Solstice Run this Saturday

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Dec 182018
 

The Needham Running Club (NRC) is holding their first Solstice run this Sunday, December 22, 2018 starting at 3:30pm, much of which will be on the rail trail. Celebrate the Winter Solstice with a magical run in the Needham woods and the Needham portion of the Bay Colony Rail Trail.

Message from the NRC:
Savor the moonlight, smell the evergreens and get in tune with the forest at dusk as we jaunt from the Needham town forest on to the Bay Colony Rail Trail.  This free run will feature a woodland creature blessing and a Shakespearean ode.

Date and time:  Saturday, December 22,  3:30pm

  • Location: across from  255 High Rock St, Needham, MA  Map here.
  • Parking: Please park on the town forest side of the street on the sidewalk which rises ~2 inches.
  • Route: The route will be marked with glow sticks and additional glow sticks will be handed out to fellow adventurers. We will meet at the High Rock St. entrance to the Needham Town forest, recite a couple of blessings and then jaunt through the woods and then along the beautiful Bay Colony Rail Trail. We may meet some forest creatures but no Black Knight nor bridge keeper at the Bridge of Death that we will have to cross.

Optional: If you want to wear a costume from one of the characters from the MidSummer Night’s Dream play, we welcome it and encourage it.

Other information from NRC:

  • This is free, therefore; no registration, no t-shirts, no timing, not 26.2 miles but 2.62 miles, and no water stop (but may be some libations at the end).
  • The weather is going to be perfect.
  • Safety is our middle name, well, not really, it is Francis. We will not be crossing any streets. We will be turning around right before Charles River St.

NRC Disclaimer: I know I know, the full moon and the MidWinter Solstice is actually Friday, but Saturday is a better running day than Friday. Please excuse the last minute scheduling of this free very entertaining romp through the woods. A MidSummer Night’s Dream solstice run will be planned for 2019 with a great deal more planning. This is not a BVI full moon party but may be the 2019 Midsummer Night’s Dream run/party could work towards it.

How to Get to Chestnut Street?

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Jun 272017
 

The Trail in Needham has become a valued and popular resource for town residents, each week seeing hundreds of walkers, bikers, joggers and strollers.

But for many, the trail ends too abruptly as one heads from the river eastward toward High Rock St and beyond. The value of the trail would be increased manyfold if there were a natural and accessible route to Chestnut Street, a path that would enable commuters to get to the train station, shoppers to get to local stores, and travelers in general to cross through Town along a more scenic route.

While there is more immediate work to be done on the trail, including the development of a trailhead near the current High Rock terminus, this is a call to re-energize the discussion on completing the original vision of the Needham Trail, linking the Charles River to the commercial district of Chestnut Street.

As a starting point perhaps, here is a link to a study done in 2014 that details two alternative routes: one on the MBTA right of way, the other making use of the NStar (now EverSource) property adjacent to the tracks.

Here are images of the two alternatives:

Alternative 1 2014-06-24 FST Needham BCRT Phase 5 Alternatives Memo

Alternative 2 2014-06-24 FST Needham BCRT Phase 5 Alternatives Memo

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!

 

fall-town-wide-clean-up

Scenes from the Needham Trail Opening Celebration

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May 062016
 
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Needham Trail Opening Event Details

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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.

NeedhamOpeningParking

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.

IMG_0353

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.

Dec 5th Needham Trail Opening Event Postponed!

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Nov 022015
 

IMG_0973 copy2With the second half of the trail construction project underway in Needham, volunteers had been planning to hold a trail opening event along the 1.7 mile path on Saturday, December 5th.

Unfortunately, the trail won’t be close enough to completion by the 5th so the event has been postponed. Instead a Grand Opening in the Spring is envisioned.

A completed trail is still expected by the end of the year, weather permitting. But the additional time will allow for amenities to be added, like signage and kiosks.

Stay tuned here and elsewhere for more information as it becomes available.

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!

 

Stop by the BCRT Booth at the Needham Street Fair, Saturday June 5th!

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Jun 052015
 

11402617_1095563803791415_736096108800994529_oNeedham’s annual Street Fair will be held on Saturday, June 5th, from 10:00 to 3:00. Following our custom for the past five years, BCRT will have  booth at the fair – usually in the middle of the town common.

Come by and learn about the fabulous progress over the past month or two, and learn when we’ll have a completed trail (it won’t be long). You can also learn what more there is to do, and the focus of current fund-raising, which will support a range of amenities along the trail. Perhaps we’ll have a flower-laden three-wheeler along the trail, like the one Susan Kirk will be bringing to the fair.

Your financial support is always welcome. This year we are raffling off a Large Garden Planter filled with flowers/plants donated by Hillcrest Gardens (approximate retail value: $135.00).

Stop by and say hello, provide some (more) support for the project and take a shot at the planter!

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