Beacon Apr 2024

Page 10A THE BEACON April 2024
Bright Meadows Park- More Fun Than You Can Shake a Stick At!
By Gene Cleary
In March 2023, I was appointed
Steward of Bright
Meadows Park. Terry and
Vicki Stephens, retired park
stewards for the Guilford
Covered Bridge Park, met
with me several times to help
me understand what the duties
of a park steward are. They
were most helpful. Terry was
also a vital member of the
Dearborn County Park Board
for many years. I was amazed
at all of the accomplishments
that he, Jim Red Elk, and others
had made since the inception
of the Dearborn County
Parks in 1996.
The Bright Meadows Park
is open all year and hosts
many activities throughout the
seasons. Although the gates
and restrooms are closed from
Nov. 1 to Mar. 31, visitors still
use the walking trails, shelter,
playgrounds, etc. during the
colder months. Opening day
for the gates and restrooms
is Apr. 1 and continues until
Oct. 31. Baseball games
and practice begin in March
weather permitting. Jon Deters
and Corey Kaeser did an
amazing job getting the ball
fields in good playing condition
this year. We are fortunate
that they plan to continue
doing this in the future. The
master plan for the fields is to
keep them playable all year.
Jeff Hermesch, Purdue University
Extension Agent and
Park Board member is a valuable
consultant for upgrading
the ball fields.
The baseball fields were
used almost every day from
April through early July last
year. This year players will
find that the old backstops
and some fences have been
replaced on both fields. After
baseball comes the football/
soccer teams using the fields
most weekdays from July to
Oct. So many of our youth
greatly benefit from using
the fields at Bright Meadows
Park.
The park also has a basketball
court available for
those who want to play
some pick-up games. For the
younger kids, two very nice
playgrounds are on site, one
for ages 2-6 and the other for
ages 7 and older. The playgrounds
are used a lot, especially
when the older brothers
and sisters are practicing their
sports. The purchase of the
playground equipment was
made possible by a grant from
the Dearborn Community
Foundation.
We hope to improve the
current walking trail with
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parks
dearborn
county
the Dearborn County Parks Foundation.
A Gift For all Seasons!
www.dearborncountyPARKS.com
Bright Meadows Park features playgrounds, fields, and
trails for all to enjoy. (Photo by Toni Cleary)
a new and wider one this
spring. Any time that I have
been at the Park throughout
the year, I have seen several
walkers using the walking
trails in virtually all types of
weather. A wilderness area
comprised of approximately
four acres has mowed trails
throughout that can be hiked
as well. Roy Johnson and the
FFA from East Central High
School have volunteered to
help clean out some of the
invasive trees and shrubs to
make the area look better and
be more easily accessible. The
East Central Agriculture Dept.
is also in the process of building
eight new picnic tables for
the shelters. Truly a community
effort.
The Park now boasts a
state-of-the-art camera system
around the shelters. I can view
the area at any time on my
computer or cell phone. The
Sheriff’s Department also has
access to these cameras and
videos.
I am a big believer in allowing
adults and children to
spend as much time outdoors
as possible. Bright Meadows
Park certainly plays a part
in making that possible. The
Park Board wants Bright
Meadows Park, and all of the
county parks, to be a source
of pride for the community.
The Dearborn County Highway
Dept. has been incredibly
helpful with bush hogging, removing
dead trees and fallen
branches, spraying weeds, and
a multitude of other maintenance.
We hope to continually
upgrade and improve the
facilities that we have.
Bright Meadows Park is
only one of five Dearborn
County Parks which include
County Farm Park, Gladys
Russell Park, Guilford Covered
Bridge Park, and Rullman
Wildlife Refuge. More
information and reservation
opportunities are available
on the Park’s website, www.
dearborncountyparks.com.
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