As you can see from the following schedule of events; businesses, churches, schools, senior citizens, youth, veterans, town employees, civic minded volunteers, our town officials and neighbors are involved each year to make this day a great success.
This year we are hoping the community spirit will come alive and show how much this Town of Saugus means to us. Please stop by the Town Clerk?s Booth on the lawn in front of the Town Hall and register to vote if you haven?t done so yet. Your vote does count!
Saugus Founders Day started 28 years ago because during the 350th Celebration, the people of the town loved coming together for the Country Market in front of the Town Hall. In the 1940?s the farmers and neighbors in this Town brought their fruits, vegetables, preserves, flowers and home-sewn, knitted and wooden crafts to the Town Hall where they shared their stories and renewed friendships.
In talking to Father Molloy of Blessed Sacrament Church, he suggested we should give the people of Saugus a chance to explain what they like about Saugus, he thought he really liked the Saugus Iron Works, Breakheart Reservation and walking down to Saugus Center. Sounded good ? so we will have a simple questionnaire at the Saugus Founders Day table and ask that you take a moment to answer the question. You do not have to sign if you do not wish to. And to entice you to do so we will give you a nice new ruler with ?Our Town? Saugus on it to give to your children for school.
There will be a change this year for the Road Race. The Friends of Breakheart and the Department of Conservation and Recreation will co-sponsor the 26th Annual Founder?s Day Road Race. The 5K road race will start from the Christopher P. Dunne Visitors Center at Breakheart Reservation off the Lynn Fells Parkway in Saugus. The race will begin at 9:30a.m. on September 8th and will take you through the beautiful reservation. Trophies and Medals will be sponsored by Peter A. Rossetti Insurance Agency and the Saugus Federal Credit Union. Refreshments ? Raffle Prizes ? Limited Edition Tee Shirts.
Children?s activities start at 9:00a.m. A special thanks go out to the Saugus Chamber of Commerce and the Vitale Family who sponsored the Officer Harold L. Vitale Memorial Road Race for so many years. We will miss you running through Saugus Center.
The first six booths as you enter Founders Day you will find the PEG Cable TV, Joseph Kennedy, with information about the new group that will be running the Cable TV for Saugus and interested in your views on serving the Town. Next will be the American Cancer Society with pink items available for a donation to the American Cancer Society. Saugus Poet and Published Author Tom Sheehan and Co-Editor Bob Wentworth will be selling the new publication of Of Time and the River, a collection of stories to record, honor and memorialize events and people of Saugus? 20th Century. This is a companion book to A Gathering of Memories, published in 2000. The next two booths are for Memorial Funds, which is a significant and caring manner of remembering two wonderful young men, missed by many, the Joey LoRusso Memorial Fund and the Andy Zinna Memorial Fund. The sixth booth is the American Legion Auxiliary, a patriotic group of ladies who volunteer in so many ways for our soldiers and veterans, please stop by and say ?Thank You?.
The Saugus Board of Health and the North Shore Medical Center will again sponsor the medical van where they will take your blood pressure and also cholesterol screenings. While over there stop by the Saugus Advertiser and sign the ?I was at Saugus Founder?s Day? page and fill out a raffle coupon for a free subscription. The Daily Item and Saugus Advocate will also join us again this year with a booth located in front of Town Hall.
Saugus Speaks Out ? Special thanks to Richie of Frank?s Gulf for allowing Saugus Speaks Out to locate in front of his business for the day. Saugus Speaks Out is a non-profit committee proactively committed to preventing children and young adults from experimenting with alcohol and drugs. The mission is to inform and educate all who seek support, recognizing that many in our community may need support and assistance.
The staggering numbers of the Saugus Youth Risk Survey prompted concerned citizens, town officials, parents, teachers and members of the business community to come together as a team to form Saugus Speaks Out and hope that you will take the time to find out how you can help your community fight this serious threat.
Paul Penachio and the Emergency Management Team (located at the old Fire Station) will have the station open for family visits to view the building and the equipment. Paul will be looking for volunteers to sign up for Emergency Management and grilling sausages, pepper and onions in front of the station.
The Saugus Historical Society will again be in front of the Town Hall with T-shirts, booklets, maps, magnets and notepaper available for sale.
The Friends of Town Hall will sell the hometown collectibles. This year collectibles of the new and old Saugus High School will be on sale for $5.00 each. There will also be a limited variety available of past collectibles on sale for $5.00. There will be full color Throws available for $50.00.
The Veterans Council will have ?Split the Pot?, Coffee & Donuts and Clam Chowder. The Post 210 Auxiliary will also have a booth with their annual raffle, located in front of Town Hall.
The First Congregational Church will hold a giant yard sale, including toys, furniture and many household goods. Hot dogs, hamburgers and sausages on the grill will be on the menu for the day.
The Saugus Community Blood Drive by Massachusetts General Hospital will be located this year at the First Congregational Church, 300 Central Street, 9:00a.m. until 1:00p.m. sponsored by the William Sutton Lodge of Masons of Saugus. A Complimentary Breakfast will be served to all donors. There is a need for blood at this time.
Church Activities on the Town Hall Lawn this year will be provided by the following: Cliftondale Congregational Church will serve their famous Strawberry Shortcake, and they will again sponsor the Saugus Domestic Violence Coalition and give out information, St. Margaret?s Church will sell Christmas Wraps, Cards and Ribbons. East Saugus United Methodist Church will have a cookie sale.
Saugus Home Depot will have the ?Captain of the Kids Workshop?. Home Depot Associates will provide hands-on projects. Special ?thanks? to Home Depot for providing the carts and supplies to make the day go smoothly.
Eastern Bank will sponsor the Pastimes Clown for the children?s entertainment. Look for Eastern Bank on the Hamilton Street side of the Town Hall.
Saugus River Watershed Council ? water quality sampling, volunteer programs, educational programs and kids environmental activities. Learn about on-going efforts to improve the health of the Saugus River.
Saugus.net ? Saugus Founder?s Day information is now on the Internet. Look for Eric Brown on the Town Hall lawn to learn what he has available for you on the Internet, tell you about the free 10th Annual Ghost Story contest, and compete in his annual Trivia contest. First person to answer each question correctly will win a T-shirt.
The Republican Committee will be present with a Patriotic Booth for donations and also asking the public to sign cards to support our troops.
Stop by the Theatre Company of Saugus booth to learn about their coming season and future performances. Tickets can be purchased as a reduce rate. Our Lady of Nazareth Academy, an all-girls school, will have an informational booth. Danversbank, our newest local bank will be with us for the first time with give-aways. Liberty Tax Service will also be handing out crowns and pens for the children. Susan Thomas will update you on her new Saugus.Com website.
The Recycling Coordinator will be available to talk about the importance of recycling for our Town. There will be a dumpster in the back of the Town Hall and also containers to put your bottles and cans. All proceeds will be donated to the Saugus Friendship Club, for educationally challenged adults.
The Garden Club has been busy this year working on the Butterfly Garden. Stop by for a brochure on the project located at Breakheart Reservation and the many activities planned for the coming year. Plants and garden supplies will be for sale. S.A.V.E. and the Tree Committee, Saugus River Watershed, Council on Aging, Saugus Advocate will all be available on the Town Hall lawns.
The Lion Club is again sponsoring the LIONS EYEMOBILE which will be located in front The First Congregational Church on Central Street and the Lions will also be grilling sausages in the Food Court too. This year the Lions Club has arranged to have tables and chairs available to enjoy the food being prepared by all these charitable organizations. A huge ?thank you? on behalf of all the customers that have had to sit on the lawns!
Kids Fire Safety House ? sponsored by Saugus Fire Department will be located behind the Saugus Town Hall. Bring the children to visit the Fire Safety House and practice E.D.I.T.H. (Exit Drills In The Home). Meet the firefighters that teach fire safety in the elementary schools, a mentor to your children. Bring along your questions.
Change in local Cable TV ? Joseph Kennedy, President of the PEG Cable Access Board will have a booth in front of Town Hall. He has also made arrangements to film the day?s events and is working with a newly appointed PEG board which will guide the operation of this new venture for the Town. Mr. Kennedy is very excited about Saugus and all it has to offer for Cable TV.
Please look for the Joey LoRusso Memorial Fund booth in front of the Town Hall; they will be selling pillows and scarfs for a wonderful cause to keep his memory alive. Also nearby will be a booth for the American Cancer Society with an assortment of ?pink? items for a donation. As we go to press we hear there will also be a booth in memory of Andy Zinna.
Please help support these non-profit organizations. Their funds go towards their activities for the year.
Food Booths ? The non-profit groups / organizations will provide the menu again this year. Special ?Thanks? to the Saugus Board of Health for all their help and support for this fundraiser activity. Congratulations to those who have taken the time to volunteer. This takes time and energy on the part of the volunteers each year but they have fun planning, working together, and at the same time make money for their activities for the year. Food this year will be provided by: Saugus High School Band, Saugus High School Classes of, 2008, 2009, and 2010. Boy Scout Troops 61 and 62, Knights of Columbus, Saugus High School Field Hockey, Saugus High School Tennis Team, Saugus Youth Soccer, Saugus Lions Club, Saugus High School Cheerleaders, SHS Peer Mediation, Saugus High School Golf Team and Saugus Lions Club. This is a cooperative effort of the businesses of Saugus, students, and parents all working together on a volunteer basis. Sincere ?Thanks? go to the businesses that continue to believe and support these non-profit groups/organizations: Kowloon, Hilltop, Fuddruckers, Border Café, Applebees, Prince Pizza, Banana Splits and Kellys.
Fun Area ? Special Thanks to Michael Gallant of ?Perfect Parties? for helping to keep this going with his generous donation. The Fun Area will open at 11:00a.m. and run until 4:00p.m. This year parents and volunteers from the schools and sports organizations will monitor the many activities. Look for the Saugus Elementary School participation of their PTO?s starting at 9:00 a.m. ? Oaklandvale, Veterans Memorial School, Waybright, Lynnhurst, Saugus High School, many youth organization sports groups, and the Saugus Community Track fundraiser. They will have games, items on sale and information on their yearly activities to make it a great school year. Look for the Human Football, Sumo Wrestling, Moon Walk, Speed Pitch, Electronic Golf Putting, Bungee Run, Dunk Tank, Slap Shot Hockey, Giant Twister and the Velcro Wall. Remember that this activity encourages the teams to work together as a unit to be successful just like playing on their team as a sport. Mentoring is another element that is important because the parents and teachers also participate in making the fundraisers successful. All the money they raise will be used for their activities during their school year.
Face Painting ? Saugus High School Drama Club will also be in the ?Fun? area. Be sure to ask them about this year productions. Temporary Tattoos will also be available by Elaine Lynch, near the Fried Dough Stand. Next to tattoos is the ?Sand Art Bottles? which the children can create themselves, Hermit Crabs, Remax Solutions will have a coloring contest and kids activities.
Saugus Iron Works ? Because of restoration it will not be open this Saugus Founders Day but will be opening approximately September 14th.
Persons of the Year 2007 ? The announcement will be at 12:45pm on the stage in front of the Saugus Town Hall. Previous recipients have been:
Nominations are made and voted on by the previous recipients. This yearly award is a special way to acknowledge Saugus citizens who quietly and unselfishly volunteer many hours for the betterment of their community. 2007 recipients will be announced at 12:45pm. Congratulations and best wishes to all.
This day could not be possible without the help of many. Sincere appreciation is extended to the Board of Selectmen and Town Officials. Mr. Andrew Bisignani, our Town Manager, whose encouragement and support is appreciated. Special ?thanks? to Sue Dunn, Administrative Assistant for her help and patience. Thank you to the DPW, Saugus Police Department, Saugus Fire Department, Inspectional Services, Board of Health, Recycling Coordinator, and Library for all their support and spirit for this day.
The Town Hall area has been blessed with wonderful neighbors who have been inconvenienced through twenty-eight years. Instead of complaining, they join in and have yard sales, cookouts and still always have a kind and encouraging word. Residents and businesses have truly displayed their community spirit by embracing this day and adjusting their schedules.
The Saugus Founders? Day Committee:
Hope to see you Saturday, September 8th!
North Shore Acappella Performance 3:00PM ? This group began singing in the Boston area 27 years ago. North Shore Acappella has two original members and three others who have been with the group for a long time. Richie Willis and Vinnie Straccia are original members and have been singing together off and on over the last 38 years. Paul Lopes and Tom Duarte are from Rhode Island and have been with the group almost since it began. Jim Martin has been with the group for about eleven years.
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