Page 16 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, OCTObEr 31, 2025 The Sounds of Saugus By Mark E. Vogler Good morning, Saugus H appy Halloween to Saugus families and kids of all ages – from the young children who are old enough to walk while being accompanied by their parents on their first Trick-or-Treat experience all the way up to the senior citizens who like to dress up in a costumes and have fun while handing out candy bars and other treats to the little goblins who come knocking at their door. But, unfortunately, the times are such that the kids and what they bring home have to be monitored closely by their parents. They also need to be careful of speeding cars in the dark that drive recklessly or impaired by drugs or alcohol. Fortunately for Saugus, Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree and a bunch of people at Town Hall have collaborated on an event that involves the collaboration of town employees dressed up in Halloween costumes who hand out candy and assorted treats for kids. The tradition began last year and was such a success that Town Hall was scheduled to hold its second annual Trick-or-Treat experience yesterday to do something fun for all of the town kids that showed up. I noticed on Monday that there were several giant, scary creatures hanging in the hall near the staircase to the second floor. We’ll get some details on that next week. Last day for the Pumpkin Patch Lots of pumpkins are still available at the Annual Pumpkin Patch at First Congregational Church in Saugus Center. Plenty of pumpkins of all sizes are now displayed on the church lawn and will be available for purchase up until 6 p.m. today, Halloween, Oct. 31. Halloween Party for seniors The Saugus Senior Center at 466 Central St. will be holding its annual Halloween Party, sponsored by WIN Waste Innovations, today (Friday, Oct. 31) from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. A SCARY SKELETON: The creepy creature guards the stairway inside Saugus Town Hall in preparation for the Oct. 30 Trick-or-Treat event at Saugus Town Hall. (Saugus Advocate photo by Mark E. Vogler) Set your clocks back Saturday It’s going to be a busy weekend, whether you plan to make it a Halloween weekend, put a dent in the leaf raking or enjoy a weekend with somebody special savoring the sights of the gorgeous Fall Foliage. Don’t forget to set your clocks back an hour with the end of Daylight Savings Time. A good errand for the weekend would be to replace outdated alarms or change CO alarm batteries and the batteries in the house. Don’t forget to vote Tuesday Voter apathy seems to be at an all-time high – not just in Saugus – but throughout the country. Most communities have trouble fielding a 25 percent turnout of registered voters. I’m hoping that’s not the case in Saugus, where the last town election only drew a turnout of 23.4 percent and the 2021 town election barely drew 20 percent. There are enough serious issues facing the town and Saugus Public Schools, and citizens should be a little more civic-minded. They need to get involved as voters. And if a Saugonian has enough time and interest, he or she should volunteer to be on a board or a committee to help their community. Or they should try running for the Town Meeting or School Committee one of these years. Incumbent Board of Selectmen Vice Chair Jeff Ciolini offered some sage advice at the final meeting that should resonate with voters and candidates: “There are no wrongs in the upcoming election. No matter what the voters decide, it’s going to be right for the town.” Well stated. I will even add to that: Whoever runs in this year’s election is contributing to the betterment of their community. By campaigning, all candidates help put the public focus on communitywide problems. The people who don’t get elected are winners in my A frightening scarecrow at Saugus Town Hall is making himself at home. (Saugus Advocate photo by Mark E. Vogler) book, as long as they sought public office to help their community. If you lose this year’s election, try to get involved on a board that needs help. And keep running until you finally get elected A super Trunk or Treat “Shout Out” We received a very seasonal, super nomination for a “Shout Out” from Kristy Baker and Kelly Donahue, teachers at the Veterans Early Learning Center and Founders of K&K Hootenanny: “This past weekend, we hosted Saugus’s 6th Annual Trunk or Treat! Hundreds of children came to this event and trick-ortreated at over 40 trunks, decorated by Saugus’s community members, including the Saugus Fire Department, Saugus Police Department, Saugus Public Schools’ staff members, the Saugus Public Library, Saugus High athletic teams, local businesses, and many devoted Saugus citizens and families! This event also raised money for the Children’s Brain Tumor Project, in memory of Jiovanni Luciani, the son of a retired Want to “Shout Out” a fellow Saugonian? This is an opportunity for our paper’s readers to single out – in a brief mention – remarkable acts or achievements by Saugus residents or an act of kindness or a nice gesture. Just send an email (mvogeatcomcast.net) with a mention in the subject line of “An Extra Shout Out.” No more than a paragraph; anything longer might lend itself to a story and/ or a photo. THE SOUNDS | SEE PAGE 17 Saugus educator,” the teachers said in a statement. “We would love to thank all of the community members who decorated their trunks, passed out candy, and generously donated their time, energy, and money to this event. It would not have been a success without them. We also would like to thank Matt Serino, Saugus’s Athletic Director, the Saugus Youth and Recreation Department and the Department of Public Works for helping organize this event,” the statement said.
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