THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, JUly 19, 2024 Page 13 Read, Renew, Repeat! Saugus Public library launches its Kids 2024 Summer reading Program (Editor’s Note: This info is from a press release recently issued by the Saugus Public Library.) H ey, Saugus parents of school-age children! If you’re looking for fun, educational activities, and summer programming to support your kids’ learning, stop by the Saugus Public Library. This summer, the Library presents “Read, Renew, Repeat!” – the 2024 Summer Reading program. Activities include literacy support, storytimes, discounted museum passes, Massachusetts park passes and take & make crafts. Families are encouraged to register their kids for the conservation-themed program using the Beanstack app. It’s easy – just download the Beanstack app, register under the Saugus Public Library and you’re on your way. For more information, or to register in person, stop by the Children’s Room at the library or visit the Kids’ Summer Reading recommend that students read at least 20 minutes a day this summer. The library is here to help families create a summer reading routine that is fun for kids and their families. Turn off the media before bedtime, sit with a child, share a book or read alongside them. Ask them questions, but above all, make it fun! Research shows that chilpage on our website. The program is open to preschoolers through sixth-graders. We’ll have their favorite titles, plus free e-books, audio books, comics, magazines and music you can download using the hoopla and Libby digital collections. Did we mention prizes? We’ve once again partnered with local businesses to reward summer reading. Many Town will begin pavement improvement projects on a dozen roads this week By Mark E. Vogler T he town announced this week that the Department of Public Works (DPW) will begin pavement improvement projects on a dozen roads throughout the community. “Work will include pavement milling, overlay paving, roadway reclamation work and curb replacements,” Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree’s office said in a press release. DPW crews are expected to begin work on the following roads as early as this week. The affected roads include Addison Avenue, Cross Street, Dudley Street, Eastern Avenue, Jamaica Road, Lake Street, Merrill Road, Pinehurst Street, Spring Street, Steven’s Place, Twilight Road and Warren Road. A listing of a road on the projects list “does not necessarily mean work will be performed on the entire length of the roads listed,” the town noted. The work should be completed by the fall, with the completion date dependent on the weather. “During these construction efforts, parking will be limited in the work zones. Traffic detours will be established as required to allow for this work to proceed,” the town said. “We thank you in advance for your patience and cooperation during this construction project which will result in better quality roadways for the residents and businesses of the Town.” The list of road projects is part of an ongoing commitment by the town to improve streets and roadways. Residents or business operators who have questions about the project should contact the DPW at 781-231-4143. thanks to those businesses who have generously donated! We’ll have a full prize cart plus free books to give away. In addition, we’ll run drawings for ice cream, donuts, cookies, pizza, roller skating, bowling, mini golf, sports merch and grand prize drawings for tickets to Canobie Lake Park and North Shore Music Theatre’s production of “Disney’s Beauty and the ASKS | FROM PAGE 12 large format. I started when I was 41. As I approach the retirement age, I would like to do more of it. It’s something I really enjoy. It’s fascinating meeting people from around the world. Q: What countries do some of these competitors come from? A: Japan, the Netherlands, everywhere – I met somebody from Russia – it’s safe to say from all over the country and from all over the world. Sand sculpting is good money. There are some sculptors who can make $5,000 to $6,000 for one event. They pay us well. They take care of us. It’s an amazing event. They take care of the food and lodging. People involved in the event are really treated well. Q: Please tell me about this year at Revere Beach. You mentioned you are going to go down there on Sunday and that the competition gets underway on Wednesday. A: For this year’s event, I will spend about 30 to 35 hours, working on the Beast” – and more! In addition, there will be special visits by Wildlife Encounters, Vinny the Bubble Guy, the Saugus Fire & Police Departments, Star Wars characters and Toe Jam Puppet Band – and bubble, magic and puppet shows. Check out the Library’s online event calendar for up-to-date information. The Saugus Public Schools beach Wednesday through Saturday. That’s an average of seven to eight hours a day for the four days, with a break for lunch. Q: What is this year’s project? What was the inspiration? A: I don’t want to talk about it, because I’d like to save a little element of surprise for the people attending the festival. I don’t like to talk about what I’m doing because things do change. I might change my mind. I don’t like to talk about it until it’s done. Q: Okay, that’s fair. Please tell me about some of the technical aspects, from scratch. A: I create an idea. I draw it and I put it in the sand. I will arrive at the beach with my plastic forms. We take a pile of sand and compress the sand with our feet and start cutting the sculpture into the sand. My interest this year is to do something abstract. Q: Once you complete sculpting your creation in the sand, there’s something you apply to protect the sculpture. Right? A: Yes. It’s 90 percent water and 10 percent Elmer’s Glue. But it goes on only dren who read during the summer months maintain literacy skills that they’ve worked hard to build during the school year. According to Reading Rockets.org, research with 116 first-, secondand third-graders in a school in a middle-class neighborhood found that the decoding skills of nearly 45% of the participants and the fluency of 25% declined between May and September. So, stay smart! Have fun! Stop by the library to register for summer reading, or to find a just-right book for your child. It’s all free, all summer at the Saugus Public Library! when it’s finished. Q: What’s the shelf life of a sand sculpture? Do you have to take it down after the festival? Or do you leave it up and allow Mother Nature – the tides and weather – to take care of things? A: If the sand sculpture were indoors, it would last for months. Outside, the elements of the weather will destroy it – the wind and the pelting rain. Q: To be good at it, do you have to practice year round? Or is this something you do when you go to Revere Beach in July? Are there festivals in other parts of the country that you participate in? A: You don’t have to practice, but it’s a good idea. A lot of sand sculptors get the practice in by working the events. It’s a matter of what you want to design. I do practice before I get out there to the beach. I like to be prepared for when I get to the event. I have a 4 by 4 foot sandbox in my yard. I like to practice before I hit the sand. Some people don’t know what they’re going to do until ASKS | SEE PAGE 14
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