Autumn in the North Cemetery.

Sixty miles west of Boston, Massachusetts there is the small New England town of Sturbridge. Located at the junction of I-90 (The Mass Pike), and I-84 it has become known as the "Crossroads of New England". The town was first settled over 300 years ago, and like other small New England towns it has grown just enough over the years to be in a difficult place today. How do we embrace the future without forgetting how we got to our present? How do we attract the right kind of growth, and maintain who we are? And, what about our culture out here in Central Massachusetts?



These pages will cause one to think about how to protect what we have, our future direction, and how to move on in the very best way.


Those thoughts, and other ramblings, will hopefully inspire more thought, conversation, action, and occasionally a smile...

...seems to be working so far

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

What A Great Idea!

Sponsored by the Sturbridge Conservation Commission

1st Annual 
Winter Tree Scavenger Hunt


  • The object of the hunt is to find all 14 decorated trees, take your
     photo with each tree and email all photos to the Conservation                                Commission between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day.
  • All participants (teams or individuals) will receive a certificate of
     participation.
     into a drawing for the GRAND Prize of the Gift Certificate Tree.
  • Experience and value: Priceless and Fun

What’s so great about it?
  • Free family event that everyone can enjoy at their own pace
  • People are introduced to Open Space
  • Something fun and unique to promote in Town
  • Basically a win-win-win

Hint: The scavenger hunt will take place at the Hein’s Conservation Land and Leadmine Mountain Conservation Land (at the old Camp Robinson Crusoe)…


18 comments:

  1. isn't this shotgun hunting season? perhaps there would have been a better time to schedule this scavenger hunt?

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  2. hunting is not allowed on the heins property (although that doesn't necessarily keep the hunters out) but it IS allowed on the leadmine mountain property.

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  3. Wear orange and yell a lot.

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  4. Why do they encourage people to go into those woods during hunting season? You would think that there would be warnings posted so folks would know better than to bring their kids into a dangerous environment.

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  5. Obviously, they do it to annoy people that think the town would put resident at risk with hunters in the town forests.

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  6. It's DANGEROUS! Why do you think that's funny???

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  7. "As for me and Grandpa, we believe!"Tuesday, December 07, 2010

    I hope folks won't be be standing at the locked door of the town hall singing "Grandma got mistaken for a reindeer!"

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  8. It could never happen?????Tuesday, December 07, 2010

    There's an article in the Southbridge Evening News about this. Everyone is encouraged to attend, and to "wear brightly colored clothes because it is hunting season." Sooo, it's not only that intersection that is considered safe enough...i-yi-yi-yi-yi!

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  9. Are they really serious?Tuesday, December 07, 2010

    LOL! This whole discussion cannot be serious? Right? Tell you what, buy a reindeer hat, go for a stroll in the Town Forests, and let us know if you draw fire. If you do, then I am sure the town will post a warning. Do it for the children, to make them safe.

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  10. Bottom line is to stay out of the woods that allow hunting when in season, unless you are a hunter.

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  11. I think that the local deer population conspired with town officials to have the scavenger hunt in the woods to protect them. The real question is,are the woods handicapped accessible? Can you locate the decoratd trees by following the brick sidewalks? Let's see did I forget anything?

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  12. Time to put on your Thinking CapTuesday, December 07, 2010

    Will you still be laughing if there is a tragic hunting accident and someone brings a law suit against the town for encouraging people to bring their families out for a good old time in the woods during hunting season? These folks could be happily shooting pictures as a nearby hunter is shooting bullets - and if you don't think that hunters go into those woods, you are wrong!

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  13. OK, Bambi, when did you call the Police Department and ask for an intervention to prevent a tragedy in the woods? When did you call the Town Hall and ask for the Conservation Dept. to change their plans? When did you contact the newspaper to prevent a tragedy?? Or did you just pour another Diet Coke, light up an other Winston, and bitch online that about something you have no intention on trying to change?

    Thought so.

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  14. Time to put on your Thinking CapTuesday, December 07, 2010

    Anonymous, you wrote: "Okay, Bambi," blah, blah blah, blah, blah...
    Excuse me, whoever you think you are! Those who planned this know they should change their plans. The write-up in the paper tonight even mentioned the fact that it is hunting season, as it still encouraged folks to attend! Why does someone speaking truth in a blog bother you so much? This is IMPORTANT information, and we should all pass it on.
    By the way, you suggested that I drink Coke and smoke Winstons (wrong), but I bet YOU smoke and drink some powerful stuff.

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  15. As I said, when do YOU call the police, when did you contact the Conservation Board? If those that made the plans know they should change their plans in the future, then why are you continuing to rant on about it here? It is over. Done. Move on. Unless you want to go door to door issuing the alarm to all the families in town to stay out of the woods in case they don't get a paper, or read blogs. That would be a true public service.

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  16. Time to put on your Thinking CapWednesday, December 08, 2010

    Anonymous,
    They need to cancel the event NOW, and as far as I can tell they have not done that yet. Of course they should change things for future events, but it is up to them, our "leaders" who planned this, to issue a public notice that this year's event will be canceled! The organizers of an event do the canceling!!! If a big star was scheduled for an event in town, and one of the residents who had nothing to do with the event went around saying that he or she knew that someone would be in the area shooting cans some people would think this was just overblown and show up anyway. It is up to our "leaders" who planned this to advertise that it will not take place and that this is not the time to go into those woods.
    As you well know they read this blog, and they read the paper, so what are they waiting for?

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  17. Are there still 14 trees?

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