THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, April 12, 2024 Page 11 Books in Bloom 2024 A fun library event that matches books with floral arrangements By Mark E. Vogler A shley Christiano used her artistic talents to match up the Lion’s face cover of a child’s picture book with two pansy plants and makeshift vases she created out of food containers to hold the flowers. Her entry – “The Lion and the Mouse” – attracted many admirers to its display table in the Children’s area at the Saugus Public Library during the Eighth Annual Books in Bloom show held last weekend (April 5 and 6). “I read the book five years ago long before I worked here,” recalled Christiano, who works at the circulation desk at the library. “I really loved the illustrations in the book and knew that it was what I wanted to use as the centerpiece of my exhibit. I went looking for it and found it in the Fairy Tale section, she said. Her mouse was a grated cheese container with a squiggly tail and yellow and violet pansies coming out of the container to resemble the mouse’s head. She made paws and claws of clay to go over a pasta sauce container, which held a bunch of yellow pansies. Epsom salts and glitter were attached to the container. Christiano’s creation was one of 57 arrangements made by Saugus Garden Club members, New Friends of the Saugus Public Library and members of the public. It’s a popular event cosponsored by the Saugus Garden Club and the New Friends of the Saugus Public Library, which proASKS | FROM PAGE 10 tethered spinal cord, which was corrected at BCH when she was seven months old. Harper is now three years old. She had a neuropsych eval at BCH which confirmed she is cognitively at an eight month level and she also received an autism diagnosis. Harper wears glasses to help her focus, is in speech, OT, PT and ABA therapy and is enrolled in school full-time. Harper has learned to pass things to her parents that she wants, and pull them to show them what she wants. Harper is a very happy, loving child who loves Disney princess movies, swings at the park, pools and splash pads. HarpLibrary worker Ashley Christiano with her “Lion and Mouse” exhibit at this year’s Books in Bloom at the Saugus Public Library. (Saugus Advocate Photo by Mark E. Vogler) mote reading and flowers. Local flower enthusiasts put together floral arrangements that interpret a book’s title, book jacket or theme. Each arrangement contains some fresh plant material (foliage, flower) and a book. Board of Selectmen Chair Debra Panetta has belonged to the Saugus Garden Club for years, but submitted an entry in “Books in Bloom” for the first time this year. Panetta used a book she had read about 10 years ago – “The Covenant of Water,” a novel by Abraham Verghere. She pointed to the colorful gerbera daisies and roses she inserted in a clear glass vase that contained other plant material that captured the color on the book jacket. “I’m trying to bring the book cover to life – blooming the book with gerbera daisies and red roses. Donna Manoogian, who is er also loves jumping on her trampoline and is able to utilize equipment at the playground independently. Q: Talk about the sense of accomplishment you get from this exhausting and physically challenging activity. Not everybody gets out and runs a Boston Marathon. A: Completing seven Boston Marathons is one of my greatest accomplishments. Running Boston ignites my soul. There is absolutely no comparison to anything else. Q: What’s it like at the start of the race? Or, what do you think it will be like? A: The Boston Marathon is a wave of emotions, from the walk to the start to the cross of the finish line. There’s a lot copresident of the Saugus Garden Club with Lorraine DiMilla, said the weekend show was one of the more popular editions of “Books in Bloom.” “Hundreds came through the library Thursday, Friday and Saturday to see it,” Manoogian said. “It was very popular this year.” Manoogian’s exhibit featured a book about containers – “Pots & Containers” (The Essentials Collection) by Anthony Atha. It featured a large ceramic turtle planter that sat in the window. Ninety-two-year-old Ruth Berg had fun matching her exhibit with a book titled “Swimsuit,” by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. She leafed through old photos to come up with one of her at Old Orchard Beach, Maine, when she was 19 years old. One of the photos showed her in a pyramid formation and she recalled of energy: Everyone is excited, yet nervous and ready to get going. The only way home is your body. Q: Do you have friends or running buddies you’ll be running with in this year’s marathon? A: Yes! One of my besties, Emily Spadafora, is also running for Boston Children’s Hospital. We share the same patient partners. Q: How many miles do you do in an average year? A: Umh … a lot. Just training alone is over 400 miles. Q: Do you do other marathon races besides Boston? Or, is this your first marathon? And will you run in others this year? ASKS| SEE PAGE 16 Board of Selectmen Chair Debra Panetta entered a “Books in Bloom” exhibit for the first time. (Saugus Advocate photo by Mark E. Vogler) that her late husband happened to be on the beach that day “watching, very intrigued.” “When I saw the book, I had the mug with the bathing suits on it,” Berg said. Ruth Berg’s exhibit “Swimsuit,” featuring a photo of her when she was 19, drew a lot of interest. (Saugus Advocate photo by Mark E. Vogler) Shelagh’s Kids: Shelagh O’Connell, who is running to help raise a goal of $10,000 for Boston Children’s Hospital, is running for two young girls who are patient participants for the hospital’s “miles for miracles” fundraising drive. O’Connell is shown in photos posted on the website with, from left to right, Finley, 8, and Harper, 3. (Courtesy Photo to The Saugus Advocate)
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