Please send us all the best possible luck you can for getting our grant support from the Local Cultural Councils in the towns of Sheffield, Egremont, Dalton, Tyringham, Washington, Great Barrington, Lee, Adams, Cheshire and North Adams. These are the towns which the Appalachian Trail snakes through in Massachusetts. For many years the MWT has been funded mainly by this program which is administered by the Massachusetts Cultural Council and implemented by volunteer councils in every town. We sent in our applications along with support letters from the Appalachian Mountain Club and the Berkshire Chapter of the AMC. Fingers Crossed!
Raianne Richards, Mark Kilianski, Amy Alvey, Vito Caccavelli, Mark Mandeville
The 10th Annual Massachusetts Walking Tour has succeeded in organizing eleven free community concerts from Holliston to Swansea and leading daily group hikes through properties covered in Marjorie Turner Hollman’s Easy Walks in Massachusetts. Special thanks to all who attended and each who walked with us. Check out images from this year’s tour.
Stay tuned as we begin to discuss logistics for our 2020 trek of towns along the Massachusetts section of the Appalachian Trail.
Massachusetts Walking Tour Co-founders Mark Mandeville & Raianne Richards
Since 2010, co-founders Mark Mandeville & Raianne Richards have organized an annual non-profit bipedal concert tour of Massachusetts in support of arts and culture for towns throughout the state.
Both artists are products of central Massachusetts mill and factory towns, and for all their national exposure as performing songwriters, they are passionately dedicated to the region and what it has to offer. Each summer for the past nine years they have organized the “Massachusetts Walking Tour” where they hike the roads and trails of the Commonwealth, more than 100 miles in less than two weeks, in support of the arts in local communities along the way. Each evening they stop over in yet another Massachusetts town, putting on a free concert there, along with local performers and fellow artists who accompany them on their journey. These annual two-week treks also raise awareness of the trails and greenways in Massachusetts, using music to make important connections.
Amy Alvey and Mark Kilianski
Since 2013 Mark and Raianne have been joined by faithful companions Hoot and Holler . Hoot and Holler are the sum of two parts: guitarist Mark Kilianski and fiddler Amy Alvey. Each are songwriters dedicated to honing their craft, both equally influenced by wordsmiths like Gillian Welch and Townes Van Zandt as they are to authentic mountain musicians like Roscoe Holcomb and Ola Belle Reed. After spending the better part of 2016 living in a camper van while playing shows across the country, they now call Asheville, North Carolina their home. Order a copy of their newest CD Reasons to Run.
Kristen Sykes, Appalachian Mountain Club
Since 2013, the Massachusetts Walking Tour has been assisted by the Director of Conservation Strategies at Appalachian Mountain Club, Kristen Sykes. While providing logistical and promotional support, Kristen has accompanied the troupe annually, performing at the concerts, singing and playing ukulele.
Vito Caccavelli
Newest member of the troupe Vito Caccavelli, recent graduate from Uxbridge High School, is an integral member of the Blackstone Valley Music Rock Band Camp Program, facilitating student ensembles as well as performing as a musician in his community.
Massachusetts Walking Tour Recognized in Congress Our sincerest gratitude to Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey for choosing to officially recognize the Massachusetts Walking Tour before congress for our annual commitment to promoting trails, arts and culture throughout the state. We are now a permanent part of the congressional record. View the full the Congressional Record from September 28, 2017. Click here for details.
Since 2010, co-founders Mark Mandeville & Raianne Richards have organized an annual non-profit bipedal concert tour of Massachusetts in support of arts and culture for towns throughout the state. Each free community concert collaborates with local artists, musicians, educational programs, trail managers and land trust groups…
Please send us all the best possible luck you can for getting our grant support from the Local Cultural Councils in the towns of Sheffield, Egremont, Dalton, Tyringham, Washington, Great Barrington, Lee, Adams, Cheshire and North Adams. These are the towns which the Appalachian Trail snakes through in Massachusetts. For many years the MWT has been funded mainly by this program which is administered by the Massachusetts Cultural Council and implemented by volunteer councils in every town. We sent in our applications along with support letters from the Appalachian Mountain Club and the Berkshire Chapter of the AMC. Fingers Crossed!
