Time capsule planned for Saugus bicentennial

SAUGUS – What would someone want to know about Saugus 100 years from now?The community will have the opportunity to answer that question and preserve a little piece of the town through a time capsule that will be opened in the year 2115.To celebrate the 200th anniversary of its incorporation as a town, the Saugus Bicentennial Committee came up with a contest to decide what will go into the capsule.The theme for the contest is “what I want you to know about Saugus” and participants are urged to consider that their audience will not only be the present day community but, if they should win, will also be the community 100 years from now.While Saugus has had other anniversary celebrations in the past, “this one is specifically geared towards Saugus breaking away from Lynn and becoming its own town,” said Town Meeting member Peter Manoogian. Saugus first became its own town in 1815.From now until Sept. 30, the town clerk will be accepting submissions for the contest either through mail or hand delivery.”Contestants should think about what they want someone a hundred years from now to know about Saugus,” said Manoogian. “It’s up to them to consider what audience they want to speak to.””It’s an opportunity to memorialize yourself a hundred years from now,” he said.Participants have the opportunity to choose to express themselves on a variety of different platforms.One part of the competition will be a poster contest that is broken up into two age groups: kindergarten through fourth grade and fifth grade through eighth grade.Judges will be looking for creativity, clarity of the message being conveyed, use of materials and quality of work.The writing portion of the contest will be split up into four separate competitions: grades three through five, six through eight, nine through 12, and adults who either live, work in, or have a connection to Saugus.Judging will be based on factual accuracy, originality, creativity, clarity of thought, readability and persuasiveness, said Manoogian.The video portion of the contest will be broken up into two groups, grade six through 12 and adults. Videos should be no longer than three minutes.Students don’t need to attend Saugus Public Schools to be eligible to participate, said Manoogian.”We want people of all ages, all backgrounds and all interests to express what Saugus means to them and what they think people need to know about Saugus,” he said.The winning entries will be presented to the community at a ceremony on Oct. 23 and put into a time capsule that will be buried at the new Round Hill Park. If construction on the park isn’t completed, the ceremony will be held at Town Hall where the capsule will be held in a safe until the committee is able to bury it.The capsule will be donated by Bisbee-Porcella Funeral Home.Judges will be looking for “someone who can express to the future, in a creative way, what they want them to know about the town,” Manoogian said.”This is an opportunity for the public at large to express themselves about the community in a way that will have meaning a hundred years from now.”