Why not take a little time to explore some beautiful spots in your area, while getting a bit of fresh air and exercise?
Walk ’n Mass Volkssport Club is the largest volkssport club in Massachusetts and sponsors non-competitive walking events (volkswalks) throughout the year. A member of the American Volkssport Association (AVA) that promotes an awareness of physical fitness for people of all ages, which is an affiliate of the International Volkssport Association (IVV), Walk ‘n Mass Volkssport schedules walking events, usually on weekends, simply for fun, with family or friends, at a walker’s own pace, with adequate time to finish an event.
“I started volkswalking in Pennsylvania with the York White Rose Wanderers,” says Bea Hait, who has lived in Holliston since 1992. “I was looking for an activity that we could do as a family,” she says.
Now in Massachusetts, with her children grown, Hait is still active in volkswalking, and her children still are, too. “My daughter Monica, who lives here in Holliston with me, is still very much involved,” says Hait, who adds that her daughter in Vermont and daughter in Connecticut still do walks with her when she visits them.
“It’s a chance to get away from the house, out and talking, away from the screens – and a chance to see the area and enjoy the fresh air,” says Hait.
On April 7, 2018, you can join The Walk ‘n Mass Volkssport Club, which usually holds meetings in Everett or Franklin, for a 5K or 10K (3.1 or 6.2 mile) route in Holliston, Mass. This is a walk-at-your-own pace, just-for-fun event “in your own backyard.” All walkers are invited to join the club Soup Social sponsored by club members after the morning walk.
The start point is the First Congregational Church, 725 Washington Street, Holliston, Mass. Registration for the 10K is 9–10 a.m. and 10:15–11 a.m. for the 5K so all will be back around noon when soup will be served. Free admission; donations accepted. Fee for those participating in the AVA/IVV achievement program is $3.
The 10K walk is comprised of two 5K loops and the first loop, entirely on flat, paved surfaces, is also the 5km route. On the first loop walkers pass an elegant 8-arch railroad bridge built in 1846. After passing under a 1-arch railroad bridge, listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the smallest railroad bridge in the world, walkers will be in Mudville where Irish settlers settled to build the railroad. Those completing the 10K route will then travel through the downtown Thomas Hollis Historic District, residential areas and past the high school, a route that includes two short, gentle hills.
These routes are on paved surfaces with a few slight inclines, suitable for strollers but difficult for wheelchairs. Leashed pets are welcome on the walk but not in the dining hall; clean-up laws apply.
Upcoming Walk ‘n Sport Volkswalks dates include: May 12, in Springfield, at Forest Park, June 16, in Blackstone, October 20, in Milford, and December 1, in Attleboro. Membership dues are $15 annually, pro-rated for the first year. For further information contact Bea at (508) 429-3564, beateh1@aol.com or visit www.walknmass.org. For a calendar of nationwide events, see www.ava.org
Issue Date:
April, 2018
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