Celebrate the Holidays on Boston’s Historic Freedom Trail
The Freedom Trail® Foundation invites revelers to celebrate this holiday season on the annual Historic Holiday Strolls. The festive atmosphere of the city, set against the unique backdrop of Boston’s historic sites and centuries of history, makes these merry 90-minute tours a perfect way to celebrate the holidays. Walk the Freedom Trail and discover how Boston’s holiday traditions evolved on the Strolls offered Fridays and Saturdays at 3:30 p.m. from November 18 through December 30.
Led by 19th-century Dickensian costumed guides departing from the Visitor Information Center on Boston Common, the Strolls are complete with a tour of holiday lights and Christmas trees along the Freedom Trail while learning about 19th-century holiday traditions. Following the Stroll, guests receive discounts off museum store purchases at Freedom Trail sites, including the Old South Meeting House, Old State House, Paul Revere House, and Old North Church’s Heritage and Gift Shops (valid with any Historic Holiday Stroll receipt from November through December).
Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children for public tours. The Strolls may also be scheduled as private group tours pending availability. For more information and to purchase tickets for the Historic Holiday Strolls and Freedom Trail Tours, please visit TheFreedomTrail.org, and for group tour reservations, please call 617.357.8300.
Second Annual “Name A Snowplow” Contest for Elementary Schools
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is announcing the second annual, “Name A Snowplow,” contest for statewide elementary school students in Massachusetts. The contest seeks to solicit names for 12 vehicles. MassDOT snowplows that will be in service for the upcoming 2023/2024 winter season. The purpose of the contest is to celebrate the snow and ice season and to help recognize the hard work and dedication shown by public works employees and contractors during the winter season. Winning applicants will be announced by December 22.
“This contest is a great way to celebrate the winter season in New England, encourage the creativity of our young people, and to thank all the dedicated members of our crews who keep our roads and bridges cleared during severe weather,” said Acting Transportation Secretary and CEO Monica Tibbits-Nutt. “We truly appreciate all the people who work on the front lines regardless of the weather in all sectors of the economy and this is one gesture of thanks.”
“This contest was well received last winter and we know there are many good suggestions out there once again for naming our plows this season,” said Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver, “We want to use the contest as a way to recognize our dedicated workforce and at the same time give students an opportunity to have some fun naming plows as it helps connect young people with the public servants who do the work.”
Applications for the Snowplow Naming Contest are due by 5 p.m. on Friday, December 1, and can be submitted by using an online portal: https://www.mass.gov/forms/name-a-snowplow-contest-submission. There is no limit to the number of applications that can be submitted per school. The contest winners will be invited to participate in a scheduled snowplow unveiling event.
A selection panel composed of MassDOT employees will choose two elementary school classroom winners that are located within each of the six Highway Division districts. The winning submissions will be evaluated based on two grade-level categories: 1) kindergarten through fourth grade; and 2) fifth grade through eighth grade.
During the first snowplow naming contest last winter, the winning names were: Flurry Fighter, Luke Snowalker, Plower Ranger, Sherlock Snowmes, Snowdrop, Arctic Beast, Sled Zeppelin, Snow day No Way, Blizzard Wizard, Snow Big Deal, Snow Time to Lose, and Blizzard of Oz. These names which were placed on the sides of plow trucks a year ago remain on those vehicles.
For more information on the contest, please visit: https://www.mass.gov/name-a-snowplow-contest-2023-24.