THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, DECEmbEr 16, 2022 Page 11 The Sounds of Saugus By Mark E. Vogler Good Morning, Saugus! Anyone in town who was offended in September by the masked cowards who waved a banner with an antisemitic message to traffic on Route 1 in Saugus has a chance to send a message back to those hateful people at noon on Monday on the lawn in front of Saugus Town Hall. For the first time in recent memory, the town will host a Menorah lighting ceremony. The weather report at deadline yesterday (Thursday, Dec. 15) was calling for sunny weather with temperatures in the 40s. So if you are free and take great umbrage to those people who like to fan the flames of prejudice, join Rabbi Yossi Lipsker, executive director of Chabad of the North Shore – the one who will be presiding over the ceremony. Lighting the Menorah marks the beginning of Hanukkah and also stands as a symbol of the hard-fought freedom of Jewish people to practice their faith without worrying whether they will be persecuted. Board of Selectmen Chair Anthony Cogliano calls it “the start of another great tradition in Saugus.” It’s also a great opportunity for all segments of the community to come together in unity to support each other against the forces of prejudice and bigotry. Looking forward to seeing you on the Town Hall lawn on Monday. Year in Review For the Dec. 30 edition of The Saugus Advocate, we plan to put together our annual “Year-In-Review” issue. In past years, we have invited the Board of Selectmen and the School Committee to pick what they think are the top stories of the year. We will still do that. But, at the same time, we welcome similar input from our readers. If you feel like weighing in on the year 2022 as it relates to Saugus, email us a letter to mvoge@comcast.net by Tuesday, Dec. 27. Tell us what you think was the top story of the year and offer a brief reason. And also list some runner-up stories that you think were major news in Saugus during 2022. We’re still evolving Since I began working as the editor of The Saugus Advocate in March of 2016, I’ve always approached my job as a local news magazine. News notices and announcements are of course the bread and butter of any local newspaper. While we try to avoid getting hung up on local government meeting coverage, we attend the Board of Selectmen meeting to monitor what’s going on in the community. And we try to watch the reruns of School Committee meetings. We strive to achieve a balance in our coverage with some government stories, hard news stories, crime and court-related and fire stories, in addition to human interest features. We are a free weekly newspaper, published by Advocate Newspapers Inc. of Everett, Mass., and distributed in Saugus every Friday, except in a few holiday weeks when the paper comes out earlier. We are part of a small company of four weekly newspapers owned by Publisher James David Mitchell. The Saugus Advocate is the only newspaper that focuses solely on Saugus news and community events. We strive to be a public watchdog that tackles challenging and complex issues facing the town. We are equally committed to human interest and community news. A major component of the paper is “The Sounds of Saugus,” a column that includes upcoming community events, the editor’s observations of local politics and government and occasionally some anecdotes from his 50 years as a newspaper reporter and editor. Also featured in the paper is “Saugus Gardens in the Fall (or other seasons), an article and photos by landscape design consultant Laura Eisener, a Saugus native who offers a unique perspective as the president of the Saugus Historical Society and as an active Saugus Garden Club member. The paper includes the “Guess Who Got Sketched” contest by a local artist who likes to focus on the positive energy and contributions of people in the community – from average folks to movers and shakers in the community. The contest has become a centerpiece of this column. And readers often complain when “The Sketch Artist” takes a week off. We tend to function as a weekly news magazine, but monitor and report on town government and the school department, frequently offering in-depth articles. Our package also includes “Small Saves,” a locally produced cartoon that centers on the life of a kid hockey goalie. As our title suggests, we play a role as an advocate in the community, embracing the right of readers to speak their minds on a wide array of local issues. Our main mission is to keep the public informed on important news, but we also provide readers a vehicle to participate in public debate and share information with others in the community. We welcome Letters to the Editor. We encourage a length of no more than 200 words. Longer letters would qualify for “A Reader’s Perspective” column, an essay format which lends itself to public commentary on controversial and complex issues. Readers may request to be interviewed for our question and answer column, “The Advocate Asks,” which involves a 15-20 minute interview over coffee or tea. We encourage readers to submit “shout outs” to publicly praise Saugonians for remarkable acts of kindness, achievements or nice gestures that lead to the betterment of Saugus. We can’t cover every meeting or community event or accommodate every photo request, so we welcome press releases, news announcements, freelance articles and courtesy photos from the community. Our deadline is noon Wednesday. If you have a story idea, an article or photo to submit, please email me at mvoge@ comcast.net or leave a message at 978-683-7773. Let us become your hometown newspaper. The Saugus Advocate is available in the Saugus Public Library, the Saugus Senior Center, Saugus Town Hall, local convenience stores and restaurants throughout town. Wreaths Across America Tomorrow (Saturday, Dec. 17) at noon, the Parson Roby Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (MA0136P) is sponsoring their second Wreaths Across America event, helping both Riverside Cemetery and the Old Burying Ground Cemeteries to remember and honor veterans by laying remembrance wreaths on the graves of our country’s fallen heroes. “There will be a brief ceremony at noon to honor all branches of the military followed by laying wreaths on our fallen heroes. Invite your friends and family to join us in honoring our servicemen and women. “2021 was our first year sponsoring this event, which had over 360 wreaths sponsored. The community really stepped up and we are grateful for all the support we received. However, there are more than 1500 veterans’ graves in Riverside and we are hoping that between the community and businesses there will be enough sponsored wreaths to cover all those graves this year. “The Daughters of the American Revolution’s mission is to preserve American history and secure America’s future through education and promoting patriotism. For more information on how to participate or “What We Do” email the Parson Roby Chapter DAR at parsonroby.saugusdar@ gmail.com.” A “Shout Out” to Jim Harrington Janice Jarosz submitted the following “Shout Out”: “The Cemetery Commission would like to place a Shout Out article in the Saugus Advocate to Mr. Jim Harrington for donating his time and energies in taking an aerial photograph of an area at the Riverside Cemetery. It was very helpful to the Commission. From all of us on the Commission, thank you Jim!” 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. THE SOUNDS | SEE PAGE 12 —Cont est— CONTEST SKETCH OF THE WEEK GUESS WHO GOT SKETCHED? If you know the right answer, you might win the contest. 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’s being sketched this week? If you do, please email me at mvoge@comcast.net or leave a phone message at 978 683-7773. Anyone who identifies the Saugonian sketched in this week’s paper between now and Tuesday at Noon 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 Hammersmith Family Restaurant, 330 Central Street in Saugus. 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”)
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