PURCELLVILLE, Va OCTOBER 5, 2018—Bring your family and friends to the Chapman DeMary Trail from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, October 20th for the annual Purcellville Green Expo called Hail to the Trail! Explore this 10-acre area which is considered to be the last stand of old-growth forest in the Town, meet local environmental experts, participate in fun hands-on activities to learn about nature and the environment, hear live music, buy gluten-free treats, enjoy guided nature walks, see live animals, bring your plastic shopping bags to be recycled, and participate in the Town’s annual Arbor Day Celebration by helping plant 4 trees. The Town will also introduce its efforts to reduce cigarette litter. To limit the amount of plastic at this event, we encourage you to bring your own reusable water bottles—the Town will have water available if you need a refill.
Here is a list of the organizations and fun activities you will be able to enjoy during Hail to the Trail:
- Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship with animal identification and a nature walk
- Franklin Park with a nature scavenger hunt
- Gina's Pies with gluten free goodies available for purchase
- Keep Loudoun Beautiful with information about recycling and cigarette litter
- Loudoun County Public School Energy Education Team with how much energy it takes to clean water
- Loudoun County Tree Stewards with a nature walk and information about Healthy Virginia Lawns, pond assessments, trees and water quality
- Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy with stream monitoring activities
- Maid Brigade with a plastic bag collection
- The Nature Generation
- Purcellville Arts Council with a nature art activity
- Purcellville Library
- Purcellville Parks and Recreation Advisory Board with a nature memory game
- Purcellville Tree and Environment Sustainability Committee with a seed identification game, information about straws, and milkweed for monarchs seed giveaway
- Town of Purcellville Water Division with a water game and tours of a Town water facility
- Virginia Department of Forestry with a nature walk and information about forests
- Wildlife Ambassadors with live animals
- Willie White with live music
The Chapman DeMary Trail is a 10-acre area considered to be the last stand of old-growth forest in the Town of Purcellville. It runs along the South Fork Catoctin Creek, part of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. The area is open to the public for environmental recreation, exploration, and education. The Town of Purcellville holds the conservation easement for this privately-owned property. It is managed through a partnership among Loudoun Valley High School, The Nature Generation, the Piedmont Environmental Council, and the Town of Purcellville. The entrance for the Chapman DeMary Trail is behind the building at 205 East Hirst Road in Purcellville. Get more information at www.PurcellvilleVa.gov and follow the Hail to the Trail Facebook page for updates.
The Purcellville Green Expo/Hail to the Trail is hosted by the Purcellville Tree and Environment Sustainability Committee, a standing committee that focuses on all aspects of environmental programs, sustainability ideas, enhancement of the tree canopy, and continuation of the Town's Tree City USA designation.
