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By Douglas McCulloch
Hometown Weekly Staff
May 1 will mark the 100th anniversary of the Walpole Town Forest, one of the first town forests to be established in Massachusetts. To celebrate, the Walpole Town Forest Committee, with assistance from Walpole Recreation and various volunteers and town boards, will be hosting a 100th anniversary celebration on May 1.
The festivities will begin at 11 a.m.at Turco Field at Walpole High School. Children and families will have plenty of fun activities available to choose from, including snacks, artwork on display, face painting, flower pot decoration, chainsaw sculptures, hayrides and interactive exhibits about how logs are turned into lumber.
At 12 p.m., the anniversary ceremony will begin with speeches by various public officials. Among those speaking at the ceremony include Lt. Governor Karyn Polito, Town Forest Committee President Steve Cyr, state senators and representatives and members of the Walpole Board of Selectmen and several forestry organizations.
After the speeches, a new bronze plaque marking the anniversary will be dedicated, and a short walking tour of the new Anniversary Garden will be held with a planting of the Centennial Tree. The celebration will conclude with the planting of 1,000 white pine seedlings by attendees in an area of the Walpole Town Forest that was cleared last year.
According to event chair and Walpole Town Forest Committee member Gary Riggott, the anniversary has something to offer for every member of the family.
“We are hoping a lot of school kids and families come out to the celebration,” Riggott said. “There will be stuff for everyone.”
Riggott noted that the planning for the anniversary celebration began last year, as the Walpole Town Forest Committee decided to do something to commerate the anniversary of the town forest.
In 1916, Massachusetts governor and future President Calvin Coolidge came to Walpole to plant the first tree in the newly created Walpole Town Forest, which according to Riggott was the first municipal town forest in Massachusetts.
The committee has always honored memorable anniversaries of the Town Forest.
The committee marked the 50th and 75th anniversaries with smaller events, including an essay contest at Walpole schools. Last July, the committee began discussing the idea of a larger celebration for the 100th anniversary, and soon a plan began to take form.
Through assistance from Walpole Recreation Director Patrick Shield, Walpole Historical Society board member Roger Turner, Walpole Highway Department Supervisor Robert LeBlanc, Town Forest Committee members Liana Cosgrove and Steve Cyr, and volunteer Chris Weylman, the committee has been working for months planning every aspect of the celebration.
Now, with just a few weeks before the celebration, Riggott is concentrating on raising awareness and getting the word out about the celebration.
For more information about the Walpole Town Forest Anniversary, visit the Town Forest Committee website at walpole-ma.gov/town-forest-committee.
