THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, AUGUST 22, 2025 Page 9 Shining Lights of Everyday People “Not all of us can do great things but we can do small things with great love.”— Mother Teresa A Saugus Iron Works crowd enjoys close Wildlife Encounters By Laura Eisener A group of almost 200 people, including many children, Diane Bogdan McConnell (Courtesy of “The Sketch Artist”) By Joanie Allbee D iane McConnell is a ray of sunshine to all who know her. She greets people with a warm smile. She loves to spend time with her family. She grew up camping and having fun. “I loved growing up in Saugus. It was quite a small town. You knew your neighbors and everyone got together outside,” Diane said. “No one stayed in their houses. It felt so free, no worries and everyone got along. I left for 24 years and came back for my love of this Town,” she said. Diane was raised with and believes in the old motto “to do unto others as you would have done to you.” She graduated with honors with Saugus High Class of 1973. Diane enjoys quilts and doing puzzles and taking each day as it comes and making the most of it. She fondly recalls a quote from her dad, Mr. Peter Bogdan, “Everyone has the same time each day; it’s how you use it.” Diane keeps a busy schedule with lots of time serving others. She serves with American Legion Auxiliary and attends many functions with her mom, Shirley Bogdan, who is also a member. They have helped wrap gifts and assisted with parties and running Bingo Games for the soldiers at the Chelsea Soldiers’ Home. For years, Diane has volunteered serving at Saugus Senior Center’s Wednesday’s Bingo; she always gives extra time and assistance to those in need. “I have a lot of good memories here with family and friends and I felt safe here growing up. I miss the good old days. I wish it was like that now,” Diane said. enjoyed seeing a variety of interesting creatures in a shady spot at the Saugus Iron Works on Monday morning – thanks to a program put on by the Saugus Public Library. These animals came from the Wildlife Encounters Ecology & Wellness Center in New Hampshire. The organization’s founder, director and environmental educator, Derek Small, brought a small menagerie of animals to introduce to the gathering. All the animals live at the family-run center because they cannot survive in the wild. Some were injured; others were bred in captivity and placed at this facility; and a few were animals exploited by illegal wildlife trade. The center is located on a former farm in the N.H. seacoast area. Some of the “animal ambassadors” that visited Saugus were a Himalayan lion’s mane rabbit, chinchilla, fennec fox, American alligator and Burmese python. Wildlife Encounters offers a variety of educational programs both at their home location in Barrington, New Hampshire, and with live animals brought to nonprofit institutions in New England. The Saugus Public Library Participants got to pet a chinchilla, an animal that became close to extinction due to the fur trade and continued poaching. (Photo courtesy of Laura Eisener) This alligator was persuaded to open its mouth and show its teeth. (Photo courtesy of Laura Eisener) and Saugus Iron Works have found these visits to be among the most popular outdoor summer events they offer. Animal Encounters are considered appropriate for children ages three and up.
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