Houghton's Pond Cool Summer Fun Festival

Summer festival at Houghton's Pond sponsored by the Friends of the Blue Hills.

The Houghton's Pond cool summer festival this past weekend was a perfect way to spend a summer day. The DCR rangers, the Friends of the Blue Hills and instructors from Mass Wildlife were on hand with demonstrations on how to throw out your line to catch a fish. Volleyball, a jumping gym, live music, Perry Ellis with a live barn owl from the Blue Hills Trailside Museum, crafts, dancing and lots more were showcased. The Friends of the Blue Hills (FBH) is a 1,000 member non profit organization devoted to perserving and protectin the Blue Hills Reservation's natural beauty, diverse natural habitats and many recreational opportunities. Please call 781-828-1805 or visit http://friendsofthebluehills.org for more information on upcoming events.

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PHOTO GALLERY: Houghton's Pond

Picnic tables, barbecues, lifeguards on duty; a great summer spot minutes from the city!

The Houghton’s Pond Recreation Area offers a variety of recreational activities, including swimming, fishing, picnicking and hiking as well as a playground, concession, pavilion, and Visitor’s Center. Restrooms and a first aid station are open during the summer at the bathhouse.  

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DCR Expands Swimming Hours Including Houghton's Pond

The Department of Conservation and Recreation has extended the hours at Houghton's Pond to 7 p.m. on Friday, July 22, due to the intense heat.

In response to the hotter than normal temperatures that have hit the area over the past two days, the Department of Conservation and Recreation has announced extended hours and lifeguard services at pools and beaches around the Commonwealth. Houghton’s Pond is one of the DCR properties on that list. Lifeguards will be on duty until 7 p.m. today at the Blue Hills Reservation swimming area. Visit www.mass.gov/dcr/recreate/extendedguard.pdf for an updated list of hours and lifeguard availability at DCR swimming areas around Massachusetts. For more tips on how to stay cool today, click here.

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DCR Plans Houghton's Pond Fish Festival

The Nineteenth Annual Houghton's Pond Fish Festival is set for Saturday, July 23.

Young anglers will get a chance to learn a variety of skills and actually try their hand at reeling in the big one on Saturday, July 23, at the Nineteenth Annual Houghton’s Pond Fish Festival. The DCR event, which will run from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., is free to the public. Lessons in casting, knot-tying and fish identification as well as crafts and other activities will be available throughout the event. Children are also invited to bring their own equipment or borrow a pole to go fishing on the pond. No licenses are required for the event. The Houghton's Pond Fish Festival will take place at Picnic Site Five on Blue Hill River Road in Milton, right over the Canton line.

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PHOTO GALLERY: The Lazy Days of Summer, Cooling Off at Houghton's Pond

Enjoying the pond on the Canton/Milton line.

It may not be an official heat wave in Canton, but with the high humidity and temperatures reaching 90, it certainly could pass for one. Today, Canton will see a high of 85 degrees and a chance of thunderstorms, according to the National Weather Service. But, the hot, steamy, summer weather returns just in time for the weekend. The NWS is predicting temps in the high 80s and sun. Hopefully, folks can find a way to cool off like these beach-goers did at Houghton's Pond on Tuesday evening. What is your favorite way to cool off during these lazy days of summer?

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Viewfinder: Keeping Cool at Houghton's Pond

With temperatures in the upper 90s this week, locals head to Houghton's Pond for swimming and sunbathing.

Hot enough for you? As temperatures reached the 90s this week in Canton, local kids and adults did all they could to beat the heat including swimming and sunbathing at nearby Houghton's Pond in Milton.  

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Officials Lay Out $1.9 Million in Athletic Area Improvements

With the completion of one phase, the DCR is looking forward to three additional steps that will improve the fields, restrooms and parking at the Houghton's Pond ball fields. Unlike the first project, the next moves have not yet been funded.

Over a million dollars in renovations have been completed at the Houghton's Pond ball fields, which will open next summer. Additional upgrades to two softball fields and multi-purpose fields for soccer and lacrosse, as well as a bathroom facility and parking improvements are still in the works. At a public meeting at the Trailside Museum on Monday night, officials from the DCR and Stantec, the engineering firm leading the project, said the $1.9 million needed to finish those three additional phases have not yet been secured. "It may be several years before we see action on these subsequent phases," Joe Orfant, DCR Bureau of Planning and Resource Chief, said. The ball field improvement plan began two years ago with preliminary research, and…

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