Halloween was a pagan holiday that can be traced back to the Druids, a Celtic culture in Ireland, Britain and Northern Europe. Roots lay in the feast of Samhain, which was held annually on October 31st to honor the dead. Samhain signifies "summer’s end" or November. It was a harvest festival with huge sacred bonfires, marking the end of the Celtic year and beginning of a new one. The Celts believed the souls of the dead roamed the streets and villages at night. Since not all spirits were thought to be friendly, gifts and treats were left out to pacify the evil and ensure next year’s crops would be plentiful. This custom evolved into trick-or-treating.
Do you dare to venture out into the scary Needham woods? We’ll treat you to holiday refreshments if you can locate us, but there will be no tricks. We will be waiting for you from 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM. Please feel free to wear your Halloween garb.
You must put the following sign (created by the Town of Needham) in your car window before entering the woods.
Don't worry about it saying Saturday night only. We have a permit to be here on Halloween.
While in the forest you may want to also get credit for Needham At Night, our night cache. You will find your treats along the way at an intersecting path used for that cache. Thus, there are 2 ways to locate your goodies:
1. Come directly to the site by walking up the dirt road from the parking lot.
2. Follow the trail lit by the fire tacks for Needham at Night. This method will also lead you to the same place fairly quickly.
If you choose to use the first method you will not be able to continue on and log the Needham At Night cache because you won’t have acquired the needed information to open the locked ammo box. Choosing to use the second method will only take you slightly out of your way. After your treats you will then be able to continue on to the Needham at Night final stage.
At about 9:15PM we will give away some "forest prizes." They are like "door prizes" when there is no door. LOL!