NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The annual Fall Foliage Leaf Hunt, a traditional and popular feature that kicks off Fall Foliage Festival Week, starts today, Saturday, Sept 26.  

 

This year the committee has revealed that there will be 10 colorful leaves hidden in Adams, North Adams, and Williamstown. 

 

When a leaf is found, it should be brought to the Office of Tourism at North Adams City Hall during normal business hours to claim a prize, generously donated by area businesses. One prize per household please.

 

Upon finding a hidden leaf, the top plastic bag with the yellow or orange leaf should be removed and brought in, and the second bag with the green leaf should be left at the site. This way, subsequent hunters will know they correctly solved the clue, but someone already claimed the prize-winning leaf.  

 

A second set of clues will be announced in the event of unclaimed leaves. A complete list of winners, locations, and sponsors will be released in late October. All leaves should be returned before Oct. 10 to receive a prize. 

 

As always, the leaf committee has included an invisible leaf hunt for homebound residents.

 

Participants in the invisible hunt are asked to mail a postcard (or card in an envelope) with the number of the clue and the answer/s with their name, address, and phone number or email address, to the Mayor's Office of Tourism, City Hall, 10 Main St., North Adams, MA 01247 or submitted via email to LRandall@northadams-ma.gov. In the event of multiple correct answers, entries with the earliest postmark or sent-time via email will be considered. Please submit answers to be received by Oct. 10.

 

This year's Fall Foliage Festival theme is "70 Years in Motion: Time Traveling Through North Berkshire."

 

The first set of clues are:     

 

1. Assuage your thirst or appetite before or after art

 

2. At one time named for children and families, but now named for a daily anticipated moment of light

 

3. Bring your problems with seatback pockets, not corner pockets

 

4. Double the letter, double the deals?

 

5. Get your breakfast where George Washington (probably) got his

 

6. Its phone number ends with the year it began

 

7. No unwanted carbon, lots of desirable sounds

 

8. Once housing the Plunketts' sweet dreams of textiles, now housing the sweet dreams of many more every night

 

9. Temporary home for stories that deserve a sequel?

 

10. Where your checks meet the peak

 

Invisible Leaf Hunt (mail-in/email entries only)

 

1. The 1950s saw the largest number of public elementary schools in operation at the same time in North Adams. What was the total number and the name of each the schools?

 

2. The 1950s brought about big artistic developments in Williamstown — can you name three that started during that decade? Hint: visual arts, performing arts, and over the airwaves

 

(Partial answers will be considered if no fully correct responses are received.)