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Page 16 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, April 21, 2023 The Sounds of Saugus By Mark E. Vogler Good morning, Saugus! This will be a great weekend for Saugus residents to join together for the betterment of their community. Saugus Little League Opening Day ceremonies are set for tomorrow (Saturday, April 22) at 10 a.m. for the Saugus Little League Parade, which will begin from Anna Parker Field and wind its way through Cliftondale Square down Lincoln Avenue to Central Street and onto Hurd Avenue, ending at Grabowski Field for the Opening Day ceremonies that will feature a 20th anniversary celebration of the 2003 team that made it to the Little League World Series. That team finished runner-up in the United States and fourth in the world, and most of the players are expected to ride a makeshift duck boat in the parade. League officials are doing all they can to make this year’s Opening Day a communitywide event. They are hoping to beef up the parade with representatives from the senior citizens and veterans communities. Guy Moley has already agreed to participate with some cars from his charity car shows. The Saugus Police and Fire Departments will be involved. There will be a DJ and a food truck at Grabowski Field. So, with good weather, it could be a nice family and community event that appeals to Saugonians of all ages. An Earth Day Guest Massachusetts Lieutenant Gov. Kim Driscoll is expected to attend tomorrow’s (Saturday, April 22) state Department of Conservation & Recreation (DCR) Park Serve Day at Breakheart Reservation. The former Salem mayor has agreed to participate in a tree planting ceremony set for around noon. The public is welcome to observe the Earth Day Ceremony. There will be light refreshments. Forum on Manoogian articles Town Meeting members who weren’t able to make Tuesday night’s briefing at the Saugus Public Library by Precinct 10 Town Meeting Member Peter Manoogian on three articles he’s introduced will get another chance. Manoogian will host another forum on Saturday, April 29, from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Community Room at the library to learn about Articles 17, 18 and 19, which are on the warrant for the Annual Town Meeting. The Annual Town Meeting is set for Monday, May 1 at 7:30 p.m. in the second floor auditorium at Saugus Town Hall. “Saugus Over Coffee” The next “Saugus Over Coffee” forum is set for Tuesday, April 25. Three of the five Town Meeting members from Precinct 4 – Moderator Stephen Doherty and members Maureen Whitcomb and Glen Davis – have notified us that they will be there to meet Precinct 4 residents and answer questions about issues facing Precinct 4. For those unfamiliar with the “Saugus Over Coffee” forums, they are cosponsored by The Saugus Advocate and the Saugus Public Library. The primary purpose is to give citizens in each of the town’s 10 precincts an opportunity to voice their concerns about top issues in their respective precincts. It also gives them an opportunity to meet their Town Meeting representatives and chat over a cup of coffee or tea. Town Meeting members will benefit by getting to know more about concerns in their precincts. Viewers of the forums videotaped by Saugus TV will also get to learn a little about the history or interesting things about the precinct being featured each month. One of my major hopes for the forums is that it spurs an interest for citizens to become potential candidates for Town Meeting in this fall’s town election. The public should keep in mind that there was a paucity of candidates for Town Meeting seats in the town elections back in 2021. In five of the 10 precincts, only five candidates ran for the five seats. That means half of the 50-member body was elected without competition. Stay tuned for more information as “Saugus Over Coffee” continues. Here is the remaining schedule: Precinct 4 – April 25 Precinct 5 – May 2 Precinct 6 – June 12 Precinct 7 – July 10 Precinct 8 – August 14 Precinct 9 – September 11 Precinct 10 – October 23 Please check with The Saugus Advocate or library for any changes in dates. Residents can check the programming guide on the station’s website (www. saugustv.org) for dates and times. A video of the forum will also be available for viewing on the station’s vimeo page within a day or two after the event – www.vimeo.com/saugustelevision. Multiple “Shout Outs” this week It’s a great week when we receive more than one “shout out.” It was one of those weeks, as we received multiple “shout outs.” This week’s nominations: Sue Fleming: “Good morning Mark [Vogler]. First of all, a ‘Shout Out’ and congrats to you on your induction into the New England Newspaper Hall of Fame! An incredible honor and very well-deserved! “Also a shout out to the Saugus Public Library and the Saugus Garden Club for the fantastic Books in Bloom display last Friday and Saturday. It’s always fun to go and see the different books chosen and the floral arrangements displayed with each book. I was happy to see my beloved Red Sox included with a book and floral arrangement. Always a fantastic display! Thank you to the library and garden club!” Joanie Allbee: “Hello I’d like to give a Shout Out to the 911 Call center and the Saugus Fire Dept. What a tremendous great job they all do! They have to deal with such an array of Emergencies, accidents, and assists not knowing what will be next or where. They show up calm, steady, professional and prepared for anything and seemingly everything. Saugus Fire Dept. and the Call Center seems to always remain calm in the midst of many daily fight/flight adrenaline racing calls and yet still take the time to be considerate and show empathy towards those while assisting them. The Call Center handles phone calls in a calm, steady manner and asks the right questions to focus the callers who are often in a state of panic, shock, or on the verge of passing out themselves. They never really know what a 911 call will involve but from start to finish, they carry on in such a reassuring factual manner, remaining calm, steady, professional yet concerned and caring. Some in service positions care to do a job with a spirit of Excellence and that is what our Saugus Fire/call Center Team does! Bravo! Michelle Hayes: “Yes. I’d like to say the person who last Thursday gave everyone a free lunch at the Saugus Senior Center. That was a very lovely and nice gesture. Thank you.” Precinct 6 Town Meeting Member Jeanie Bartolo: “This ‘Shout Out’ goes to Joanie Albee. Joanie created The Hope Ring, with a small card that says ‘There’s Hope for Tomorrow in Believing for Today’. Joanie hand makes these dainty rings with a copper colored wire and handcrafts them into a beautiful delicate setting with a rosebud in the middle. They are truly beautiful works of art. I want to thank Joanie for gifting one to me. I smile every time I look at it. Thank you Joanie!” 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. A “Tree City” prepares for Arbor Day Arbor Day is April 28, and as always the Saugus Tree Committee is working on celebrating this annual holiday. On April 8, three volunteers worked at clearing overgrowth and checking on the tree situation after last year’s drought. The Saugus Tree Committee is hoping Saugus will receive our Tree City USA status again in 2023, and the chairman is working on that application. Although the tree farm site is in an area which may be wetter than ideal for nurturing some tree species, this site does have two necessary features for tree growth: a source of water (there is a faucet and hose) and a high fence to protect sapling trees from deer and vandals. At the tree farm, small trees are nurtured to a size suitable for planting on streets, parks and other public areas in Saugus. Volunteers are needed to help plant trees, weed and water this spring, and a few tree volunteer days will be scheduled. To volunteer or for more information contact Nancy Prag at nrprag@gmail.com. Students in several classes are working on posters about the importance of trees for the poster contest, and the Tree Committee hopes to be planting some new trees this year in public areas around town. In 2021, due in part to some grants and donations, a record number of street trees were planted in locations requested by nearby property owners, but the drought in 2022 made extensive tree plantings impractical for that season. Kindergarten registration information Saugus Public Schools has announced that Kindergarten registration packets for the 2023-24 school year in the Saugus Public Schools will be available starting Monday, April 24. The packets can be picked up at the Veterans Early Learning Center’s main office on Monday, April 24 through Friday, April 28 between 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. The VELC is located at 39 Hurd Ave. in Saugus. The packet will also be available on the Saugus Public Schools’ website. Completed registration packets should be dropped off at the VELC on Wednesday, May 17 or Thursday, May 18 between 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Mandatory Kindergarten screenings will be scheduled at this time. The screenings will be held on Wednesday, June 7 and Thursday, June 8 and will last about 20 minutes. There is no deadline for registration; however, we ask that students register by May 19 to allow for staff and program planning. Students must be five years old by Aug. 31, 2023, in order to enter kindergarten in the fall of 2023; there are no exceptions. Saugus moved to a free, allday kindergarten model for the 2021-21 school year to better prepare students academically, socially and emotionally. A halfday option is not available. For more information, please contact the Veterans Early Learning Center at 781-231-8166. Seeking Sachem sports historical data If you are knowledgeable about the Saugus High Sachem Boys and Girls sports teams prior to 1969, Saugus Public Schools could use your help. The School District is looking for data on Saugus High Sachem Boys and Girls sports teams prior to 1969 that won a conference, regional and/or State Championship. “For example, we need data on the 1966, ’67 or ’68 Saugus varsity cross country team that won the State Championship,” Saugus School Committee Member Dennis Gould wrote in a press release this week. “We need the team, the year and what championship they won. Pictures of the teams, trophies or old banners would be great also,” Gould said. “The data will be used by the School District to generate historical banners to hang in the new complex and to give to the Saugus Sports Hall of Fame for permanent record.” If you happen to have access or knowledge of such data, please email it to Dennis Gould, School Committee, jdgould1969@aol.com. Dennis THE SOUNDS | SEE PAGE 17

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