Bellingham Author Featured on WCVB-TV's "Chronicle"
Jul 30, 2020 06:00AM ● By Pamela Johnson
WCVB-TV Channel 5 recently broadcast an episode of their news magazine show, Chronicle, that focused on “Overlooked and underappreciated wonders” of the natural world. The show has a recurring feature on wonders of the natural world, but because of travel restrictions necessitated by the Covid-19 pandemic, this episode brought viewers to outdoor places strictly in eastern Massachusetts. One of the locations they focused on is in Bellingham’s back yard.
Chronicle contacted Marjorie Turner Hollman, a Bellingham resident and author of the outdoor trail guide series, Easy Walks in Massachusetts, for recommendations for outdoor places that viewers might not be aware of. She pointed the producers of the show to the Blackstone Gorge, in Blackstone, as a spectacular place for them to highlight.
The Blackstone Heritage Corridor provided support for the event with Chronicle and brought along volunteers to take the film crew to the top of the gorge for views of the rocks and the boulder-filled Blackstone River below. When walking the trail, visitors enjoy views of the river, and as they follow the path to the top of the gorge they can enjoy the sounds of rushing water dashing against the rocks.
The trail is filled with mountain laurel blossoms in June, and with each new season, the views of the river change as well.
Chronicle also highlighted Hollman’s Easy Walks books (three in the series), and used footage of Holman talking about the joys of getting outdoors, especially for those who might otherwise be reluctant to exercise. Much of the focus of Hollman’s work is to help those with mobility issues (like herself) find ways to get outdoors safely. Her upcoming book, Finding Easy Walks Wherever You Are, will be available on Amazon in early August.
You can watch a 3-minute video clip of Chronicle’s episode at the Blackstone Gorge at https://youtu.be/lO373X-WQ7E.
