Page 16 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, JUnE 16, 2023 The Sounds of Saugus By Mark E. Vogler Good morning, Saugus! If you don’t have any plans for tomorrow (Saturday, June 17) and you enjoy a nice slice of strawberry shortcake, go down to Legion Hall at 44 Taylor St. The Saugus Historical Society will be hosting its annual Strawberry Festival. I’m told that a couple of ladies dressed in colonial costumes will be serving up Old-fashioned Strawberry Shortcake in the Legion Hall from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., as well as hot dogs, chips and soda. Shortcake is the traditional biscuit kind and they are $5 each. Take-out is available, or they can be eaten at the tables inside the hall with your friends from all over town. And once you get done eating a very tasty Saugus specialty, head next door to the Saugus Garden Club’s plant sale, arts and crafts and yard sale on the Roby School Building lawn on Main Street from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. A hot summer ahead for Saugus Public Schools It looks like it’s going to be a very hot, adversarial summer for Saugus Public Schools. Until the past week, very little had come to public light regarding the future of Schools Superintendent Erin McMahon, who has been on paid administrative leave for nearly five months. She is forbidden from visiting the School Department offices or having any public contact with the town’s public education system, pending the outcome of an investigation into alleged misconduct. If McMahon is eventually vindicated of the allegations, a lot of damage will have still been done to the School District. The town will have shelled out more than half of McMahon’s salary of close to $200,000 a year. Although she and her attorney say she’s eager to return to administrative offices and resume where she left off, one has to wonder whether her appetite has been soured by the investigation, which the public still knows little about. The superintendent and her attorney claim she’s been kept in the dark, too. And if the investigation eventually raises serious questions about whether McMahon should be serving the School District, that would be a major league setback for the town and Saugus Public Schools. —Cont est— CONTEST SKETCH OF THE WEEK Whichever way it turns out, Saugus Public Schools faces tough months ahead, based on what I’ve read of the state Open Meeting Law complaint filed recently by McMahon’s attorney. Stay tuned. Mission Ready was ready I got some great news from Marine veteran Brandon Montella, the U.S. Marine veteran who completed a 100-mile run last Veterans Day to honor local veterans and to raise money for his nonprofit cause – Mission Ready. Brandon reports that the 5K fund-raising run/walk through Breakheart Reservation held last week drew close to 90 registered participants and raised about $4,000. The proceeds go to benefit his 501C3 Mission Ready – which provides fitness programs and events to under-resourced youth and veterans. “We had a great community gathering, and gave a bunch of kids a fun experience as one school brought their 4th grade cross country team,” Brandon told me. “Mission Ready covered their entry. My kids had a blast that are under Mission Ready and the DCR staff loved us being there too. Really good exposure for MR and hopefully it will lead to more donors, more events, more community and eventually me bringing my organization to Saugus for its next home,” he said. Brandon lives with his family in Saugus, but his Mission Ready gym is currently located in Woburn. Stay tuned for an update. Maruzzi book launch June 27 at Kowloon Michael Maruzzi, a Saugus Can You Guess Where this is? If you know, call 978-6837773 and your name will be entered into a drawing contest to win. The prize is a $10 gift certificate of your favorite Saugus coffee place or restaurant. Thank you. native who has become a mentor and advocate for spinal cord injured persons, has written a book called “Walking is Overrated.” It’s an inspirational story of overcoming life’s challenges 36 years after a hockey injury left him a quadriplegic. He spent his early years growing up in Everett before his family moved to Saugus. Maruzzi, 54, suffered a devastating injury while playing in a hockey game for Saugus High School on Jan. 17, 1987, when he crashed into the boards head-on, leaving him paralyzed. Though confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life as a quadriplegic, Maruzzi made the most of his opportunities to pursue a career. He is a 1987 graduate of Saugus High School. Maruzzi authored his memoir to show how any human being has the capacity to overcome any physical obstacle. The Kowloon Restaurant will be hosting a book launch from 6 to 9 p.m. on June 27. Food, drink, music, dance, comedians and a copy of the book are included in the $75 ticket charge to the event, which will be held on the outdoor patio. Trash/Recycling on OneDay Holiday Delay The Town of Saugus announces that trash and recycling collection will run on a one-day delay for the Juneteenth Holiday. Trash and recycling will not be collected on Monday, June 19, due to the holiday. Collection will resume on a one-day delay on Tuesday, June 20. Residents are kindly asked to leave trash and recycling curbside by 7 a.m. the day after their normally scheduled collection day. The Town of Saugus would like to thank everyone for their cooperation. Juneteenth is a federal holiday that commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. The holiday is celebrated on the anniversary of the order issued by Major General Gordon Granger on June 19, 1865, proclaiming freedom for slaves in Texas. Please contact Solid Waste/ Recycling Coordinator Scott A. Brazis at 781-231-4036 with any questions. SAVE will hold 50th Annual Meeting on June 28 The Saugus Action Volunteers for the Environment (SAVE) will hold its 50th Annual Meeting & Dinner on Wednesday, June 28, at the Continental Restaurant (Route 1 North, Saugus) A social hour begins at 6:30 p.m.; dinner buffet to begin at approximately 7:15 p.m. SAVE was founded in 1973 “to promote a better quality of life in Saugus through environmental concern and action.” Family, friends, community partners, and the public are invited to join us for dinner and a program featuring a look back at our projects, campaigns and successes over the past 50 years of community involvement and passion for our environment. The dinner buffet will consist of garden salad, pasta, chicken and fish entrees, potato, vegetable, rolls and butter, dessert, coffee and tea. A cash bar will be available. Tickets are $30 per person. Please RSVP as soon as possible, but no later than June 19, at https://tinyurl.com/SAVE628 to join us for a fun evening of celebration. For further information, please visit http:// www.saugussave.org or contact Ann at adevlin@aisle10. net or Mary at Mkinsell@verizon.net Free parking is available onsite and the facility is ADA-accessible. We have a winner! Congratulations to Frederick Lewis, a frequent visitor to the Saugus Senior Center. He is one of numerous Saugus Advocate readers who guessed correctly in last week’s “Can You Guess Who?” contest. But Fred was the lucky winner who had his name selected in a drawing. He will have his choice of $10 worth of meals or fees for program participation at the Saugus Senior Center – the sponsor of last week’s contest. Now here is the answer by the Saugus resident who goes by the name of “The Sketch Artist:” “The answer to last week’s light hearted caricature sketch is Annette Slocomb. Annette is our savvy new Centenarian bopping about town in her Chevy. Annette is good natured, easy going and kind. She has that Joie De Vie (joy of life). “Annette standing next to her car was featured on the front page of The Saugus Advocate June 2, 2023 The article ‘The Advocate Asks’ by Editor Mark E. Vogler is a two page Q & A interview on pages 2 & 3 of The Saugus Advocate. “In Annette’s interview, she expressed her love of her family, how she loves to cook and that she keeps herself very busy. She freely gave a few tips on what secrets contribute to a long life; tips such as to make the most of every day and to take one day at a time and more. “I would encourage you to read Annette Slocomb’s interview to find out more. *(there’s copies still floating about) “In the article, Annette mentions how she loves being at the Saugus Senior Center, so in honor of Annette’s choice our winner this week will receive a Saugus Senior Center $10.00 gift certificate for classes or lunches; Director Laurie Davis and Saugus Senior Center 466 Central Street Saugus THE SOUNDS | SEE PAGE 17
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