Page 18 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, DECEmbEr 29, 2023 The Sounds of Saugus By Mark E. Vogler Good morning, Saugus! Best wishes to all our readers for a Happy New Year. And hopefully, you will fulfill most of your New Year’s resolutions over the next 12 months, whether it’s dropping weight, decluttering your house, getting organized, breaking bad habits or leading a healthier life. As we approach a new year, it’s a good time to break out those 2024 planners and desk calendars and take some time to organize and lay out schedules for the new year. Don’t forget to label a few file folders now for the placement of W-2 forms and other information that will be arriving in your mail soon – important documents that you will need when you sit down with your accountant to prepare your income tax returns. Hope you had a great holiday season, with plenty of time to relax and enjoy with family, relatives and friends – particularly some important people that you don’t get to see that often. Overall, I had a wonderful holiday despite the adjustments I had to make in my schedule because of illnesses and family crises affecting loved ones and friends that I had hoped to visit. I had to cancel some Christmas Eve plans last Thursday, on account of COVID-19. My brother Wayne called just as I was finishing up last week’s paper. He told me that a friend in Fall River who was hosting a Christmas Eve party had to cancel because he was sick. I later learned that it was because the friend had caught COVID. A half hour later, my brother called again to tell me that he had tested positive for COVID-19 and that he had to stay in his room for five days so he couldn’t spread the illness. On Saturday, I got a call from my photographer buddy David in Cambridge telling me that he had caught something on a recent visit to New York City and had to cancel our get-together that day. He was supposed to take me to Summer Shack and treat me to a nice seafood meal. David had told me he had tested himself for COVID and it turned out negative. But, apparently, he had a whopper of a cold and figured it would be best for me not to visit him. I had more holiday plans that got canceled yesterday —Cont est— CONTEST SKETCH OF THE WEEK because of a health emergency in my friend’s family. Fortunately, I’ve gotten through most of the holiday season without catching a bad cold or COVID. And I was still able to get to see some of my friends. I also got to drop off a bag of presents at my brother’s assisted living home so he could enjoy the holiday while being confined to his room. “First Day Hike” a t Breakheart on Jan. 1 For those Saugus residents who need a starting point to a health and exercise program over the new year, check out the First Day Hike, which is scheduled for Breakheart Reservation on New Year’s Day. The event will begin at 10 a.m. at 177 Forest St. in Saugus. Plan on meeting at the Christopher P. Dunne Visitor Center. Breakheart will offer two guided hikes – a twomile and a three-mile hike – through the paved loops of Breakheart. Hikers will be able to view animal tracks, Civilian Conservation Corps projects and the Lower and Upper Ponds. Be prepared for cold weather – dress in layers and wear winter boots. Warm up with hot chocolate and clam chowder from Kelly’s Roast Beef by the fire at the Visitor Center after the hike! Bring your friends and family! The event is cosponsored by the Friends of Breakheart Reservation and the state Department of Conservation & Recreation (DCR). Another week of holiday trash delays The Town of Saugus announced that trash and recycling collection will run on a one-day delay for the next week in observance of the New Year. Trash and recycling will not be collected on Monday, Jan. 2, 2023, due to the holiday. Collection will resume on a one-day delay on Tuesday, Jan. 3. Residents are kindly asked to leave trash and recycling curbside by 7 a.m. the day after their normally scheduled collection day. The Town of Saugus would like to thank everyone for their cooperation. Please contact Solid Waste/Recycling Coordinator Scott A. Brazis at 781-2314036 with any questions. Can You Guess Who? If you know, call 978-683-7773 and your name will be entered into a drawing contest to win. The prize is a $10 gift certificate from the contest’s sponsor, the Hammersmith Family Restaurant, which is located at 330 Central St. in Saugus. Food Pantry notes The Saugus United Parish Food Pantry is open today (Friday, Dec. 29) from 9:3011 a.m. Legion Breakfast today There’s a good breakfast deal for Saugus veterans and other folks who enjoy a hearty breakfast on Friday mornings. The American Legion Post 210 at 44 Taylor St. in Saugus offers Friday morning breakfasts for the 2023-24 season. Doors open at 7:30 a.m., with breakfast served from 8-9:00 a.m. for an $8 donation. Veterans who cannot afford the donation may be served free. Special “Shout Outs” We didn’t receive any nominations from readers this week. Using my editorial discretion, I would like to give a giant, collective “Shout Out” to all town residents whose jobs kept them from celebrating the holidays with family this year. I would like to send a second giant, collective “Shout Out” to all of those volunteers who went out of their way to help make the holidays brighter for our less fortunate citizens. 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. We have a winner! Congratulations to Debra Panetta, one of several readers who answered correctly to last Friday’s sketch contest and had her name selected in a drawing. Debra will receive a $10 gift certificate from the contest’s sponsor, the Hammersmith Family Restaurant, near Saugus Center. Now, here’s the answer from the person who goes by the name of “The Sketch Artist”: “The answer to last week’s sketch is the fun loving, lavender mist hair colored Sharon Genovese. Sharon is artistic, creative and generous. She donates and decorates her own M.E.G. center Christmas tree every year at the yearly Christmas Tree raffles Event. She makes all kinds of beautiful arrangements for table Centerpieces at Events. “Sharon is a Lion’s Club My resolutions for 2024 In this week’s issue, we allowed Saugus selectmen and School Committee members to sum up the major town news stories during 2023 and to talk about their top priorities for the New Year. I’m mulling over a few projects at The Saugus Advocate that will help to make the paper more relevant to our readers. Last year, we initiated the “Saugus Over Coffee” series filmed and broadcast by Saugus TV to help people in the town’s 10 precincts get to know their precincts and their Town Meeting members better – over a cup of coffee. The program, which was cosponsored by the Saugus Public Library, featured each of the 10 precincts monthly, from January through October. We also worked with Saugus TV to produce three nights of question and answer forums to introduce the 27 candidates for the nine Charter Commission seats to residents. Twenty-four of the candidates accepted our invitation to participate. This year, we might resurrect “Saugus Over Coffee” in a different format. Stay tuned. In the coming weeks, you might notice a few changes in our weekly package. As editor of The Saugus AdTHE SOUNDS | SEE PAGE 19 Member and Saugus Garden Club Member. “And now here’s Sharon in her own words to tell you a little about herself. “‘I met my husband 40 years ago on a cruise to Bermuda. It was the last Carnival Cruise to leave from Boston. We dated for a year, got engaged and got married the following year on October 5,1985. Our first son Michael was born on 7/2/89 then 7 years later my twin sons Matthew and Bobby were born. My children attended Saugus schools “‘I walk with a group called ‘Sharon’s sneaker crew’ in the Dana Farber Boston Marathon cancer walk. This is my 10th year coming up.’ “Sharon is Nonna to three grandchildren, her son & his wife and three grandchildren live in Alabama (his wife’s hometown). Sharon has a big heart and is a rescue Mom to three kitties. “Thank you Sharon for all you do! “You are a bright beacon in Saugus “Yours Truly, “The Sketch Artist”
19 Publizr Home