SAUGUS — The Cultural Council recently heard pitches from individuals seeking grants for 2026.
“The Saugus Cultural Council awards a number of annual grants to individuals and organizations. These grants in the arts, humanities, and interpretive sciences serve to add vibrancy to the town and introduce a cross-section of cultural events that enrich community life and connect citizens of different ages and generations,” according to the Council’s website.
Head of Reference Services at the library, Lisa LeJeune, was the first to present her pitch to the Council. It included four library events and programs, and another program she presented for the teen librarian who was unable to attend the meeting.
The first pitch featured a program called “The Fashions of Downton Abbey,” presented by Ren Antonowicz.
“She talks about the lives and fashions from 1912-1920, and we’ve had her here before, and she was great,” LeJeune said.
The second program pitched is called “Art on the Wing” by Wingmasters.
Wingmasters was founded by Julie Anne Collier and Jim Parks, who are both licensed raptor rehabilitators based in Massachusetts.
The program the library hopes to host allows artists to capture live moments with the birds, as the artists are able to draw the birds while they are in front of them. The birds are displayed by a presenter for 10-15 minutes while the audience draws and asks questions.
During this time, the presenter will also speak about the bird and its characteristics to give the audience a better understanding of it.
This program would be for adults, according to LeJeune.
“It’s an amazing opportunity to get to create, and seeing birds of prey up front like that, I’m not sure where else you would go to have that sort of thing,” she said.
The third program is a make your own garden, and the fourth would be a program called Mixed Media and the Art of Ma run by local artist Kelly Slater.
The teen program that was applied for is designed for teens aged 11-18 and is offered in partnership with Pop Up Art School, which has already hosted multiple programs at the library.
The next presenter was Kevin Figueroa of KevTech Services.
“We’ve been around for about five years, and we’ve worked with seniors, and we help them with technology,” he said. “We make house calls, and we help people at home with all sorts of tech problems… But three years ago, I reached out to the senior center in Marblehead and organized an iPhone basics class.”
Now, Figueroa has worked with multiple centers and is hoping to run the program in the Saugus Senior Center as well. He’s applying for the grant in hopes of being able to give the center the classes for free.
Outside of teaching tech, KevTech Services also recently acquired 10 iPads and Apple Pencils and has started offering art classes for the seniors using them. The company has also done photography classes.
Jennifer Kowal, director of the North Shore Children’s Museum, gave the next pitch on behalf of the Friends of the North Shore Children’s Museum.
She said the museum had noticed a lot of its visitors were from Saugus, including field trips.
The FNSCM fundraises for the museum and also provides Free Days at times. The grant pitch from Kowal involved Free Days being given to Saugus residents.
“They remove any financial barriers for families who are residing in Saugus who may not be able to afford the $12 admission,” Kowal said.
The Council discussed logistics with Kowal, who was asking for $1,500, which would cover 125 free tickets.
Peter Rossetti was up next for Friends of Breakheart Reservation, discussing a staple in town: the Breakheart Fall Festival, which has provided fun for families for years.
Saugus TV’s Maureen Whitcomb gave her pitch, which would involve a new event for the town: Saugus TV Starlight Cinema.
She presented the logistics and what would be needed, already having experience from running the drive-in that used to occur at the Topsfield Fairgrounds.
Whitcomb said that it would be a fun night to get kids outside to enjoy a movie with family and friends, and that she had already talked to some people in town to nail down possible locations.
Next to present was Windy Pham. Her idea included teaching kids about the Moon Festival, which is observed in multiple East Asian countries as a celebration of the harvest. She also mentioned a program where she would do something for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
She showed examples of some crafts that she could do with kids.
Last to present was Library Director Alan Thibeault, who was approaching to discuss three grants.
One included some of the concerts that were involved in the Saugus Ironworks Concert Series. The next was for a classical music series in the spring and an Author’s Visit by John Patrick Green, who is a popular illustrator and comic book creator.
With the grants pitched, the Council will now hold a meeting to discuss them and decide what they will be funding.
