THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, MAy 2, 2025 Page 13 The Sounds of Saugus By Mark E. Vogler Good morning, Saugus Happy Town Meeting Month! It’s that time of year again when the Annual Town Meeting convenes in the second-floor auditorium of Saugus Town Hall to transact major town business for the year. The major order of business, of course, will be passing the budget for the new fiscal year that begins on July 1. In addition, there will be some zoning changes and other articles considered and voted on during the next four to six weeks. This year’s Town Meeting session could last a lot longer than any in recent memory because of the addition of three Special Town Meetings. For me, this will be the 10th Town Meeting that I’ve covered in Saugus. But in the course of my journalism career, I’ve been involved in covering about two dozen New England Town Meetings. That includes Nantucket Island and Williamstown, Mass. Town Meeting Mania in Maine Whenever I think of the month of March from the perspective of a longtime journalist, I think of a period back in 1975 when I covered 11 Town Meetings in the Sebago Lake Region of Maine for the Portland Press Herald. What a treat it was covering all of these Maine Town Meetings. Some of them were all-day deals on Saturday, with the folks enjoying a potluck meal for lunch. Towns like Bridgeton, Fryeburg, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Naples, Paris and China – each community had its own character. The towns that held their meeting on Saturdays usually split up the morning and afternoon sessions with a potluck lunch. Women brought their knitting gear with them as they listened intently to the proceedings. I remember covering the Town of Harrison meeting when the townspeople voted overwhelmingly to “go to jail rather than pay a penny toward the Cumberland County Civic Center.” After that headline, several other towns folTHEY’RE BACK! The ruby-throated hummingbirds returned to the feeders at Charlie Zapolski’s Saugus home last week. “They never fail to put on a good show here,” Zap told us. (Courtesy photo of Charlie Zapolski) lowed the example of Harrison and voted “to go to jail …,” to the chagrin of the Cumberland County District Attorney, who felt my stories “encouraged” people in these small communities in the hinterland of the county to do something that he considered clearly illegal. But all of these towns were an hour or more away from Portland, where the new civic center would be built. And a lot of these country folks didn’t want to pay for something they would seldom use. Probably my best Town Meeting story came out of the town of Sweden, where two 90-year-old sisters led the charge against Central Maine Power, opposing a plan to locate some power lines across a local trout brook. Small, but feisty and determined to protect their town, the sisters and the town of a couple of hundred people weren’t intimidated by the utility company. This week’s “SHOUT OUTs” We received a couple of “Shout Outs” this week from our readers: From the Speziale Family and the Saugus Lions Club: “We would like to give a ‘thank you’ to Corinne Riley for all of her service. She works tirelessly for the Town and will continue to be active in service. “We welcome and look forward to Corinne becoming the next Lions president in June. Thank you, Corinne!” From Precinct 6 Town Meeting Member Jeanie Bartolo: “This ‘Shout Out’ goes to Done Right Landscaping Company for once again doing the rotary at Cliftondale Square for Spring. Bruce voluntarily does this for all four seasons every year for the town. The residents of Cliftondale really appreciate it. It looks so beautiful! Thank you Bruce!” 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. Saugus United Parish Food Pantry The Saugus United Parish Food Pantry welcomes all neighbors facing food insecurity on Fridays from 9:30-11 a.m. at 50 Essex St. in the basement of Cliftondale Congregational Church. Legion Breakfasts today The American Legion Post 210 at 44 Taylor St. in Saugus has resumed the 202425 breakfast season and will continue until the final breakfast on Friday, May 30. 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. Boston Marathon wrap-up Fourteen Saugus residents finished the 129th Boston Marathon on Patriots’ Day. More than 30,000 runners ran the race. John Korir of Kenya won the men’s race well ahead of the pack at 2:04:45. His brother Wesley won Boston in 2012, making them the first brothers to win the Boston Marathon. Kenya’s Sharon Lokedi shattered the women’s course record at the Boston Marathon, finishing in 2:17:22. This was more than two minutes faster than the previous record set by Buzunesh Deba in 2014. Christopher Chapruet, 33, led the field of local runners with a time of 2:51:37. Everyone who competed and finished the 2025 Boston Marathon under the fixed time limit of six hours (6:00:00) was eligible to receive a medal for the 2025 event. Here are the Saugus finishers with their times. Catanzariti, Juliana, 36 – 4:34:20 Catinazzo, Bob, 57 – 6:02:18 Chapruet, Christopher, 33 – 2:51:37 Elkhaouli, Richie, 28 – 4:19:28 Favuzza, Robert, 60 – 4:26:45 Hyde, Casey, 30 – 3:20:23 Iafrate, Brenda, 60 – 6:21:29 Loreth, Alisha, 36 – 3:46:23 McCluskey, Kit, 33 – 5:15:50 Mundele, Aaron, 41 – 5:37:30 Rodriguez, Pablo, 44 – 3:22:12 Spaziani, Gina, 58 – 5:21:04 Torres Ulate, Ingrid, 38 – 5:16:35 Vozzella, Shelagh, 36 – 5:06:59 Participate in Memorial Day plans Plans are already in the works for this year’s annual Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony, which is set for Saturday, May 24. Contact the Saugus Veterans Council if you would like to help out. Council Commander Steve Castinetti can be reached at 781-389-3678 or stevecastinetti@comcast.net Public comment period extended on Animal Keeper regulations The Board of Health did not hold its scheduled public hearing on amendments to Article 10, the Animal Keeper regulations, at its April 7 meeting. Members postponed the hearing until their May 5 meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Room at the Saugus Public Library. The postponement led to the extension of the public comment period. What’s going on at the library Van Gogh: a portrait by the postman Roulin: Tomorrow (Saturday, May 3) from 2:003:00 p.m. in the Community Room. Please register using the Events Calendar at www. THE SOUNDS | SEE PAGE 15
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