Friends of the Pumpkinvine annual dinner, April 28

The 14th Friends of the Pumpkinvine annual dinner will be held this Tuesday, April 28 at Greencroft Community Center. We have 278 people registered and have turned down another 18 who wanted to come.  That is 50 more people than registered last year. We don't know why the increase.

Every year I debate whether or not to have the dinner, seeing as how it is a lot of work for the planners, primarily me. Although we have a committee that help with the planning, the actual work ends up with me. This is the sixth year that I've done the dinner, and I find that it doesn't get a whole lot easier. Things like keeping track of the registrations, sending confirmation emails and postcards and making the name tags are a major action.

I'm starting the name tags now, or at least the last stage of preparing them, because I must first get the names in alphabetical order with the correct tables. What makes the name tags so hard is that they don't feed all that well through the printer. I'm finished now and ruined seven sheets of name tags. I had to go to Wal-Mart to get more nametags.

I also made little Vegetarian and Gluten Free cards to put on the tables of those who want a special menu. At first I made them of 20 lb. paper, but since I was at Wal-Mart, I got some card stock and remade them so they stand up better.

Now I'm ready to go back to working on my presentation.

Spring bike ride will highlight differences in wildflower density along the Pumpkinvine

For the past four years, John Smith has led a spring wildflower walk on the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail, but this year the event will involve a bike ride. The ride, Sunday, April 26, will start at Abshire Park at 3 p.m. and go to C.R. 33 and back (about 10 miles), stopping at three or four places along the trail to observe the native and invasive plants in bloom. From the beginning of the trail to approximately mile marker 4, there tend to be more invasive plants than native plants. Beginning near mile marker 4.5 and on to CR 33, a fine array of native plants will be on both sides of the trail.

John and his wife Joann have identified 30 wildflowers along the trail including Dolls’s Eyes, Wild Geranium, Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Golden Rag Wort and Hepatica. 
 

There is no cost for the ride, but if you plan to attend, let John Smith know by email at: johnjs@goshen.edu. 

   

Invasive species workshop cancelled

The workshop scheduled for April 4 to identify and eliminate invasive species along the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail has been cancelled. Organizers discovered that the invasive plants without their leaves are too difficult to identify this early in the spring. Thanks to all those who volunteered to help. We will let you know when the workshop is rescheduled.

Opening day on the Pumpkinvine

Our first Opening Day on the Trail event was a success. In Goshen, we had nine riders and 15 walkers -- not a bad turn out  considering the cool weather, i.e., 36 degrees with a slight wind from the north. But it was sunny and that made it bearable.

WNDU story on the opening day events along the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail

Kate Chappell did a story about opening day on the Pumpkinvine with some nice graphics: 
WNDU story on Opening Day

Leaving a legacy

 I am frequently amazed at the generosity of people in our community who donate to the Friends of the Pumpkinvine year after year, some for 20 or more years. That generosity and community spirit is particularly poignant and noteworthy when it comes from seniors, because I know that they know they will not be able to enjoy their investment in the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail as long as young adults will be able to.

These seniors are donating for the future well being of the community, because they want to pass on the legacy of a wonderful linear park. They have the imagination to look 40 or 60 years ahead to when their grandchildren and great grandchildren will live in a world where green space is more limited. By this small gesture, they know that they have improved the quality of life in the community they inherited.

Seeing this generosity year after year never gets old. Still, I'm occasionally surprised, as I was this week, when we received a donation from a supporter who is 100 years old. What a profound affirmation of her faith in this rails-to-trails project. I'm humbled at the thought of a person at that age still investing in the community.

Meet the Managers -- Opening Day for Trails on the Pumpkinvine

Opening Day for Trails on the Pumpkinvine, Goshen

Location: Goshen, Ind.
Specific Location: Pumpkinvine Nature Trail, Abshire Park, 1302 E. Lincoln Ave.
Time: 2 p.m.
Event Type: Join Pumpkinvine supporters in Goshen for “Meet the Managers”—an opportunity to meet and talk with representatives from the staff of Goshen Park and Recreation and a member of the Friends of the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail board. Learn about efforts to close the gap in the trail. Walk to CR 28 and back (3.5-mile round-trip) or ride to CR 33 and back (10-mile round-trip).

No registration is necessary, but if you click on the http://www.railstotrails.org/opening-day-for-trails, you can register for free prizes from Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.

Opening Day for Trails on the Pumpkinvine, Middlebury

Location: Middlebury, Ind.
Specific Location: Pumpkinvine Nature Trail, American Legion parking lot at the corner of SR 13 and York Drive
Time: 2 p.m.
Event Type: Join Pumpkinvine supporters in Middlebury for “Meet the Managers”—an opportunity to meet and talk with representatives from Elkhart County Parks, the Middlebury town manager ( two of the agencies that manage the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail) and a representative  of the Friends of the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail board. Learn about efforts to close the gap in the trail. Walk southwest to Learning Corridor (less than a mile roundtrip), or ride to Shipshewana and back (12-mile round-trip). 

No registration is necessary, but if you click on the http://www.railstotrails.org/opening-day-for-trails, you can register for free prizes from Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.

Opening Day for Trails on the Pumpkinvine, Shipshewana

Location: Shipshewana, Ind.
Specific Location: Pumpkinvine Nature Trail, parking lot at the Wolfe Building at 345 N. Morton St.
Time: 2 p.m.
Event Type: Join Pumpkinvine supporters in Shipshewana for “Meet the Managers”—an opportunity to meet and talk with t a member of the Shipshewana town council and a representative of the Friends of the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail board. Learn about our efforts to close the gap in the trail.

Walk west 1.75 miles and return (a 3.50-mile round-trip), or ride to the Dairy Queen and return (a 12.5-mile round-trip).

No registration is necessary, but if you click on the http://www.railstotrails.org/opening-day-for-trails, you can register for free prizes from Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.