Advancing the social, educational, civic and economic interest of the village and it’s inhabitants
LEEDS CIVIC ASSOCIATION
P.O. Box 114, Leeds, MA 01053
LeedsCivicAssoc@gmail.com
OFFICERS
President, Penny Geis
Vice President, Jason Johnson Treasurer, Karyn Nelson
Secretary, Marc Freedman
BOARD MEMBERS
Sue Carbin
David Rondina
Earl Meunier
Tom Quinn
Steve McDonough
Pumpkin Fest Success 2026
The 2026 Leeds Pumpkin Fest rolled its way into success, taking place on a perfect Autumn afternoon/evening at the corner of Chestnut and Evergreen avenues. There was the ever-popular Pumpkin Roll, where many heats of gourds made their way down the hill, followed by screaming children. Even adults got into the action for the final run down the hill. The event was facilitated by Greg B. and ended up with 2026 Pumpkin Roll Champions.
Congratulations to Monty (first place) and Genevieve (second place).
Rolling pumpkins, of course, creates an appetite, so then it was eating time, with neighbors stepping up with donations of soups, chilies, pasta, breads, and of course, many treats, galore. Voting for the pumpkins took place in three categories (Scariest, Classic and Original), as DJ Shawn G. played his collection of spooky and fun music.
The winners for 2026 are:
Scariest Pumpkin (Linus):
Classic Pumpkin (Odie):
Most Original Pumpkin (Justin):
Community Kickball Game Is A Grand Slam
In the waning days of August 2026, on a weekend just before the school year was slated to begin, more than 50 kids and adults from across the Leeds neighborhoods headed out to the Jim Mias Ballfield at Leeds Elementary School for a game of kickball, in what the LCA hopes will become a regular event.
The two teams (Team Enzo and Team Leopard) were loaded with local talent, but time was taken to show some of the youngest players the rules of kickball — such as running the bases in counter-clockwise motion, touching each base with your foot and running for home plate, not the sidelines.
Even so, there were plenty of unforced errors and sympathetic re-dos during the game, and lots of laughter.
From the sidelines, a crowd of onlookers and family members cheered on the teams and ate their fill of hot dogs. The game ended when the hot dogs ran out and interest waned to the point that both teams were losing players left and right to the play structure and other community interactions.
In the final inning, everyone had one last chance to kick for glory as Team Leopard pulled out a win, and then it was time to clean up and head home.
Newly Designed LCA Website
Thanks to Justin O’Connor and Heidi Stevens for working to revamp the LCA website with a new design and many different features, including an archive of the LCA Newsletters, information about the history of Leeds, explorations of nature and conservation areas, and more.