Calling all Squantumites! Put down that leftover turkey leg, bundle up grandma, your sweetie, and the tots, and head on over to the Tree Lighting for song and cheer to kick off the holiday season. In addition to our Squantum festivities, the City of Quincy has some treats planned.

Squantum Tree Lighting
Sunday, November 30, 2014, 4:30pm
Gilbert Memorial Park, at the intersection of Huckins Avenue and East Squantum Street

Join the festivities as we kick off the holiday season with the annual Tree Lighting following the Quincy Christmas Parade. Head over to the triangle at Gilbert Memorial Park and join your neighbors for hot cocoa and delicious cookies provided by the Seaside Gardeners of Squantum. Join in on the carol singing as we welcome Santa Claus who will do the honors of lighting up the tree! Hope to see you and the whole family there!

Quincy holiday festivities

Quincy tree lighting celebration
Friday, November 28, 2014, 5pm-7pm
Lawn of Thomas Crane Library, 40 Washington Street, Quincy, MA
Note the new location.
Drop off your letters to Santa and enjoy free popcorn, hot chocolate, and candy canes. Enjoy Donna Marie Children’s Puppet Show, strolling Victorian Christmas Carolers, street performers, and the youthful voices of the Quincy/North Quincy Choir. Performances will be held inside of a heated tent set up on the lawn of the library. At approximately at 6pm, Mayor Thomas P. Koch will turn on the Christmas lights at the library and throughout Quincy Center to mark the beginning of our holiday season. 

Santa and his Elves arrival by parachute
Saturday, November 29, 2014 ~ 12:30pm
Pageant Field,One Merrymount Parkway (up the road from Adams Field), Quincy, MA

City of Quincy Christmas Parade
Sunday, November 30, 2014, 12:30pm-3:00pm
The 62nd  Annual City of Quincy Christmas Parade route begins at the intersection of Hancock Street and Walter J. Hannon Parkway, continuing up Hancock Street to North Quincy High School.
Enjoy “An Old Fashioned Christmas” parade featuring high school and adult marching bands from around the state, Christmas themed floats, and over 100 exciting entries. The Grand Marshall’s, hearkening the old fashioned values of “The Greatest Generation” are Quincy resident Robert G. Noble, an Army Air Force veteran, John M. Gillis, a United States Marine veteran, and Francis X. Bellotti, a veteran of the United States Navy.

Visit the Quincy website for details about the holiday festivities, including the celebration flyer with all the details.

Learn more about the Seaside Gardeners.

We’ve had a lot of discussion in our community about how to live with coyotes, and how to keep them away from homes and pets. To help consider these questions, the Seaside Gardeners of Squantum invite you to a presentation by Chris Schadler of Project Coyote. Learn about successful approaches to peaceful coexistence and bring your questions.

Project Coyote: promoting coexistence between people and wildlife
Wednesday, October 15, 2014, 7pm
The Kennedy Center
440 E. Squantum Street, N. Quincy, MA

RSVP
To guarantee seating, please RSVP by emailing Sandra Sumner.

About Project Coyote

Project Coyote, a North American coalition of wildlife scientists, educators, predator- friendly ranchers and community leaders, promotes compassionate conservation and coexistence between people and wildlife. As a national non-profit organization, Project Coyote works to change negative attitudes toward coyotes, wolves and other native carnivores by replacing ignorance and fear with understanding, respect and appreciation. All of our work – through education, science, and advocacy – strives to create fundamental and systemic changes in the ways wild carnivores are viewed and treated in North America.

About Chris Schadler, Wild Canid Ecologist

Chris’ interest in wild canids began in 1980 as a volunteer at the Wolf Park in Battleground, Indiana under Dr. Erich Klinghammer. This opportunity and others inspired an eventual Masters in Conservation Biology at Antioch University Graduate School. Chris instructs and mentors adult degree candidates in the UNH System at Granite State College.

While wolf recovery was the focus of her early work, Chris’ attention shifted to the eastern coyote when she moved to New England. She chose a farm with known coyote problems to raise sheep and train her border collies. Using sound livestock management and common sense, she has avoided any predation for nearly two decades. A peaceful co-existence between coyote and livestock has grown an attentive audience for humane management.

Tips and education from Project Coyote on their website.

Be Coyote Aware: Flyer

Tips to make your home less attractive to coyotes:

Urban landscapes offer an abundance of food, water, and shelter for coyotes. Take the following steps to prevent coyotes from being attracted to your home.

• Wildlife-proof garbage in sturdy containers with tight fitting lids.
• Don’t leave pet food outside.
• Take out trash the morning pick up is scheduled.
• Keep compost in secure containers.
• Keep fallen fruit off the ground. Coyotes eat fruit.
• Keep birdseed off the ground; seeds attract rodents which then attract coyotes. Remove feeders if coyotes are seen in your yard.
• Keep barbecue grills clean.
• Eliminate accessible water sources.
• Clear away brush and dense weeds near buildings.
• Close off crawl spaces under decks and around buildings where coyotes may den.
• If you frequently see a coyote in your yard, make loud noises with pots, pans, or air horns, and haze the coyote with a water hose.
• Share this list with your neighbors; coexistence is a neighborhood effort.

Photo: By Jitze via Wikimedia Commons