Walk for mental health in Easton
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, a national nonprofit, is holding an “Out of the Darkness” community walk Saturday at Borderland State Park in Easton. Check-in starts at 9 a.m. and the walk begins at 10. The Mansfield High School chapter of Active Minds is putting together a team to walk. Attendees can participate and fundraise as individuals or join a team, with special incentives including a free T-shirt. Registration is free and the walk is dog-friendly. For more information, or to register, visit asfp.org and activeminds.com. You can also contact Leanne Flemings or Nicole Reynolds with any questions at 508-951-2036, [email protected] or [email protected].
Local Lions to host auction Saturday night
The South Attleboro Lions Club is holding an auction fundraiser Saturday at St. Aidan-St. Patrick’s Parish Hall, 1460 Diamond Hill Road, Cumberland. In the past this event, now called “Luck of the Draw Night,” has been held as the Chopstick Auction. Doors open at 6 p.m., with drawing starting at 7. Admission is $25 and includes door prizes and free give-aways. Attendees are welcome to bring their own food and snacks. There will be free tea, coffee and cookies at intermission, as well as soda and water for sale. No alcohol is allowed. For more information or to donate an item to the auction, contact Pat Salvas at 508-838-6527.
Guided forest walk in Mansfield
The Natural Resources Trust of Mansfield is leading a guided walk of the Great Woods Taylor’s Hill Conservation Area at 2 p.m. Sunday. Colin Cauldwell and Tod Snyder, trust naturalists, will lead the walk, which will be about 1.6 miles. It will include visits to Cobbler’s Corner, where Miles Standish is said to have stood, and Devil’s Rock, named after hoofprints apparently embedded in the stone, as well as bird watching. Terrain is hilly and good walking shoes are recommended. The walk is not recommended for small children. Walkers should meet at the Judy’s Lane entrance to the conservation area. Street parking will be available.
Fire Prevention Week turns 100
This week marks the 100th anniversary of Fire Prevention Week, observed annually the week of Oct. 9 — the date of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. State and local officials are marking the week with the warning: “Fire won’t wait. Plan your escape.” They remind residents that, due to a variety of changes in building construction, etc., there are now approximately three minutes to escape a residential fire in a home, compared with at least 15 minutes in the 1970s. “Modern residential fires burn much faster than they did in past decades,” said Peter Ostroskey, the state fire marshal. “That’s why it’s so important to have working smoke alarms and a practiced escape plan that includes two ways out.”