The Trustees of Reservations invite you to bring the family for a day of autumn fun at Peaked Mountain’s 4th annual ”Birthday Trail Race and Mountain Fun Walk” on Sunday, October 26, 2008 at the Peaked Mountain Reservation on Butler Road in Monson. Festivities will include a Family Fun Walk, Trail Race, dedication of the Elliott Woods Parcel, music by local artist Peter Newland, a program on snakes, lots of birthday cake and refreshments.

This year, the race is being held to celebrate 3 special events:

• The preservation of Peaked Mountain and the Miller Forest/Lunden Pond Tract, which were created in 1999 as a Trustees reservation in Monson, and acknowledgement of the generous contributors who made it possible
• The 37-acre addition of the Elliott Woods Parcel to Peaked Mountain Reservation
• The protection of The Trustees of Reservations’ 100th property located in Uxbridge, MA in October, 2008

The Fun Walk is approximately 1.5 miles up and down the mountain and starts at 10AM. The walk entry fee is $5.00 per person. For a fee of $15.00, you will receive a t-shirt if you pre-register by 9/30/08. The Trail Race is a 4.4-mile route around Peaked Mountain and Lunden Pond and starts at 10:30AM. If you pre-register by 9/30/08, the race fee is $15.00 and you will receive a free t-shirt. After 9/30, the race fee is $20.00. Registration forms can be found at the Monson and Palmer libraries, local area fitness centers and at Woodbine’s Store in Monson. Or you can download one on-line at www.thetrustees.org/pages/348_peaked_mountain.cfm. Walk-in registration on the day of the race will be from 9:00AM to 10:00AM. There will be various age groups and awards will be given to the top three race finishers for men and women. All net proceeds will go towards the Elliott Woods campaign.

Immediately after the race, there will be an awards ceremony and refreshments. Also scheduled is a special dedication ceremony for the new Elliot Woods Parcel addition, in honor of the late Dick Elliott who loved Monson’s landscapes and worked tirelessly to protect them. We will also have an informative snake presentation and a question/answer session on these fascinating reptiles. Enjoy the sounds of acoustic music by local artist Peter Newland. Feel free to bring the family, meander on the reservation and enjoy the crisp autumn air and colorful foliage. For directions, follow the posted signs from the Monson library on Route 32 in Monson, or go online to the web address listed above.

We are again seeking sponsorships from the local community to make this a very successful and enjoyable event. If you wish to become a sponsor, there are three contribution levels:
SILVER LEVEL CONTRIBUTOR ($25.00 to $49.00)
GOLD LEVEL SPONSOR ($50.00 to $99.00)
PLATINUM LEVEL EVENT SPONSOR ($100.00 or more)

The deadline for receiving sponsor donations is September 30, 2008. Please submit a check made payable to “The Trustees of Reservations” and mail to Denis Duquette
C/o Peaked Mountain Birthday Trail Race --- 12 High Street --- Monson, MA 01057-1020.

For additional information, call Joshua Knox at 413-532-1660 or email at jknox@ttor.org.