Here are some brief thoughts on recent happenings in Franklin County and the North Quabbin region.
What can we deduce about the anonymous donor who recently gifted multiple Shelburne Falls businesses with generous checks, accompanied by a handwritten note that said, “Thanks for hanging in there during a tough time. Happy 2021.”
The first thing we might deduce is that he or she is a familiar face around downtown because the checks seem to have targeted retail businesses. Picture this person strolling Bridge Street, crossing back and forth along the pedestrian walkway of the Iron Bridge, taking in the views from the Bridge of Flowers, and stopping in at various shops along the way. This is a person who savors small-town life and anticipates its return. “Hang in there,” the notes say.
Who could it be? Someone rich, you say? Riches come in many forms, but if by rich you mean the someone with the outward trappings of success, that is a misleading clue. As the author of “The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America’s Wealthy,” posits, the unassuming occupant of the modest home next door could be a millionaire by virtue of their frugality (and the miracle of compound interest).
Who could it be? The answer: Someone who is hopeful that life can return to normal, especially with a little nudge. Someone who is or was a business owner, with an understanding of the challenges of running a business. Someone who can empathize with the plight of others.
The question begs a kindly regard for every masked face that we meet. The genius of the gift-giver is his or her very anonymity. Anyone might be that mystery angel. Think of that when you greet your next masked passerby on the street, wherever you are.
The healing power of nature inspired the Gunnery Sgt. Jeffrey S. Ames Accessible Nature Trail in Northfield, completed in 2018 and since enjoyed by people of all levels of mobility.
Now, a partnership between the North Quabbin Trails Association and Department of Veterans Affairs offices is enticing veterans outdoors to participate in guided trail walks. “The vision,” NQTA President and former 10th Special Forces veteran Bobby Curley said, “is to take a veterans out, no questions asked, and bring them out to these events and balance the body and mind.”
The history of combat veterans and hiking dates back to World War II, following which veteran Earl Shaffer told a friend he was going to “walk off the war” and became the first person to traverse the entire 2,190 miles of the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine.
“Following his example,” Lowell Vet Center psychologist Kevin O’Leary said, “we do believe that the experience of being in the woods and the bond that comes from the ‘shared suffering’ of a hike can be strong therapeutic interventions. Our hiking group trips are in the service of this mission.”
The next hikes are set for March 13 in Winchendon and April 3 in Royalston. To learn more or sign up, email Curley at nqtrails@gmail.com.
With the announcement this week of a partnership with Antioch University (Keene, N.H.), the Warwick Education Committee defines not only a place-based and nature-based summer learning program, but a curriculum for a 2022 reopening of an independent community elementary school.
As described by Warwick Education Committee member Janice Starmer, the summer program will focus on aquatic zones and biome systems on the school grounds and nearby Mount Grace State Forest, and on forest zones.
Following a year of pandemic-style learning, this will literally offer a breath of fresh air for kids and their families. With its idyllic outdoor setting, a proposed pavilion and partnership with Antioch, the committee stakes out a niche that should attract families from Warwick and beyond for a viable elementary school in fall 2022.