Campgrounds eye busy summer, Local News
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, 2022-06-09 02:02:18, ,
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auburn middle school, auburn school, augusta events, central maine disc golf, community, contests, country, daily distraction, Disc Golf, erskine academy, events, family, humor, lewiston high school, lifestyle, Local News, maine disc golf, maine disc golf tourney, moose morning show, nature, new england amateur disc golf championship, News, offbeat, opinion, professional disc golf association, trending
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, 2022-06-01 08:57:47,
Meet Gabe Vincent, he is a 13-year-old resident of Auburn that turned his hobby into his dreams. Gabe is a disc golf player, according to an article on him posted by the Sun Journal.
The Professional Disc Golf Association put on the New England Amateur Disc Golf Championship. The article states that this is a, “sanctioned tournament played at three different courses in or around Manchester, New Hampshire.”
If you’ve never heard of the sport. According to Merriam Webster, disc golf is,
a game in which players attempt to toss a plastic disc into each of a succession of basketlike receptacles stationed along a course with the object being to reach each target in as few attempts as possible. Disc golf is similar to regular golf in that it has 18 holes and is played primarily by the same rules. But instead of hitting a ball into a hole in the ground, in disc golf, Frisbees are thrown into metal disc-trapping baskets on stationary poles.
It is very fun and Maine has so many different courses. The game can be challenging and competitive or even just for fun with your friends!
Gabe started playing disc golf back in 2020 during the pandemic as a hobby. Little did he know, he’d be competing in a championship disc golf tournament, as the article says.
The article states that Gabe was hooked right away so his mother, Sarah purchased a basket and put it up in their backyard so Gabe and his sister Mya could play.
Gabe’s mother said,
As soon as we got a basket at home, every second he can, he’s out there shooting discs in the basket in our yard. As it progresses, we keep going disc golfing. And all of a sudden, he’s keeping up with my husband, and (then) he’s exceeding my husband on what he can on the disc golf course.
Gabe has gotten so good that,
Earlier this month, he shot…
,
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Local News, Salem pool to open June 6
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, 2022-05-30 00:23:30, ,
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Local News, New services coming to Porcupine Mountains park
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By John Pepin
Michigan Department of Natural Resources
ONTONAGON — At the conclusion of a cooperative and productive partnership with Gogebic Community College that spanned 10 years, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources will now again operate the popular downhill winter sports complex at Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in Ontonagon County.
In addition, after more than three decades, the DNR has also contracted with a new concessionaire to run several business enterprises familiar to park visitors, as well as provide new park amenities the DNR hopes will enhance the ski hill and park operations on a year-round basis.
Park shuttles, sea kayak rentals and more are coming soon.
Across Michigan, the DNR partners with businesses and outside organizations to enrich visitor experiences at state parks. Concessions contracts cover numerous features, including park stores; kayak, bike and other rentals; food and water parks.
In 2021, a total of 76 concessions contracts were in place for DNR operations across Michigan. The revenue statewide from those concessions, leases and operating agreements totaled $2.2 million.
At the Porcupine Mountains, home of Michigan’s largest state park, a ski hill has been operated since the 1940s, along with a lodge concession, ski rentals and, more recently, a Frisbee golf course during summertime.
The park also offers fall color ski lift rides and maintains a store at the site of a historic park headquarters and a store at the park’s visitor center.
In addition, in 2006, the DNR entrusted the local volunteer group Friends of the Porkies to develop three programs at the park, which have proven successful. They include the park’s Folk School, annual music festival and Artist in Residence program.
In 2012, Gogebic Community College took over the use agreement at the ski hill, including the winter food and the ski shop facilities.
This arrangement would remain in place until September 2020, when college President George McNulty contacted the DNR to announce the facility’s intention to discontinue management of the ski hill.
“At the start of this partnership, Gogebic’s vision was to assist the State of Michigan in rebuilding the Porkies’ operations and facilitating economic development and/or stability in the region,” McNulty wrote in a letter to the DNR. “Over the last eight years, the college now believes that we have accomplished this vision.”
The DNR asked the college if it would continue operations through the 2021-2022 season. The department had also granted contract extensions to a concessionaire who had been operating at the park for more than three decades to help provide a smooth transition.
“The college is committed to the prosperity and growth that was achieved over our tenure, and if needed, is more than willing to collaborate and to be a resource for the new vendor in keeping the Porkies successful,” McNulty wrote.
Doug Rich, DNR western U.P. Parks and Recreation Division district supervisor, said the relationship with the college has been beneficial, acknowledging the college’s contributions to stabilizing operations at the ski hill.
“GCC set us up for future success,” Rich said.
In fall 2020, the DNR requested bids for combined summer-winter management at the park, including all ski hill operations, chalet, cafeteria, park stores and vending machines.
Two bidders submitted proposals, including the prior concessionaire, but neither met bid qualifications.
The DNR took several months to consider its options, deciding in fall 2021 on a cooperative approach, which would see DNR Parks and Recreation Division staff operate the outdoor ski hill functions year-round, while a concession contractor would operate the indoor chalet, cafeteria, park stores, retail sales and rentals, vending machines, disc-golf course and events.
The contractor, Friends of the Porkies and park staff would collaborate for major events at the ski hill.
“We are prepared to once again take on this important role in partnership with our concession contractor,” Rich said. “In doing so, we plan to fulfil the DNR Parks and Recreation Division’s mission to acquire, protect and preserve the natural and cultural features of Michigan’s unique resources, and to provide access to land- and water-based public recreation and educational opportunities as implemented through the division’s Strategic Plan.
“Having a sustainable management system in place will help ensure the stability of this important component of the entire park resource.”
The DNR began a second bidding process in alignment with Michigan law and the DNR’s commercial use policy.
In 2021, Simple Adventures – an Auburn Hills company with 11 managers and more than 75 employees – secured contracts with the DNR to operate a concession at Interlochen State Park in Grand Traverse County and Fort Custer Recreation Area in Kalamazoo County.
The firm invested a total of $11,000 in those two facilities, resulting in revenue increases of 45% and 20%, respectively.
The competitive bidding process at the state park in the Porcupine Mountains included advertising for bids and a sealed-bid-opening before evaluation of proposals by a panel that independently scores each bid. An optional pre-bid meeting was held prior to the 2020 bid request.
“This process requires applicants to provide their best proposal, including everything they are willing to offer and can demonstrate they can provide,” Rich said. “…One of the long-standing goals was to provide an enhanced variety of recreational opportunities to make the ski area more of a year-round destination and to encourage visitors to stay longer in the area.”
According to the bid specifications, the DNR wanted the contractor to develop previously unavailable warmer-weather activities.
Some expansion ideas contemplated by the DNR included: installing a second ski chairlift, developing park shuttle service between Memorial Day and mid-October, building fat tire and mountain bike trails around the ski hill area, creating alternative lodging for guests or staff, and acquiring a liquor license at the ski hill cafeteria.
An early autumn photo shows two park visitors on the ski lift at Porcupine Mountains.
At a minimum, the prospective contractors were also expected to provide firewood sales and sea kayak and bicycle rentals.
Simple Adventures offered added amenities, including year-round food at the chalet, shuttle service to the Lake of the Clouds Scenic Overlook and the Presque Isle Unit of the park, online food ordering and equipment rentals.
Specialized services beyond concession management were also offered, like mountain biking and sea kayaking services to park guests. Simple Adventures and the DNR are currently hiring workers at the park.
The new services are expected to be welcome additions to the visitor experience at the 59,020-acre state park.
From the heights of a pronounced escarpment overlooking the Big Carp River and at Summit Peak, to the shimmering beauty of Lake Superior at Union Bay, the waterfalls of the Presque Isle River at the park’s west end and the heart of the territory, marked with dozens of hiking trails, the Porcupine Mountains are a fabulous destination visited by more than half a million people every year.
County parks chief makes district’s case to Salem officials, Local News
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SALEM — Columbiana County Park District commissioner Tom Butch is making the rounds at village, city and township meetings, stumping for opinions on the district’s strategic plan.
“We just want to get the public’s input,” Butch said.
In an effort to chart their course for the next five years, park district board members are asking residents to share their thoughts on what should be done to improve the park system.
Visit https://oed.columbianacodev.org/parksurvey/ or use the QR code that’s on posters being placed in public spots throughout the county. To learn more about the park district and events coming up, visit the park district website at columbianacountyparkdistrict.com.
Butch recently shared information with several members of Salem City Council during a Public Services Committee meeting, explaining the county park district never had a strategic plan before and Tad Herold, director of the county Development Department, is helping them out.
The district is responsible for maintaining 950 acres of park area and 17 miles of public trails including the Greenway Trail, Scenic Vista Park, Hellbender Bluff Park and the Supreme Court Picnic Area. Five volunteer board members oversee operations. Besides Butch, those members include David Hughes, Eileen Dray-Bardon, Dottie Betz and Tim Brooks.
Butch said they’re pretty frugal with their money, but the district will likely be broke in a few years. Expenses are about $70,000 per year, but revenue totals about $25,000, which includes $15,000 per year from the Local Government Fund distribution. A gas and oil signing bonus and royalties have helped the past 10 years, but it’s not expected to last, with a projection of being in the red by 2026.
Butch said no decisions have been made, but a levy may be one possibility for the November ballot. A levy attempt in 2020 failed, but not by much, 52 percent against and 48 percent in favor. That time a .25 percent levy would have generated $400,000 per year.
Councilman Steve Faber asked if that would be enough to maintain what they have and what they want to do.
“We believe that would give us some breathing room,” Butch said, adding they would like to have a part-time parks director.
Besides having a dedicated income stream for park and trail maintenance, proposed plans for the future could include seeing if there’s a viable way to extend the Greenway Trail south to East Liverpool, building a playground area at Hellbender Bluff and updating the bicycle pump track, improvements to the disc golf course at Scenic Vista, including adding tee pads and a permanent restroom at the park, improving signage so people can better find park locations and adding a kayak and canoe launch.
The county park district was formed in the mid-1970’s, with the townships of Knox, Middleton and Liverpool choosing not to be a part of it, along with the village of Rogers, according to Butch.
Mayor John Berlin asked if they investigated how other communities fund their parks. Butch said Ashtabula and Mahoning counties have levies and Trumbull County gets funding from county commissioners but is looking at a levy for the fall.
anna page park, disc golf rockford, frolfing rockford, ingersoll, Local News, shorewood park, sports, sports hub
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Disc golf, or “frolfing” to the less civilized, is experiencing a boom in interest level and there are plenty of places to try it out in Rockford if it interests you.
This graph from discgolf.com shows how much it has grown over just the past 5 years.
That’s an almost 15x increase in rounds played between 2016 and 2021. Undoubtedly, the pandemic played a huge part in disc golf’s exploding popularity since it was one of the few activities you could still do in public during a lockdown.
I’ll fully admit that I’ve never been disc golfing but that is going to change this summer. I wasn’t aware of the facilities we have here in town and for some reason TikTok has been showing me a lot of disc golf videos over the last year. Maybe TikTok knows something about me that I don’t yet.
For this list of Rockford disc golf courses, I’m going to focus on the ones run by the Park District but there are at least 10 courses in the area from Rockford to Beloit. You can find a complete list of every disc golf course here.
The Rockford Park District has 5 courses in 3 locations for players of all levels.
rockfordparkdistrict.com
rockfordparkdistrict.com
According to the Park District website, Anna Page Park is considered “one of the finest disc golf facilities in the country.” It is comprised of 3 separate courses.
Built in 2018 this course works its way through a mature oak savannah and is compact
and level. A perfect course for beginners and kids.
rockfordparkdistrict.com
rockfordparkdistrict.com
The newest course in the area, the Shorewood Park course was built in 2021. This 9-hole course along the Rock River is another great course for kids or beginners.
I would also like to note that while researching this article I came across a Rockford Disc Golf group on Facebook and it appears to be one of the nicest communities I’ve ever seen. Just a bunch of people throwing Frisbees in the woods. It doesn’t have to get any more complicated than that.
Discover where you can find the best access in the country for your pick of courses, the unique terrain that lends itself to world-class golf, and what makes select clubs noteworthy.
culture, history, Local News, park energize Poland woman
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Correspondent photo / Sean Barron
Laurie Fox, the Poland Township Historical Society’s president, stands next to the sign for the Little Red Schoolhouse in Poland, where the society has most of its meetings.
POLAND — It’s been said that the Schwebel’s Baking Co. is Youngstown born and bread, and you could add that Laurie Fox is Poland born and bred.
“We do walking tours in (Poland) Village along South Main Street,” said Fox, 71, who grew up in Poland and is a 1969 Poland Seminary High School graduate.
She was referring to one of the duties of the Poland Township Historical Society, for which she has served about four years as president.
The historical society, formed in 1979, is dedicated largely to promoting the township’s heritage and landmarks, educating and fostering a greater interest in Poland’s history and maintaining The Little Red Schoolhouse, 4515 Center Road, which the Poland Board of Education owns and the society leases for $1 per year.
The building also is on the National Register of Historic Places.
For her part, Fox organizes such walks on South Main, along which is a series of homes and businesses that were established in the 1800s.
For such occasions, members dress in period clothing and conduct re-enactments, Fox explained. Also included on tour itineraries are the Riverside and Poland Presbyterian cemeteries, the latter of which is the resting place for many of the township’s original settlers, she noted.
“It’s a history lesson for the kids,” Fox said.
She also serves on the Poland Township Park Advisory Board, with a primary goal of increasing interest and activities in the 107-acre park off Moore Street. Plans are to build a gazebo and swing sets, as well as to add facilities for those interested in pickleball, sand volleyball and disc golf, Fox noted.
In addition, she has served eight years as treasurer for the Holy Family Seniors Group at Holy Family Parish on Center Road, for which Fox’s mother, Ruth Burns, was president. Seniors meet once per month, and Fox makes her presence felt in other, more overt ways.
“I’m the bingo caller for bingo,” she said with a chuckle, adding, “They’re very active with the community.”
Her Poland-related activities don’t end with the last winning letter and number, however. Fox also is part of the McMurray, Pa.-based nonprofit National Slovak Society USA, as well as the local chapter, which have an estimated 37,000 and 1,000 members, respectively.
The NSS’ main mission is to offer its fraternal family a measure of financial security via annuities and insurance, its website states.
Specifically, Fox is on the NSS National Board of Directors and president of the local Assembly 0731 chapter, which also provides activities for children.
In 2009, Fox, who also is an amateur photographer, retired after having worked 35 years as administration secretary for the superintendent of the Mahoning County Educational Service Center.
“I just knew she could do a great job (for the Poland Township Historical Society), and she’s met every expectation as a president to follow me,” said Larry Baughman, who served in that capacity from 2014 to 2018, adding, “She’s great with photography and communications, and is a great leader.”
These days, Fox and other society members are busy leading the charge to beautify and add to The Little Red Schoolhouse, which was built in 1858 but ceased to function as a school in 1915. Those efforts include plans to add flowerbeds and a donated shed in the rear, Fox explained.
After 1915, the building occasionally was used for church services and other functions, she continued.
In the 1980s, after it had fallen into disrepair, an addition was made to the building, and it procures and houses numerous donated artifacts related to the township’s history. Among them is a display case that contains portraits of former President William McKinley, whose boyhood home was in Poland, as well as filing cabinets with records of Poland’s early history.
Recently donated to the historical society was a replica of the former Deposit & Savings Bank near Riverside Drive, which was chartered in 1875.
In addition, the Poland school board meets in the former one-room schoolhouse once per year, Fox added.
To suggest a Saturday profile, contact Features Editor Burton Cole at [email protected] or Metro Editor Marly Reichert at [email protected].
Local News, Valley View project moves ahead
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HOLLIDAYSBURG — Blair County leaders are making headway this year on replacing the Valley View County Park amphitheater for use starting in 2023.
Joseph Keller of Keller Engineers, on behalf of the county’s Park and Recreation Advisory Board, told commissioners Tuesday that site preparation work will likely be advertised for bids in July. If a contract is awarded in August, that work, which includes grading and limited paving can be pursued after a county crew demolishes the existing amphitheater in September, he said.
The schedule, Keller said, calls for construction on the new amphitheater to begin in October.
Commissioners voted Tuesday to approve the advisory board’s recommendation to buy a GluAm Amphitheater Model Apex, measuring 45 feet wide and 10 feet high, from Recreation Resource USA.
This vendor, Keller said, participates in the state’s cooperative purchasing program, known as Costars, and has offered to provide the structure, stain, delivery and installation for $132,400.
The cost of the amphitheater alone is $73,360, according to Keller.
Half of the project’s costs will be covered by a grant from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, according to Chief Clerk and County Administrator Nicole Hemminger.
The other half, Hemminger said, will be paid for with money in the county’s park and recreation account or with county revenue earmarked for support of park and recreational expenses.
Keller also mentioned the advisory board pending pursuit of sponsorships to defray costs. Commissioners previously agreed to that pursuit, as requested by the advisory board, in February 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic put the project on a slower pace.
Commissioner Amy Webster, liaison commissioner to the advisory board, commended the advisory board for their efforts aimed at accomplishing the project.
Keller acknowledged that the developing efforts will prevent concerts, typically held in the amphitheater, from being scheduled this summer.
The park’s summer playground program, however, remains scheduled for June 13 through July 8.
Commissioners voted Tuesday to provide $4,500 in county park and recreation funds to support that program offered annually by the Central Blair Recreation and Park Commission.
In the 1980s, Blair County commissioners created Valley View County Park in response to a court order examining the county’s lease of Lakemont Park to a private developer. Because Lakemont Park was deeded to the county for public recreation, then-county Judge Richard Behrens ordered the county to create a replacement park of at least 25 acres within five miles of Lakemont Park.
In addition to the amphitheater, Valley View County Park has facilities for picnicking, walking, disc golf and a garden with accommodations for those with handicaps.
Mirror Staff Writer Kay Stephens is at 814-946-7456.
Disc Golf Course a big draw, Local News
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Above: Cedar Creek Park in Fairmont offers three 18-hole disc golf courses.
FAIRMONT — Next weekend the Minnesota State Championship Disc Golf Tournament will take place at Cedar Creek Park in Fairmont. While many disc golf tournaments have been held at the course in Fairmont, this is the first time the state tournament will be held here.
Trevor Boehne, an avid disc golfer and native of Fairmont, is helping to coordinate the tournament.
“I grew up in Fairmont and started playing on the original course at Cedar Creek Park. There was one course, put in by Jon Riggs in 1996,” Boehne explained.
Boehne said he participated in some small tournaments Riggs put on and eventually started helping with them. Boehne and some of his friends started traveling around the state, and outside of it, to check out other disc golf courses.
“I decided that I wanted to expand the course in Fairmont to be more in line with the difficulty and courses that hosted most tournaments for the PDGA (professional disc golf association),” he said.
Boehne said that in looking at expanding the original course, he came to realize how big Cedar Creek Park is, despite growing up in Fairmont.
“My plans ended up changing when I found out how big the park is. I decided to build an entirely different course so I built Cedar Creek West in 2006,” Boehne said.
Boehne admitted that he had to work to convince the park board and the city to add the second course. He said the deal was that he had to raise the funds for it, do the work, or contract out the work.
The addition of a second course prompted the creation of the Cedar Creek Open and it has been taking place annually every year since. Boehne has been the tournament director of the Cedar Creek Open and in August of this year the 15th annual tournament was held.
While Boehne has since moved away from Fairmont, now residing in Minneapolis, he said he’s kept an attachment to the courses in Fairmont.
“As the years have gone on and the tournament has grown, I decided to build another course between the two that already existed,” Boehne said.
The third disc golf course was installed in 2017. Cedar Creek Park now has three full 18-hole courses.
“As the popularity of the sport has increased and the success of the second course was seen, it took hold. The city got better and better at helping with maintenance and keeping up with the courses,” Boehne said.
He said that when Nick Lardy took over as head of the Park Department, they saw an increase in helpfulness in maintaining the courses.
“There’s still a lot of work that’s done by the disc golf club and local disc golfers, but the city is more willing to help,” Boehne said.
Jon Riggs put all the money into the first one, Boehne and Riggs raised funds for the second course, but for the third course, Boehne asked the city to chip in.
“I said we could make this a very unique thing within the country,” he said.
Boehne said there’s only 10 or 15 courses in the world with three courses in one park and Fairmont is the only one he knows of that offers all three to be played for free.
“It’s very, very unique,” Boehne said.
Boehne said the city helped them get baskets that are all a matching style, but different colors for each course. The city also put in some bridges to help navigate between the courses.
“Yes, it’s a disc golf course, but the shared usage by other folks, walkers, and bikers has increased the park’s use,” Boehne said.
Next weekend’s tournament is an annual event put on by the Minnesota Frisbee Association. Boehne said the association has the state segmented into four zones and there’s different competitions within each of the zones.
Boehne said the state championship rotates between zones and the organizer picks a course within whatever zone the tournament will be held in each year. This year it’s in the south zone.
“This is the first time it’s been in Fairmont. It’s because of the success we’ve had in adding the courses and the success of the Cedar Creek Open,” Boehne said.
Boehne said there are currently 150 currently registered for the tournament and the maximum is 180.
The maximum for the Cedar Creek Open is 216. Boehne said that there’s been a recent spike in popularity in disc golf.
“When registration for the Cedar Creek Open opened up in February, it filled up in 45 seconds. Once it fills, you can be put on a wait list. Within three or four minutes of the tournament filling, there were already 200 people on the waitlist,” Boehne said.
He said people have come from all across the country to attend the Cedar Creek Open in Fairmont.
City Administrator Cathy Reynolds recognizes that kind of traffic is good for the city.
“It’s an amazing course. The opportunity to host the state tournament, but even the annual tournament that comes in, the people it draws to the community…. it’s a great asset,” she said.
The Minnesota State Championship Disc Golf Tournament starts the morning of Saturday, Oct. 9 and will conclude on Sunday, Oct. 10.
eedition, journal-news, Local News, News
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BERKELEY SPRINGS — The March meeting for the Region 9 Planning and Development Council, serving Berkeley, Morgan and Jefferson counties, took place at the newly renovated Cacapon State Park Lodge.
U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., attended the meeting in person to discuss broadband and infrastructure and made comments on the current situation with the Ukraine and Russia.
“I think what is at the top of the mind for everybody is what is going on in the Ukraine, and the invasion by Putin into Ukraine is just … to watch the images on TV, it is just heartbreaking. It seems as if it is deteriorating and getting worse and more brutal,” Capito said.
She mentioned that members of Congress had a Zoom call with Ukraine President Zelenskyy, who Capito thinks has risen to the occasion to inspire his people to fight with what they have.
“Basically, his bottom line in the Zoom call is, ‘We don’t want to pick a fight with Russia. We have like interests here, but we want to be a free country, and we want to associate with the West, and we want what is best for our country and our people.’ His plea to us was, ‘Thank you for the help, but we need a whole lot more help.’”
Capito said that they will be voting on this later.
“I am in full support of banning oil exports into this country, and Sen. Manchin and others are leading this effort. I wish the president would be more forceful on this. We have to figure out a way to bring Putin to his knees — if that can even be done,” she said. “There are a lot of concerns and prayers out there for the Ukrainian people, and the leadership has really stepped up. Their president has been, I think, a terrific leader for them. NATO and the United States have been strong allies.”
Scott Fortney, superintendent of Cacapon State Park, was the guest speaker at the meeting and discussed updates and progress with the park.
“I have been doing this for 27 years,” Fortney explained. “In May, we opened up the new lodge, and that was a $40 million project. We just currently started to open up the south lodge, which was the original lodge.”
He explained there is excitement at the location, with 78 rooms currently and 148 rooms when the other side completely opens. Indoor and outdoor dining, an indoor pool and hot tub, full-service spa and conference centers and event locations are among the offerings at the newly renovated location.
“The park is over 6,000 acres. We have 31 cabins, a swimming lake, golf course, a frisbee disc golf course, horseback riding, trails and mountain bike trails,” Fortney said.
He said that they received an accelerator grant from EMBA, the mountain biking standard.
“It was a $10,000 grant, and we were the first ones to receive it east of the Mississippi,” he said. “That lays out the whole master plan for the whole park and the development of the mountain bike trails.”
Fortney explained there have been several other grants, donations and local funding for these improvements.
Lastly, in an approximate $127 million project, all 31 cabins were remodeled. Fortney said that with the exception of the HVAC, the cabins were locally remodeled using local contracting, appliances, etc. Additionally, the majority of the furniture in the cabins and the lodge came from Gat Creek Furniture.
