Page 10 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2021 THE SOUNDS OF SAUGUS By Mark E. Vogler Best night of the year in Saugus After its cancellation last year because of the Coronavirus Pandemic, the town’s annual Christmas Tree Lighting and Festivities event returns to Saugus Town Center tonight. And it’s one of the community events that I can’t wait for! For one thing, it’s the signature nighttime event of the year for the town – an event that draws families from nearby communities and former residents who live elsewhere. The arrival of Santa Claus, of course, is a major draw. And from having attended several of these events, I can tell you that grown-ups – not just kids – enjoy this special night. I missed it last year, And this year I will miss seeing Gregory Nickolas, the late Saugus youth and recreation director. But he will be there in spirit, as the town is dedicating tonight’s tree lighting ceremony to his memory. It should be a great evening for town residents – young and old – to come together as a community. We still have to be mindful of the COVID-19 virus which has caused considerable heartache and sorrow in town, as it has in every community in the nation. Greg was one of the 83 Saugus residents who have died a COVID-19-related death so far, since March of last year. But as long as we can practice social distancing and take proper precautions inside Town Hall and outside tonight (and wear your masks inside), it should be a fun night for all the folks who partake in the festivities. And the night provides plenty of photo opportunities for the family album. This weekend also features the opening of the MEG Foundation’s 11th Annual Tree Festival at the MEG Building at 54-58 Essex St. in Saugus. The Marleah Elizabeth Graves (MEG) Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and restoration of the old historic Cliftondale School. And every year, the festival provides something fun for people who are looking for an indoor experience. The MEG Foundation welcomes you to its annual Christmas Tree Festival beginning today (Friday, Dec. 3), tomorrow (Saturday, Dec. 4) and Sunday, from 3 to 8 p.m. and again, next weekend on Dec. 9, 10, and 11 from 3 to 8 p.m. There are many beautiful trees to be viewed, all decorated and ready for the Christmas holiday!! The Saugus Sachimes will provide entertainment – singing Christmas carols – and visitors are urged to chime in. For more information, contact Kathy Giannetta at 781-231-2842. St. Margaret’s Christmas Stroll tomorrow The Christmas Stroll is back! Join the folks at St. Margaret’s Church 4(31 Lincoln Ave., Saugus) tomorrow (Saturday, Dec 4), from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for another popular event. They will be serving a meatball sub lunch, and then on Sunday (Dec. 5) from 9 a.m. to noon they will be serving breakfast. There will also be 40+ raffles, baked goods and Christmas gifts for you to purchase. If you have any questions, please call Carol at 781-233-1040. Or email her at cnadeau@sauguscatholics.org. The assignment no reporter wants The worst part of being a newspaper reporter is having to sit down with family members who just lost a loved one – most times after a tragic accident or murder. In my days of covering the police beat for The Eagle-Tribune of North Andover (once known as The Lawrence Eagle-Tribune), I was called upon on numerous occasions to go interview the next-of-kin soon after a tragic death that usually wound up on the front page. It was usually a breaking, spot news story that everybody was talking about or interested in reading about: a bad car accident, a drowning, an electrocution or industrial accident. And a murder story. Out of the dozens of times that I set out to personalize these heart-wrenching stories, the families usually invited me into their homes – probably because I seemed like I was lending a sensitive ear. And I would usually tell the loved one up front that the main reaGUESS 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 identifies the Saugonian being sketched qualifies 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 certificate, 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 identification 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”) son I was there was to get a photo of their loved one and learn something interesting and/or positive about their family member. I would tell them I was there to listen to them telling the public what they wanted to share about the person who just died. The more times I did it, the better I got at it. But I disliked doing those stories more than anything I was ever assigned. To be honest, I was motivated to do them so I didn’t have an angry editor swearing at me because a television reporter got to the story first. And during my time at The Eagle-Tribune, the television reporters were usually following up on my sad stories of families recalling their loved ones. If you approach somebody soon after a tragedy, they usually want to talk to a reporter who comes across as a caring person. Talking about the loved one – looking at the positive side of the person – can be comforting. Fortunately, as a weekly reporter, there is not as much urgency to go after the surviving family members for an interview. And usually the funeral home can help facilitate an interview. I might still be good at it, but it’s still my least favorite job as a reporter. Thanksgiving sadness As many of our readers know by now, Thanksgiving was a very sad day for School Committee Chair Thomas Whittredge and his family. Theresa Whittredge – his loving wife of 17 years – lost her courageous battle to metastatic breast cancer. She was 47 – too young to go. After her first bout with cancer in 2017, she got involved in fundraisers for breast cancer research. And she became an inspiration for others while raising awareness about cancer. May the life she lived continue to radiate goodness in the community and be a source of strength and comfort to others who are facing this dreaded disease. And our condolences to the Whittredge family – particularly Tom and his two children – for this devastating loss. May happy memories bring them comfort. COVID-19 halts Friday breakfasts Concerns about COVID-19 have led to a temporary shutdown of the Friday morning breakfasts at the Saugus American Legion Cpl Scott J. Procopio Post 210 Legion Hall, which is located at 44 Taylor St. This week, we received the following email from Debra Dion Faust, Building Manager of American Legion Post 210: “Be aware that, due to a loss of one of our members to Covid (He caught it at a family wedding, not at the Legion itself.) we shut down the breakfast the Friday before Thanksgiving, intending to re-open tomorrow, December 3. “However, concerns about the new Omicron variant, the fact that the rather unseasonably warm weather actually works against us, and the fact that the success of the breakfast means that the numbers who come make it difficult to ‘socially distance,’ we took a poll of those breakfast-goers who have given us their email addresses to make notifications possible, and have made the decision to shut down the breakfast for the month of December. “We plan to re-open on Friday, January 7. (We hope by that time to have had a truly hard freeze to help short-circuit transmission fears.) Thanks for your support. Have a good holiday season and a Happy New Year.” We will keep you posted on any developments affecting the Friday breakfasts at Legion Hall. We have a winner! Congratulations to Sue Fleming for making the right identification 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: “Last week’s sketch was of Our Saugus Library staff Head of Children’s Services, The Children’s Librarian – Amy Melton! “Amy has a Master’s degree from Syracuse University and speaks and practices two other languages besides English. She oversees Children’s Programs, making them fun, interesting and attainable for the children. She Coordinates various educational events. “Amy brought the “1000 books before kindergarten” partnership program to Saugus. Parents can sign up and log on the books their child has read. THE SOUNDS OF SAUGUS | SEE PAGE 11
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