THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, AUGUST 14, 2026 Page 7 The Sounds of Saugus By Mark E. Vogler Good morning, Saugus I shall be brief today, as I’m offi - cially on vacation as I have been for the last several years during the second and third weeks of August. I was down at Town Hall briefly on Monday afternoon, checking the bulletin board and a couple of offi ces for upcoming events. Please enjoy the rest of your summer. Be happy, healthy and drive safely. Hope you are making the most of your summer in a safe, healthy and happy way. There are still three full weeks of summer vacation before Saugus kids head back to class for a new school year. That’s three weeks for parents and kids to shop for new clothes and school supplies. That’s three weeks to relax, to read a book or two for pleasure or do something fun. It’s an odd summer this year where kids will be going back to school in September instead of late August. The fi rst day of classes for students in grades 6 through 12 is Sept. 2. Classes begin for kids in grades 1 through 5 with half days on Sept. 2 and 3. Pre-K and Kindergarten begins on Sept. 3 with half days. Stay tuned. Election alert: Sept. 1 primary coming Town Clerk Ellen Schena and her staff have about two weeks and four days to complete preparation for the upcoming Sept. 1 primary election. The Clerk’s Offi ce is set with an adequate amount of temporary paid staff to oversee the primary election and the work involved with In-Person Early Voting, which is set to begin Aug. 22 and then continue Aug. 24-28. Please check this week’s cover story for the complete schedule with times as well as a citizens’ primer on the primary. The town clerk and her staff have spent more than a month reaching out to Saugus High School students who might be interested in volunteer work with the clerk’s staff in the days leading up to and including the primary. Unfortunately, the schedule of the upcoming school year for Saugus Public Schools beginning on Sept. 2 – the day after the primary – made it diffi cult to reToniann Merlina, far left in the back row, led a free seven-week Summer Reading Program at the Saugus Public Library this year for students in Grades 1 through 5. Amy Melton, Head of Children’s Services at the library, is on the far right in the front row. The CD-looking items on the library bulletin board are Poké Balls. Kids who registered for the program colored them as part of a registration activity. A Poké Ball is a spherical device used in the Pokémon franchise to catch wild creatures, store them when not in use and transport them easily. The most common design has a red top and white bottom. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate) cruit any students, who normally don’t follow town government issues related to them during the summer months. “No student volunteers for this election. Hoping for November,” the town clerk said this week. If the High School students went back to school before the primary, as they usually do, she believes that some students would be participating for community service credit or pay. Saugus United Parish Food Pantry The Saugus United Parish Food Pantry will be open today (Friday, August 14) from 9:30-11 a.m. at 50 Essex St. in the basement of Cliftondale Congregational Church. The food pantry welcomes all neighbors facing food insecurity on Friday mornings. Volunteers are also welcome. Please call the Food Pantry Offi ce (781-233-2663) or go to the website (cliftondalecc.org) for details. Jewelry Making with Mandy Aug. 17 There will be a special jewelry making program in the Brooks Room of the Saugus Public Library on Monday, Aug. 17. Mothers, daughters, grandmothers and friends of all ages are welcome to join Mandy Roberge in making new items or for help repairing your favorite costume jewelry pieces. From necklaces and bracelets to earrings and keychains, this workshop invites kids, teens and adults to explore beads and fi ndings and diff erent types of wire and hemp to create their own unique pieces to take home. Bring a friend and have some fun! Summer Reading Program is winding down By all accounts, it’s been another fun and successful year for the Saugus Public Library’s Summer Reading Program. Amy Melton, Head of Children’s Services at the library, sounded extremely excited when I touched base with her earlier this week. “This year’s Summer Reading Program is all about Pokémon! We’ve got a Pokémon Club, Pokémon crafts and plenty of Pokémon prizes to collect. But, as always, the most important thing is to read the books you love!” Amy wrote me in an email on Tuesday (Aug. 11). “There are only 10 days left to catch ’em all! The last day to pick up prizes is Friday, August 21. So keep reading, keep earning prizes, and keep your reading adventure going! We’re grateful to the New Friends of the Saugus Library and the Saugus Library Foundation for their generous support of this year’s program,” she wrote. This week’s “Shout Outs” A collective thank you from the staff at the Saugus Public Library to every group or business in the community that helped make a special program possible: “The Children’s Room would like to extend their sincerest thanks to local businesses and organizations who so generously donate to our Summer Reading Program. The kids love it!” From Precinct 6 Town Meeting Member Jeanie Bartolo: “This ‘Shout Out’ is to wish Jeannie Meredith a wonderful HAPPY BIRTHDAY on August 18th!! I hope this Birthday is your best one ever!!” Jeanie shares the same birthday. We received one from Michelle Madar Fox, the executive director of Saugus Television, who cited the work of Saugus resident and former Town Meeting Member Andrew Whitcomb for his help in trying to bring the politicians and issues involved in this week’s State Primary into the living rooms of local cable television customers: “Andrew Whitcomb has been interviewing many of the candidates for the 6th District as well as some others. If you want to see the interviews he’s done you can view our Vimeo at this link. We also aired the North Andover Democratic (Congressional) debate. If you want to push people to our Vimeo and channel 8 they can see all of that content to help make their decisions.” https://vimeo.com/showcase/8659846?share=copy&fl =sm&fe=fs Whitcomb, the host for Saugus TV’s “Know Your Town” feature, interviewed fi ve of the six candidates running for the Massachusetts Sixth Congressional District. It’s a tough challenge for a cable television station to get six candidates running for the same Congressional seat in a primary to come to Saugus. Whitcomb was able to get all but candidate Bethany Andres-Beck of Middleton. The North Andover Democratic Town Committee was able to get five of the six Democratic Congressional candidates to sit down for a 90-minute debate that was aired over MHTV and can be viewed through Vimeo. If you have the time, it might be worth watching in the fi nal days of the campaign. Former Andover Selectman Dan Koh was unable to make that debate beTHE SOUNDS | SEE PAGE 8 Sheila Rosanio’s School of Dance & Gymnastics CLASSES BEGIN SEPT. 7TH AGES START AT 21/2 GYMNASTICS JAZZ HOP HOP TAP BALLET CONTEMPORARY LYRICAL BOYS CLASSES COMBOS & MORE Lasting Friendships Are Formed OPEN HOUSE & REGISTRATION Fri, 8/21 5 – 7 p.m. • Sat, 8/22 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Mon, 8/24 5 – 7 p.m. • Weds, 8/26 5 – 7 p.m. at the Dance Studio 781-771-9758 233 WASHINGTON AVE., REVERE 781-284-4060 REGISTER ONLINE AT SHEILAROSANIO.COM
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