Purcellville, VA, October 5, 2021—Bring your family and friends to the Chapman DeMary Trail from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, October 17 for the annual Purcellville Green Expo called Hail to the Trail. This event is free and open to the public, and fun for families, students, and scouts. Come 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, help plant trees, bring acorns and other seeds you have collected, make nature art projects, bring plastic shopping bags to be recycled, listen to live music, bring used sneakers and cleats to be reused or recycled, learn about native plants and wildlife, go on a walk to a new pollinator garden, and participate in the Town’s annual Arbor Day Celebration with recognition from the Virginia Department of Forestry for the 14th annual Tree City USA designation. The Town of Purcellville will also recognize five members of Girl Scout Troop 70018 for planning and installing a pollinator garden at the Suzanne R. Kane Nature Preserve.
Below is a current list of the organizations participating in this year’s Hail to the Trail. Check the Hail to the Trail Facebook page for updates.
- Boy Scout Troop 969—learn about recycling and the principles of Leave No Trace
- Franklin Park—make a bird feeder and get a checklist of native birds
- Girl Scout Troop 70018—take a walk to their new pollinator garden at the Suzanne R. Kane Nature Preserve
- Keep Loudoun Beautiful—bring your used sneakers and cleats to be reused or recycled
- Loudoun County Extension Office/Virginia Cooperative Extension—learn about the spotted lanternfly
- Loudoun County Master Gardeners–learn how to identify tree leaves
- Loudoun Soil and Water Conservation District—learn ways to identify wildlife
- Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy—find out how to identify wildlife by what they leave behind
- Maid Brigade—bring your plastic bags to be recycled and learn about green cleaning supplies
- Purcellville Arts Council—decorate tiles with a nature theme
- Purcellville Library—learn about native trees with books and a tree-related craft
- Purcellville Parks and Recreation Advisory Board—play a nature memory game and go on a nature scavenger hunt
- Purcellville Tree and Environment Sustainability Committee—play a game about trees found at the Chapman DeMary Trail and decorate and fill milkweed seed bags
- Virginia Department of Forestry—bring acorns and other seeds collected to drop off (learn more at https://dof.virginia.gov/forest-management-health/seedling-nurseries/acorn-collection/) and learn about trees
- Virginia Master Naturalists Banshee Reeks—see examples of animals and plants commonly found in Virginia, and meet a painted turtle up close
- Willie White with live music
The Chapman DeMary Trail is a 10-acre area in the Town of Purcellville that 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 of the Town of Purcellville that focuses on environmental programs, sustainability, enhancement of the tree canopy, and continuation of the Town's Tree City USA designation.
