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Page 12 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, JUnE 23, 2023 The Sounds of Saugus By Mark E. Vogler Good morning, Saugus! Do you love baseball? And if so, how would you like to go watch the Red Sox play at Fenway Park early next month? And if you do, maybe you get to be one of the lucky ones to go down on the field, take some batting practice and meet some of the players. How would you like that? I know a former town resident who might be able to help make that baseball fantasy happen. Saturday, July 8 at Fenway Park will be a special one for Saugus native Dario Pizzano, a retired professional baseball player and one of the heroes of the 2003 Little League World Series team from Saugus. Dario, who is the Director of Fundraising for a charity called Mission Stadiums for Multiple Sclerosis (MS4MS), will be at the park that day for the 4:10 p.m. game against the Oakland A’s, raising funds and helping to spread public awareness for those with MS. “We have a section next to Pesky Pole where we’ll sit, provide attendees with orange shirts (color for MS), and have some get on the field for batting practice to meet some of the players,” Dario told me in a recent email. “Tickets are $75 per person, including the ticket, an orange event t-shirt, orange sunglasses, and an orange koozie,” Dario said. “We have roughly 200 tickets in the section, so there’s no maximum (everyone and anyone can purchase tickets). Tickets must be purchased by (Monday) June 26th to ensure seats in our section,” he said. “Below is our charity’s website as a whole, our specific event web page on our site, and attached is our levels of sponsorship and our organization’s One Pager. Site: https:// ms4ms.org. Event Web Page: https:// ms4ms.or g/spreadin - go r an ge - d a y - a t - f e n - way-park-2023/ “I am honored to be a part of this organization and use the game I love to help spread awareness of Multiple Sclerosis and raise funds to ultimately help find a cure for MS,” Dario said. “This cause holds a special place in my heart as my mother, Tracie Pizzano, has been suffering from MS for over 20 years and this is the perfect opportunity to help support her by using my love for baseball,” he said. There’s still time to be a part of #spreadingORANGE Day at Fenway Park to fight MS! Go watch a game and help a noble cause. Barbecue Meat Raffle tonight The Saugus-Everett Lodge of Elks will be hosting a pre– Fourth of July Barbecue Meat Raffle tonight (Friday, June 23) at 7:30 p.m. at the lodge at 401 Main St. Come by and win burgers, sausages, steaks, dogs and more for your holiday cookout. All proceeds benefit local Elks charities. Maruzzi book launch June 27 at Kowloon Michael Maruzzi, a Saugus 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. 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 enThe First Congregational Church of Saugus is proud to announce the winners of our annual Pumpkin Patch Scholarships for 2023. They are Steven Lin, who will be attending Cornell University, and Stephanie Gomes, who will be attending Bentley University. Carl Spencer (right) and Rev. Bill Ladd (left) were on hand to deliver the checks to the very worthy winners. (Courtesy Photo to The Saugus Advocate) vironmental 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. 2023 Summer Concerts at the Saugus Iron Works, 244 Central St. The Saugus Public Library and the National Park Service are proud to bring another summer of music to the Saugus Iron Works. These free, weekly concerts are open to the public and begin at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesdays beginning July 12 through August 30. Our 2023 lineup: July 12: Squeezebox Stompers (Cajun & Zydeco). July 19: Atwater & Donnelly (Traditional American & Celtic Folk & Dance). July 26: Decades of Rock (Classic Rock: 60s, 70s, 80s). August 2: Sweet Soul Sounds (Motown). August 9: Ditto (Folk & Rock: 60s and 70s). August 16: Jumpstreet (Rock, R&B, Blues, & Jazz). August 23: Headlands (Folk, Country, Americana Pop). August 30: Memorylaners (50s, 60s, 70s). Bring chairs or a blanket and a picnic! Enjoy a summer evening at the Iron Works with great music and friends! “Saugus Over Coffee” Tuesday night (June 20) was a great night for a dozen or so folks from Precinct 6 who showed up at the Community Room of the Saugus Public Library to meet four of their five Town Meeting members, listen to them talk about what makes Precinct 6 special and the top issues that affect the neighborhoods they represent and then get to tell the Town Meeting members what issues are their greatest concerns. And two members of the Board of Selectmen – Vice Chair Debra Panetta and Selectman Michael Serino – responded to some of the concerns mentioned by Precinct 6 residents. So, somebody in the local government was definitely interested in the informal discussion. Anyone from Precinct 6 who wishes they attended such a forum can view it on vimeo.com/saugustelevision. The next “Saugus Over Coffee” forum has been set for Monday, July 10 at 6:30 p.m., when we will be featuring Precinct 7. We will be sending out invitations soon – via email and letters to the homes of each of the five Town Meeting members. 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 7 – July 10 Precinct 8 – August 14 Precinct 9 – Sept. 11 Precinct 10 – Oct. 23 THE SOUNDS | SEE PAGE 13

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