. I had cancer instead. We had a nice big yard – off in the wooded area. We went through eight dogs. I had seven dogs at one time, and I had cats, too. I was an animal lover. Q: Were you active in the community? A: Yes. I loved being involved. I belonged to SAVE [Saugus Action Volunteers for the Environment]. I was a member of the East Saugus United Methodist Church. I was also a member of the Golden Hills Association. Saugus was great for me, and I loved to live here. Q: How has it been for you at the Saugus Rehabilitation & Nursing Center? A: The staff is good here and treats us well. But to be out of my home [Castle Rock Road] – it’s very, very difficult; it’s a difficult time for me. I’m homesick all of the time. I miss my home.
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