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Page 8 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FrIDAy, JUly 3, 2026 The Sounds of Saugus By Mark E. Vogler Good morning, Saugus And happy Fourth of July to all of our readers and the residents of Saugus, as we prepare to observe and celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Ever since I can remember going back to my childhood days growing up in Swansea, July 4 has always been a special holiday. There was the giant barn fire in Fall River on the night before the Fourth. I saw my share of fireworks lighting up the skies over the Taunton River, whether watching it from a beach area in Somerset or in Fall River. And my dad used to take my two brothers and me to the nation’s oldest and longest continuing Fourth of July Parade in Bristol, Rhode Island. The parade has been running since 1785 – two years after the Revolutionary War ended – and this year will be the 241st. What I remember most about that parade is seeing the center line of the 2.5 mile parade route painted in red, white and blue. There were, of course, illegal firecrackers, cherry bombs and sparklers brought back from Warren, R.I., which borders Swansea. The Swansea police knew it was going on, but tolerated it because practically every family with kids was doing it. What would the Fourth of July be without fireworks? Right? But the way I was brought up, July 4 was special because of the event and the American heroes it honored. Swansea and Greater Fall River were a part of that. Swansea was and is a proud New England town. So is Saugus, which is steeped deep in a rich history that marked the early days of this country, especially the Revolutionary War. I spent Monday afternoon this week for an hour or so walking around the Revolutionary War Cemetery, right before the Rotary, at the corner of Main and Central Streets. There’s a lot of local history buried in the old cemetery – highlighted by the tombstones of local Minutemen from Saugus, Hurvitz, will be distributed to kids attending the America 250th celebration at the Saugus Iron Works tomorrow. Hey, Saugus parents. If you want your children to be better informed about the town they live in, and you don’t have plans for the July 4 weekend, go down to the Saugus Iron Works tomorrow. It’s also a chance for you to learn facts about Saugus’ early days that you may not even now. Pick up a copy of that coloring book, too. The Lynnhurst Block Party starts today There’s only one Fourth of OUR REVOLUTIONARY WAR HEROES: This monument inside the Revolutionary War Cemetery, just before the Rotary at the corner of Main and Central Streets in Saugus Center, was erected 50 years ago by the Saugus Senior Citizens Association to honor Saugus soldiers of the American Revolution. It was part of America’s 200th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. (Saugus Advocate photo by Mark E. Vogler) which was then part of Lynn. The most notable tombstone was the one for Parson Joseph Roby, the minister who led 62 men from Saugus to the Battles in Concord and Lexington on April 19, 1775, according to historical accounts. After milling around in the cemetery, I walked over to the Saugus Public Library to do some research. I leafed through a copy of the Centennial Anniversary of Saugus (July 3-4-5, 1915) and read Horace H. Atherton, Jr.’s “History of Saugus” article. Atherton wrote about Rev. Roby and also about Saugus during the Revolution. “From the fact that Parson Roby was active in a portion of the Revolutionary period it probably is not a violent assumption to say that he was instrumental in seeing to it that Saugus did her full duty in that period by sending forth such a large representation of men to participate in the stirring times of that historic era,” Atherton wrote. Nearly 100, by some accounts. The names of 99 Revolutionary War soldiers are inscribed on the monument in the cemetery. As part of my research, I also skimmed through a small book titled “The Saugus Chronicles,” coauthored by Marilyn Carlson and Elliott Hurvitz. Longtime Saugus writer and historian Janice Jarosz calls Carlson “a great historian.” “She’s unbelievable. She knows everything about Saugus,” Jarosz wrote me in an email this week about the former Saugus woman who now lives in Peabody. Carlson, who was honored as the woman “Person of the Year” during the 2006 Founders Day celebration in Saugus, apparently continues to be a source of historical information about Saugus. Copies of the patriotic coloring book that she authored in 2000, with illustrations by Bob Sacco and Elliott July celebration that’s been going on in Saugus for more than a century. It’s the Annual Lynnhurst Block Party, which gets underway today (Friday, July 3) at the Dana H. Johnson Memorial Park, next to the former Lynnhurst Elementary School. This will be the 109th year for this rich, neighborhood tradition, which takes parts of two consecutive days to celebrate July 4. The Brian Maes Band, which has been performing at the event for years as a local favorite, will do a concert tonight and be around town tomorrow. Organizers Jaclyn and Derek Hickman, who took over as organizers of the event in 2019 to keep the tradition alive, have been working hard to make this year’s block party a success. The playground is named after Dana H. Johnson, who in 1971, at age 18, lost his life saving two boys at a beach in Marblehead. A stone memorial near the entrance of the Lynnhurst School honors the teenage hero from Saugus. This is a super July 4 event that packs food, fun and games into a festive two-day celebration with patriotic pride. Tonight, there will be the concert by Brian Maes. Tomorrow will feature sack races, threelegged races, bike decorating, hot dogs, pie and, of course, watermelon. The Lynnhurst Elementary School has been closed for several years. But multiple generations of Lynnhurst students will be there to reminisce about old times and celebrate new ones. The neighborhood has held the block party on the Lynnhurst Playground since the 1960s. Before that it was held at the old Upper Lynnhurst School and Fairmont Avenue and the corner of Cleveland and Jefferson Avenues. It was originally organized by the Lynnhurst Men’s Club with publicity fliers distributed by Boy Scouts. These days, social media helps organize the neighborhood in the planning of this huge Fourth of July party. If you’re a Lynnhurst area resident or a Saugonian who wants to be a part of something special and Americana, you might want to check this event out. The Saugus Fire Department will probably be there to spray the kids with some water to keep them cool. Extreme Heat warning Town Manager Scott Crabtree is urging residents to take precautions, as the National Weather Service has issued an extreme heat warning for Saugus that began Wednesday morning and will extend until 8 p.m. on the Fourth of July. The National Weather Service has forecast dangerously hot conditions for July 1-4, with heat index values that could rise up to 112 degrees for much of Southern New England, including Saugus. Here is a message from the Town Manager’s Office: “The National Weather Service cautions that this will be a prolonged and dangerous heatwave with little relief at night, noting that heat-related illnesses increase significantly during extreme heat and high humidity events. “Residents are encouraged to take precautions during the predicted extreme heat, such as: · Never under any circumstances leave children or pets alone in a vehicle · Drink plenty of fluids · Find an air-conditioned space or other cool spot for relief · Watch out for heat-related illnesses · Stay out of the sun THE SOUNDS | SEE PAGE 9

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