On June 2 we held the annual Breakfast in the Park. With the cooler weather and local high school graduations, we were concerned about the number of people who would attend. To our amazement, about 375 people attended this year’s event! As with any other annual event, before the current one is complete the plans are in the works for the next year. That means, keep your eyes and ears open for next year! There is so much more going on before June 2014 so let’s get into the meat of it.
Annual Volunteer Day: We would like to thank all of the volunteers that worked so hard to plant the trees and prepare the trails and do general cleaning of the park. You did a great job!
Treasures of Oz: This year Quarry Lake at Harrington Beach State Park will be one of the featured stops for the Treasures of Oz event. This day-long event takes place on June 15th. You will not need a state park sticker to enter the park on this day. Elaine Nulph will be at Quarry Lake sharing a brief history of the park. You won’t want to miss this one!
Summer Events: The Purple Martin house is up and birds are moving in. One of the major jobs of the volunteers involved with this project involves keeping the different “apartments” in the building available for the Purple Martins. Be sure to check it out the next time you are in the park. The house is located next to the park office.
Monarch Butterfly: Your job, should you choose to accept it, will be to go in a meadow of milkweed with butterfly nets and catch the monarch butterflies. Next you will test the butterflies for the OE parasite, tag and then release them. When the butterflies migrate, we will get reports of where they are found and be able to map their locations. Don’t worry about knowing how to do this, there will be training for this project before going out in the field. The project will be held in August and you are invited! This project is funded in part by a 2013 Affinity Naturalist Grant.
Camping: The campers are back and our first camp hosts have moved out. We wish to thank Glenn and Doris Wiechman for their work in the month of May. Irv and Arlene Brandt are with us during the month of June.
Concession Stand: The stand is open and running. Tara has added Skinny Cow products along with Cracker Jacks and juice. We also have the Keurig up and ready to go for that great cup of coffee or hot tea. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Tara at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call the park office 262-285-3015.
Adolph and Marie Ansay Welcome Center: The Welcome Center may be just what you need for a family gathering or party. It is available for rent on a daily basis. Call the park office at 262-285-3015 to check its available dates and/or to reserve the building.
Cabin Update: The first physical sign of the cabin occurred this spring when electrical was run to the site. We appreciate the Cabin Committee’s work on this project and seeing we continue with our original timeline. Watch for future updates.
Our next monthly meeting will be held on June 27, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. at the Adolph and Marie Ansay Welcome Center. Our meetings are open to the public and we encourage you to come join us.