December Family Day with FOOGI

Friends of Oak Grove Inc. (FOOGI) is a nonprofit organization that was formed by Malden residents. It is an all-volunteer organization run by board members which celebrates diversity and run a variety of events throughout the year.

In October FOOGI organized a 5k Haunt Jaunt run for all ages. People were encouraged to dress up in costumes and they even had a buffet at Dockside after for the participants. Along with this event the organization also has an annual “Pawrade” and “Plant Swap.”

FOOGI Haunt Jaunt — There was a surprise flash-mob right before the race. Here is the flash-mob dancing to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”. Photo by Ailin Toro.

FOOGI1 — Participants in the FOOGI 5k Haunt Jaunt. Photo by Ailin Toro.

FOOGI3 — Runners in the 5k Haunt Jaunt. Photo by Ailin Toro.

On Dec. 19, Foogi along with the Malden YMCA hosted a December Family Day. The family day started off at noon in the YMCA gym. From 12:00 to 2:00 the attendants could enjoy an afternoon full of music, pizza, arts and crafts, and games. There was even an appearance from Santa who came ready to surprise the kids.

Participants in the puppet show alongside Mayor Gary Christensen at the December Family Day. Photo by Ailin Toro. — Participants in the puppet show alongside Mayor Gary Christensen at the December Family Day. Photo by Susan Margot Ecker Photography.

Later at 2:30 a relatively new tradition for FOOGI followed which was an original puppet show. In the past FOOGI held a book reading until their board member, Julie Mangan, thought it would be more entertaining to perform a puppet show.This year the puppet was “The Skunk Who Sprayed Christmas” written by Mangan.

The show followed two characters that had escaped from prison and and attempted to steal all the candy and presents from a workshop at the North Pole. The workshop was protected by the security team formed of skunks who saved the day.

The puppet show was performed by children who had previously been involved in a free workshop at the YMCA. The children were involved in every part of the process, from making the puppets, to scene design, to performing in the show. This workshop was run by Mangan and Paul Sieswerda .

Mangan expressed that she was incredibly proud of the children’s final performance. She continued, stating that “ [they had] done [their] job of bringing the story to life” and gushed on how happy she was about it.

After the performance there were cookies and hot chocolate available for everyone. The Malden High School choral group then made an appearance to sing assorted classic holiday songs such as “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” by Johnny Marks and “Jingle Bells” by James Pierpont. Each child was given a goodie bag with a hand puppet, a skunk tail, and an ornament.