Rail Trail Clean-Up Day, Oct 15

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Sep 292016
 

Town-wide Cleanup: On Saturday, October 15, 10:00 – 12:00: there will be a day focused on picking up trash all over Town, organized by Park & Rec and the Department of Parks and Forestry. This is a good time to get a bunch of people out on the trail to clear brush, leaves, trash and generally patrol to make sure the path is clear. This is what trail stewardship looks like – not hard work, but it needs to be done regularly: probably twice a year when the Town holds its cleanup days.

We are hoping to have three or four crews, each with up to five people, with each crew taking a portion of the trail. We are looking to get volunteers from this group to lead each crew. Please let me know if you are willing to lead or simply participate in the clean-up.

If you are willing to participate in the cleanup, please click here to sign up!

 

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Scenes from the Needham Trail Opening Celebration

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May 062016
 
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Needham Trail Opening Event Details

 Events  Comments Off on Needham Trail Opening Event Details
Apr 162016
 

We hope you can join us for a short celebration event on May 1st at 2:00, to mark the completion of the first phases of Needham’s rail trail project! We also want to acknowledge the donors and volunteers that have made this all possible.

The event will consist of remarks from local dignitaries, such as our State Rep. Denise Garlick and Matt Borrelli, current chairman of the Needham Board of Selectmen. We’ll have cakes donated by Sudbury Farms and Hazel’s Bakery to honor the trail’s birthday. And there will be an information booth about the trail and some giveaways, like Bay Colony Rail Trail water bottles (in limited supply).

For younger kids, the Needham High School Rail Trail Club will host a scavenger hunt on the trail, beginning at 2:30, with prizes for everyone who completes the hunt!

Of course, what we really hope is that you’ll come and acknowledge the accomplishment that so many have enabled, and then walk, bike or jog the trail itself!

While we hope and expect that many will bike or walk to the opening, there will be ample parking available. Parking will be on the site between Charles River Street and Fisher Street. Needham Police will remove the gate next to the trail on Charles River Street, and you will be directed to park in a large open area adjacent to the trail. Additional parking is available at Redwing Bay, as shown in the image below.

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Grand Opening Sunday May 1st!

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Mar 172016
 

At long last the trail in Needham has arrived, and plans are underway to celebrate the milestone!

Please join us on Sunday May 1st, from 2:00 – 4:00 on the trail between Charles River Street and Fisher Street, where just after 2:00 we will hold a short ceremony and formal ribbon cutting to mark the occasion.

There will also be some food and refreshments and a booth with information about the trail. And as a special bonus, the Needham High School Rail Trail Club will host a scavenger hunt for kids under 10.

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More details to come. In the meantime, feel free to get out and enjoy the trail now! More amenities will continue to be added, such as benches, signage and kiosks, but the trail itself is very accommodating right now, and already seeing a good amount of usage.

Fun Indoor Ride to Support BCRT!

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Sep 242015
 

Saturday, October 17, 2015 from 4-5 pm

Please join us on Saturday, October 17 for an exciting and energetic indoor charity ride at CycleBar in Wellesley. This ride will benefit the Bay Colony Rail Trail Association (BCRTA). Continued funding is needed for the installation of signs, fencing, kiosks, benches and road crossing improvements for the Needham corridor and 100% of funds raised will go towards making these improvements.

CycleBarLogo1CycleBar Wellesley is the Boston area’s original indoor cycling studio. Since 2005, CycleBar has been providing an array of spinning classes in their state of the art studio. Bill Pryor, co-founder of CycleBar and an abutter of the trail, will be our instructor. After the class, we will have refreshments and hear the latest news on the trail construction.

We are asking for a minimum donation of $20 from each rider. Donations can be made through the link at the top and bottom of this page, or at CycleBar on the day of the ride. For more information on the event, please contact Andrew Pittman. All riders will need to sign a release of waiver at this page on the Cyclebar site prior to the ride.

If you’d like to support the BCRTA but will be unable to attend the event, you may use the BCRTA website to do so. We appreciate your support!

We hope to see you Saturday, October 17 at 4 pm!

 

BCRT Needham: Not Your Average Rail Trail

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Nov 062013
 

Each month Needham’s Not Your Average Joe’s restaurant selects a local cause to support, and in November that cause is our own Bay Colony Rail trail project in Needham. NYAJ’s says they chose BCRT because they “believe in its value to the community and want to contribute to its success.”

NYARTHere’s the Deal: NYAJ’s has designated Monday, November 18th as the date when they will set aside an amount equal to 15% of all purchases made by Bay Colony Rail Trail Association supporters in the Needham restaurant.

To qualify for the donation, we (the BCRT supporters) must identify ourselves to servers with Not Your Average Cause certificates.

Here is a link to the NYAJ / BCRT certificate.

Not Your Average Joe’s will write a check to BCRT for 15% of all purchases made by supporters on that date. The more Bay Colony Rail Trail Association supporters who participate, the more money they’ll donate to the cause!

So we suggest a group outing, and hope to have as many supporters as possible join us at NYAJ’s Monday the 18th at 6:00pm. If you can, call ahead to reserve a table. It would be great to fill NYAJ’s with BCRT Supporters!

Needham Rail Trail Meeting, Oct. 29

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Oct 262013
 

All are invited to the regular meeting of the BCRT Needham Faithful, everyone with an active interest in our rail trail project. This month we’ll review our current status, which includes many new developments since the last meeting. Thursday, October 29, at 7:30 pm.

This will also be the last chance to purchase raffle tickets for the Trek bicycle and other paraphernalia.

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Iron Horse Preservation Society prepares to pull up the first of the rails.

We’ll also talk about the Newton project, which began yesterday (Oct. 25), with a ceremonial kickoff led by their mayor Setti Warren and attended by many local notables – including several of the Needham Faithful and Needham Selectman John Bulian.

The Newton project is just under a mile – half the Needham distance – and will take a few months (weather permitting): 30 days to pull up all the rails, 30 days to remove the ties. Then the surface will be applied, probably in the spring.

It will be great to have a local example of our project – and we won’t be far behind!

Please consider joining us on Tuesday the 29th at our usual location: The Public Services Administration Building, 500 Dedham Ave. There’s much progress to report, and some important areas where the project could use broad-based support.

 

 

Support the Rail Trail, Win a Bike!

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Sep 262013
 
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The Trek 7.2 FX. Click for a full-sized view.

The good folks at Newton’s International Bicycle Center have generously provided us with a fabulous new hybrid bicycle – the Trek 7.2 FX – as a prize for our upcoming raffle contest. The bike is a beauty: as they say, it’s a great combination of road bike speed and city bike comfort. A great bike for getting around Needham AND, once we have Phase 1 completed, a perfect conveyance for the new rail trail.

The rules and details are here, but here’s the short version:

Beginning on October 1, 2013 and ending on October 31, 2013, BCRT Needham will be offering raffle tickets for $10 each, 5 tickets for $40, or 15 tickets for $100.  All proceeds will go directly to the Trailblazers Campaign. In fact, if you buy 15 tickets ($100), we’ll add you to our honor roll of donors.

The best place to get these tickets and help support the project will be:

  • The Needham Business Association’s Harvest Fair and Souper Bowl on Saturday, October 5, 2013 (Town Hall area), 10 am – 3 pm
  • Needham Farmers Market (First Parish Unitarian lawn, 23 Dedham Ave) on Sunday, October 6, 2013, 1-5 pm
  • The next BCRT Needham Volunteer meeting, Tuesday, October 29, 7:30 at the Public Services Administration Building, 500 Dedham Ave.

You can also mail a check (23 Mackintosh Ave, Needham, MA 02492), or email us (needham@baycolonyrailtrail.org) with your desired amount, and we’ll reserve your tickets.

MAX Bicycle Trainer

The MAX Bicycle Trainer

But Wait, There’s More!

For our second prize, we’ve also received a donation of a Max Racer 7 Bicycle Trainer (approximate retail value: $ 149.95) – just in time to start planning for your biking fitness regime over the winner.

And to round out the contest, we’re offering 10 Third Prizes of our distinctive light blue BCRT t-shirts.

And The Winners Are…

We’ll hold the drawing on Friday, November 1st, and will notify winners by whatever means they provide. The names of the winners will be also available on this site after November 2, 2013.

Our thanks to IBC for its generous support!

BCRT in the Needham Parade

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Jul 042013
 
Kathleen Phelps towing the float

Kathleen Phelps towing the float

We had a great turnout by supporters of all ages at Needham’s Fourth of July Parade today. Anchored by a wonderful improvised float constructed by the O’Connor family, about 25 supporters – ranging in ages from 1 to 82 – walked or biked the distance to build awareness and support for the trail.

Click here for some more photos of the BCRT Needham contingent. Continue reading »