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Delaney Creek Park is on track to achieve its most profitable year – but the number of visitors is overwhelming the park’s staff.

Park Manager John Burlington, who was frequently visibly frustrated, gave the report during the Tuesday, July 16, meeting of the Washington County Parks & Recreation Board of Directors.
As of the end of June, the park had made a profit of $150,249.

The park sees hundreds of visitors every weekend, with Burlington saying some of those visitors ignore rules and cause damage. He said he would support increases to the gate and annual camper fees to possibly decrease park visitation. He also said he has considered making the beach accessible only to campers who are staying in the park.

The number of visitors has caused safety concerns, with Burlington continuing to have to chase swimmers out of the lake at night. He said his greatest concern has always been the possibility of a swimmer drowning.

Over the Independence Day holiday, Burlington said he helped rescue three boys who got lost on the Knobstone Trail. Despite his lifelong familiarity with the trail, and the tendency for the county to call him when hikers are reported lost, Burlington said his joints are too worn now to be expected to trek such a challenging trail.

Overall, Burlington said the park is understaffed, workers are underpaid, and more security is needed; however, county officials continue to simply pat him on the back for a job well-done rather than address his concerns. He is also disappointed that no county official has ever attended a park board meeting during his tenure.

“I’m tired,” he said. “Very tired.”

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By Jerry Curry, Staff Writer

The Monon South Trail is underway with Phase 1. This includes construction schedules, design standards, and interpretive programs.

The ribbon cutting for the project was held Tuesday, July 16, at Borden Community Park, as a crowd of about 100 looked on.

There was a Community Upgrade Meeting here in Salem on Wednesday, July 17, at the Monon Railroad Museum, 206 S. College Avenue.

Facilitating the meeting were members of Clark Dietz Inc. (Ryan Hughes), Radius Indiana (Jeff Quyle) and Taylor Siefker Williams (Ron Taylor), who each talked about their role in this project. They want to keep the Monon experience alive, Hoosier physical surroundings and Hoosier agriculture intact. Many Monon landmarks will be left as is to keep the railroad theme alive.

The Monon South Trail is a proposed 57-mile trail between Mitchell and Borden, and on to New Albany. This trail will connect eight local communities in the Lawrence, Orange, Washington, and Clark counties in southern Indiana.

The trail continues south through to New Albany. The city of New Albany is in charge of that section and will receive a portion of the Indiana state and government grants which totals $29.5 million. The trail will connect the Louisville loop and Ohio River Greenway trail.

The groups are seeking private funds as well. Right now, the grant will only pay for twenty miles of construction on the trail. This will include trail heads which will have rest rooms, shelters and parking. The rural and urban trailheads will vary in composite. Some of the trail heads will be asphalt and some consisting of limestone aggregate. The design includes rest areas.

The trail is definitely a tourist attraction.  It goes through Mitchell, Orleans, Leipsic, Saltillo, Campbellsburg, Salem, New Pekin, Borden and down to New Albany in that order. The group is working on consistency of signage along the trail. 

The Orleans trail has a hard dead line of August 25. This was perceived to be easiest and will be the example for others to come. The old rails and ties were removed leaving the rock.

The Salem Trailhead will start at the intersection of South Main and West Small streets. Presently at that site is an CSX building and a large boxcar. The group said the railroad forgot about the boxcar and sent them a quick claim deal. It is being restored and now has a coat of red primer. This part of the trail will be 18 miles long and is a part of Segment One. It will run from Salem through New Pekin to Borden. The trail runs across two bodies of water, the Middle Fork Blue River and the South Fork Blue River at New Pekin. No completion date is given. One obstacle is the bridges. The floor must be removed and a new floor installed and, of course, inspected.

There are many websites and a Facebook page for more information.

The trail at this point is not open to the public.

Staff photos by Jerry Curry

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This weekend, Washington County Theatre (WCT) will present “The Wizard of Oz,” the tale of young Dorothy Gale’s eventful journey to the Emerald City, in its biggest production to date.

Shows are set for August 23 and 24 at 7:30 p.m. and August 24 and 25 at 2:30 p.m. at West Washington High School’s auditorium.

Director Daniel Main said that this production has “an incredibly strong cast” and that many of the adults in the show learned about acting as children in WCT’s Pied Piper Productions. “All of our main cast are very experienced and came up through children’s theatre. We’ve got the cream of the crop here, and I’m really proud of them,” said Main.

Community theatre brings together people who love telling stories on the stage, and cast members say “The Wizard of Oz” is a great show to be a part of. Isabelle Davis, 10, who plays a Munchkin, said the stage adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s book is fun to perform. “There are different things about it that make it unique. There are parts when you think, ‘Oh, no! The bad side’s going to win,’ and then you think, ‘No, the good side’s going to win,’ and it makes everyone get all excited about it,” she explained.

Isabelle’s mother, Amanda Davis, said she herself grew up performing in school productions and appreciates the skills her daughter is able to learn through being onstage. “I think it’s really good for self-confidence and self-esteem, for them to put themselves out there. She’s not as afraid to go do something that’s scary the first time. She’s willing to try things and have fun,” said Davis.

Main agreed that community theatre provides a way to build important skills and form new relationships “for children all the way up to adults,” adding, “in fact, a lot of people I’ve met over the years were individuals brand new to town. They just moved here, and they were looking for a way to get involved in the community and meet people, and this is how they do it and build their main block of friends.”

Mark Carter heads the cast as the Wizard. Dorothy is played by Abbigail Ferguson, who will be a senior this school year at West Washington High School. Straton Thomas plays the Scarecrow, and Ryland Sparkman portrays the Tin Man. The Cowardly Lion is played by Jacob Dufour. Kayla Seybold and Rosie Morehous play the Wicked Witch; McKenna Hedrick and Rachel Dufour play Glinda. Lacey Sample and Lydia Casey portray Auntie Em, and Michael Murphy plays Uncle Henry.

The Munchkins in the show are Emily Bambusch, Mia Bambusch, Brylynn Blair, Ella Blake, Ogie Bundy, Ameliah Camp, Payton, Cole, Sesley Cole, Emrie Collier, Maggie Corp, Blair Dowling, Jax Deckard, Gracie Dunaway, Nkemlee Ebogu, Evalynne Grissom, Catie Haag, Ava Jetter, Luke Lewandowski, Macie Lewandowski, Dawson McKinley, Gracie Morehous, Scarlett Morgan, Brigid Nance, Aubrey Nokes, Barrett Nunley, and Molly Nunley.

Also portraying Munchkins are Isabella Padilla, Emmy Russell, Grayson Russell, Jaxon Russell, Madilyn Russell, Piper Sample, Dahlia Scifres, Etta Scifres, Charlotte Seeley, Kiki Snelling, Adaleah Stevens, Jacobi Stockton, Sorin Strickland, Katie Stroud, Asher Sutherland, Eleanor Sutherland, Jaxtin Tankersly, Madeleine Trauth, Grant Waters, and Eli Wynn.

The Citizens of Oz are Kinlee Asher, Brylee Boso, Phoebe Ferguson, Avey Marshall, Rives Marshall, Callie Robbins, Estin Roop, Wil Sears, Grace Snyder, Langston Sparkman, Julie Stroud, and Alex Wilde. Rebecca McKinley portrays Oz Doorman and Citizen, and Chelsey Murphy will play Guard and Oz Citizen.

Aislynn Compton, Brooks Deaton, Juneau Main, Daniel Miner, Katie Perkins, and Elle Strother will portray Flying Monkeys and Oz Citizens. Avan Ewing, Amelia Hendricks, Hannah Ingram, Evelyn Loughmiller, Owen Stephenson, and Miranda Smith will play Winkies and Citizens of Oz. Finally, Alex Blake, Kara Blake, and Kayla Troutman will portray Haunted Trees and Citizens of Oz.

Charity Main is the Assistant Director. L. Frank Baum’s book was adapted for the stage by Frank Gabrielson, with music and lyrics of the MGM motion picture score by Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg. Background music for the production is by Herbert Stothart. WCT is presenting the Muny version of the story by special arrangement with Concord Publishing and Tams-Witmark. All authorized performance materials are also provided by Concord Publishing and Tams-Witmark.

Tickets are $14 (adults) and $12 (students and seniors 65 and older). Those wishing to attend are asked to reserve their seats by texting the date and time of the desired show, as well as the needed number of tickets, to Charity Main at 812-620-3701. Payment will be collected at the door, which will open a half-hour before each show. Audience members will use Door 17 to access the auditorium at West Washington High School in Campbellsburg.

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The Campbellsburg Country Festival Kickoff event will take place this Saturday, July 20, from 4 to 10 p.m. at the Campbellsburg Ball Park.

The Festival Committee will be selling food at the concession stand at the ballpark, such as hot dogs, drinks, and popcorn. Brother B's Ice Cream truck will also be present. Craft and commercial vendors will be there. The Salem High School Guitar Club will be playing from 8-9:30 p.m., with fireworks by Straight Shooters ending the night. There will be a chance to enter into raffles with proceeds going to the Campbellsburg Festival Committee to ensure a great 30th Campbellsburg Country Festival this September. The big raffle is a package from West Baden Springs Hotel for a 1-night stay and breakfast for 2. 

If there are questions about setting up a booth, please contact Whitley Clements at 812-620-9967 or Kayce Johnson at 812-620-6118, or join the Campbellsburg Country Festival group on Facebook.

The Campbellsburg Ball Park is located at 174 East Vine Street, Campbellsburg, IN 47108.