Major event time is here. With three events happening almost all at once things are about to get busy around town and there will be a lot of chances to enjoy the outdoors before winter really takes hold. This stretch between Thanksgiving and the holidays is one of the best times to get outside, explore new places, and take part in some great community traditions.
We start with two events that kick off on the same day. First is the Day Before Thanksgiving Walk at Thanksgiving Forest on the 26th at two in the afternoon. We meet at the Janet Road entrance for the one mile loop that leads out to the Thanksgiving Rocks. At the rocks we will have free hot chocolate and cookies provided by Troop 75. Becky Warren will give a short and fun bit of town history aimed at the kids, and there are usually scores of kids at this event. If permitted, there will be a fire in the natural stone fireplace built right into the massive rocks that give the site its name. If the one mile loop is too long, you can do a much shorter walk from the Gary Road entrance. That path gets you to the rocks in only a few minutes.
At the Janet Road entrance, there will also be something new this year. The group that maintains the pollinator garden will have a table set up to discuss pollinator gardens and why they matter so much to our open spaces and the food web. They have done great work there, and they love sharing ideas with residents. It would not surprise me to see a few of the Save Chelmsford Wildlife folks stop by too. Moreover, Old Mill Coffee will have their mobile unit on site, so if you want a strong, high-end cup of coffee or a snack to take on the walk, you can grab one before heading in. Everything at the rocks is still free, but having Old Mill there adds a nice touch.
At the same time, we kick off the Amazing Decorated Winter Tree Scavenger Hunt. Eighteen live trees are decorated and ready from the day before Thanksgiving until the first week of January. It is simple. Download the map or the list of addresses and go find each tree. Take a picture with your group in front of it and enjoy exploring places you may never have visited before. Do you win anything if you find all eighteen trees? No prizes other than bragging rights and discovering new corners of Chelmsford you may not have set foot in before. Every year new locations are added or changed to keep it fun and interesting. All the information is posted on the Facebook page Tree Hunt 2025 and on our new website.
After Thanksgiving we have a great two hour walk that leads from Thanksgiving Forest out toward Great Brook to see the stone forests in Deep Brook. This one is on Saturday after Thanksgiving at nine in the morning, and we meet at the Gary Road entrance. This is always a favorite. We will see about eight stacked stone forts that you can climb on and explore. We will also visit a Native American grinding stone and look at possible artifacts from that part of our history. It is a slow, easy walk, and we get to see one of the winter trails in Great Brook that stays open even when other parts of the park are closed for the season.
We will also have the two new sledding hills open at Koulas Farm. One is the newly prepared kids hill tucked into the old silage pit and the other is the bigger hill on the back slope. Both have been cleaned up and are ready for the first real snow. We are even kicking around the idea of holding a free hot chocolate pop up event there after a good storm. So if you see a weekend snowstorm in the forecast, keep an eye on the page because that could happen fast.
There is so much happening through COSS and there are many other groups in town running events to brighten up the dark, cold stretch between Thanksgiving and the holidays. These community moments bring people together, get us outdoors, and give families something fun to look forward to. It will be a great start to winter.