Page 18 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, SEpTEmbEr 19, 2025 A Founders Day Celebration Hundreds of town residents, former residents and visitors of all ages gathered at Saugus Center last Saturday (Sept. 13) for the 44th Annual Saugus Founders Day. Comfortable autumn-like weather with temperatures in the low 70s enabled town residents and visitors to enjoy the biggest and most popular community event of the year. (Saugus Advocate Photos by Mark E. Vogler) READING OF THE NAMES: Past recipients Joyce Rodenhiser (2015) and Donna Manoogian (2016) took turns reading the list of all “Person of the Year” Award recipients since 1989. PAST AWARD RECIPIENTS: Previous “Person of the Year” Award winners Ruth Berg (2017) and Donna Manoogian (2016) were among the honorees who gathered at Town Hall for this year’s presentation. THE OPENING ACT: Saugus’ Howie Conley and the Memorylaners led off the day with an hour’s worth of songs from yesteryear. 2025 PERSON OF THE YEAR: Award recipient Nancy Prag (center), flanked by her husband Scott and daughter Jenny at the Founders Day ceremony. MOST POPULAR FOOD: Melissa McLeod (right), a local manager of Harrows Chicken Pies, was joined by her sister, Colleen Goyetche (left), and her daughter, Madison Goyetche (center). They served up 60 extra-large pies, which provided 2,000 free samples for this year’s crowd. THE WINNER IS: Brenda Gibb (right) of Lynn, a U.S. Air Force veteran, took home the grand prize in the raffle by the Saugus Veterans Council. Joining her were, from left to right, Council members Paul J. Cancelliere and Gloria Johnson. MAN OF THE YEAR: Eugene Decareau proudly displayed his “Person of the Year” Award after the Founders Day ceremony. WOMAN OF THE YEAR: Shirley Bogdan (right), the 2010 Founders Day “Person of the Year,” presented the award to this year’s winner, Nancy Prag. DANCING UP A STORM: Twoyear-old Savanna Edwards, daughter of Amanda Clark and Christopher Edwards of Saugus, enjoyed her first Founders Day. SAVORING THE DAY: Gillian Gibb of Lynn brought her four-year-old pet Chihuahua, Belly, to Founders Day. MAN BEHIND THE CAMERA: John Prudent of SaugusTV had the best vantage point, filming the festivities from his tower. A PROUD FAMILY: Eugene Decareau, holding his “Person of the Year” Award, was joined by family members. Pictured from left to right: Front row: Joe, Jim, Eugene and Paul Decareau; back row: Sandy and Arlene Decareau and Dorothy Taylor.
19 Publizr Home