Families take part in the Trails Coordination & Management Committee’s guided trail walk last month. PHOTO/TCMC

The Hopkinton Trails Coordination & Management Committee’s goal is simple: happy trails to you.

The TCMC is making a push to educate residents about the dozens of miles of trails available for use in town. To that end, the committee is sponsoring a child-focused trail walk this Saturday, June 17, starting at 10 a.m. on the trail behind Center School.

The TCMC already has hosted a couple of events, including an informational session at the Hopkinton Library with about 15 organizations that drew about 100 attendees.

“We’re trying to share more about the trails in town so we can encourage more people to use them, because we think a lot of people don’t know enough about them,” said TCMC member Linda Chuss. “We decided to focus on kids first. We had a big event at the library back in April to sort of kick this whole thing off. In May we had our first guided kids walk, to see the beaver dam and lodges up at the Fruit Street fields.”

Chuss said the focus this year is children, then the TCMC might pick another group, perhaps seniors or mountain bikers, next year. The goal, she noted, is to make people aware of the many opportunities to hike in Hopkinton.

“Really just discovering the trails they don’t know about in town, so they can get the benefit of exercise, enjoy nature, take advantage of this really great, free, beautiful thing we have,” Chuss said. “Everybody uses Center Trail or knows about it, a lot of people use the bike path down in Milford, there are some very popular trails. We’d just like people to know there are probably over 100 miles of trails in town, and they probably only know about fewer than 10 percent of them. There are some really gorgeous views and wonderful ponds and streams to relax at. That’s the main thing, just people don’t seem to be aware of them or know they are free to use them.”

Anyone seeking more information can email hopkintontrails@gmail.com.

Farmers Market seeks new leadership

The annual Hopkinton Farmers Market opened June 11 and runs every Sunday from 1-5 p.m. through Oct. 15 at the Town Common. Items for sale include produce, bread, meat, eggs, prepared foods, coffee, sweet treats, maple syrup, pickles, macarons, artisan creations and much more, and there is musical entertainment as well.

Produce farmer Laura Davis has organized the event since 2013, when the market relocated to the Town Common after more than a decade at Weston Nurseries, and she recently announced this will be her final year at the helm. She is seeking someone to step up and take over.

“I would love to have someone continue this legacy, which has been a great town benefit,” Davis shared. “The market has a large potential to grow the number of vendors, events and attendees and just needs an organization or a special someone to take the reins. While my time as the organizer has been as a volunteer, the market has the potential to support a part-time manager to run the market.”

Davis invites anyone with interest to email her at hopkintonharvest@gmail.com.

The market has awarded $25,000 in scholarships to Hopkinton High School seniors headed to college to study environmental science, civics, food science and culinary arts, or agriculture.

Comedy for a Cause raises $20K

The second annual RE/MAX Executive Charitable Foundation Comedy for a Cause Fundraiser, held April 28 at the Hopkinton Center for the Arts, raised more than $20,000, organizers announced.

“It was a tremendous evening,” foundation president Sandy Lucchesi stated. “Energy ran high as two very funny professional comedians [Al Park and Sean Sullivan] played to a full house! A successful event for our foundation.”

This year, the foundation already has made six grants to help support families in need, including $2,100 to cover the medical bill for a 4-year-old girl who suffers from a rare kidney disorder.

The group’s next event is its fourth annual Cornhole Fundraiser, which will be held Aug. 19 at Thayer House in Medway. Visit remax-executiverealty-ma.com for more information.

Nguyen hits cookie mark

Congratulations to Emma Nguyen, who sold more than 800 packages of Girl Scout cookies this school year, making her a repeat member of the Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts 500 Club and earning her a trip to Canoe Lake Park as a reward.

“My goal this year was to surpass my prior year’s sales [605] and I was determined to put in the extra effort to accomplish this,” shared Nguyen, a member of Hopkinton Junior Troop 67208. “The Cookie Program has really allowed me to learn important and new business and entrepreneurship skills. The earnings from my cookie sales will provide me with Cookie Credits to go towards many fun adventures with my Troop, including overcoming my fear of heights while rope climbing and zip-lining!”

During the 2022-23 Cookie Program, 2,202,539 packages were sold by Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts, the organization reports, and 700 individuals became members of the 500 Club for selling at least 500 packages.

Misc.: No Horribles Parade this July 4

The annual Horribles Parade, once a July 4 tradition in town, continues to be on hiatus. Organizer Dan McIntyre said he was not able to generate much interest in reviving the event for this year. The last parade was held in 2019. The pandemic and the Main Street Construction Project were cited as reasons for the parade’s cancellation the last three years. …

The Hopkinton-based Live4Evan charity is looking for runners to join its team for the Falmouth Road Race, the iconic 7-mile run on Cape Cod. Anyone interested in participating can email dave.krueger@live4evan.org. …

The Hopkinton Center for the Arts announced that Rock and Roll Hall of Famer John Oates is this year’s HCA Celebrity Spotlight Artist. Oates will give an acoustic performance at the HCA on Sept. 9. For more information, visit hopartscenter.org.