SAUGUS — Saturday morning, residents, family members, friends, local officials, and the Historical Commission gathered at Round Hill Historic Site to dedicate a bench to Barbara Ann MacKenzie, co-founder of the Saugus Wanapanaquin Baton Twirling Squad, who died in 2024.
MacKenzie’s daughter, Joann Webster, was introduced and thanked the Historical Commission for working with her on the dedication and for everyone who came out to remember her mother. She also pointed out her family members, including MacKenzie’s sister Patricia Southard, who was the co-founder of the twirling squad.
“When we talk about a family affair of the Wanapanaquins, it truly was. My mother and my aunt Pat founded it. I started twirling, John (her brother) started twirling, my sister started twirling… and my dad was the puppeteer behind the scenes. He was the one who helped with the floats. When my grandfather was alive, we’d use his truck,” Webster said.
One Wanapanaquin twirler who spoke was Patricia Terrence, who wrote her college essay about her time as a twirler.
The essay, which Webster had found laminated while cleaning out her mother’s items, described how the twirling group helped Terrence become more confident in front of people and gave her a sense of purpose. It would help her get into Harvard University, and Webster pointed out how important it must have been to her mom for her to have kept it in the condition it was in.
Karen Freedman, MacKenzie’s other daughter, spoke next.
“I’d say more than 2,000 girls passed through the Wanapanaquins over the years, and they did all this before the internet even existed. Jeez, if the internet was here we would have had 10,000 girls,” Freedman joked. “But what made our mom special wasn’t just what she created… She spent countless hours teaching classes, sewing uniforms, organizing parades, helping nervous little girls feel brave, and making every member feel important.”
Webster and Freedman both commented on the significance of Round Hill in their lives, as they had grown up there, and that their mother had wished for her ashes to be spread there. Webster said that the family had climbed up the steep hill when the bench was originally installed and acted on her wishes.
Though the Saugus Wanapanquins ended in 2006, the crowd had plenty of old members in it, some wearing their original jackets and holding batons.
After the unveiling of the bench, the twirlers took to Round Hill Street and marched to Webster’s home on Pearson Street, performing a routine they had practiced before the event, led by the two sisters. It ended at Webster’s home, where memorabilia was displayed, and food was served.
