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January hiking opportunities

Whether you’re looking to stay active and continue a fitness habit or just embarking on a new healthy lifestyle to get in shape, your Indiana state parks (especially Lincoln State Park in our book) provide the perfect place to get walking.  Hitting the trails and going for a hike is a great way to not only get your heart rate going, but to connect with nature.  Regular hiking at your nearest state park will improve your physical health AND your mental health.  So, what are you waiting for?  Let’s start hiking!  

Interpretive Naturalist Michael Crews will be leading regular hikes in January and throughout the year in 2020.  This is an opportunity to perhaps see areas of the park you’ve never seen before and to learn about the historical and natural resources of Lincoln State Park.  Below is a schedule of January hikes.  Hope to see you there! 

FRIDAY SATURDAY
LINCOLN STATE PARK JANUARY HIKING SCHEDULE
Jan. 10
8 AM Weber Lake Hike – Meet at Troy Rd trail head for a 2 mi hike to Weber Lake.

2 PM Sarah Lincoln Woods Nature Preserve– Meet at the Nature Center for a hike through the most mature forest area in the park (1.5 mi).
Jan. 11
8 AM Beaver Hike – Meet at the Nature Center for some off trail hiking (over 2 mi).

2 PM Abe’s Neighborhood Walk – Meet at the Nature Center for the 1.5 mi hike through Abe’s old neighborhood.
Jan. 17
8 AM Trail 4 Hike – Hike to the Gentry Home Site. This one is 4 mi so bring a snack.

2 PM Abe’s Neighborhood Walk – Meet at the Nature Center for the 1.5 mi hike through Abe’s old neighborhood.
Jan. 18
8 AM Trail 2 Hike – Meet at the Nature Center for this roughly 3 mi hike on Trail 2.

2 PM Fire Tower Hike – Meet at the Nature Center for a 1.5 mi hike to the fire tower.
Jan. 24
8 AM Trail 2 Hike – Meet at the Nature Center for this roughly 3 mi hike on Trail 2.

2 PM Fire Tower Hike – Meet at the Nature Center for a 1.5 mi hike to the fire tower.
Jan. 25
8 AM Trail 4 Hike – Hike to the Gentry Home Site. This one is 4 mi so bring a snack.

2 PM Abe’s Neighborhood Walk – Meet at the Nature Center for the 1.5 mi hike through Abe’s old neighborhood.
Jan. 31
8 AM Beaver Hike – Meet at the Nature Center for some off trail hiking (over 2 mi).

2 PM Abe’s Neighborhood Walk – Meet at the Nature Center for the 1.5 mi hike through Abe’s old neighborhood.
See you on the trails!

Celebrate the Apollo 11 Moon Landing at Lincoln State Park

Neil Armstrong planted the American flag on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission on July 19, 1969 – 50 years ago.

“One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind” -Neil Armstrong. This Saturday will mark 50 years since astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldren became the first men to set foot on the moon on the Apollo 11 mission. The mission was the culmination of a decade long project to win the space race inspired by President John F. Kennedy.

The Lincoln State Park naturalist program will host a very special program this Friday evening from 7:00-10:00 PM CT to commemorate this important and historic anniversary. The event will begin at 7:00 PM at the Lakeside Shelter with some moon related crafts including an opportunity to make your very own moon dust. This will be followed by a very special moon story told by storyteller, Susan Fowler. After the story, there will be a hike down to Lincoln State Park’s very own “Moon Tree” for a special presentation. Finally, we’ll return to the Lakeside Shelter where you can take part in some moon-gazing through a telescope and some other visual aid devices.

There will also be some prizes to be given away…Moon Pies, what else would you expect? The Friends of Lincoln State Park will also be giving away free popcorn and will have some cool Lincoln State Park items available for sale.

So, load up the family and come on out to Lincoln State Park on Friday night to commemorate the anniversary of the moon landing!

WHAT: Moon Day Program at Lincoln State Park
WHERE: Lakeside Shelter
WHEN: Friday, July 19 from 7:00-10:00 PM CT
COST: $7.00/vehicle park entrance fee

Do You Know Where the Moon Tree Is?

The following appears on the official NASA “Moon Tree” website
Apollo 14 launched in the late afternoon of January 31, 1971 on what was to be our third trip to the lunar surface. Five days later Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell walked on the Moon while Stuart Roosa, a former U.S. Forest Service smoke jumper, orbited above in the command module. Packed in small containers in Roosa’s personal kit were hundreds of tree seeds, part of a joint NASA/USFS project. Upon return to Earth, the seeds were germinated by the Forest Service. Known as the “Moon Trees”, the resulting seedlings were planted throughout the United States (often as part of the nation’s bicentennial in 1976) and the world. They stand as a tribute to astronaut Roosa and the Apollo program.

A photo of Lincoln State Park’s Moon Tree.

The project began after Roosa was chosen for the Apollo 14 mission. Ed Cliff, Chief of the Forest Service, knew of Stuart Roosa from his days as a smoke jumper and contacted him about bringing seeds into space. Stan Krugman of the Forest Service was put in charge of the project and selected the seeds for the experiment. Seeds were chosen from five different types of trees: Loblolly Pine, Sycamore, Sweetgum, Redwood, and Douglas Fir. The seeds were classified and sorted, and control seeds were kept on Earth for later comparison. Roosa carried about 400 – 500 seeds in his personal kit which stayed with him as he orbited the Moon in the command module “Kitty Hawk” in February, 1971. Unfortunately, the seed cannisters burst open during the decontamination procedures after their return to Earth, and the seeds got mixed together and were presumed to be no longer viable.

Stan Krugman had the seeds sent to the southern Forest Service station in Gulfport, Mississippi and to the western station in Placerville, California to attempt germination. Surprisingly, nearly all the seeds germinated successfully, and the Forest Service had some 420 to 450 seedlings after a few years (some from cuttings). Some of these were planted with their earth-bound counterparts as controls, (as would be expected, after over twenty years there is no discernible difference) but most were given away in 1975 and 1976 to many state forestry organizations to be planted as part of the nation’s bicentennial celebration. These trees were southern and western species, so not all states received trees. A Loblolly Pine was planted at the White House, and trees were planted in Brazil, Switzerland, and presented to the Emperor of Japan, among others. Trees have also been planted in Washington Square in Philadelphia, at Valley Forge, in the International Forest of Friendship, and at various universities and NASA centers….

Stuart Roosa was born on August 16, 1933 in Durango, Colorado. He worked for the Forest Service in the early 1950’s as a smoke jumper fighting fires and later joined the Air Force and became a test pilot. He was one of 19 people selected for the astronaut class of 1966 and was part of the astronaut support crew for Apollo 9. Following Apollo 14, Roosa was backup command module pilot for Apollo’s 16 and 17. He then worked on the Space Shuttle program until his retirement as a Colonel in the Air Force in 1976, the time when many of his trees were being planted.

Sadly, Stuart Roosa passed away in December, 1994. The Moon Trees continue to flourish, a living monument to our first visits to the Moon and a fitting memorial to Stuart Roosa.

The sycamore tree pictured below is located in Lincoln State Park below the dam across from the old nature center buidling. The tree was planted by the Girl Scouts in 1976 during their “Wake-up America” campaign. A time capsule was also buried at the base of the tree to be opened in 2001. On May 8, 2001 the capsule was dug up and a new time capsule was buried to be dug up in the year 2026.
Photographs taken by David Ayer.

WE’RE GIVING AWAY LINCOLN AMPHITHEATRE TICKETS!

The first show of the season at Lincoln Amphitheatre is a tribute to the band Journey. This season opening show is already sold out.

Have you attended a concert or event yet at Lincoln Amphitheatre this season? Unfortunately for you, many events for the 2019 season have already sold out. But don’t give up just yet. You still have a chance to get your hands on some tickets.

Courtesy of our friends at Lincoln Amphitheatre, the Friends of Lincoln State Park are giving away two tickets to the show and every other event during the 2019 Lincoln Amphitheatre season at Lincoln State Park!

Signing up to win is easy. Just visit our information page at https://lspfriends.com/index.php/news-events/enter-to-win/. There you will find an online entry form. Just fill out the information, click submit and just like that you’re entered to win! Once you’ve entered, you’ll be eligible for all of our drawings during the 2019 season, so you only need to submit your entry form once.

2019 5K RESULTS

Thank You!!!

Thanks again for braving the rain to participate in the 2019 Mr. Lincoln’s Neighborhood 5K!  We were extremely fortunate that the rain stopped just in time, and just long enough for our event.  The Friends of Lincoln State Park appreciate your support for our event and our activities.  We hope you can join us again next year (mark your calendar for May 2, 2020) and help spread the word to family and friends.  Learn more about our organization and become a member at https://lspfriends.com.

May the Fourth Be With You! Thanks to everyone who came out for the 5K. The force is strong with this group.

If you registered and did not attend the 5K we unfortunately cannot ship or mail t-shirts.  However, if you plan to be at Lincoln State Park and want to make arrangements to pick up your shirt, send us an email at info@lspfriends.com.

The Winners…


Pictured left to right: Nolan Hargus of Richland, 1st place adult male finisher (25:39); Jackson Joyal of Cannelton, 1st place male under 16 finisher (31:28);  Mandy Schaffer of Bloomington, 1st place overall and 1st place adult female finisher (21:55); and Cora Lasher of Evanston, who was the top female finisher under 16 (29:51).  Congratulations to our winners! Adult winners received a 2019 Indiana State Park Annual Entrance Permit and the youth winners received free family kayak rentals.  We also send out congratulations to Becca Martin who was the winner of the St. Louis Cardinals tickets.  Enjoy the game!  You can check out all of the official results below.

Also, special thanks to our sponsors:  Spencer Industries, Spencer County Bank, Santa Claus Museum & Village, Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari, Touch of Class Outlet, Lincoln Amphitheatre, Messmer Mechanical, Holiday Foods, Dubois County Tire, China Garden, Pro-Rehab, Price & Associates, LLC, Julie E. Schmitt Tax & Accounting Service, Mulzer Crushed Stone, The Terwiske Family, Dan & Emilie Wilkinson. 

A very special thank you to the staff and management of Lincoln State Park for their help in support in hosting this event.

OFFICIAL RESULTS

5K Results 2018

Top finishers – Andrew James, Kelly Achbach, Daniel Higdon and Cassandra Heile

Thanks so much to everyone who braved the rain this morning and came out for the 2018 edition of Mr. Lincoln’s Neighborhood 5K!  Congratulations to the overall top finisher, 9 year-old Andrew James of Chrisney, who was the top male finisher under 16 with a time of 25:13.  The first place finisher overall and top adult female finisher was Cassandra Heile with a time of 23:50.  The top adult male finisher was Daniel Higdon who finished with a time of 25:31.  The top female finisher under 16 was 13 year-old Kelly Achbach with a time of 34:02.  See the complete official results below.

Congratulations to all who participated and finished!

Special thanks to our sponsors:  Spencer Industries, Spencer County Bank, Martin-Serrin Insurance, Santa Claus Museum & Village, Uebelhor Chevrolet GMC Cadillac Toyota, Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari, Touch of Class Outlet, Grandview Aluminum, Lincoln Amphitheatre, The Terwiske Family, Dan & Emilie Wilkinson. 

We would also like to thank these other area businesses who generously donated cash or prizes:  Holiday Foods-Santa Claus, Family Roots Nursery, and Ken Schaaf.

Finally, thank you to all of our volunteers who helped to make the 9th Mr. Lincoln’s Neighborhood 5K a success and especially to President Abraham Lincoln for taking the time to come out and start the race for us!

Official Results

Place Time Last Name First Name
1 23:50:00 Heile Cassandra
2 25:13:00 James Andrew
3 25:15:00 Kolley Angus
4 25:31:00 Higdon Daniel
5 27:26:00 Hayden Caleb
6 28:18:00 Wetzel Ty
7 28:36:00 Fischer Aiden
8 29:10:00 Kottlowski Andi
9 29:17:00 Wetzel Josh
10 30:12:00 Broster Wyatt
11 30:45:00 Asbury Lisa
12 31:07:00 Mayer Jennifer
13 31:13:00 Titzer Brittany
14 31:16:00 Meyer Matthew
15 31:19:00 Henrickson Owen
16 31:23:00 Henrickson Bart
17 32:04:00 Prusz Cristina
18 32:24:00 Pasco Russell
19 32:31:00 Pounders Stephanie
20 32:38:00 Pulley Amanda
21 32:40:00 Pulley Thomas
22 33:34:00 Saenz Ezra
23 34:02:00 Achbach Kelly
24 34:18:00 Saenz Joyce
25 34:19:00 Stricklen Nicole
26 34:36:00 Ambs Kaylee
27 35:02:00 Seddon Gerald
28 38:04:00 Wetzel Tait
29 38:16:00 Harris Ely
30 38:58:00 James Nate
31 39:00:00 Broster Elijah
32 39:22:00 Knies Jessica
33 39:24:00 Johnson Scott
34 39:45:00 Fischer Rachel
35 40:34:00 Webster Kyra
36 40:35:00 Cummings Amy
37 40:40:00 Aurs Katie
38 40:41:00 Kemp Julie
39 41:08:00 Sisley Claire
40 41:10:00 Sisley Heather
41 41:16:00 Hensley Kimberly
42 41:26:00 Phillips Celeste
43 41:31:00 Luebbehusen Wanda
44 42:03:00 Young Cathy
45 42:39:00 Detzer Dwayne
46 43:13:00 Allen Wesley
47 44:32:00 Ward John
48 44:48:00 Castello Olivia
49 44:48:00 O’Nan Kennedy
50 44:51:00 Castello Anthony
51 45:52:00 Achbach Deann
52 49:22:00 Hesson William
53 50:13:00 Webster Reaghan
54 50:15:00 West Jennifer
55 50:51:00 Little Alyssa
56 50:57:00 O’Brien Maureen
57 51:16:00 Pielemeier Marlene
58 51:16:00 Steckler Vicki
59 51:18:00 Hayden Nevaeh
60 51:31:00 Begle Dean
61 51:33:00 Downs Rene
62 51:35:00 Pasco Kaydence
63 51:50:00 Bailey Nicole
64 53:38:00 Kulbeth Loyce
65 55:32:00 Pasco Kaylee
66 55:52:00 Gist Nancy
67 56:33:00 Wheeler Carol
68 56:35:00 Malone Tisha
69 56:36:00 Raaf Josie
70 56:37:00 Raaf Erika
71 56:38:00 Woodall JoAnn
72 56:40:00 Petry Marcia
73 56:41:00 Woolems DeeAnn
74 56:42:00 Phillips Joyce
75 56:44:00 Bunner Jacque
76 56:45:00 Helmerich Stephanie
77 57:00:00 Helmerich Matt
78 57:11:00 Bunner Bill

5K Results 2017

Pictured left to right: Cora Lasher, Lisa Asbury, Drew Garretson and Trent Sisley

Thanks so much to everyone who braved the cold rain this morning and came out for the 2017 edition of Mr. Lincoln’s Neighborhood 5K!  Moments after the start of the race, the rain stopped and the sun came out, so all was well in the end.  Congratulations to the overall top finisher, 10 year-old Trent Sisley of Santa Claus, who finished with a time of 23:42:21.  The second place finisher and top adult male finisher was Drew Garretson of Vincennes with a time of 23:54:59.  The top adult female finisher was Lisa Asbury of Santa Claus who finished with a time of 30:14:89.  The top female finisher under 16 was Cora Lasher of Evanston with a time of 32:16:98.  See the complete official results below.

Congratulations to all who participated and finished!  Also, special thanks to our sponsors:  Spencer Industries, Price & Associates, LLC, Martin-Serrin Insurance, Santa Claus Museum & Village, Uebelhor Chevrolet GMC Cadillac Toyota, Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari, Evergreen Boutiqe & Christmas Shop, and Lincoln Amphitheatre. 

We would also like to thank these other area businesses and individuals who donated cash or prizes:  Dale Pharmacy, Holiday Foods-Santa Claus, Edward Jones Investments, Santa’s Lodge, Great Clips-Owensboro, Long John Silvers-Jasper, Dr. Brittany Erwin-Masqueda, DDS and Dr. Arnold Braun, DDS, Golden Corral-Owensboro, Macy’s, Dairy Queen-Huntingburg, Family Roots Nursery, Grandview Aluminum Products and Ken Schaaf.

Official Results

1 Trent Sisley 23:42:21
2 Drew Garretson 23:54:59
3 Brenden Chew 24:14:62
4 Caleb Hayden 27:23:85
5 Tait Wetzel 28:37:77
6 Josh Wetzel 29:25:78
7 Nolan Hargus 29:30:90
8 Dwayne Detzer 29:57:51
9 Ty Wetzel 30:05:90
10 Lisa Asbury 30:14:89
11 Wyatt Broster 30:14:89
12 Tom Pulley 31:46:87
13 Cora Lasher 32:16:98
14 Allie Wetzel 36:12:95
14 Amber Wetzel 36:12:95
16 Tricia Smith 37:47:59
17 Christine Broster 42:07:27
17 Elijah Broster 42:07:27
19 Nevaeh Hayden 44:12:19
20 Kali Windle 44:12:46
21 Kennedy O’Nan 45:02:47
22 Abigail Broster 45:06:15
23 Cathy Young 49:48:91
24 Heather Sisley 50:44:49
25 Claire Sisley 50:44:83
26 Brittany Forler 50:45:81
27 Loyce Kulbeth 53:01:05
28 Erna Lloyd 53:08:82
29 Carolyn Disckerson 60:03:92
30 Sara Arnold 60:29:89
31 Lacey Stepro 67:33:88
32 Sally Ellsworth 67:40:70
33 Amanda Ellsworth 67:41:70