Upcoming Events
Manhan Rail Trail Committee Meeting: June 25, 2012
The next meeting of the Manhan Rail Trail Committee will be on Monday, June 25, 2012 starting at 7:00 p.m. at the Easthampton Municipal Building, 50 Payson Ave., Easthampton. All meetings are open to the public, so please join us!
Benefit Walk on Trail: May 19, 2012
Rite Aid will be hosting a tw0-mile Fun Walk for the Children’s Miracle Network on the Manhan Rail Trail on Saturday, May 19 starting at 11:00AM. Cost is $10 and parking is available at the Union Street Plaza in Easthampton. Refreshments will follow the event.
Manhan Rail Trail Breakfast: May 20, 2012
Once again, Easthampton will celebrate Bike Commute Week with a breakfast to benefit the Manhan Rail Trail. The fundraiser will be held on Sunday, May 20 from 9:00 – 11:00 at the American Legion Hall, 190 Pleasant Street in Easthampton.
The Legion is located adjacent to the bike path, so cyclists can stop and enjoy breakfast while out for their morning ride! The buffet will include scrambled eggs, mini-pancakes, sausage, bacon, hash browns, fruit cup, coffee and juice. A $5 donation is requested.
The event is sponsored by the Friends of the Manhan Rail Trail, with special thanks to Richard Boulanger and Big E’s Supermarket, who together are donating the food, cooking staff and venue.
We also salute the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission which helps to coordinate and promote Bike Commute Week throughout the region. An annual event, Bike Commute Week is designed to encourage people to ride their bikes to work or school.
Hampshire County Rail Trails Photo and Video Contest
The Friends of Northampton Trails and Greenways (FNTG) is sponsoring a photo and video contest of images and stories that highlight the special quality of our regional rail trail network. We encourage you to submit entries that best capture the sense of these trails and the people who use them,throughout all four seasons.
Entries should express the scenic, recreational, fitness, transportation, creative, ecological or historical nature of the trails in Hampshire County. Videos that inspire people to use the trails for the first time or educate about trail use and bike safety are especially encouraged.
Submission deadline is midnight, August 31, 2012.
Winners will be decided in September 2012,and more than $1,500 in cash prizes will be awarded. Please contact Julia Riseman at jriseman AT mac.com for questions or more information.
The Friends of Northampton Trails and Greenways,Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit volunteer organization that supports the expanding network of rail-trails in Northampton,Massachusetts.
FNTG Photo and Video Contest Rules
•There is no cost to enter or to win. This contest is open to U.S. residents,all ages. This contest is void where prohibited by law.
•This contest is sponsored by the Friends of Northampton Trails and Greenways,Incorporated (FNTG). FNTG reserves the right to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend the contest if necessary for any reason, including without limitation technical reasons such as computer viruses, bugs, tampering or any other technical failures.
•The contest is open to amateurs and professionals. Professionals are defined as those who make more than half their income from photography or video production. Officers of FNTG and their first-degree family members are prohibited from entering this contest.
•Entries must be submitted by midnight, August 31st, 2012.
•The Entrant is deemed to be the holder of the established email account associated with the entry.
•FNTG assumes no liability for lost, late, illegible, incomplete, or misdirected entries or for any problem with internet connection or technical problems that might hinder the ability of any person to enter the contest.
•Photographs and videos must be taken on, from, of, or near the rail trails in Hampshire County (see map on the FNTG website for area trails).
•Finalists will be selected by FNTG, and winners will be determined by a panel of community judges that includes professional photographers,videographers and community members.
•Winning photos and videos will be shown at a public viewing and awards ceremony. The winner in each category will receive $150, second place $75, and third place $25.
•Photos and videos will be judged in the following categories:Professional,Amateur,and Youth. Additional prizes for Best Safety and Best Tourism videos will be offered.
•Photographic entries can be color or black and white. Photos (ideally 8”x10”) should be submitted to Della Penna Trailside Realty (14 Strong Avenue, Northampton) or mailed to FNTG at PO Box 60643, Florence, MA 01062-0643. Please include the photographer’s name,phone number and email address on the back of the photo,in addition to a completed submission form (visit: www.fntg.net for the downloadable form).
•If photographs or videos contain people,the people shown must sign a model release form (visit www.fntg.net for the downloadable form).
•You must be originator and owner of copyright on materials submitted,and the inclusion in videos of any music,text,or other elements to which you do not hold copyright must be with permission of the copyright holder. Images must not have been digitally altered in any way other than necessary cropping,unless the changes have been specifically identified.
•Submitters retain copyright of their photographs and videos. By entering this contest,you agree to allow the submitted photograph or video,along with your name and any caption FNTG deems necessary to be publically displayed royalty-free at Trailside Gallery and posted on-line at the FNTG website at the FNTG’s discretion. At the Trailside Gallery and on-line,your work will be credited to you as the creator of the work. FNTG agrees not to put up for sale copies of the work and to refer all inquiries about purchase to you,the submitter.
•Videos should be uploaded to Youtube,with a submission form submitted to Della Penna Trailside Realty (14 Strong Avenue,Northampton) or mailed to FNTG at PO Box 60643, Florence, MA 01062-0643. Prize winners that are selected must provide electronic video files in one of the following file formats:.mpg,.mpeg,.avi,.divx,.mp4,.flv,.wmv,.rm,.mov,.asf,.swf. Videos must not be longer than five minutes in length and must be 500 MB or less (100 MB or less recommended).
•Photographs will not be returned unless you include a self-addressed,stamped envelope with your submission,or you arrange to pick-up your submission in advance. Photographs that are not retrieved within 6 months will be donated to charity or destroyed.
•No more than three photos and three videos may be submitted by one individual.
Thanks to sponsors (Della Penna’s Trailside Realty, Valley Advocate, Alexis Design, Friends of the Manhan Rail Trail and MassBike/Pioneer Valley) for their support.
