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Daniel & Susan Corbett Kohls-Wheelborg Ford Mark & Dorie Oja Thielen Bus Lines Roger & Sandra Swartz Loran & Debbie Kaardal Gail & Dean Toft John Sr & Caroline Buckley Duane Heiling Clint & Diane Knorr

What’s next for Friends of the Park?By Corrine Gertsema

Have you been in the Zoo area of Ramsey Park recently? Have you noticed more heavy equipment than zoo animals? The good news, this is only temporary, the great news, we are heavy into Phase III, also known as the final phase of planned renovations. This final phase, being by far the most expensive, is possible due to some generous donations as well as the Minnesota DNR Legacy Grant. This will be completed no later than sometime Spring of 2013. We are so excited to see this happening as it will complete years of dedication to making desperately needed improvements to the Zoo area. We are so proud of being able to see all the phases

followed through and now drawing to a close.

So now the big question, what next? Well if you spend any time there you are aware that there are always areas in need of improvement which brings us to the answer of the impending question. A future project that we are looking into is what is known as the Zeb Gray Shelter overlooking the Redwood River Valley. It seems this beautiful and popular structure is in some fairly desperate need of

improvements. Built in 1979 the Shelter’s unique parabolic design

Volume 2, Issue 1

2012 Current Members Thank you for your membership! Gwen Bohlke Richard & Bea Brown Sandra Foley (Kotval)Doug & Paulette Hildebrandt Maxine Knudson Uhlenkamp & Associates Jerry & Joanne Luttman Bob & Betty MahoneyShirts Plus Susan Munshower Alice & Steve Nelson Oberloh & Associates Kathryn Olson Mary A. Olson Lary & Vonnie Roberts BJ & Sheila TersteegCarol Walden Janis Field Brad & Jeanne Limoges Marge Ripperton Susan Morrisette Scott KarpenCarol Pagac Lelah White E&T Plumbing

Lifetime MembersBrian & Mona Brau Shawn & Michelle Cilek Redwood Falls Girl Scout - Troop 30093Gene & Shirley Gores Dorothy Heaton Stacey HeilingTom & Mary Inglis Mr. & Mrs. Elmer Jacobson Gordon & Judith Jensen Doug & Teresa KarskyAl & Jackie Kokesh Mary Ann Mansoor Mr. & Mrs. Steve Madsen Janean McKayCraig & Karen Melges Bob & Bunny NoltingGay Septon Steve & Kathi Whittet Gary & Linda Zick A & W Furniture Paul Larson

The Ramsey JamDecember 2012

A Year in ReviewIt has been an exciting year for the zoo in Ramsey Park. Other than some finishing touches the zoo renovations are complete. The deer, elk and buffalo have returned to their newly remodeled homes. It took some time for them to return as they had to wait for some foot padding to grow first. Our animal’s needs are top priority. I believe I even saw a smile on one of the buffalo’ faces. If you check out their new “pad” you might just catch it too! If not you will still have a great view of what all your donations have done for them.

A Sneak Peak at 2014Friends of the Park are working on a welcome sign near the entrance of the zoo. We are planning on placing a bench at the Northeast corner of the zoo near the Swayback bridge. This will serve as a welcome sign, a great photo opportunity for visitors, a place to rest and as a kid friendly attraction. It will be unique to Ramsey Zoo and will feature a prairie dog on the arm rest, an elk as the back rest, a hogback arm will be a buffalo and the bench portion is a log.

We need your help!

We are looking for major sponsors to fund this bench/welcome sign project. Recognition

will be placed on or near the bench for those who choose to contribute to this project. The amount of financial contributions will determine placement of donor recognition. Please contact Friends of the Park board members for more information: Vonnie Roberts, Theresa Oberloh, Corrine Gertsema, Gail Ripka, Gary

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Bestmann, Cheryl Davis, Gordy Jensen, Mike Salmon and Lisa Hansen.

JamboreeThis year we celebrated the Jamboree with a bang! We geared up for the 101st Anniversary of Ramsey

Park. If you stopped by the RACC on June 9th then you know we had a variety of activities going on. We had inflatables which included a bouncy house, obstacle course and even some for tiny tots. We also had a variety of games to play where tickets could be collected and redeemed for prizes.

There was a delicious meal and silent auction featuring many handcrafted items made and donated by our local talented artists and other items from our local retailers. Once again we were pleased to welcome back Ramona Larson’s Redwood Area dancers. Those talented dancers put on quite a show and are always a crowd pleaser. Thank you Ramona for c o o r d i n a t i n g such a wonderful show and bring such enthusiastic dancers, we love to see those smiles. We brought back the miniature ponies and this year as an added bonus, Kevin Vogel, owner of the ponies brought along a few of his other creatures. He put on an entertaining and educational show about each creature. Judging by the crowds I witnessed I would say this was a hit. I would look to see him back again next year. While the meal was being served we had the puddle jumpers entertain the crowd. To top off the evening we had Hicktown Mafia put on a show. There was a beer garden and a second meal was offered. It sure was a great way to celebrate the Park’s 101st anniversary.

January 2014

We realize that this celebration will be tough to top but we are always trying to keep it fresh and exciting for the next year. Yes some favorites are bound to come back but we try and find something new too. Next year we are looking at hosting the Jamboree on June 11th. We look forward to seeing you in 2014 and yes, it will be held at the Community Center again. It would be awesome to host at the Park but keeping safety and weather in mind we have found that the Community Center is the ideal place as the event has grown leaps and bounds. We hope you are as excited as we are to be able to report that. Thank you for your continued support of this event each and every year.

Prairie DogsDid you notice a few new tenants in the zoo once renovations were complete? If not, you better run, jog, bike or drive down and check them out. Some new dogs have claimed a home between the birds and buffalo exhibits. Now these dogs did have some help getting here, actually quite a bit of help as it turns out. The City of Redwood Falls Parks & Recreation Department began a search for some new prairie dogs which lead them to a zoo in Decatur Park District in Illinois. Scovill Zoo in Decatur Park District was kind enough to help us out and donated four new prairie dogs to our zoo. What an adventure they had getting here.

Once the “official word” came that they were being relocated their

journey began. They hopped a Delta flight to Minneapolis where they were met by Parks and Recreation Staff who then escorted them to their new home in Ramsey Park. They seem quite happy in their new home but like all of us would really appreciate some warm welcomes from us as you visit the zoo.

We would like to thank the Scovill Zoo for their generous donation of the prairie dogs.

Park ImprovementsIf you have been in the park this

summer then you may have noticed some improvements around the park. That’s right, you are not imagining it, a total of 6 brand new fire pits and grills have been installed and the old grills have

been removed. This is only the start, be watching as more replacements are to come. We want visitors to have

a positive and enjoyable experience when they choose Ramsey Park so this is a huge step to ensure they will come back!

There has also been a collaborative effort to replace over 20 picnic tables and over 40 benches in various City of Redwood Falls parks. Our goal is to replace all the picnic tables and benches within the park.

Our walking paths have seen some improvements too; two sets of steps made up of old railroad ties have been replaced. They are now concrete stairs with hand railings which are safer and much more eye appealing. Thank you Vick Construction for the great job!

Have you figured out that you can now drive through the Park again? Yes, that’s right; the Swayback bridge is now open to all traffic again. So drive, bike or jog in – you won’t be turned around any longer. Great efforts were made to make sure the bridge was completed in a timely manner and making sure it’s historic legacy was preserved.

The Parks & R e c r e a t i o n D e p a r t m e n t has created a program called “1-2-3 Come Quest with me”. What is that you ask? Well, it is a

program designed to help you learn the history of Ramsey Park all while on an exciting adventure through the Park. Young and old can join this adventure anytime during mid May through mid September. Visit the website or stop by the RACC for more information.

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Ramsey Park Online http://redwoodareacommunitycenter.

com/area-parks/alexander-ramsey-park/Have you visited the Parks & Recreation Department’s website lately? There is a host of information about the department but did you know that it also contains information on Ramsey Park as well? You can do all sorts of stuff such as reserve shelters and campsites to name a few.

There is also a new and pretty awesome feature available. It is called a virtual tour. What is that you ask? Well that is the coolest part about virtual, you can experience the parks views from your living room, dining room, kitchen or even bathroom if that is where you have a computer with internet handy. You log on to the website and a couple of clicks you can have the most breath taking views from anywhere in your home. If you haven’t checked it out we highly recommend that you do, you won’t be disappointed. The maps of the walking trails are also located on the website, now you can plan ahead for where you would like to go.

Other items which can be found the on the Parks & Recreation website is information about Friends of the Park. The capability of making online donations to the Park is available. We also have our project

history, fundraising efforts which include: sale of bricks, benches, and picnic tables, and our memberships available for purchase.

Youth Working Hard for our CommunityWe have been fortunate to have some young men from our community take on some much needed improvements in our Parks. One of the young men is Tyler Hagen. He made some i mprove m e nt s to the shelter at Perks Park. He repaired the back wall of shelter, painted the shelter and completed the landscaping around the shelter. He did an awesome job!

The other young man is Marshal Quast. In his own words this is what he did “My name is Marsahl Quast and as my Eagle Scout project, I’ve taken on the task of renovating this trail and turning it into a nature trail. Several stages have been involved in this project. First, the old equipment on this trail in Ramsey Park was removed. This was actually done already last fall. This past summer, about 20 volunteers showed up on a Saturday to help widen the quarter mile trail to make sure it is passable in all parts. This included clearing several spots along the trail that will have park benches installed next spring for visitors to sit on and look out over the Redwood River. Finally, there will be

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numerous signs installed along the trail that will describe the plant and animal life that is native to this area and are visible on the trail.

Also, as part of this project, I’ve had to fundraise to help pay for the cost of the clean up, the new park benches and signs that will be installed along the trail. Many people have graciously donated to this project, which I am thankful for. The signs will be installed yet

this fall while the park benches will be installed in the spring of 2014. After this is done, Ramsey Park visitors will be able to enjoy walking this

quarter mile loop that partially parallels the Redwood River and learn more about the animals and plant life along the trail.”

Both projects were taken on by these young men as Eagle Scout Projects. We would like to extend a heartfelt “Thank you” to both of them for all of their hard work and dedication to getting the job done. Way to support our community and give back at the same time. Please thank these young men if you run into them. We are so fortunate to have them in our community.

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Other News…….As ongoing improvements to Ramsey Park continue the question remains…..What project do we focus on next? One big project that we are looking at is the Zeb Gray Shelter. This beautiful scenic overlook is in great need of repairs. This shelter is used frequently throughout the year for such events as weddings, picnics, reunions and many more events to numerous to mention. This renovation looks to incur some major costs. Even though we have not committed funds to this project it is one that we are checking into.

The Legacy grant has once again been applied for to help with much needed repairs, maintenance and improvements to the park. The City of Redwood falls and Friends of the Park are making every effort to maximize every dollar spent in the park.

Have you thought of gifts for those hard to buy for people in your life? What about donating to Friends of the Park in someone’s name? Say a teacher, instructor, grandparent, parent or other friends and relatives. It is a flexible gift as donations are accepted in any amount and are tax deductible.

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