On Saturday, Nov. 3, a rally was held at the Williams Street trailhead of the Ma and Pa Trail to promote a plan to connect the two segments of the trail.

The Ma and Pa Trail is a popular recreational trail made of two segments, one by the town of Forest Hill and another by the town of Bel Air. Construction began in 1999 and the two segments were completed in 2009. However a large section of the Trail is not currently present making it impossible to walk through both trail segments in one trip.

Ma and Pa Heritage Trail Inc. have sponsored many events in order to get the trail connected. The rally was preceded by a walk by the movement’s supporters. The group walked from the Forest Hill trailhead, going along the proposed trail route to the Bel Air trailhead. The rally featured live music performed by local musicians including Kurt Sudbrink and Brian Wood. There was also an information table with pamphlets and articles about the issue as well as an area where donations could be made to support the cause.

“This isn’t the first gathering related to the trail”, as trail associate Gina Kazimir says,“this is actually the third annual rally for the cause. We’ve actually started raising money for the cause around ten years ago in 2003.”

The company’s efforts have proved fairly successful as only one easement is required to begin the planning and budgeting phase of the project.

If the prospect of helping to connect the trail interests you go to http://www.mapatrail.org/connect_trails to learn more and sign the online petition. You can also join the organization online if you wish to take a more active role. Remember, every bit of contribution helps and no donation is too small.