Annual West River Trail Run

Northern Section Upper West River Trail map

West River Trail Run poster

Registration is open for the annual West River Trail Run on Saturday June 4, 2016. Visit The Collaborative website HERE for details, trail map, trail run packet and registration information.

Walk or run along the river on the beautiful West River Trail! The run starts at the Londonderry Depot, 34 West River Street, South Londonderry, Vermont and ends at the Jamaica State Park, 48 Salmon Hole Lane, Jamaica, Vermont. New this year is a 5K fun run/walk.

Participating in this event will support The Collaborative and help provide fun, healthy educational programs for youth in the Northshire and Mountain communities of Southern Vermont.

Rocks in Trail

If you’ve been out on the Lower (Southern) Section of the West River Trail this month, you may have noticed some pretty big rock chunks sitting in the trail. Plans are underway to clear them off the trail. In addition, Jason Cooper will be organizing a trail workday this spring. Stay tuned!
As always, if you have a questions about the trail, feel free to contact the Friends of the West River Trail via comments on this blog, or via email.
Photo by Malcolm Moore.

CONTACT
The Lower Section
138 Elliot St, Suite 3
Brattleboro, Vermont 05301
Email the Lower Section

The Upper Section
P.O. Box 2086
S.Londonderry, Vermont 05155
Email the Upper Section

FWRT Annual Meeting and Open House

A train departs the South Londonderry depot during the hey-day of the West River Railroad.

Friends of the West River Trail: Doings at the Depot!

The public is invited to attend an Open House and social hour, with refreshments provided, hosted by the Friends of the West River Trail (FWRT), to be held on Wednesday, March 23, from 6:00 to 7:30 PM, in the South Londonderry Depot on Route 100.

At the Open House, visitors will be updated on the current projects involving both the West River Trail (South Londonderry to Brattleboro when completed) and the Depot itself. Representatives of both the Northern (Londonderry to Townshend) and Southern (Newfane to Brattleboro) trail sections will be on hand.

A highlight of the evening will be an update on the status of the West River Railroad Museum, being developed by the Historical Society of Windham County in their recently-acquired Old Newfane Railroad Station.

Plans for the 2016 West River Trail Run will be presented by a representative from the Collaborative. The 2016 event will take place on National Trails Day, June 4

The Open House will be preceded at 5:30 PM by a short business meeting of the FWRT Board, to which visitors are welcome to attend if they choose.

Please plan to join your friends and the Friends of the West River Trail for an enjoyable and informative evening.

South Londonderry Depot, 34 West River Street, South Londonderry, VT 05155

Windham County Historical Society 2nd Annual Soup Fest and Silent Auction

West River Railroad Depot, Newfane, Vermont

The Windham County Historical Society is going to 36 miles of trouble to hold their 2nd Annual Soup Fest and Silent Auction on Sunday, March 20, 2016. Doors open at 4:00PM with a $5.00 admission at the NewBrook Fire Station (Route 30 in Newfane, VT). The event will help raise funds for the Windham County Historical Society’s restoration of the 1880 Newfane Railroad Station as a Museum of the West River Railroad and annex to the Windham County Museum in Newfane.

You won’t have to ride the West River Railroad’s “36 Miles of Trouble” to enjoy a variety of soups from Brattleboro to South Londonderry. Ten restaurants from the 10 Depot towns along the old West River Railroad are bringing them to you: Whetstone Station (Brattleboro), Top of the Hill Grill (Dummerston), The Eatery (Williamsville), Rick’s Tavern (Newfane), Harmonyville Store (Townshend), Dam Diner (West Townshend), Bitter Sweet Memories Cafe (Wardsboro), D&J Jamaica Grocery (Jamaica), Whiskey Dicks (Winhall), The New American Grill (South Londonderry).

Silent Auction bidding and the 50/50 raffle begin at 4:00. Soup, bread and fixings will be served at 5:00 PM, followed by desserts. Silent auction bids and the 50/50 raffle will close at 5:30 PM. The Society welcomes items for the silent auction (goods and/or services) to help make this year’s event another success. If you have items you are willing to donate, please contact Jane Robinson at 896-6102 or Sally Topitzer at 365-7698.

An exhibit of the West River Railroad’s “36 Miles of Trouble” will be on display including the Newfane Railroad Station diorama (built by model craftsman of international renown Bill Banta, and on loan from Doug Cox), along with vintage photographs of the West River Railroad.