SAUGUS — This year marked the third annual Saugus 411 event, a place for new residents to be welcomed to town at the Middle High School. Longtime residents were also welcomed.
Corinne Riley, a member of the Board of Selectmen, originally created the event after being inspired by Wakefield 101, and she’s watched the 411 grow every year.
“It’s been well attended. A lot of new people will come, and a lot of people who have been here for many years will still attend. There are a lot of vendors…And if you can get one person to join something to meet other people, then to me, it’s a win,” Riley said.
The middle high school was full of tables, each one a different group reaching out to new families and catching up with old friends.
Riley commented on her favorite part of the event. “Just getting together with people that you know, the Saugus 411 Committee, I get support from the town, and just talking and being able to reach out to the people that live here and send them letters welcoming them, that’s probably the best,” she said.
Riley noted that this year had the biggest turnout of table nonprofits for the event.
“At the beginning, I probably had maybe 22 tables, and maybe 28 last year. Now we’re up to 33…It was the biggest number of people that responded to get involved,” she said.
Each table had representatives from their respective groups. Businesses also got involved by supplying business cards, menus, coupons, and free giveaways for the New Residents Welcome Bags.
Riley said that the response Saugus 411 has gotten has been wonderful. “I think it’s just such a great community event,” she said. “And it’s just to get other people that say ‘You know what, I’ll give you a shot, and maybe I can get some of you to come.'”
One table at the event included town government.
“A lot of people that move here are from the city, so they refer to Town Hall as City Hall or city council, and we’re not. We’re a town, so it’s nice to have the government table to answer questions, whether it’s about the recycling program or voting,” she said.
Riley said the table helps educate newcomers about how town government works, saying, “It’s not anywhere near how a city is run. We don’t vote in the town manager. He’s appointed unlike a mayor. They get to know that we’re a different form of government.”
She said Wakefield 101 was run by the chamber of commerce, commenting that Saugus didn’t really have an active one, but she still wanted to create the Saugus 411 and get the local government involved.
“I involved the selectmen and town manager, local elected officials, and they were all on board with it. So that was a blessing, that I could use the town to get this going and not have to worry about having to go through the chamber of commerce,” she said.
Riley said that while she loves how involved the town is, she would also love to see an active chamber of commerce in Saugus.
“I’m glad that we started this three years ago and that I have the support of the Saugus 411 Committee. I want to thank Jean Swanson and Donna Sordello, the other two members of the committee,” she said. “We started working on this in January and probably December. It’s a lot of work, and I have a great crew. I also want to thank the town for the support and the businesses that gave to the bags.”
Another table at the event was the Saugus Senior Center.
“I think it’s very important to welcome newcomers to town and to let them know what we have to offer, all the different services, all the different community events we have, and all the hidden gems,” Director Laurie Davis said.
The Saugus Cultural Council was also there, giving out free henna tattoos and informing people about what the council was about.
“This is a really special event that happens once a year in Saugus, and it helps new residents know community groups they can participate in and other ways they can be a part of this community,” Co-Chair Tori Darnell said.
She believes it’s also important for current residents as there is always something new happening in town, and it helps people stay reminded of what community activities are happening.
Lisa Mirasolo of Friends of Breakheart Reservation was there to introduce people to Breakheart, which she described as a “diamond” that many people don’t know about.
The Saugus Garden Club’s Donna Manoogian, who was excited to say the club was celebrating its 80th anniversary, said, “It still disappoints me that people in Saugus still say ‘I didn’t know we had a garden club.'”
Manoogian continued that the club has been working hard to reach out to people, that the 411 event was a way for people to see what the town was offering, and that it was nice to get together and see everyone. She also commented that Riley has done a great job organizing the event, and said the town is lucky to have her.
