Here's some information about our Sports and Recreation programs...(and be sure to visit our Facebook SPORTS page)

Our location has a lot to do with it.

--We're the closest church of any denomination in North America to a major auto racing venue. Lime Rock Park is right across the street. We have a wonderful and long-standing relationship with the track and their visitors.

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--We have a flat, well-drained eight+ acre field -- called Reid Field at Trinity -- for a back yard. Back in 1890 it was the scene of organized bicycle racing, and more recently it's been the venue for horse shows, our summer sports program, jogging and walking, Thursday evening softball, and just having fun. It's also where Pastor Heidi and her weekly walking group, called Walk - Talk - Pray starts out each Friday morning at 8 AM, concluding at 9 AM. (They're on vacation for the winter, but we expect they will re-start in the spring -- dogs included!)

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We are delighted to make the field available for organized athletics. We've had serious discussions with the the local Connecticut Junior Soccer Association club, Northwest United Soccer Club, but if you have an idea for an organized sports activity that might do well here, please let us know!

--The bridge that takes the Appalachian Trail across the Housatonic River from Amesville to Falls Village was officially closed on April 26, 2012, and all reports are that it will be closed for at least two years for major rebuilding. The AT will once again be routed along Dugway Road, passing right by Trinity.

Here's a hiker on the Trail waving as he passes Trinity, and a kiosk our friends at Trinity Glen built so we could collect sign-ups from hikers:

Hiker on the Appalachain Trail Trinity welcomes AT hikers

Now that the AT is (or soon will be) back on its detour past Trinity, we hope that many of you will stop by, sign the book, and relax for a while. If the building is open, please come in and use our clean rest rooms (with hot water and flush toilets), recharge your electronics, and sit in a real chair for a change. And refill your water bottles as well.

If the building is closed when you visit, you can still recharge your electronics using the outdoor outlets in the courtyard and refill your water bottles at the outlet on the north wall, facing the field.

We welcome AT hikers, whether you're a through hiker or just out for the day.

Life on the Appalachian Trail...

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Here's a recent AT story from a Trinity parishioner:

"...had a cool experience yesterday at Trinity. I ... noticed a dozen backpacks leaning on the stone wall across the street at the cemetery. Said backpacks turned out to belong to some members of the freshman class at Bucknell who were on one of those "bonding" excursions on the AT under the direction of a woman from an organization based in Northampton.

"I offered them the "facilities" and the kitchen for water bottles, and you never saw such a happy bunch of kids in your life. They were all walking barefoot on the carpeting and sitting in actual chairs. One girl confided that she took a "sink bath" in the ladies room and felt much better for it...

"The group all signed into the AT book at the kiosk, took postcards, and the organizer said she'd put our name in her AT resource book list....we are having quite the summer with the AT!"

More news: The Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area is planning a bike trail along the Housatonic. We're hoping that means more bikes at Trinity! Welcome!!

Each Memorial Day weekend, while on their Berkshire Ride, members of the New York Cycle Club make a rest stop at Trinity and visit our Tag and Bake Sale.

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Our membership:

--We're still considered a small parish, but our average Sunday attendance is increasing, month over month, and year over year. Yet we are still small enough that everyone pretty much knows everyone else. We have an increasing number of families with young children. (More about people who attend Trinity is here).	(Click to enlarge)
--Our membership includes people with meaningful credentials in a variety of sports and recreational activities. And we are not afraid to try new things. For example, two summers ago we challenged other area houses of worship to meet us here at Trinity for a softball game! (The game, unfortunately, was rained out). So, instead, we started, along with Lime Rock Park, the Skip Barber Racing School, and Fast Track Catering, a Thursday evening softball program. We're hoping it will be back next summer!)
--We've been participating in the Bishops' 5K for Kids for the past three years. You can see photos of our 2012 entry here. The photo on the right was our 2010 team.	(Click to enlarge)
--We assembled a Trinity team for the 2010 CROP Walk and the 2011 CROP Walk at Housatonic Valley Regional High School. We were there in force for the 2012 Walk. Click the icon to the right to see more about CROP Walks, or click the link above to see photos.
--We've also got a decent number of young people in the parish, considering our small size and rural location (a fair sampling of them appear, along with some kids from the community) in our Summer Sports 2009 picture at the right). And, in 2013, the kids decided that we needed Winter Sports as well. So far we've been able to take advantage of the superb skating facilities at the Hotchkiss School, and also took a ski trip to Otis Ridge, in Massachusetts.	(Click to enlarge)

Our neighborhood:

--There are no recreational facilities in the hamlet of Lime Rock, other than Lime Rock Park. Lime Rock's really the only neighborhood of the Township of Salisbury that is affordable, so families with kids often settle here.	You might want to verify this on a Google Map!
--We're central to the Towns of Salisbury, Canaan (Falls Village), North Canaan, Cornwall, and Sharon, and near New York State and Massachusetts. While there are many wonderful recreational facilities in our area, they are unevenly distributed and there are real barriers to access.

It makes sense that Trinity has developed a sports and recreation ministry, one of few in the Episcopal Church.

Here's what we do:

We offer the community our facility, our talents, and our time to provide sports and recreational services. An example is our summer sports program, which we offer at no cost to all young people in our area. Another example is making Reid Field available for walking, jogging, and running, with a measured course for those who keep time. Take a look at what we did during the Summer of 2009 Here's what we did for the Summer of 2010. And here's 2011. Find 2012 (and 2013) on our Facebook SPORTS page!

Trinity Lime Rock actively supports the Salisbury Winter Sports Association and the ski jumping portion of the Junior Olympics, which (along with SWSA's annual Eastern Championships) were held right here in Salisbury in February 2011 (not to mention the Trinity Kids who jump with SWSA).

We help fund our programs by providing parking for patrons of Lime Rock Park, and providing our facility for the use of related organizations. The patronage of members of the New York Cycle Club at our Tag and Bake sale on their annual Berkshire Hills ride is also a financial help to us.

We are looking for other sports and recreational needs we can fill:

--We've got an outstanding challenge to area houses of worship to come play softball here at Trinity Field!

--We're currently developing a walking/jogging circuit around Reid Field, and we've used the field for badminton and volleyball since 2009. (bocce and croquet, too!) Maybe horseshoe pits are coming, too! Don't forget Walk, Talk, Pray!

--Our young people recently have taken trips to bowl, to visit the Lakeville Horse Show, to visit the Falls Village Car Show, to go ice skating at Hotchkiss, and to ski at Otis Ridge, as a group.

--We are physically located in the Town of Salisbury, but we certainly don't limit our availability to that township! After all, our parish draws members from three states and four Episcopal Dioceses!

--We actively seek collaborations with other organizations that provide sports and recreational activities, especially for young people.

--We participate as individuals in sports and recreational activities, especially those where we can make a positive difference. And we support our young people in their sports activities.

Do you have a sports or recreational interest that we could accommodate here at Trinity? Tell us about it. (After all, our summer sports program exists because nine years ago, a nine year old in our Sunday School suggested it.)

Are you involved in a sports or recreational activity outside Trinity that you would like Trinity's membership to know about -- and support? Tell us about that, too.

Why not become a Facebook fan of Trinity Lime Rock Sports? You can do it right here!

Trinity Lime Rock Sports

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You can also find our Trinity Lime Rock Sports Facebook page directly at

http://www.facebook.com/TrinityLimeRockSports

Trinity Lime Rock Sports on Facebook

Learn about walking, jogging, or running on Reid Field, and Walk, Talk, Pray -- CLICK HERE

Check back often at this page for more about this side of Trinity Lime Rock!