Page 8 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, OCTObEr 3, 2025 Selectmen vote to cancel two liquor licenses for nonuse T By Mark E. Vogler wo All Alcoholic beverage licenses will soon be available to restaurants that hope to enhance their business by selling cocktails. Selectmen voted unanimously to cancel the licenses of the former 99 Restaurant on Route 1 South and the former La Vita Mia restaurant due to nonuse and failure to maintain licensed premises on which to utilize the licenses. In the case of the 99 Restaurant, owners advised the town they had no objection to the license being cancelled, according to Board of Selectmen Chair Debra Panetta. “They’re agreeing to give the license back to the town,” Panetta said. There was no response from La Vita Mia. In recent years, the Board of Selectmen has increased its efforts to go after liquor licenses that have been inactive for several years because of the scarcity of liquor licenses. Board Chair Panetta wanted to know how soon the licenses could become available to new businesses. “Wait till you get the paperwork from the ABCC [Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission], or you’ll have people here tomorrow morning,” Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree said. In other business, selectmen: • Signed the 2025 Local Election Warrant • Approved a request from Keira Sears, of 52 Juniper Dr., for a Halloween block party permit from 4:30 to 8 p.m. on Oct. 31 • Approved a Special Permit (S-2) to allow a laundromat at 40 Hamilton St. The Better Laundromat will be open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. It’s allowed to have nine washing machines and 12 driers (six double-stacked) with a capacity for eight people. • Extendeda Special Permit (S-2) for a period of six months Pumpkin Patch Rolls Into Saugus, Marking a 23-Year Tradition A By: Nivia Wilson truckload of more than 3,000 pumpkins arrived at the First Congregational Church Saturday, launching Saugus’ 23rd annual Pumpkin Patch fundraiser. “All of these pumpkins were grown in New Mexico from the Navajo Reservation,” said organizer Carl Spencer. “In New Mexico, they just have miles and miles of pumpkins growing.” The patch is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Oct. 31. Pumpkins left after Nov. 1 are free, with some of the extras collected by farms to feed cattle. Sales are on consignment; “we don’t pay for anything until they’re sold,” said Spencer. The consignment model dates back to a 1974 handshake that founded Pumpkin Patch fundraisers. Today, the group supplies more than 1,000 nonprofits and grows pumpkins on 1,200 acres of the Navajo Nation in Farmington, N.M., employing more than 700 workers each fall. A stroll through the lawn on Saturday offered a familiar fall scene: neat rows of bright orange pumpkins under leafy trees, with pale “ghost” pumpkins and knobby gourds mixed in, as families stopped for photos and browsed along the wooden pallets. “We had more than 100 kids from the high school and charter school, as well as town residents, come to help,” Spencer said. “My favorite part – other than November 1st – is today, when the whole community comes out.” Saugus resident Jonathan Rolfe called it a staple of fall. “It’s hard to think of fall and not think of pumpkins,” he said. “It’s Pumpkins, Pumpkins, Pumpkins galore An army of volunteers transformed the First Congregational Church lawn into the Pumpkin Patch – again By Joanie Allbee T he lawn of First Congregation Church, at the corner of Central and Hamilton Streets, was bustling for about two hours last Saturday (Sept. 26) morning with family, friends and sports teams that showed up to unload a tractor trailer full of pumpkins. The church raises money for scholarships with a partnership with the Navajo Reservation in Farmington, New Mexico, through the Pumpkin Patch USA program. Planning ahead for the truck of pumpkins to be unloaded involves logistics that are run like clockwork. It was like peering into a beehive and seeing everyone busily doing their part. The atmosphere was happy and friendly amidst a sea of smiling faces and buzzing energy. Volunteers took positions, some stationed in the truck, and wheelbarrows were ready. A line of volunteers handed off pumpkins, which began a human conveyer belt of pumpkin-passing. As pumpkins passed, jokes and warm greetings to one another flowed freely among the crowd of DARLEEN MARIE L’HEUREUX | FROM PAGE 5 have taken many to Dr. or other appointments, or shopping. I know many if not all of the residents by first name. I am the eldest of six children, but unfortunately the last. I have been married, divorced and widowed. I have no children. I have been a caregiver for most of my life, caring for 65 people with a variety of medical issues at various stages of my life. I am retired. As a learned person I hold two (2) Master degrees: (1) Organization Development and (2) Envolunteers. Tired arms and parched lips found rest and refreshments awaiting inside the church function hall. Paul Wise enjoyed a father and sons’ day with his two boys, Logan and CJ. “I’m trying to build team community and also support our town’s events,” Wise said. Greg Bluestein, associate Head Coach for Saugus Football Team and President of Saugus Youth Football & Cheer; and his wife Stephanie, Saugus Youth Football & Cheer U-10 Coach, and their three daughters, Bella, Emmy and Lilyana, gave it the team spirit. trepreneurship/Small Business Management from Cambridge College. I attended Capella University and have CAGS and ABD in Management. I owned my own Burglar and Fire Alarm Company for 25 years. I had a small business where I saved a lot of people, homes, and busiCoach Bluestein was fist-bumping with kids and speaking encouraging words. “This is one of the best days in Saugus, hundreds of athletes ages five to 18 helping their community. Thanks to Mr. Serino from Saugus High School, we had soccer, cross country, football and so many more here. I’m proud of these kids from Youth Football & Cheer all the way through to the High School kids,” Coach Bluestein said. When the unloading was completed, all gleamed at the success of a job well done. Many visitors to Saugus Center nesses. I was a licensed Electronics Technician and Electronics Contractor, licensed Real Estate Salesperson, CNA, PN, singer and caterer. I served on the Lynnfield Art Guild committee, wearing numerous hats for six years before coming to Saugus. As a resident of The Laurels I have then set their gaze upon the vast orange ocean of pumpkins, looking for their choices to take home. The cash flowed as favorite pumpkins were tucked under owners’ arms. An orange glow and volunteers spread out over the lawn, giving life and color to an ordinary church yard. Every fall, for 23 years now, the church fondly adopts its seasonal name: “The Pumpkin Church.” Anyone interested in volunteering staffing shifts of selling pumpkins in the pumpkin patch till Oct. 31, please call Carl Spencer (1-781-233-9196). worked to save many with 911 or with CPR and unfortunately, have found a few beyond help. Thank you for this opportunity to share something about my candidacy for Housing Authority. Sincerely, Darleen Marie L’Heureux to allow the removal of earth and rock for the operation of a quarry at Aggregate Industries, Inc. (1831 Broadway) • Approved a request from Nng LovKesh of Revere for a Common Victualer’s License to operate Cliftondale Pizza & Roast Beef at 508 Lincoln Ave. • Reminded the public that there will be no Citizens’ Comments periods at the Oct. 14 Board of Selectmen’s meeting – the final meeting before the Nov. 4 town election one of those things that livens up the community. It’s a tradition at this point.” Organizer Karen Spencer said returning visitors keep the patch thriving. “People come back year after year,” she said. “They could get them cheaper at the supermarket, but they come here to pick their pumpkin.” Nivia Wilson is a student journalist in the Boston University Newsroom program.
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