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Mount Greylock Ramble, Ramblefest This Weekend
By Jack Guerino, iBerkshires Staff
02:41PM / Thursday, October 06, 2016
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President McKinley ready to greet Ramblers to this year's magical hike up Mount Greylock.

ADAMS, Mass. — Ramblefest and the Mount Greylock Ramble return to Adams this Columbus Day weekend with a magical twist.
 
Anyone who has driven through Adams this week may have noticed a magical air in town, specifically the wizard hat atop the President McKinley statue welcoming people to Adams — home of Pottermore's Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
 
"This is the best time of year in the Berkshires, as far as I am concerned, and it's a great time to get up to the top of the mountain to makes some friends and have some fun," Ray Gargan of ProAdams said. "Maybe 'Harry Potter' will bring some new people who have never done it before."
 
The author of the popular "Harry Potter" series J.K. Rowling released a short story in June on her website stating the North American school of witchcraft and wizardry in her fictional universe is located on the summit of Mount Greylock. 
 
Although the castle may not actually exist on the mountain, it won't stop cloaked and wand-carrying hikers from at least looking during Monday's hike up the mountain.
 
Gargan said people can expect little magic at the summit: When hikers crest the peak of the mountain, there will be able to sign the "Ilvermorny Guest Registry." The first hikers to the top will actually get to sign with quill-style pens.
 
All those who sign the registry will have the chance of winning one of two official "Harry Potter" wands, one belonging to Harry himself and the other to Hermione Granger, a handcrafted wizard staff made by the Berkshire Mountains Faerie Festival group or a traditional broomstick.  
 
"It is traditional and handmade and it would be suitable for anybody that has the ability to fly a broom," Gargan said. 
 
ProAdams also encourages "no maj" hikers and the witches and wizards who may be in the convoy up the mountain to take photos and post them to their social media platform of choice with the hashtag #MagicalGreylock.
 
Those who do this will get a complimentary "butter beer," nonalcoholic of course, while supplies last. Look for the Magical Greylock Banner at Bascom Lodge to participate.
 
The 49th annual Greylock Ramble takes place on Columbus Day, Monday, Oct. 10, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Hikers take the Cheshire Harbor Trail from the base of the mountain to the summit. The complete hike is 6.6 miles. 
 
Free shuttles will run from the Adams Free Library on Park Street to the trailhead. Use of the shuttles is strongly recommended, as parking at the base of the mountain is very limited.
 
On Sunday, the annual Ramblefest returns to the Adams Visitors Center with even more vendors and entertainment.
 
Local singer-songwriter C.J. Field will take the stage at 11 a.m. followed by Berkshire-based band Whiskey City at 2 to 5 p.m. Ramblefest will be the final performance for Whiskey City, which was voted best band for five years in a row in the Best of the Berkshires survey.
 
Also, the Adams Historical Society will offer guided tours in a vintage horse-drawn trolley.
 
"There is a beautiful team of horses pulling this antique trolley," Gargan said. "This team comes down from Saratoga and the Historical Society gives a guided tour of downtown Adams. It has been very popular and they sell out really quick."
 
New this year is a half-marathon race organized by the Berkshire Running Center. Runners start at Berkshire Mall, race up the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail to the Adams Visitors Center in time for the opening of Ramblefest.
 
More information on the race and how to register can be found here.
 
Gargan said ProAdams has always organized Ramblefest but with the disbanding of the town's Events Committee, this is the first year it is organizing the Ramble, too. 
 
"Adams' Events Committee did it for decades and they did a great job with it and we all love them for it," he said. "We were sorry when they have disbanded but we are trying to pick up where they left off."
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