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Page 12 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, MAY 28, 2021 THE SOUNDS OF SAUGUS | FROM PAGE 10 insensitive desk editor. I awoke the next morning to a knock on the door of my motel room. The stranger told me it was a family emergency and I needed to call home. So, I walked out into the parking lot to make a dreaded collect call to my hometown in Swansea, Mass. My brother Wayne answered the phone and told me that my twin brother, Lance, had gone to a better place and was no longer with us. He was a U.S. Air Force veteran who survived the Vietnam War – serving his time in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and ‘Nam – coming home without a scratch. But on Memorial Day 1978, Lance was one of the 15 people who died over that weekend on Massachusetts roads. On a dark, foggy night, less than an eighth of a mile down the street from my parents’ home, Lance hit a curb with his motorcycle and was fatally injured. As I recalled, he snapped a vertebra in his neck. Alcohol wasn’t a factor. There weren’t any witnesses to report what happened. We’ll never know whether a passing car or an animal could have caused him to lose control of his motorcycle, or whether there was some other kind of fatal distraction. It was a two-hour car ride from my motel room to the nearest airport in Midland, Tex., where I barely caught the last connecting flight to Boston that day. I was stuck in Dallas for several hours. More than 12 hours later, I sat in the kitchen of my folks’ home, reading the local newspaper story about just another Memorial Day traffic tragedy. But this one really hit home and still resonates painfully every year at this time. Lance was just 25 and was an excellent student, looking forward to his junior year at Southeastern Massachusetts University. So much of life ahead of him. But all his dreams and hopes ended on that Memorial Day. It’s a holiday tragedy that visits hundreds of American families every year. During my travels throughout the country as a newspaper reporter going back into the early 1970s, I have done more than my share of interviews with grieving people who lost loved ones over the Memorial Day weekend. If you head out to the roads this weekend – especially to do some long distance driving – be safe out there. Don’t become a casualty Enjoy the holiday with family and friends. And take time to say a few prayers for the service people who sacrificed their lives in combat duty to defend our American way of life. And if you have the time, stop by Riverside Cemetery at 10 a.m. on Memorial Day (Monday, May 31) for the town’s annual Memorial Day observance. If you can’t make it on Monday, show up at the cemetery today (Friday, May 28) and join a brigade of volunteers led by longtime Graves Registration Officer Randy Briand, who will plant mini American flags at the gravesites of all Saugus residents who served this country in the Armed Forces. We have a winner! We have a winner in last week’s “Guess Who Got Sketched” contest. Congratulations to Shirley Bogdan, who contacted us with the correct answer. Her name was picked from a number of potential winners’ names out of the green Boston Red Sox cap. Here’s last week’s answer, offered by the person who goes by the name of The Sketch Artist: “The answer to last week’s sketch is ...Debbie Panetta! “Debbie is a member of several organizations that benefit Saugus (the Historical Society, Friends of Breakheart, Garden Club, Saugus Chamber of Commerce and the Saugus Business Education Collaborative) “She has a Masters degree in Business Administration, Northeastern University, Bachelor’s in Accounting Suffolk University (Magna cum Laude) a (Lean Sic Sigma Certification) “Debbie has been in Saugus Organizations for over 30 plus years. She has served on many Committees and holds several Memberships with environmental groups such as Saugus River Watershed Council, the Conservation Law Foundation, the Sierra Club and SAVE (Saugus Action Volunteers for the Environment) – where she served as past president. “Debbie is a former School Committee member (where she served as chair) and a former Town Meeting member who served five terms representing Precinct 5. She is finishing up her 10th year as a member of the Board of Selectmen. “Debbie is family oriented and has been happily married to her husband Mark for over 35 years plus. Their two children – Mark, Jr. and Sabrina – are successfully attending Universities. “Thank you! Keep shining your light brightly! “Yours Truly, “The Sketch Artist” A super “Shout-Out” for “Shout-Out” writers This week’s “Shout-Out” nomination comes from Jeanie Bartolo, an avid Saugus Advocate reader who actually came up with the idea for the “Shout-Out” feature of our column and has easily written more “ShoutOuts” than any other reader. “It’s been two years we’ve been doing the Shout Outs!!,” Jeanie writes in a recent email. “Memorial Day marks the second anniversary of the Advocate’s Sounds of Saugus ‘Shout Out’ column with a total of 130 Shout Outs, so I thought A ‘Shout Out’ for ‘Shout Outs’ to EVERYONE who nominated someone special and to Mark Vogler for printing them. Let’s keep it going!” We will, as long as readers continue to email in their nominations. 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 ShoutOut.” No more than a paragraph; anything longer might lend itself to a story and/or a photo. A one-day trash delay The Town of Saugus announces that trash and recycling collection will run on a one-day delay from Tuesday, June 1, through Saturday, June 5, due to the observance of Memorial Day. There will be no collection on Monday, May 31, 2021, due to the holiday. Services will resume on a one-day delay from Tuesday, June 1, through Saturday, June 5. Residents whose collection day falls on Monday will be collected on Tuesday. Collection will continue to run on a one-day delay for the remainder of the week. The compost site will be open as normal from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. tomorrow (Saturday, May 29), Wednesday (June 2) and Saturday (June 5). The Town of Saugus would like to thank everyone for their cooperation. Please contact Solid Waste/Recycling Coordinator Lorna Cerbone at 781-231-4036 with any questions. A community garden update If you are young or old and feel like doing some real earthy community service, why not join the growing team that’s been assisting in the creation of the Community Garden that’s going to help feed the hungry and needy people of Saugus? Here’s the latest email we’ve received from The Rev. John Beach of St. John’s Episcopal Church: Dear kind and gentle people, It was a delight to have so much help on our planting days last Friday and Saturday. I am particularly grateful for the Fourth Graders who planted the seedlings they have been growing in their classrooms… If any among you still have seedlings to be planted, it would be helpful if you bring them in this week. We are also warmly inviting any among you who are available for an hour to come and give us a hand for an hour either this Friday or Saturday from 9-11. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Peace, John+ The Rev. John Beach St. John’s Episcopal Church Saugus, Massachusetts 01906 Anyone who wants to help out Rev.John on this noble project, call him at 774-961-9881 or send him an email at revjbeach@gmail.com. We will keep you posted as the garden continues to grow. Cliftondale forum coming up The Cliftondale Revitalization Committee is organizing a public forum for June 21 at 7 p.m., with a location to be determined. Members are hoping to get all of the stakeholders, particularly, the Planning Department, Cliftondale property owners (landlords) and business owners involved. Change for Grab-N-Go Meals Saugus Public Schools is providing free meals on Tuesdays and Fridays from the Saugus Middle-High School at 1 Pearce Memorial Dr. Grab-N-Go meals are available from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. All Saugus families are encouraged to pick up meals. Meals will be available through June 30. Meals are no longer available for pick up at Veterans Memorial School. Through a USDA grant, Saugus Public Schools is providing free meals to all Saugus students while in-person learning or remotely learning from home. Project Bread partners with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) through the Child Nutrition Outreach Program to provide free meals to kids across Massachusetts. CHaRM Center Recycling Drop-Off site open for season The community’s Center for Hard to Recycle Materials (CHaRM) site is open. This site will remain open to residents on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The site is located behind the Department of Public Works at 515 Main St. At the CHaRM center, the Town will accept the same recycling items that can be placed outside for curbside collection each week, such as paper, cardboard, bottles, cans and glass containers. No shredded paper is accepted for recycling on-site. Additional acceptable items include TVs and computers (up to three per year per address); car tires up to 22" (for a fee of $3); books and textiles, such as clothing, bedding, pocketbooks, belts and shoes. Plastic bags are not permitted; residents are kindly asked to empty recyclables out of any plastic bags and to remove the bags from the site. Also, rigid plastics are not being accepted for recycling at this time. Residents may call Lorna Cerbone at the Solid Waste and Recycling Department at 781-231-4036 with questions or for more information. Compost site reopens The town compost site has opened to residents on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The site is located behind the Department of Public Works at 515 Main St. Stickers are required to gain seasonal access to the site. Stickers may be purchased for $25.00 at the Department of Public Works (DPW) located at the Compost Site when making your visit to the Compost Site. The Town accepts checks only for payment of the $25.00. No cash will be accepted. Kindly bring a check when visiting. Thank you! Compost site stickers must be permanently placed on the lower left corner of residents’ automobile windshields. Vehicles registered out of state are not permitted. Yard waste must be disposed of in brown compost bags or open containers. The Town will accept grass clippings, leaves and brush. As in years past, no branches or limbs larger than three inches in diameter are permitted. We ask all residents to please wear a mask and mainTHE SOUNDS OF SAUGUS | SEE PAGE 13

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