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Interest in outdoor recreation remains high for 2023 | Business

Interest in outdoor recreation remains high for 2023 | Business

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, 2023-05-01 14:00:00,

Editor’s note: This article was published in the Record-Eagle’s “Momentum ’23” special publication. For more stories from northern Michigan’s economic engine, click here to read Momentum in its entirety online.

The pandemic-influenced surge in outdoor recreation is showing signs of slowing, but if you’re looking to reserve a campground spot for your new RV over a summer holiday in northwestern Michigan, you better get to booking.

Campgrounds and Michigan’s parks and recreation division report another early year of high interest among reservation seekers as factors brought on by the global health issue persist.

People who sought socially distant outdoor recreation made an investment in and found an appreciation for not just camping but also hiking, biking and kayaking, among other similar activities. And while sellers of RVs, hiking boots and other gear aren’t seeing the record sales of 2020 and 2021, the natural beauty of the area and scores of new converts are encouraging, despite how inflation and rising interest rates are affecting consumer attitudes.

“Camping in general has really seen a resurgence of interest,” said Joe Cooper, owner of Kalkaska RV Park and Campground.

The great interest in the great outdoors

That camping as an outdoor getaway experienced a surge in interest amid the pandemic isn’t surprising. People who were told to keep their distance from others were looking for some recreational outlet. Gyms were closed. Restaurants were closed. Flights and their distant destinations raised worries of health risks.

A campground in many ways was a COVID oasis, a welcome reprieve from the staid confines of our homes and the outsized attention we focused on our cellphones and television screens and their continual updates of an uncertain future.

“2020 was really off the charts,” Cooper said. “2021 was much the same. Just people looking for any way to get out and about and do something besides sit at home, especially little children.”

What is perhaps less apparent is how the pandemic continues to fuel camping’s popularity despite the restaurants and movie theaters and trips to the Caribbean being back on. The rise of remote work, for instance, allowed people to work from nearly anywhere, including a campground. Supply chain troubles helped spur high…

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New Curwensville Lake manger counts park atmosphere among his benefits | News

New Curwensville Lake manger counts park atmosphere among his benefits | News

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, 2023-04-30 18:23:34,

CURWENSVILLE — For Bill Royer of Grampian, it has been a natural progression to the position of park manager at Curwensville Lake Recreation Area.

Royer, who was recently hired for the position, spent a lot of time at the lake fishing to fill his time when he lost his job as a manager at the Sears department store in DuBois when the store closed in late 2018.

A veteran of the U.S. Army, Royer said he suddenly had many hours to fill after the job he had devoted 26 years of his life had ended. He said he chose to spend some of those fishing at Curwensville Lake.

“I like to fish and there is great fishing here,” Royer said. He named muskies, crappies and bass as some of the species he enjoys casting his fishing lines for –all prevalent species at the lake.

“Some of the biggest crappies I’ve ever caught have come from this lake,” he told The Progress.

It was during a fishing excursion to Curwensville Lake in 2019 that he learned the authority was looking for someone to fill a vacant position on the grounds crew.

“I thought, why not?” Royer said. He said he enjoys the outdoors and the pleasing scenery at Curwensville Lake would make it a pleasure to come to work each day.

“This is a very quiet and tranquil place. It’s peaceful, there’s lots of fresh air and beautiful surroundings here,” he said noting some of the reasons why he wanted to work at the lake.

He said he worked with the grounds crew for one year before he was promoted to the head of the lake’s maintenance crew.

In March he advanced again to the position of park manager. He said he hopes to bring some consistency to the job where there have been turnovers in recent years.

“I enjoy the challenge and the diversity of this position. I don’t get overwhelmed. That’s something I learned as a manager at Sears. I just try to find a way each day for different personalities to get along and work together to get the jobs done,” Royer said.

He said he oversees 15 employees who work as part of the the grounds crew and the office staff. They range in age from 14 to 65.

While sometimes personnel matters can be challenging, Royer said he has great affection for his co-workers, some with whom he has worked with from the beginning. “Everyone gets along. We are like a big family here,” he explained.

Royer said he would like to encourage everyone to visit…

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Downtown dining: New eateries expand Neosho square’s operation | Business

Downtown dining: New eateries expand Neosho square’s operation | Business

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, 2023-04-28 22:30:00,

NEOSHO, Mo. — Dusty Altman has seen traffic come and go on the Neosho square for 17 years, and he used to be able to set a watch to it.

From the windows of Sam’s Cellar, formerly owned by his stepfather, he would watch how cars cleared away from the square as soon as the courthouse closed, leaving behind scores of empty parking spots. The only ones filled were around the pizza place.

“Five o’clock would come around, and the square would clear out,” said Altman, now the owner of the restaurant. “There was nothing holding people except for us.”

That’s not the case anymore. A new crop of eateries has brought more customers to downtown after business hours, providing an economic draw that is affecting the square’s business identity.

Neosho’s downtown is now a dining destination, offering a variety of locally owned restaurants and other eateries. The new businesses are helping to drive traffic from other cities, with visitors finding more reasons to spend more time in the city.

Already attracted by existing features such as the High Ground Bike Preserve’s bike trails and other features at Morse Park, the restaurants give tourists a reason to prolong their visit, said Lauri Lyerla, director of the Neosho Area Chamber of Commerce.

“The square is really coming together as a place for more than the people who just work here, live here,” Lyerla said. “Now there are other reasons. We have had some of those draws for a long time, but there weren’t enough to keep people here for a full day.”

It wasn’t too long ago that Sam’s Cellar, Charley’s and The Clay Cup were the only eateries near the square.

Changes

Within the past year:

• Indian Springs Brewing Company and Briar and Thistle have collaborated for an evening dining experience, and the brewing company has added regular events such as trivia nights, comedians and musicians.

• A-Ray’s Desserts, a dessert lounge, offers a variety of sweet treats.

• Downtown Nutrition, a smoothie and juice bar, also offers a variety of teas, coffees, oatmeal bowls and waffles, all with health in mind.

• Spring Street Bar and Grill bills itself as “the steakhouse Neosho has been waiting for,” and offers standard restaurant fare including burgers and sandwiches. It also offers live music on weekends with hours of…

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Disc golf course coming to Webb City’s King Jack Park | Local News

Disc golf course coming to Webb City’s King Jack Park | Local News

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, 2023-02-16 02:00:00,

WEBB CITY, Mo. — A new disc golf course will be up and running in Jasper County, perhaps before this summer.

The Webb City Council recently voted to buy the baskets and build a nine-hole course on the south side of King Jack Park near the Webb City girls softball fields.

City Administrator Carl Francis said the city will spend $7,433 with Innova Disc Golf to buy 18 of the baskets.

“We’re going to build nine holes and see how it works out,” Francis said. “For the last year or two, we’ve had several groups of individuals requesting that we put a disc golf course in. The parks department has been working with the Joplin Disc Golf Club helping with the placement and design. That group is buying the tee markers.”

Francis said the city has been working with James Childers and the Joplin Disc Golf Club to design the course.

Childers said they’ve been working to get a disc golf course in King Jack Park since before the COVID-19 pandemic, which delayed the process.

Childers said disc golf is a sport that people can get into for a small investment in a couple of discs.

“A set of discs is about $40, but you can really go play with one or two discs, which is $20 or $30 to start,” Childers said. “It’s just a very relaxing sport that you don’t have to get tee times. I’m a golfer, and I switched over to disc golf because it’s very laid-back. I can travel; disc golf courses are pretty much free across the U.S., and it’s just a very friendly feel to it. It’s not a sport that’s competitive; the people you meet on the course will give you discs if they find out you’re new and just starting. It’s just a very inviting community.”

Childers said he and the Joplin Disc Golf Club have been helping design courses in parks across the Joplin region.

He said McClelland Park is the flagship of regional disc golf courses with four separate courses at that park in south Joplin.

The one going in at King Jack Park is a beginner’s course.

“We’re putting in a beginner’s course to gauge the interest and provide something for the city,” Childers said. “But there’s multiple design layouts that have been put together for Webb City, so as the interest there grows, there’s a possibility for different courses there in the future.”

Francis said the disc golf course…

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Woman, Man, Youth of the Year to be named Thursday

Woman, Man, Youth of the Year to be named Thursday

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, 2023-04-25 13:30:00,

The Enterprise Pilot Club is hosting its annual Civic Night reception to honor the newly chosen Man, Woman, and Youth of the Year for 2022.

The event is Thursday night at the First Baptist Church of Enterprise in the Fellowship Hall at 6:30 p.m.

Woman of the Year nominees are Heather Jones, Stacy Thames, Kimberly Hoobler, and Sonya Wheeler Rich.

Man of the Year nominees are James Tarbox, Jason Berry Thames, and Rodrick Caldwell.

Youth of the Year nominees are Celesia Page, Ella Hogan, Emily Turner, Faith Lett, Arianna Johnson, and Tyler Mitchell.

Heather JonesThe OSCAR Club nominated Heather Jones, who has lived in Enterprise since 1998. She graduated from Enterprise High School and studied at Troy University.

Jones attends HighPointe Church. Jones is a Coffee County Habitat for Humanity board member serving on the Family Selection Committee. She helped plan the Father Daughter Dinner and was a volunteer member of the kitchen staff, service, and clean up.

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Jones was selected by the Coffee County United Way Representative as a loaned executive with Wiregrass United Way Campaign. She has served two years as a loaned executive speaking at schools and businesses to assist with their campaign. Volunteering with the Enterprise Chamber of Commerce she is a member of the board of directors and was selected for the Enterprise Chamber of Commerce Ambassador Team serving as a member for three years and Team Captain for two years. She shares her expertise as a volunteer marketing director for the Alpha Elite Lions basketball organization. Serving with the Wiregrass Board of Realtors she worked with blood drives and as a Salvation Army bell ringer. She gave her time to make Christmas better for seniors and children at Christmas. She worked with AUSA in 2022 to plan and host a trivia night and run their local social media pages. She worked to clean up neglected areas for the Day of Service.

Stacy ThamesStacy Thames is Altrusa of Enterprise’s nominee for the 2022 Woman of the Year. Thames is a native of Enterprise and a graduate of Enterprise High School. She and her husband Berry have two children. Thames works for M1 Support Service and owns her own small business,…

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Parks Committee approves Playhouse events, security camera donation | News

Parks Committee approves Playhouse events, security camera donation | News

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, 2023-04-24 00:00:00,

MURRAY – The Murray Parks Committee last week approved two planned Playhouse in the Park events for later this year, as well as accepting a donation of security cameras and renewing its lawnmower lease.

Playhouse in the Park Executive Director Lisa Copeland spoke to the committee about a “ghost light walk” the community theater would like to do toward the back of the park in conjunction with Halloween. She said the Playhouse Board of Directors has tentatively planned to hold the family-friendly event from 5-8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Oct. 13-14, and they would ideally like to put a traffic barricade up next to the Saputo Playground to ensure safety for the participants. 

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Select Board receives updates on senior center, memorial | News

Select Board receives updates on senior center, memorial | News

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, 2023-04-15 16:00:00,

WILMINGTON — On Monday night, the Select Board received presentations from Elderly Services Director Terri Marciello and Veterans Services Director Lou Cimaglia before they went through their communications and appro­ved various requests.

Elderly Services Direc­tor Terri Marciello re­por­ted that programs are back in full swing at the Senior Center during the week, with over 100 seniors attending programs daily. She invited Case Manager Laura Pic­kett to speak to the re­cent programs for Alz­heimer’s and dementia.

Pickett mentioned their series of programs fo­cusing on Alzheimer’s and dementia from Au­gust through October of 2022 educating residents on things like warning signs of dementia and understanding dementia behaviors. These brought in 35-40 people each time. She said that she appreciated the chance to in­crease awareness of the senior center’s services.

Pickett also shared some upcoming events including a session on healthcare proxies and power of attorney on June 1 and a session on the dementia experience on June 6. These will ad­dress some of the physical and emotional hardships of those struggling with dementia.

There is also an ongoing caregiver’s support group that meets at the senior center, for which they had recently started up a volunteer program of support with home visits.

Marciello went on to name some of their popular activities such as wood carving and groups playing chess, cribbage, and cornhole. They are starting up a Civics 101 class and resuming Cof­fee with a Cop. The senior center had just concluded a tax program with volunteers from AARP to service residents. She invited anyone interested in being a home-delivered meal dri­ver to reach out to the senior center.

Chair Judy O’Connell said that she looked forward to even further ex­pansion of services with the new senior center being created.

Marciello replied that she was glad to provide intergenerational programming. She’s also looking for more connections for volunteering opportunities with Wil­mington’s schools, not just at the high school. O’Connell told Marciello that they could come back at any time with more updates.

Veterans Services Di­rector Lou Cimaglia in­formed the board about funding made available to the town to create a World War II memorial. Through discussion with Town Manager Jeff Hull and Director…

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Glass Blown Open returns with amateur-only format | Gaz

Glass Blown Open returns with amateur-only format | Gaz

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, 2023-04-13 13:13:42,

Three years after retiring the name, Dynamic Discs is bringing back the Glass Blown Open this month with a format that harkens back to its roots. 

Tournament Director Jackie Morris said the 2023 GBO, set for April 22 – 30, is an amateur-only event designed to give players a “pro experience.” 

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Walking path between Randolph, Dell Urich golf courses could work if done right

Walking path between Randolph, Dell Urich golf courses could work if done right

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, 2023-03-29 18:00:00,

The Randolph Golf Course opened in 1925, and the Star soon editorialized that it was to be “a place where everyone can go and enjoy 480 acres.”

“Picture in your mind a great park, shade trees, stretching green lawns, a park bench in a cool spot, the children enjoying the sunshine out of doors …”

Golf flourished. The “great park?” Not so much.

Randolph became one of America’s busiest municipal golf facilities. In 1958, the city approved a second 18 holes — now known as Dell Urich Golf Course — and by the 1990s Golf Digest magazine reported that the Randolph Golf Complex was No. 2 in America for rounds played per year.

The “park bench in a cool spot” idea was forgotten, overwhelmed by Tucson’s love for golf and its profitability.

Now, almost a century after the Randolph golf course opened, the City of Tucson is three months deep into a campaign to “reinvent and reimagine” the Randolph and Dell Urich golf courses.

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It has hired a landscape architect and an urban planner. It has engaged special-interest groups — birdwatchers, skateboarders, disc golfers — to, among other things, “develop opportunities to create park space within the current golf course boundaries.”

The Big Item: a public walking path smack between the No. 1 hole at Randolph and No. 18 hole at Dell Urich, from Alvernon Way to Hi Corbett Field and Reid Park.

No word on whether hard hats will be sold or rented for the walk. Or whether “Quiet Please!” signs would be posted every 20 yards.

“The next step,” said City Parks and Recreation deputy director Greg Jackson, “is to conduct a more broad community survey online, listen to everybody, and then make our recommendations to the Mayor and City Council.”






The Randolph North and Dell Urich golf courses in midtown…

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Bjerkaas prepares for next chapter with PDGA | Gaz

Bjerkaas prepares for next chapter with PDGA | Gaz

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, 2023-03-27 20:00:00,

Dynamic Discs announced last week that longtime company events director, and current president, Doug Bjerkaas, will be leaving the iconic golf disc manufacturer.

Bjerkaas starts a director-level position with the Professional Disc Golf Association on April 1.

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