Chris Steger, Secretary of the Friends, with Finnegan, his dog, participated in the Glow Walk last year (Photo by Peter Currier)
WESTFIELD- The Friends of the Columbia Greenway Rail Trail are hosting its annual Glow Walk on the trail Monday from 6 to 8 p.m. beginning at the Main Street entrance to the trail.
The free event is held each year to get people onto the trail, and to do so in a light it is not normally seen in.
“It really is to promote the mission statement of the Friends to promote a bicycle and pedestrian friendly Westfield,” said Maureen Hamel, an at-large board member of the Friends, “We’re just putting out an activity to get folks up there.”
Glow sticks and popcorn will be given out to those who attend. The popcorn is being provided by Westfield’s Rocky’s Ace Hardware.
In a bit of a twist from previous Glow Walks, this year the works of local authors, Kelly and Susan Buffam will be part of the walk. Kelly Buffam is a cast member of Ghost Stories Live at Blue Umbrella Books who specializes in short stories. Susan Buffam is a poet and artist, and is the Director of Artworks in Westfield. The short stories and poems will be read to the audience at different stops in the trail.
Westfield Police Lt. Eric Hall leads chats with participants as they wait at the first historical marker in last year’s walk. (Photo by Peter Currier)
The full Glow Walk is about two miles, and the furthest point that will be walked to is the tobacco fields so that people can watch the moon rise. Monday evening is supposed to be a full moon with clear skies. The low temperature is expected to be 41 degrees.
At the end of the walk, the Buffams both offered to have their stories raffled off, with the money raised from the tickets going towards purchasing enhancements for the trail.
Hamel said that the Friends are still excited for the completion of the trail, the exact date of which is not known but some estimates said with a couple years.
“The plans are in motion and we are moving along the timeline,” said Hamel, adding that they are hoping to pull in the interest of local businesses to sponsor sections of the trail.
