While touring all of Greene County's wonderful parks last weekend, we here at JIN couldn't help but notice that all were completely deserted. Does anybody at all use these parks anymore? What gives?
14 comments:
Anonymous
said...
Spring Lake is generally heavily used. The others really don't get used much if at all.
Back in the 70's, these parks like Seven Hills, Squirrel Hollow, and Spring Lake were overrun weekly by young people like us. The young generation today simply does not know how to party. They are failing miserably.
This thing about the local lack of interest in Greene County parks keeps coming up, and I have to say a couple of things at the start of this thread.
First, the parks in question (Hyde Park, Squirrel Hollow, Seven Hills, and Spring Lake) are extremely well-maintained. They are clean, manicured, and boast modern facilities, including flush toilets in some instances. We spoke with Jefferson resident Dan Sayre, who is in charge of park maintenance, and he states without question that most are rarely used at all.
Second, bloggers continue to insist that Spring Lake is used frequently. I have been there perhaps six or eight times over the past two years, and would virtually guarantee that is many more times than most Jefferson residents. In fact, I have been there over the Fourth of July, Labor Day weekend, and during the Bell Tower Festival. The park (Spring Lake) has been empty each time. Is it possible that I am mistiming my visits somehow? I think it is more likely that the bloggers who say that Spring Lake is heavily used are merely remembering its usage years back. Twenty-five years ago you couldn't even go to the dives way at the back of the park without stumbling over campers. Now there aren't even tables back there.
Rick- Have you noticed the increased amount of camping spots in the past 4-5 years on the east side of the lake? I would say most warm weekends its pretty full. Now the other parks are unfortunately a waste of taxpayer dollars. McMahon access is really a bottom feeder hangout. Never see any normal folks down there, or going in and out of there. Rarely (maybe once a year) the tow rope is running over at 7 Hills for the sledders. Hyde is another great park that is unused. I rode through ther Ledges in Boone several times last summer, and it is also relatively dead all the time also. A sign of the times I am afraid. A sad one at that.
I guess I'm going to have to give you the last word on that. I'll try again next year to visit Spring Lake.
In the meantime, I came across an article from a 1974 edition of the Jefferson Bee. In it, Greene County conservation officer Barney Hobart was providing some information on growth and improvements at county and state parks in the area. He estimated that in the previous year (1973), 132,540 people attended Spring Lake park. The skating rink had been installed in 1969 and was paid for by donors from Boone. He also stated that tennis courts were slated to be installed soon.
Spring Lake was obviously a busy place 30-40 years ago. No matter how busy you may think it is now on weekends, I can't believe that it is anywhere near that busy now.
In 1969 the skating rink was refurbished, not built. Lawrence Welk used to play there waaay back when the county had 18,000 people. That's the problem, not enough people live around there anymore. They all got smart and moved away!
Rickster--- I will have to get an official login to agree or disagree with you...too many of us anony users now. Buford T Justice of Greene county...at any rate I was born a short time before the article you spoke of...I will stand corrected. I just think its busier now than in the late 80;s and 90's... Im shocked it was soo busy back in the early 70's. Id say things are changing and not for the better. How many of your folks were Elks,Masons, or Kiwanians? Id stab that most were. And today Id also guess that majority of you are not members of any community civic organization. People are too busy today doing nothing but being connected.
An unused park is a money pit, a drain on the taxpayers. Plow them under, make farmland out of them. With the hilly, unproductive acres, I'm sure some farmer would love to get conservation reserve program payments from the feds.
Squirrel Hollow is the oldest County Park in Iowa, developed in 1934. There is a large millstone in the center of the floor of the stone shelter house clearly dated 1853.
14 comments:
Spring Lake is generally heavily used. The others really don't get used much if at all.
Nobody smokes dope anymore, so there is no reason to go to the park.
Back in the 70's, these parks like Seven Hills, Squirrel Hollow, and Spring Lake were overrun weekly by young people like us. The young generation today simply does not know how to party. They are failing miserably.
stonehead you are messing up because "failing miserably" should have been bold and underlined with exclamation points, you fool.
This thing about the local lack of interest in Greene County parks keeps coming up, and I have to say a couple of things at the start of this thread.
First, the parks in question (Hyde Park, Squirrel Hollow, Seven Hills, and Spring Lake) are extremely well-maintained. They are clean, manicured, and boast modern facilities, including flush toilets in some instances. We spoke with Jefferson resident Dan Sayre, who is in charge of park maintenance, and he states without question that most are rarely used at all.
Second, bloggers continue to insist that Spring Lake is used frequently. I have been there perhaps six or eight times over the past two years, and would virtually guarantee that is many more times than most Jefferson residents. In fact, I have been there over the Fourth of July, Labor Day weekend, and during the Bell Tower Festival. The park (Spring Lake) has been empty each time. Is it possible that I am mistiming my visits somehow? I think it is more likely that the bloggers who say that Spring Lake is heavily used are merely remembering its usage years back. Twenty-five years ago you couldn't even go to the dives way at the back of the park without stumbling over campers. Now there aren't even tables back there.
Rick-
Have you noticed the increased amount of camping spots in the past 4-5 years on the east side of the lake? I would say most warm weekends its pretty full. Now the other parks are unfortunately a waste of taxpayer dollars. McMahon access is really a bottom feeder hangout. Never see any normal folks down there, or going in and out of there.
Rarely (maybe once a year) the tow rope is running over at 7 Hills for the sledders.
Hyde is another great park that is unused.
I rode through ther Ledges in Boone several times last summer, and it is also relatively dead all the time also.
A sign of the times I am afraid. A sad one at that.
I guess I'm going to have to give you the last word on that. I'll try again next year to visit Spring Lake.
In the meantime, I came across an article from a 1974 edition of the Jefferson Bee. In it, Greene County conservation officer Barney Hobart was providing some information on growth and improvements at county and state parks in the area. He estimated that in the previous year (1973), 132,540 people attended Spring Lake park. The skating rink had been installed in 1969 and was paid for by donors from Boone. He also stated that tennis courts were slated to be installed soon.
Spring Lake was obviously a busy place 30-40 years ago. No matter how busy you may think it is now on weekends, I can't believe that it is anywhere near that busy now.
In 1969 the skating rink was refurbished, not built. Lawrence Welk used to play there waaay back when the county had 18,000 people. That's the problem, not enough people live around there anymore. They all got smart and moved away!
You're right, the smart ones did leave. If they're really smart, they will never go back.
No one smokes dope anymore. There is no reason to go to the parks.
Rickster--- I will have to get an official login to agree or disagree with you...too many of us anony users now. Buford T Justice of Greene county...at any rate I was born a short time before the article you spoke of...I will stand corrected. I just think its busier now than in the late 80;s and 90's... Im shocked it was soo busy back in the early 70's. Id say things are changing and not for the better. How many of your folks were Elks,Masons, or Kiwanians? Id stab that most were. And today Id also guess that majority of you are not members of any community civic organization. People are too busy today doing nothing but being connected.
Nice segue.
An unused park is a money pit, a drain on the taxpayers. Plow them under, make farmland out of them. With the hilly, unproductive acres, I'm sure some farmer would love to get conservation reserve program payments from the feds.
FYI -
Squirrel Hollow is the oldest County Park in Iowa, developed in 1934. There is a large millstone in the center of the floor of the stone shelter house clearly dated 1853.
Post a Comment