THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, FEbrUAry 21, 2025 Page 15 The Sounds of Saugus By Mark E. Vogler Good morning, Saugus There’s only two more days until the town hosts the first Saugus Cultural Festival, which is set for Sunday, Feb. 23 at Saugus Middle High School from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. 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 has invited musicians, dancers, poets, actors and artists of all kinds to showcase their talents on the local stage. There will also be food vendors on hand to share their culinary creations with festival-goers. This is a great opportunity to share new experiences with the community and participate in an event that is truly unique to Saugus. Joseph “Dennis” Gould, who cochairs the Cultural Council with Darnell, said he learned that there are at least 25 different languages spoken in Saugus. Wouldn’t it be neat to hear residents speak those languages at the event? Wouldn’t it be neat to sample some of the exotic food that’s prepared by Saugus residents who immigrated to this country in pursuit of the American Dream? And wouldn’t it be neat to watch some of these talented people perform? Well, if you are not doing anything on Sunday, head over to the High School between the hours of 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. The Cultural Council and the small core of other volunteers working with the council wrapped up their planning on Tuesday night. Darnell told The Saugus Advocate that the final planning session for the festival was a productive one. Items completed on the punch list included the following: volunteer badges, a land acknowledgment statement supported by the Massachusetts Center for Native American Awareness (MCNAA), finalized vendor tables and volunteer schedules. “We confirmed that representatives from the Mass CulTHE LINEUP (Courtesy Art to The Saugus Advocate) tural Council and MCNAA plan to attend the festival,” Darnell said. Darnell followed up a busy night with another busy one on Wednesday when she was the guest speaker at the Saugus Lions Club, which had its dinner meeting at Polcari’s. Dining with the Lions was a great opportunity to spread the word about the upcoming event. To learn more information about the Saugus Cultural Festival, please contact the Cultural Council at email – saugusculturalcouncil@gmail.com – or by phone: 339-440-1017. 15 Saugus 4-1-1 set for March Planning for The Saugus 4-11 forum that is scheduled for March 15 at the Saugus Middle High School continues. This is the special event aimed at briefing new residents, as well as those folks who have lived in Saugus for years, on what the town has to offer. “The letters were mailed to all the nonprofits last week, and we already have 15 tables secured for the event,” Selectman Corinne Riley said this week in an email to The Saugus Advocate. “Letters to the recently moved-in residents will be mailed beginning of next week. We have a new participant this year from the Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts after a Troop Leader of Saugus referred me to them. They will be giving out information to try to get volunteers to become much needed Troop Leaders,” she said. “We have already heard from the Garden Club, Saugus Fire Department, Saugus Boys and Girls Club, the YMCA, Saugus Youth Football and Cheer, SCTV....Just to name a few.” 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). Stay tuned for more details. Legion Breakfasts today There’s a good 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 2024-25 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. This week’s “SHOUT OUTs” We didn’t receive any nominations this week from readers who want to recommend Saugonians who they believe are worthy of special recognition for doing something that should make the town proud. That’s a shame, because there are so many things going on in town which too often get overshadowed by a down and dirty brand of Saugus politics – especially in a town election year. Using my editorial discretion, I’ll dedicate a super “shout out” for all of those volunteers who have helped organize the First Annual Saugus Cultural Festival, which is set for Sunday (Feb. 23) from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Saugus Middle High School. Members of the Saugus Cultural Council are especially deserving of high praise for their collective planning that went into an event that was designed to showcase the diversity of Saugus residents in the area of food and performances. Hats off to Joseph “Dennis” Gould, one of the council’s co-chairs, for proposing the idea shortly after joining the council last year, and the other co-chair – Tori Darnell – for her tireless efforts to promote the first-ever Saugus event. Also kudos for the entire staff and the legion of volunteers who made it all possible. I would also like to extend a “shout out” to the members of the Saugus Fire Department and friends who participated in the BFit Challenge at TD Garden earlier this month. The funds they raised go directly to the Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts’ New England Firefighter Cancer Fund. 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. February Fireside Chats at Breakheart For a period of consecutive Wednesday mornings, through Feb. 26, Breakheart Reservation will host a Fireside Chat at its Christopher P. Dunne Memorial Visitor Center (177 Forest St., Saugus) from 10 to 11 a.m. Each week come warm up by a fire and join a staff member from the state Department of Conservation & Recreation (DCR) who will be sharing their expertise and experiences at our parks. DCR staff goes well beyond the people you normally meet in the parks. There are many “behind the scenes” experts who are excited to share their role in keeping the park properties safe and healthy for the public. The lineup for the final Fireside Chat is as follows: Feb. 26, Eric Seaborn, Director of Natural Resources. Countdown Till Saugus Town Meeting Beginning next week, in our Feb. 28 issue of The Saugus Advocate, we will for the second consecutive year publish a series of articles titled “Countdown Till Saugus Town Meeting.” The 2025 Annual Town THE SOUNDS | SEE PAGE 18
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