Beautiful Places
Have you noticed how quickly time has passed by this year? Seasons seem only to last a month or so, then gone- especially autumn. Already October is half over, and leaf-viewing opportunities are fading. We’ll have to hustle if we want to capture the glory of the Tri-State’s most precious time of year.
And we have some recommendations for where to see it all. These are the beautiful places often mentioned in sportingAcause- the venues where so many walks and runs take place throughout the year. They are the parks and trails where folks can safely run and walk often without venturing onto a highway and maybe take in their surroundings as they pass by.
The White Memorial Conservation Center is one, with 40 miles of trails within 4,000 acres of woodlands, fields, rivers and wetlands in Litchfield, CT. Learn more at whitememorialcc.org.
Another is the Walkway Over the Hudson, a converted rail road trestle which spans high above the Hudson River in Poughkeepsie, NY. Dozens of walks and 5K’s are held here every year. In fact a Walk To End Alzheimer’s and a Walk To Defeat ALS will be held there this Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Take part in one and view the river vistas at the same time. Visit walkway.org for details.
The Harlem Valley Rail Trail and the tongue-twisting Ashuwillticook Rail Trail, in Millerton, NY and Cheshire, MA respectively, offer miles of paved pathways with gorgeous views. Visit hvrt.org and mass.gov/locations/ashuwillticook-rail-trail for more info.
And here are some more candidates for great autumn viewing:
Ferncliff Forest, Rhinebeck, NY, ferncliffforest.org
Barbour Woods, Norfolk, CT
Peach Hill Park, Poughkeepsie, NY peach-hill-park.org
Pittsfield State Forest, Pittsfield, MA mass.gov/locations/pittsfield-state-forest
Brodie Park, New Hartford, CT, town.new-hartford.ct.us/recreation-department/pages/brodie-park
Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, Lenox, MA , massaudubon.org
Connecticut Tour Des Farms
The Connecticut Tour Des Farms bike tour will be held Saturday, October 6, 2018 starting at White Memorial Conservation Center, 80 Whitehall Road, Litchfield, CT 06759.
You can choose between two rides, 16 miles or 26 miles both of which will take you to farms in Goshen, Litchfield and Morris. The tours will make farm stops where you can purchase produce, chocolate, wine and more. A Tour van will take your purchases back to the White Memorial starting point. Short sections of the Tour will use unpaved dirt roads.
Register o line at ctrcd.org/tourdesfarms/registration.
The Tour, which will be held rain or shine, is sponsored by Connecticut Resource Conservation and Development.
Registration fee for the Tour is $65 for adults and $25 for children 13-18. There are several lunch options for an additional $20.
T shirts are guaranteed for registrants by Sept. 14th. The fee includes $5 “Crop Cash” and admission to the Pie Fest.
Tour day schedule:
8:00 am – 2:00 pm Ride
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm Pie Fest.
Proceeds from the Tour will fund CRCD’s conservation and agricultural projects.
For more information, including helmet and other requirements, visit ctrcd.org.
The Zombie Chase Challenge
The Zombie Chase Challenge will be held Saturday, November 4, 2017 at White Memorial Conservation Center in Litchfield, CT.
This is a fun event for the whole family where a 5K run meets flag football, but without the contact.
Participants can join as either a “Human”, a “Zombie” or a “Jumper”. The task of the Human is to complete the 5K course while keeping as many of their three flags as possible. The Zombies’ job is to also complete the course (they start 2 minutes after the humans) while capturing as many Human flags as possible. The Zombies cannot touch the humans other than taking a flag. The jumpers lurk along the course to jump out and scare the runners while trying to capture flags.
Participants are encouraged to wear costumes, and there will be a makeup artist on hand to add to the ghoulish effect.
Children 12 and under have the choice of running the adult course accompanied by an adult or taking the 1 mile option.
Cost of the event is $30 for adults and $10 for children.
The race starts at 11:00 am.
Proceeds from the race will benefit YMCA charitable services to help deserving individuals and families with membership and program fees.
The Zombie Chase Challenge is the final event in the Grand Prix series benefiting the NWCT YMCA. The other races are the WYLD Obstacle Run, June 24th; the Canaan Railroad Days Run, July 16th; the Stronger Women, Stronger World 5K Obstacle Race, Aug. 5th and the Highland Lake 10K, Oct. 7th. Please go to the Running/Walking Calendar to learn more about these races.
For more information visit nwcty.org. or call (860) 824-2790.
Walk in the Woods For Parkinson’s
The Walk in the Woods For Parkinson’s will be held Sunday, September 19, 2021 at White Memorial Conservation Center, 80 Whitehall Road, Litchfield, CT.
The event is organized by, and for the benefit of the Torrington Area Parkinson’s Support Group.
Walk time: Noon – 3:00 pm.
Prize for top fundraising team as of Sept. 18th.
Free T shirt for those registered by Sept. 1st.
Register at torringtonparkinsonssupportgroup.com.
The Walk in the Woods for Parkinson’s raises funds to support Parkinson’s research, to increase awareness of PD, which affects 6.3 million people around the world, and to provide support for local people who struggle daily with Parkinson’s disease. 1 in 100 people over the age of 60 will be affected by Parkinson’s disease. We hope to educate the public about PD and help those affected by it. Our fundraiser supports the MJFox Foundation for Parkinson‘s Research, with additional funds going to help area citizens with PD. We hope to increase our contributions for research and expand our support of TAPSG members and families affected by Parkinson’s disease.
For more information call (860) 201-7913.
