Page 14 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, FEbrUAry 28, 2025 The Sounds of Saugus By Mark E. Vogler I f my good health and a favorable economy for the newspaper business prevail, my goal is to continue for at least another year as editor of The Saugus Advocate – the town’s only exclusively Saugus community newspaper. It’s a decision I’ve been making for the last nine years. And now, at age 72 – an age when my professional peers have either retired or passed away – I am still motivated to report, write, edit and photograph people, places and events for a tenth consecutive year. I’ve been covering Saugus for 14 ½ years now, if one counts the 5 ½ years I worked for North Shore Sunday many years ago (1987-92). About this time every year, I make a judgement call as to whether I have enough energy and motivation to put out a newspaper that informs, enlightens and entertains the people of Saugus. It’s always my goal to be a force of good in the community, producing journalism in a weekly magazine-ish format that, hopefully, leads to the betterment of the community. Some weeks it seems like a daunting task. There might not be enough time or space to meet the growing demands or requests for news stories. Fortunately, I am blessed to have a steady volunteer team of contributors who provide some interesting articles and photos and sometimes sketches. And that’s really the ultimate goal: to provide the readers with interesting local news that shines a spotlight on important community issues and facilitates discussion among residents, the policy setters in local government and the citizen decision makers. Frankly, I could continue with what I’m doing for another five to 10 years – as long as I have my health and the backing of my publisher. So, at this point in my career, I’m at least looking at one more Annual Town Meeting and one more town election. Stay tuned. 15 Saugus 4-1-1 set for March Planning for the Saugus 4-1Veronica Robles’ Mariachi Band and some audience members on the stage at the Saugus Cultural Festival on Sunday afternoon (Photo courtesy of Laura Eisener) 1 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. Selectman Corinne Riley – one of the organizers of the event – noted in an email to The Saugus Advocate this week that the event attracted some positive feedback this week: “More good news from the Saugus 4-1-1 Committee! Letters were mailed to our new residents last week and we’ve already received more and more RSVPs from families that are looking forward to the event! Non-profit clubs, committees, youth groups and places of worship, totaling 24, have secured their tables to pass out information on their organization, and to meet our new as well as established residents. There is still time for businesses and services to contact us to add their business cards, menus, informational pamphlets, etc for 50 ‘welcome bags’ for our guests! A great way to let them know about our local businesses and services! Please email Saugus411@gmail.com for any questions you may have, and also to let us know if you would like an item added to our welcome bags! Looking forward to seeing many Saugonians, new and old, on the 15th!” 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. Saugus United Parish Food Pantry The Saugus United Parish Food Pantry welcomes all neighbors facing food insecurity on Fridays from 9:3011 a.m. at 50 Essex St. in the basement of Cliftondale Congregational Church. Please note that the pantry is pausing food drive donations through the end of February because of the generosity of the community during the holiday season. Food drives will resume in March. 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 received several “Shout Outs” from readers this week: From Precinct 1 Town Meeting Member Stacey Herman-Dorant: “A big shout out to the Saugus Cultural Council for putting on an amazing event last weekend, the Saugus Cultural Festival! It was so nice to see the community come together and celebrate all of the cultures that make up our wonderful Town of Saugus. The performances, the food, the vendors and everything in between was so well organized and FUN. I look forward to this event next year!” From frequent Saugus Advocate contributor Janice Jarosz: “SHOUT OUT! Reminder! Ms. Jasmine Grace will be appearing at the Saugus Middle/High School on Saturday, March 8, 2025, at 11:00 AM. “Town officials have been invited along with many local residents, to hear Jasmine’s story of sex trafficking and drug addiction, how she recovered and went on to dedicate her life trying to save so many other young girls that suffered from the same additions. Ms. Grace will take questions from the audience at the end of her presentation. “Admission is free, but should you like to donate to the Bags of Hope the following is a list of items: 12 oz Shampoo, 12oz Conditioner, Bars of Soap, Toothpaste, Toothbrushes, Deodorant, Tampons, Women’s Socks, Trail Mix, Chapstick, Nail Polish, Hairbrushes, Hair Elastics/Clips, Notes of Encouragement, Seasonal Winter Items, $5 Dunks Cards. “This event is sponsored by the Daughters of the American Revolution, (DAR) Ms. Gail Cassarino, Regent, and the MEG Foundation Board of Directors.” From Lin Bell: “I would like to give a Shout Out to whoever chopped down the ice wall at my entrance! With no drain pipes, the icicles form, drip, and an ice wall builds up. Today I found it chipped away with the ice chunks shoveled aside. I am most appreciative of my mystery person.” From Tori Darnell, Saugus Cultural Council Co-Chair, thanking The Saugus Advocate for its advance coverage of the Cultural Council’s First Cultural Festival: “Thank you for your efforts in reporting about the Cultural Council’s 1st Cultural Festival for the Saugus community. We had a great turn out for our first year, roughly a bit more than 400 people. This is based on the free-to-participate door raffles. We are sure that we may have had a bit more than what we counted in tickets, but all in all, a successful event. “I also wanted to add that many people praised the event stating it was exactly what was needed for Saugus to celebrate diversity. Some even shared that they heard about the event through the Advocate! You did an amazing push in reporting in the weeks leading up to the festival. Again, thank you again for reporting on local news and events to keep the community engaged.” THE SOUNDS | SEE PAGE 15
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