March 20, 2013 • Volume 1

PROGRESS UPDATEQUALITY OF LIFE2013

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The Valley News • Wednesday, March 20, 2013 PROGRESS/QUALITY OF LIFEPAGE2C

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By KENT DINNEBIERStaff Writer

Whatever their interests, outdoor enthu-siasts are sure to find just what they arelooking for in the Page County park sys-tem.

Page County features seven unique parklocations containing approximately 900acres of land. The parks are administeredby the Page County Conservation Board.

“I believe we offer a nice rounding ofrecreational opportunities. Some peopleenjoy fishing while others take advantageof the camping sites and others just enjoywalking the various trails,” Charly Stevenssaid.

Stevens and Rich Wallace serve as co-directors of the Page County ConservationDepartment. They report to ConservationBoard, which was established in 1957.The Conservation Board consists of fivecounty residents, from different regions ofthe county, appointed by the Page CountyBoard of Supervisors. The current boardmembers are Charles Spencer,Shenandoah; Tom Johnson, Essex; GeorgeCrawford, Clarinda; Ron Bitting,Clarinda; and Joyce Kruse, Shenandoah.

The County Conservation Center islocated one and one-half miles north ofClarinda on Highway 71. The ground andbuilding which now houses the boardoffice and education center was donated toPage County in 2003 by the Harland-McMannama #103 Post of the AmericanVeterans of World War II.

The office and education center is situ-ated on 7.86 acres of land adjacent to theNodaway River. Staff members have con-structed a river access and there is also anopen area and picnic table available foruse.

The building was remodeled in 2009when the board moved its office from thePage County Courthouse. In addition, theClarinda Trees Forever Committeereceived a grant from the IowaDepartment of Natural Resources TreesFor Kids program and with the assistanceof third and fourth grade students from

Clarinda 27 trees were planted on thegrounds since the move.

Hunter safety classes are also offered atthe center and utilize the trap houses locat-ed on the grounds.

Pioneer ParkThe first park established by the Page

County Conservation Board was PioneerPark located midway between Clarindaand Shenandoah on Highway 2. The landfor the park was purchased in 1958 andcovers approximately 22 acres including atwo acre pond.

“This is a great rest stop for those trav-eling on Highway 2 and as a result it getsa lot of usage,” Stevens said. “One of thebig draws for Pioneer Park is the annualfishing derby sponsored by theShenandoah and Essex Optimist Clubs.”

The park also features 10 electricalcampsites and two primitive camp sites.There are also two shelter houses, play-ground equipment and a modern bath-room located near the campground.Pioneer Park also features picnic sitesthroughout the park and a playing fieldideal for football, soccer and similarevents.

Meanwhile, the pond is stocked with avariety of fish including bass, crappie,bluegill and catfish.

Nodaway Valley ParkSimilarly, Nodaway Valley Park located

two miles north of Clarinda on Highway71, is a popular camping destination forcounty residents and visitors alike. It fea-tures 12 electrical campsites and twoprimitive sites as well as modern rest-rooms and two shelter houses.

“The majority of our visitors are inter-ested in the established campsites atPioneer Park and Nodaway Valley Park,but we do have quite a few people whoenjoy primitive camping,” Stevens said.“The modern campsites include picnictables, a fire ring, grills and electrical andwater service. Currently we are runningon 30 amps at the electrical sites and with-in the next fiscal year we hope to upgradethe electrical service at Pioneer Park to 50amps. Then, in another fiscal year, we

want to do the same thing at NodawayValley Park.”

Although fuel prices impact number ofcampers visiting the parks in Page County,Stevens said usage has remained strongover the last five years. “The parks areusually full on the holidays,” she said.

Nodaway Valley Park consists of a totalof 167 acres. The first parcel of 65 acreswas purchased in 1960 and four more pur-chases were made between 1964 and1974.

The elevated terrain of the park createsseveral panoramic views of the NodawayRiver and East Nodaway River. There arealso four miles of trails in the park that canbe utilized by those interested in hiking,biking and horseback riding.

Other features of the park include play-ground equipment, an open playing fieldwith an observation deck, upland timberand open fields.

Ross Park Ross Park is located at 300th Street and

V Avenue near Braddyville. The park is areclaimed quarry situated on 76 acres ofland that offers a pair of six acre ponds.

The land was purchased from the RossFamily in 1979. The park is maintainedand managed as an undeveloped wildlifearea that allows public hunting and fish-ing. The two ponds are stocked with bass,catfish, walleye and bluegill.

The Southwest Iowa Bow HuntersArchery Club also hosts organized 3-Dbow shoots at the park from Marchthrough September. The club has alsodeveloped some trails to further enhancethe area.

Meanwhile, on the south side of theroad, is the Ross Brothers/ Page CountyPheasants Forever Wildlife Area. Thiswildlife area includes approximately 57acres of land with a seven acre pond aswell as timber and open spaces.

The land for the wildlife area was pur-chased from Harold Wilmarth in 2008 byPage County Pheasants Forever with theassistance of the Iowa Natural HeritageFoundation and Iowa Pheasants Forever. Itwas then donated to Page County.

Intended for public hunting, the landused for the wildlife area was originallyowned by the Ross Family. The three Rossbrothers designed a sign, plantings andsome landscaping at the entrance to thearea. Future management plans includingimproving access and timber stands.Plantings of trees, shrubs, food plots,warm season grasses and forbs are alsoplanned.

Stephens TractThe Stephens Tract is located at J20 and

Second Street near Hepburn. The four acretract of ground was donated to PageCounty by the Jim Stephens Family in1987.

The conservation area is managed forwildlife habitat and showcases an exampleof the few remaining lowland and wetlandareas in the county.

Pierce Creek Park and Recreation Area

Pierce Creek Park and RecreationalArea is comprised of 361 acres includinga 40 acre lake. The campground featuring12 electrical campsites and eight primitivesites is located on 140th Street with accessto the west on A Avenue and to the southon 150th Street. There is also a shelterhouse at the recreational area.

“Pierce Creek is one of our biggestparks in terms of acreage and offers anoth-er public hunting area as well as trails forhiking and horseback riding,” Stevenssaid. “Currently an equestrian camp-ground is being developed that includeshorse pens, tie rails, fire rings and picnicsites.”

Along with the 10 miles of trails, thereare also 40 acres of restored prairie alongwith timber and open grasslands.Meanwhile, the lake offers walleye cat-fish, crappie, bluegill, bass and bullhead.

“Page County Conservation has a fish-eries management agreement with theIowa Department of Natural Resources toactively stock all of our fishing areas.Boating is allowed, but no gas motors are

NODAWAY VALLEY PARK... A park bench and a break in the trees provides a great view of theNodaway River, north of Clarinda, from the Nodaway Valley Park. The park has a variety of walk-ing trails with canopies of trees, campground and playground. (Photo courtesy of Page CountyConservation Board)

PIERCE CREEK PARK... Pierce Creek Park and Recreational Area has 361 acres and a 40 acrelake. The campground features 12 electrical campsites, eight primitive sites, public hunting areaand trails for hiking and horseback riding. (Photo courtesy of Page County Conservation Board)

Page County parks feature numerous amenities for all

see PAGE CO PARKS, Page 4C

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By JASON GLENNStaff Writer

The excuses for not gettinginto better shape are going to bepretty hard to come by in Sidneynow that the school gym is oper-ating under new rules.

Can’t fit a gym visit into yourschedule? This one’s open 24hours a day, seven days a week.Just walk right in. Can’t affordthe extra expense of a gym mem-bership? This one is free.

“Our small communities don’thave the capacity to buildYMCAs, so what can we do tohelp make those kinds of facili-ties accessible to the communi-ty?” Sidney schools superinten-dent Gregg Cruickshank said theschool board considered beforedeciding to open the weightroom and fitness center to every-one in early January. “Those arethe people paying taxes anywayso if there’s some kind of benefitthey can derive from havingaccess to that facility…the thingis getting used like crazy. It’s justcontinuing to grow.”

Cruickshank said the processof turning the school’s workoutfacility into one the entire com-munity could use started a fewyears ago when Sidney Fire andRescue received a grant to pur-chase fitness equipment but did-n’t have room for the three tread-mills, three elliptical machinesand three stationary bikes in thefirehouse. They approached thedistrict with a plan to donatethem to the school in exchangefor access to the workout room.

Cruickshank said that offerspurred the idea to knock out acouple walls and turn what was a800-900 square foot weight roominto a 2,100-2,200 square footfitness facility that could accom-modate upwards of 30 people at atime. When they started consid-ering potential renovations to theelementary school gym,Cruickshank said it became clear

that people beyond just the facul-ty, staff and students wanted toget in on it.

“One of the things that cameback from a community surveywas more community access tothe weight room and fitness facil-ity. So we started talking abouthow it would be a good idea todo that,” he said. “Some othercommunities were doing that and(we discussed) what would bethe best way.”

The school board sought inputfrom other districts that hadimplemented similar plans withthe main goal being the greatestaccess to as many people as pos-sible and settled on installing a

couple of cameras in the roomand simply leaving the doorsopen all the time to anyone inter-ested in coming by. In the monthor so it’s been open, the fitnessfacility has been used at all hoursof the day and, during those peaktimes early in the morning and inthe late afternoon, been prettymuch filled to capacity withcommunity members and stu-dent-athletes working out side-by-side.

“It’s going off in a lot of differ-ent directions and the goal is asmuch participation as possibleand to promote the overall well-ness and fitness of our studentsand members of our community,”

Cruickshank said.One of the people helping

drive interest and participation atthe facility is trainer SuzanneHall, who has been running amorning workout “boot camp” inSidney for more than a year andin February just started offering abasic weight training class in thefacility. Hall, who worked at awellness center for five yearsbefore starting her own businessa couple years ago, said her maingoal is to get people past whatcan be a daunting set of chal-lenges – feeling unfamiliar in agym environment and finding thetime to make exercise part of aroutine.

“I thought with them (openingthe fitness room) there are goingto be a lot more people coming inafter work and on the weekendsand I’ve done some classes in thepast that have to do with teachingthe basics. I just thought it wouldbe good not only for the school tohave the equipment used proper-ly but also to have more peopleusing it, too,” she said. “Thereare people that are just intimidat-ed walking into someplace likethat. They might have been in agym before but it’s differentequipment, a different way thatit’s set up.”

She has about 10 people goingthrough her introductory class, agood number for the size of thefacility and her desire to provideone-on-one attention, she said,and plans on offering the $25,four-session class again inMarch. In addition, Hall hasstarted a fitness challengebetween the high school and ele-mentary school teachers thatfocuses less on making triath-letes out of everyone and moreon simply getting them to incor-porate healthy diet and exercisechoices into their everydayschedules.

As a fitness trainer in a smallcommunity, Hall said she isn’t inthis line of work to get rich butinstead wants to see as manypeople as possible realize and acton the fact that getting in shapedoesn’t have to cost an arm and aleg. And, with a free and fullyfunctional facility right aroundthe corner, taking advantage ofthe opportunity doesn’t have tobe a workout in itself.

“It’s not about gettingextremely fit, it’s a matter of hav-ing a healthy lifestyle. My wholegoal as a personal trainer is it’snot about always being perfectand doing the right thing, it’sabout doing those right things asmuch as you can and findingways to easily build them intoyour life,” she said.

Free weights: Sidney gym nowopen to community 24/7 at no cost

SIDNEY GYM... Some boys put to use some of the equipment in the 2,000 plus square foot fitness facility at SidneyHigh School that could accommodate 30 people. The idea was to offer a place for exercise equipment for the area res-idents and not have to travel to larger towns which offer those services. (photo by Tess Gruber Nelson/The ValleyNews)

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Prevention Committee set to curb drug and alcohol abuseBy KRISTAN GRAY

Staff WriterA Shenandoah community ini-

tiative is in place to help preventdrug, alcohol and tobacco abuse,as well as to help treat those withaddictions.

“The average age of first use ofalcohol, is age eight,” said JamieStargell, who is a drug and alco-hol prevention specialist withZion Recovery.

Stargell organized the group ofconcerned community leaders fora kick-off meeting that took placein January. The group will meetregularly to plot a plan that willhopefully provide support forpeople of all ages.

Stargell and others in the com-munity are concerned about whatthey’re seeing. ShenandoahPolice Chief Kris Grebert sits onthe panel.

“The trouble is, more and moreparents are having parties in theirhomes for teenagers, and lettingthe kids drink alcohol,” he said.“Also,” added the chief, “Whensomeone has a designated driver,studies show that those who aredrinking, drink heavier than theywould otherwise.”

Underage tobacco consump-tion is another concern of thegroup – as is second hand smoke.Mayor Dick Hunt addressed thetobacco issue, saying that the city

council is considering institutinga smoking ban in city parks.

Tobacco expert Brandy Powersis with Free People FromTobacco. She shared informationthat exposure to second-handsmoke has immediate health con-sequences such as asthma attacksand other respiratory diseases.

“Ten milligrams of nicotine is alethal dose in children,” Powerssaid. “One-to-two milligrams isconsidered toxic. Cigarettes con-tain nine to 30 milligrams ofnicotine and butts contain .1-1.5

milligrams; ingestion of just onecigarette butt could be toxic tochildren and ingestion of one cig-arette could be lethal,” she added.

“A person in close proximity tothe source of secondhand smoke,or a person in an area with a highconcentration of secondhandsmoke would be most likely to beat risk in outdoor settings,”Powers said.

She continued with, “Studiessuggest that sitting three feetaway from a smoker outdoors canexpose you to the same level of

secondhand smoke as if you weresitting indoors with a smoker.”Powers cited examples of sittingin bleachers, at a picnic table, oreven walking on a trail behindsomeone who is smoking.

“According to RepaceAssociates,” Powers said,“Second-hand smoke levels inoutdoor public places can reachlevels as high as those found inindoor facilities where smokingis permitted.”

Powers stated that studiesprove that tobacco-free policies

encourage young people to makehealthy choices. “The moretobacco-free environments acommunity provides, the feweropportunities there are for youthto start using tobacco,” Powerssaid.

Stargell hopes the meetingswill provide important informa-tion to help kids make aninformed choice, and will provideparents with information theyneed to best explain things totheir kids.

“I think that the media isn’talways effective in communicat-ing healthy choices,” Stargellsaid. “Especially when there areTV characters doing things like‘huffing’ ketchup bottles – mak-ing light of such serious issueslike huffing, is not always thebest way to convey a message. Itis, however, a good opportunityfor parents to talk with kids aboutmaking right choices,” she said.

“Face-to-face time betweenparents and children is impor-tant,” Stargell said. “Even whenreading a text, things can be takenthe wrong way. So, sitting downtogether over dinner is a greattime for conversation. And,watching TV together is a goodway to open lines of communica-tion.”

For more information or tips,call (712) 246-4832.

PARTNERSHIP... Community members join forces to help prevent alcohol and drug abuse in Shenandoah. Picturedfront: Deb Turnbull of Pella Corp., Shenandoah Police Chief Kris Grebert, Group Organizer Jamie Stargell of ZionRecovery Services. Back row: Linda Rost of Shenandoah Medical Center, Brandy Powers of Free People from Tobacco,Sheila Roush of Zion Recovery, Jaynie Henton and Laurie Cooley of Zion Recovery, Rena Richardson of State Farm,Corrinna Bix of Page County Health and Lance Cornelius of State Farm.Not pictured are Mayor Dick Hunt, Shenandoah High School Principal Sandy Hilding and Kristan Gray.

PAGE CO PARKSContinued from Page 2C

permitted. That is the regulation in all ofthe Page County recreational areas,”Stevens said.

Rapp Park and Recreation Area

The latest addition to the Page CountyPark System is Rapp Park and RecreationArea located on A Avenue north ofShenandoah. The former sand pit was pur-chased in 2007 with assistance from theRapp Trust/Iowa Natural HeritageFoundation.

The park features 205 acres of ground

with approximately 100 acres of wateramong the various individual fishingponds. There is also a handicapped acces-sible fishing pier.

Meanwhile, the recreational area alsoserves as a migratory resting place in thespring and fall for waterfowl of manyspecies including bald eagles, pelicans

and Canadian geese. A swan release wasalso held in 2012.

“There are 12 campsites at the park andelectricity was added in 2012. We are alsohoping to add water and a shelter house asfunds become available,” Stevens said.

ROSS PARK... At Ross Park is the Ross Brothers/ Page County Pheasants Forever Wildlife Area.This area includes approximately 57 acres of land with a seven acre pond as well as timber andopen spaces. (Photo courtesy of Page County Conservation)

PIONEER PARK... The first park established by the Page County Conservation Board wasPioneer Park located midway between Clarinda and Shenandoah on Highway 2. The land for thepark was purchased in 1958 and covers approximately 22 acres including a two acre pond.(Photo courtesy of Page County Conservation Board)

PROGRESS/QUALITY OF LIFE The Valley News • Wednesday, March 20, 2013 PAGE5C

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We’re Committed to the Future

of Southwest Iowa Through

Conservation and Recreation

By JOHN VAN NOSTRANDExecutive Editor

When a person reaches acertain age or condition inlife, spouses and other rel-atives want to do the rightthing for that person’sdaily care.

But what helps makethat decision is knowingwhat the person reallyneeds – and where to go toget it.

What have been callednursing homes for yearshave changed over theyears because more atten-tion has been put on peo-ple’s certain needs. Noteverybody who needs dailycare may have the sameconditions.

Those facilities in PageCounty have recognizedthat and adjusted accord-ingly.

Westridge Quality Careand Rehabilitation inClarinda calls its facilityanother step in life.

“Our philosophy is theresident lives there,” saidWestridge AdministratorSue Witthoft. “It is moreabout their needs and weserve them. That is thebiggest thing. We try toindividualize and makewhat it is important tothem. It is their prioritiesand we make them com-fortable and happy.”

Westridge staff strives togive the impression thefacility is a home.

“People here are just asactive as they were in theirhome,” said Deb McCalla,director of admissions andmarketing. “We still haveresidents who drive cars,have family members over,play cards and shoot pool.”

It’s common for resi-dents’ grandchildren tovisit. Eventually theybecome quasi-grandchil-dren for others.

“We have kids down thehalls. Kids know who theirgrandparents are but thenthey meet others whobecome like grandparentsfor them too,” McCallasaid.

Open since the mid1970s, the facility hasroom for 70 residents. Butthe environment some ofthose residents haschanged.

About 10 years ago,Westridge changed a por-tion of its building to whatis called “smart living.”

“They are private roomsfor people who are stillphysically capable andonly need limited assis-tance,” said McCalla.

Residents are encour-aged to make those roomslike their house was. Theybring in furniture, pictures

and other possessions. It’sso much like home, thoseresidents can do their ownlaundry.

“We have a waiting listfor people who want to livein those rooms,” McCallasaid. “The list includespeople who already livehere and from the commu-nity.”

Adding to that home-like atmosphere, Westridgeoffers coffee and pastries at10 a.m. each Friday.

“Many of our residentsshow up to talk and pluswe get many more peoplefrom the community tostop by and say hi,”McCalla said. “It adds tothe social life.”

Westridge’s services arecommon as they offeroccupational, physical andspeech therapy. Westridgecan handle dementia cases,but with certain limita-tions.

Recent remodeling torooms has been the high-light at Goldenrod ManorCare Center in Clarinda.The center is licensed for49 beds.

“Late last summer weopened our new addition offour, private rooms,” saidAdministrator MaryBrandt. “And we remod-eled from floor to ceiling.”

The remodeling includ-ed everything from floor-ing to light fixtures andgetting rid of drop ceilings.

Brandt admitted theremodeling work was achallenge but the resultshave been rewarding.

“People have noticed,”she said. “If people haven’tbeen here for a couple ofyears, they will be blownaway.”

More rooms are sched-uled to be remodeled thisyear.

Another, new addition toGoldenrod is a one-personhospice room. Eventhough the room is intend-ed for the resident, theroom is big enough forfamily members to be withtheir loved one.

“This room helps withpeople who need the 24-hour care,” Brandtexplained. She said a hos-pice room is becomingmore popular with nursinghome offerings.

Goldenrod has receiveda four-star rating from theCenters for Medicare andMedicaid Services. Thereis an overall five-star ratingbased on health inspec-tions, quality measures andstaffing levels.

Garden View pays atten-tion to people with certainphysical needs.

“We are a little more

specialized, but this can bea short-term rehabilita-tion,” said Dan Hansen,administrator of GardenView in Shenandoah.“Some family memberscan’t go home with certainconditions. We want to putourselves in front of healthcare providers and say wehave the equipment andthey know what it is.”

Late last year GardenView opened therapy gym-nasium which is five timesbigger than its previousspace for therapy. Theirgym enhances the tradi-tional work of occupation-al, speech and physicaltherapy.

“We give therapistsNautulis, weight machinesand things uses for ACP –accelerated care plus. It istools that that really helptherapists improve thingspeople need to do,” Hansensaid.

Garden View can alsoassist with residents’ needsin pain management;wound healing, strokerecovery, knees, hips andshoulders.

“We can help peoplequicker and faster,”Hansen said.

Since August, GardenView has averaged sending2.5 people home permonth.

“We want to dedicate awing as transitional care

for certain people, reallyfix them up and send themhome,” he said. GardenView accepts people whosmoke.

Garden View is a 90-bedfacility.

Tina Davis, administra-tor at Fair Oaks inShenandoah, said FairOaks is more for peoplewho still have a level ofindependence.

“Our residents are ableto go out in the communityand do more things, com-pared to other places. Wehave residents who go toparks and watch the geese,for example,” she said.

Some Fair Oaks resi-dents are still able to drivea car.

“We have an activitydepartment and some ofour residents go shoppingtogether. One gentlemankeeps his dog at a veteri-nary clinic, but he is stillable to go out and see hisdog,” she said.

Some of those trips areto the doctor, which FairOaks helps with.

Typically, Fair Oaks res-idents are still able toclothe and feed them-selves.

“We do offer assistance,if needed, and it’s alwaysbeen that way. We aresomewhere between assist-ed living and a traditionalnursing home. Some of ourresidents may need helpwith medicine or familymembers just don’t feelcomfortable with them athome at night,” she said.

Fair Oaks has 27 bedsand offers a variety of ther-apy services, some whichvisit the facility.

“People know they havechoices and they are goingto find what they want,”Witthoft said.

Nursing homes aren’t the places they used to be

CUTLINE... A resident’s room at Fair Oaks still has the comforts of home. Typically, Fair Oaks is for people who still have a higherlevel of independence. (Photo by Tess Gruber Nelson/The Valley News)

CUTLINE... Garden View opened its therapy gymnasium last year which is five times bigger than its previous space for therapy.Their gym enhances the traditional work of occupational, speech and physical therapy. (Tess Gruber Nelson/The Valley News)

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Shenandoah,, Cityy Withh Energy!!

2013 Calendar of Events

July 24…...Wabash Arts Camp SCIA Coffee, camp dates July 22-26July 25…………....Thursday at the Flatiron, free food & entertainmentJuly 25-27………….…....Downtown Sidewalk Sales, Summer BargainsAugust 12….....Welcome Back Teacher & Staff Breakfast, K-8th bldg.August 29……Ag Night Thursday at the Flatiron, free food & entertainmentSept. 14……..Wabash Nature Trail Marathon, Half Marathon & RelaySept. 28……..…....Shenfest, Parade, Music, Art, Food, games & moreOctober 17…….....Fall Wine Walk, downtown, w/shopping discounts November 30....Night the Lights Come On, Live Reindeer, Santa, ShoppingDecember 14...Breakfast w/Mrs. Claus, stories, carriage rides, crafts, gamesDecember 7,14, 21…Santa’s Workshop, visit Santa in Everly Brother’s House

March 23…………...….Legislative Coffee, Safety Center Bricker RoomMarch 28..…………....SCIA Annual Meeting, American Legion County ClubMarch 30....................American Legion Easter Egg Hunt, Sportsman’s ParkApril 5…......Shop for Spring at Spring Wine Walk downtown, Shopping Spree drawing & discountsApril 15……..SCIA After Hours by Chat Mobility at Wabash Wine Co., concert, wine, food, drawings and moreApril 17……..SCIA Shenandoah Public Library Coffee, National Library weekApril 27.........SCIA Ribbon Cutting and Open House Lance Cornelius State FarmMay 9-12……………...Spring Flower Show at Bricker Botanical Center, Happy Mother’s DayJune 5...........Opening day of Garden City Farmer's Market in front of City HallJune 27…….…Thursday at the Flatiron, City Hall Gazebo Dedication, Free Food & EntertainmentJune 29……….….....Home & Garden Tour & Brunch by Garden ClubJuly 4……............American Legion Independence Day Celebration

City with Energy

Shenandoah boasts more than acres in parksBy TESS GRUBER NELSON

Managing Editor

With more than 100 acres dividedbetween 20 parks; Shenandoah offersplenty of room to run, jump and play.According to Shenandoah Parks andRecreation Director Mike Laughlin,it’s a city ordinance that allows citi-zens and guests plenty of parks tochoose from.

“Whenever a subdivision was built,a green space was added as well,”said Laughlin. “It has been amendedhere and there in different situationsbut for the most part each time thecity expanded, a park was added.”

Located on the northeast part ofShenandoah along Ferguson Road,Waubonsie Park is bordered by theWabash Trace and Four Mile Creek.Waubonsie Park, roughly 15-acres,offers picnic tables, baseball dia-mond, sand volleyball court, play-ground equipment and a public rest-room.

The park most people are familiarwith is Sportsmans Park, also locatedon north side of the city alongFerguson Road. Sportsman Park isthe second largest park of 28 acresand contains the most recreationalfacilities including the WilsonAquatic Center, Park Playhouse forthe Southwest Iowa Theatre Group,little league fields, tennis courts, pub-lic restrooms, baseball and softballfields, horse arena and picnic pavil-ion.

To the east of Sportsmans Park sitsWilson Park, a 4.5 acre green space,located where there once was a junk-yard.

“The addition of Wilson Park cer-tainly makes that part of town lookmuch better than it once did,” saidLaughlin.

In the center of Shenandoah sitsPriest Park, located in between ElmStreet and Maple Street. Priest Parkcontains a lit basketball court, play-ground equipment and plenty of opengreen space.

Gee Park, near Mustang Field, ismostly used for cookouts. It alsoincludes a flower bed maintained bythe Shenandoah Home and GardenClub, and sits across the road fromthe Welch tennis courts.

Disk golf, a large pavilion, publicrestrooms and playground equipmentcan be found at McComb Park, locat-ed along Anna Crose and MitchellStreet; while Anna Crose HeightsPark, primarily a green space, paral-lels Johnson Run, a creek, andSouthview Circle.

Gottsch Park has playgroundequipment and a Garden Club plant-ing. It sits in a triangle shape at theintersection of Crescent and WestStreets.

With a picnic table, benches andplayground equipment, NicholsonPark can be found at the intersection

of Mathew and Edgar Streets towardthe southeast part of Shenandoah;then there’s Garfield Park, located atthe corner of Center Street andClarinda Avenue, also offers play-ground equipment and a picnic table.

Shenwood Park, located in theShenwood subdivision, MayridgePark, found along Mayridge Driveand Hunter Park, at the corner ofLake and College Streets, are smallerparks in town but still offer tranquili-ty and plenty of green space.

Murphy Park, also a lesser-knownpark, a small greenspace, is located atthe junction of Clarinda Avenue,Center Street and Crescent Street.

Two parks also serve as warmemorials. Memorial Park, at theintersection of Nishna Road, AnneCrose and Maple and Bogarts Park atthe intersection of Clarinda Avenueand Thomas Avenue.

Cherry Hills Park serves as thecity’s arboretum park. It is locatedtoward the southwest part of town,along Nishna Road, and has plenty ofnewly planted and mature trees.

The newest parks in Shenandoah isLloyd Park and Everly Park. LloydMemorial Park and is dedicated tothe memory of Dennis Lloyd, an upand coming photographer killed in anautomobile accident. Located at thecorner of West Thomas and ElmStreet, where the old Sentinel news-paper office once stood, Lloyd parkis a quiet little greenspace with a nice

gazebo real close to downtown. Named after famed rock and

rollers Phil and Don Everly, whoonce called Shenandoah home,Everly Park is located just to the westof the Greater Shenandoah Museum.The park houses the childhood homeof the dazzling duo, known for suchgreat songs as, “Wake up LittleSuzie” and “Cathy’s Clown.”

Shenandoah’s largest park is MantiPark. Although not located withincity limits, it is the responsibility ofthe city for its maintenance. Mantiincludes 41 acres that is utilized bycamping, picnicking, bird watchingand hiking. It is located one milesouth and one mile west of the inter-section of Highway 59 and Highway2. Manti was started in 1852 byMormon families that settled into thearea. When the railroad came throughthis part of the country, its tracks ranthrough Shenandoah instead of Manticausing the community to slowlyfade away.

“It certainly is unusual to have somany parks,” said Laughlin. “But it’sa great draw to the community. It’snice to know every two or threeblocks there’s a park to relax or playin.”

Each park is maintained byShenandoah Park and Recreationemployees. The Shenandoah Homeand Garden Club assists in the main-tenance of several parks.

PLAY...McComb Park is a very popular destination for family gatherings during the spring, summer and fall.

GREAT...Priest Park is located in the center of town and has agreat play area, as well as basketball courts.

FUN... Gottsch Park’s playground offers fun for kids of all ages and sits in a triangle shaped intersection of West Street ann Crescent.