Page 14 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, SEpTEmbEr 27, 2024 The Sounds of Saugus By Mark E. Vogler Good morning, Saugus Selectman Corinne Riley, who was the driving force behind a nifty program that helps newcomers to Saugus – as well as old-timers – get better acquainted with their community, said “Saugus 4-1-1” won’t be happening this fall after successful Saturdays at the Saugus Middle-High School over the past two years. “The Saugus 4-1-1 Committee would like everyone to know that the Saugus 4-1-1 event will be taking place, but will be held in March 2025,” Selectman Riley said in an announcement this week. “Invitations to all new residents as well as non-profits will be mailed out in January. We are looking forward to having this wonderful event for new residents as well as those who have been here for years to learn what Saugus has to offer! More detailed information will be coming soon,” she said. Stay tuned for updates on “Saugus 4-1-1.” Fall Family Festival is tomorrow Here’s a good weekend best bet for parents with children who are looking for a fun activity this weekend. In another week, it will be time for family gatherings at Breakheart Reservation, as the Annual Fall Family Festival is set for Saturday, Sept. 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This FREE event will include lawn games, a petting zoo, storytellers, music and family-oriented activities. Watch and learn about owls with Mass Audubon or hold a live snake with Cape Ann Vernal Pond Team. All this and so much more! This event is cosponsored by the Department of Conservation & Recreation (DCR), Friends of Breakheart, Saugus Cultural Council and S.A.V.E. The event will take place in and around the Christopher P. Dunne Visitor Center. Please wear comfortable shoes and dress for the weather. Bring drinking water, sunscreen and insect repellent. Rain or shine. Look for rangers who will assist with parking. whom had passed. My conversation with Bill over lunch was indeed one of the highlights of my weekend. Another memorable part of my UMass reunion weekend was walking all over campus to visit familiar landmarks and buildings that were part of my world back in the day. I must have walked more than 10 miles over the weekend, with frequent stops at buildings that got me going back into the time machine, recalling some favorite professors – mentors who helped shape my journalism education and prepare me for my chosen career. At almost every stop, memoUMASS LANDMARKS: The Old Chapel and the W.E.B. DuBois Library were famous buildings that I passed by almost daily during my years as a student at the University of Massachusetts campus in Amherst. I got to walk by them a lot last weekend when I returned to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the UMass Class of 1974. (Saugus Advocate photo by Mark E. Vogler) SAVE plans to have a “It’s New to You” SWAP table at the Breakheart Fall Festival to keep still usable goods out of the waste stream/trash. Bring items in good condition that are too good to toss or come and find a treasure at our table to take home! Bring, take or do both! All FREE! SAVE is also sponsoring a Live Owl Show presented by Mass Audubon. Come learn about these fantastic creatures up close. Show times are at 11:00 a.m., 11:30 a.m., noon, 12:30 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. Free admission to the public. Food Pantry notes The Saugus United Parish Food Pantry will be open today (Friday, Sept. 27) from 9:3011 a.m. at 50 Essex St. in the basement of Cliftondale Congregational Church. The Saugus United Parish Food Pantry welcomes all neighbors facing food insecurity. If you are able to donate to the food pantry, you can also stop by during those hours or drop donations off at the Saugus Public Library during library hours. RON’S OIL Call For PRICE MELROSE, MA 02176 NEW CUSTOMER’S WELCOME ACCEPTING VISA, MASTERCARD & DISCOVER (781) 397-1930 OR (781) 662-8884 100 GALLON MINIMUM Legion Breakfasts today The American Legion Post 210 has begun its 2024-25 breakfast season. There’s a good deal for Saugus veterans and other folks who enjoy a hearty breakfast on Friday mornings. Doors open at 7:30 a.m., with breakfast served from 8-9:00 a.m. for an $8 donation. Veterans who cannot afford the donation may be served free. Reliving UMass Amherst memories Last weekend was one of the best ones I’ve had in many years. I took the two-hour drive back to my alma mater – UMass Amherst – to be a part of the 50th reunion of the Class of 1974. It could be 30 years or more since I last stepped foot on the sprawling campus in Western Massachusetts where I embarked on a journalism career, which continues to this day. Late last Friday morning, I drove from my home in Methuen to I-93, to I-495, to Route 2, to Route 202 and through some backroads with one mission – to meet at least one classmate I graduated with a half century ago whom I knew. I had signed up for a special Saturday luncheon at the Old Chapel, where 75 Class of 1974 graduates would get to walk up to the stage and receive a “Golden Diploma” celebrating the 50-year anniversary of completing their college degrees. The Old Chapel is a famous UMass landmark, situated right next door to the W.E.B. DuBois Library, the third tallest library in the world, with 28 floors and 286 feet and four inches tall. At the time of its opening in 1974, it was promoted as the world’s tallest library. It was during my days at the Massachusetts Daily Collegian that I researched and wrote an investigative story before the library opened with the lead paragraph: “The world’s tallest library has kingsize problems.” The article detailed some issues like fireproof carpeting that actually burned and doors that opened into the stairwell the wrong way, blocking firefighters’ access to standpipes. But those problems paled compared to bricks falling off the building, which gained national publicity years after the opening. It was at the “Golden Diploma” luncheon in the Old Chapel that I got to accomplish my main mission: getting reacquainted after many years with a fellow classmate. I was thrilled to hear the name “Bill Ballou” announced. We were colleagues at the Daily Collegian. Bill went on to become an accomplished sports writer and columnist for many years at the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. After the ceremonial diploma presentation ended, I went over to greet Bill and joined him and his wife Debbie for lunch. We reminisced about the old times and got caught up about lives and careers of fellow Daily Collegian colleagues, some of ries of times past – happy times spent with classmates as well as some challenging times – filled my thoughts. It was truly a nostalgic journey into my past. I made the grueling uphill climb to Grayson Hall on Orchard Hill, where I lived in a student dormitory for the first three years. Students I talked with said they still call the grassy depression that was located in the center of the four dormitories on Orchard Hill “the bowl.” I remember students sliding into “the bowl” in the winter or sloshing into “the bowl” on a warm, but rainy spring day or night. One of the students I talked to said walking up and down the trail to Orchard Hill was the worst part of his college life. I told him that I would make as many as three round trips a day from Orchard Hill to the heart of the campus back when I was at UMass Amherst. The student was stunned when I told him that my annual college bill – tuition, room and board and other UMass-related expenses – only added up to about $1,700 a year when I was a student. Nowadays, the price of instate tuition alone costs more than $17,000 a year and overall costs exceed $33,000. What a bargain it was for me to obtain an education when I did at UMass Amherst. I worked part-time to help pay my college expenses. There was no need to take out a college loan back then. In my travels, I noticed some big changes to some of the places I frequented. One noticeable change to the UMass Campus Center was that the dive bar known as “The Blue Wall Cafe,” which once served 2,750 gallons of draft brew a week – the most of any bar on the Eastern Seaboard (an interesting stat I reported in a series I did on college drinking) – THE SOUNDS | SEE PAGE 15
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