Page 10 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2021 THE SOUNDS OF SAUGUS By Mark E. Vogler Happy Thanksgiving, Saugus! Best wishes to all Saugus residents for a Happy Thanksgiving shared with family and friends. It’s a special day to count your blessings and refl ect on all of the positive things that we as Massachusetts residents, New Englanders and Americans enjoy in our daily lives – but often take for granted. Today, most of us will enjoy sitting down to one of the great meals of the year, either home-cooked or served up at a restaurant. Hats off to all of the volunteers from the Saugus Faith Community, from schools and nonprofi t organizations and clubs who volunteered time or contributed money to help put a nice Thanksgiving Day meal on the table for many families in the community who might not otherwise aff ord to have a special meal. Enjoy the holiday. But be safe out there. If you are going to drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation. If you overdo it, get a ride from a designated driver instead of risking the loss of your driver’s license – or worse. Savor the special moments of the season. Be grateful for what you have. If you have friends or relatives in nursing homes, visit with them – or at least give them a call. A kind gesture like that just might make their holiday. My most memorable Thanksgiving Thanksgiving has always been my favorite day of the year, ever since childhood. Probably because I’ve had some of the best meals of my life on those days – whether far away from mom’s home cooking or at a family gathering. During those years when I was working in Florida, Texas, Virginia and other places outside of New England, I was fortunate enough to always receive an invitation or two to a Thanksgiving meal. I never spent the holiday alone during the course of my newspaper career. Wherever I was, there was always a nice meal of turkey, dressing and all of the veggies waiting to fi ll a plate or two. Turkey coupled with diff erent kinds of dressing to go with a wide array of veggies – squash, turnip, potatoes, sweet potatoes. My favorite was the potatoes my mom made, whipped and blended with carrots. And I loved the turnips. My mom would usually pull all-nighters, slaving over the stove, getting things just right with the turkey and all the fi xings. And usually we would have some relatives and friends join us for the meal at our home in Swansea. I remember one year when I drove all Wednesday night and more than 500 miles from Washington, D.C., to get home in time for Thanksgiving at my house. It was November of 1973. I was a senior in the fall semester at UMass-Amherst, interning in the U.S. Labor Department’s Offi ce of Federal Contract Compliance. I had two roommates from my apartment in Washington, D.C., who needed a ride home to their houses. So, the side trips to Boston and to Western Massachusetts added to my marathon visit home. I remember having to contend with torrential rain as I was traveling through Belchertown at about 2 a.m. I was pulled over by the Belchertown police chief, who wanted to know why I was driving 20 miles per hour through his town. He thought I was drunk. “No sir. I came from Washington, dropped a friend off in Amherst, and I’m just trying to get home for Thanksgiving.” Once I showed him my student credentials and several copies of The Washington Post from that day and week, he let me get on my way. I got home in time for breakfast. But I decided to take a nap before the big meal. It defi nitely was ed care towards each other which they project out onto the world. Conversations with these two are pleasantly animated and seasoned with warm genuine beautiful smiles! “Thank You two for all you do together for Saugus and our Community! “Yours Truly, “The Sketch Artist” :) GUESS WHO GOT SKETCHED! In this week’s edition, we continue our weekly feature where a local artist sketches people, places and things in Saugus. Got an idea who was sketched this week? If you do, please email me at mvoge@comcast.net or leave a phone message at 978-683-7773. Anyone who between now and Tuesday at noon correctly identifi es the Saugonian being sketched qualifi es to have their name put in a green Boston Red Sox hat with a chance to be selected as the winner of a $10 gift certifi cate, compliments of Dunkin’ at the 1204 Broadway Saugus location on Route 1 North. But you have to enter to win! Look for the winner and identifi cation in next week’s “The Sounds of Saugus.” Please leave your mailing address in case you are a winner. (Courtesy illustration to The Saugus Advocate by a Saugonian who goes by the name of “The Sketch Artist”) worth the long drive. I wasn’t about to miss that turkey meal. One-day trash delay The Town of Saugus announced that the trash and recycling collection will run on a one-day delay on Friday (Nov. 26) and Saturday (Nov. 27). There will be no collection tomorrow (Thursday, Nov. 25) due to the Thanksgiving Day holiday. Services will resume on a one-day delay on Friday and Saturday The compost site will be open normal hours on Saturday (Nov. 27) from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Town of Saugus would like to thank everyone for their cooperation. Please contact Solid Waste/ Recycling Coordinator Lorna Cerbone at 781-2314036 with any questions. We have a winner! Congratulations to Carolyn Brown for making the right identifi cation in last week’s “Guess Who got Sketched?” Contest. Here’s the correct answer, offered by the person who goes by the name of The Sketch Artist: “The answer to last week’s sketch is Bob and Carol Long. These two are very generous with time and duties to Saugus. They have been steeped in volunteer work for Saugus over half their lives. “In 2017, Mr. Robert Long was acknowledged as Man / Person of the Year alongside Ruth Berg Woman / Person of the Year. Bob and Carol are true partners often teaming, helping one another on various outreach projects and functions. “Carol and Bob are married over 55 plus years! April 30th is their Wedding Anniversary. Carol’s wise advice and secret for a long marriage was published in May 7th 2021 Saugus Advocate’s “The Sounds of Saugus” pg. 10 “Never go to bed angry at each other and to kiss each other every day” (Carol Long). Which speaks volumes as the tenderheartSpecial Thanksgiv ing Shout-Outs Jeanie Bartolo off ered two loud “Shout-Outs” this week: “A huge ‘Shout Out’ to three Saugus Firefi ghters; Greg Cinelli, Sean Bohannon, and Capt. Chris Vinard. The State will be honoring them November 23rd (yesterday) for their heroic acts of courage in the line of duty. All three are really great guys and we are lucky to have them here in Saugus. Congratulations Greg, Sean, and Chris!” “A “Shout Out” to everyone in Saugus, have a safe and wonderful THANKSGIVING!!!!” 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 (mvoge@comcast.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. Mobile VaxBus is coming back! School Committee Member Ryan Fisher wants to spread the news: “Good news! The mobile VaxBus will be returning to the MSHS parking lot on Saturday, November 27th, from 10am-6pm, and is available to all Saugus residents. “Walk-ups are welcome. You do not need an appointment, ID or insurance. “The 5-11 Pfi zer pediatric dose will be available, as well as Pfi zer and J&J 12+ doses and boosters. Due to supply chain constraints Moderna doses cannot be guaranteed. “During the last visit, 131 doses were dispensed, including 87 pediatric doses and 44 boosters. “Many thanks again to Superintendent Erin McMahon and PPS Director Dawn Trainor for their tireless work bringing this resource to our community!” 2nd Annual Roaring Toy Drive – on Saturday Anthony Speziale of the Saugus Lions Club passed along this announcement in hopes of getting the word out about a very noble cause that’s underway: The Saugus Lions will be hosting a toy drive on Saturday, Nov. 27, from 10:00 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Saugus Senior Center at 466 Central St. Because of last year and continuing this years’ craziness, more families are hurting more than ever and are in need of help for Christmas. As we all know, when times are tough toys for the children may get overlooked. Retired Capt. Bill O'Malley of the Saugus Fire Dept. will be collecting the toys and delivering them to those families in need. Please share this information with your family, friends and co-workers. If we can all tell a handful of friends who have found themselves far luckier than most during 2020, to donate one extra toy, imagine all the toys we can collect. As a side note, if you don’t know, one of the main charities that Saugus Lions supports is eye research. Should you have any spare eyeglasses or eye apparatus, drop them by with the toys. The used glasses get refurbished and distributed to those in need who cannot aff ord them. Let's all try to make Christmas of 2021 far better than the rest of the year. Together we can make a THE SOUNDS OF SAUGUS | SEE PAGE 11
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