On Saturday October 20th, Friends of Shimek held a Group Work day. The work day was coordinated by John Byrd and Debbie Miller. Volunteers included Neal Hartman, Jerry Marshall, Lora Conrad, Lori Field, Debbie Miller, Bob and Marsha Achenbach, Randy Dillon, Dick Jennings and John Byrd. Volunteers met about 8:30 in the upper campground. Crews worked at the picnic area , on the road, at both campgrounds and out on the trails. Neal and Randy worked along several trails, clearing trees and picking up cans. Lora and Bob painted the two picnic area tables. This gets the frames of all picnic tables painted, as far as we know. Jerry and Lora put out rocks on the road in potholes. Bob rehung a gate that had worked loose in the upper campground. John Byrd drove the skid loader and dumped lime chips around some of the horse hitching rails at each campground. Debbie, Bob and Marsha and Dick Jennings help smooth and pack the lime chips around the tie rails. All lime chips were used so the job could not be finished that day. However, for those reworked, the bed of lime chips should be a great help in preventing pools of mud at the tie rails as the rains resume. Hopefully more lime chips can be bought and the job completed at a later date. Lora also walked some trail sections and picked up cans. Unfortunately, there are many more cans to pick up along the trails.
A special note of thanks to Jerry for coming in and helping as his work at Shimek is seasonal and is over for the year. He, like John, and the Friends of Shimek volunteered his time for the morning.
After the work, a mid-western potluck lunch was shared by those who could stay for lunch. It was truly Iowan with “Maid-Rite” style sandwiches prepared by Lori Field---something Wikipedia explains was developed in Iowa and your Blogger had never eaten before.
John and Debbie extended their appreciation to all who came to work. This will be the last group work day until 2013. However, as individuals , if you can pick up cans and put them in the recycle bins at each camp, or can clip or mow multi-flora along some of the narrower trails---then please let John know that you are doing these things and send in your volunteer hours.
The photos below document some of the morning's activities
Jerry assists Neal in unloading his 4-wheeler for the trail work.
John watches to see that Neal is on those tracks coming down!
John dumps lime chips by a tie rail.
Dick Jennings, Debbie, Lori Field and Marsha smooth and pack the chips.
Still packing....
Randy and Bob re-install a gate on its hinge.
Lori samples some of Debbies chips with hot cheesy dip
while cooking up her "Maid-Rites." Marsha and Bob are ready for lunch.
