By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
The Wood County Park District is kicking off a fundraising initiative for the Chessie Circle Trail that will connect Rossford to northern Toledo on the former CSX rail line.
The park district hopes to raise $25,000 for the first phase of the project in Wood County, Executive Director Christopher Smalley said during the August board meeting. The parks have been tasked with raising the funds to match a $25,000 grant awarded through the Andersons Fund Supporting Organizations.
“We are fortunate to have a great partnership with the Wood County Port Authority for this project,” Smalley said. “We received some ODNR (Ohio Department of Natural Resources) funding, but we are just shy of our goal” for phase one.
The project will cost $50,000, which will be covered by the combined funds from the grant and the fundraiser, provided the district can raise its share of $25,000. The money must be raised by the end of the year.
“It’s a short window, but if you think about it, if we can get 5,000 people to give five bucks, we’re there,” he said. With a population of over 130,000 in Wood County, the goal is in sight.
The parking lot is part of phase one. “Once we get phase one done with something visible, we will have momentum,” he said.
Once phase one is complete, phase two will be working from the W.W. Knight Nature Preserve to Bates Road. Phase three will be from Bates Road and beyond.
Once the joint project with the Wood County Port Authority is completed, the port authority will turn it over to the park district.
For more information about the Chessie Circle Trail fundraiser, visit the park district website or the facebook page. Online donations through the Friends of the Wood County Parks can be made here.
With the importance of the Chessie Circle Trail fundraiser and a transition in leadership, the Friends of the Wood County Parks organization is heading in a new direction, Vice President Jim Matthews told the board.
Longtime president Candace Weis is moving out of state and treasurer Laura Arnold is stepping down as treasurer, he said. George Winters has agreed to step into the ”very difficult job” as treasurer, and the group is still looking for a president.
“Whenver you have a change in leadership, you’re going to have a change in the focus of the organization,” Matthews said. “It’s not going to be dramatic, but the change will be more toward the fundraising side.”
Many of the projects the friends used to do, such as getting volunteers for projects, the park is handling.
Fundraising for projects like Chessie Circle will become more of a focus instead of only the annual membership drive. The native plant sales will continue to be key initiatives for the friends group.
The fall native plant sale will be Sept. 13 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the W.W. Knight Preserve. Prior to the sale, from 9:30-10:30 a.m., Hal Mann will present “Going Native: A Personal Journey from Cultivars and Chemicals to Landscaping with Natives.” Entry is free to the talk and the sale; however, seating is limited for the talk. Reservations may be made on the parks’ website.
Spinning yarns
Carter Historic Farm is expanding its heritage-based programming. Known for such events as farm breakfasts using foods raised or grown on the farm, the newest heritage skill offered at the farm is “Learning to Spin,” Coordinator Anna Stuart announced.
The spinning classes continue the farm’s programming that connects visitors to the agricultural history and resources of the park.
A grant from the Bowling Green Community Foundation to the Friends of the Parks provided funds to purchase five upright spinning wheels. The new spinning wheels look different than the traditional style, but they function similarly, Stuart explained.
The upright spinning wheels are more compact and take up less space, which was an important consideration given the size of the farmhouse where the spinning classes are offered.
Eventually, they will be able to make various sizes of yarn—“from small gauge to thick, chunky art yarn”—using the wool from the farm’s sheep, she said.
“At the farm, we do a lot of fiber-working programs—weaving, knitting and crocheting at different levels,” she said. “When we get to the point of being good at making yarn, we’ll be able to use the yarn from our own sheep here to teach those programs and really put a closed full circle use of our sheep in the pasture all the way to a scarf in the winter.”
The fiber arts programs have had participants from early 20s to early 90s, she said. Because the first classes were already full, Stuart encouraged people interested to join a wait list “because you never know what comes up. We’re always reaching out when someone cancels.”
Board President Becca Ferguson shared some of the parks’ upcoming programs: “Paddle the Pond” at W.W. Knight Nature Preserve on Aug. 25 from 4-7:30 p.m.; the final mountain bike skill camp on Sept. 14 at the Rudolph Bike Park; and one of the agricultural history series talks called “More than Corn? A History of Wood County’s Specialty Crops,” taught by Chase Fleece and Chris Dauer from 2-4 p.m. on Nov. 23 at the farm.
