Friends of Lincoln State Park

The Friends of Lincoln State Park will host a Homemade Ice Cream & Family Film Night on Saturday night, June 23rd at the campground shelter house. The Friends will begin serving up homemade chocolate and vanilla ice cream starting at 7:30 PM until the ice cream supply runs out. All proceeds from the ice cream will benefit the Friends of Lincoln State Park.

Then at around 8:45 PM, the Friends will present a showing of the 2006 comedy, R.V., on the big screen at the shelter house. Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and starring Robin Williams, overworked executive Bob McNeive is about to embark on the most dangerous adventure of his life – a two-week cross-country trip in an RV with his family! Bob has an agenda for the trip that his wife and kids don’t know but through a series of misadventures he inadvertently learns the true meaning of family.

R.V. has a running time of around 98 minutes and is rated PG.

The park entrance fee will apply to all vehicles, however admission to the movie is free. Bring the family and enjoy an inexpensive night out at Lincoln State Park.

Photo of the pied-billed grebe.  

By Wayne Rink
The Pied-billed Grebe is a 12-inch long swimming and diving bird that is smaller than loons with flat lobes on its toes. The short legs are far back on the body and the tail and wings are short. Pied-billed Grebes are small, stocky, brown, and have a short stout bill. During the summer they have a black ring around a white bill, however during the winter the bill will have a light ring or no ring at all. They seldom fly to escape danger, but rather escape by diving or slowly sinking below the surface of the water.

Pied-billed Grebes feed by diving underwater and catching fish, frogs, aquatic insects, and crayfish. They can be found in this area in both summer and winter.

This is a great time to come to your Lincoln State Park and Col. Jones Home for a wonderful experience in this marvelous creation. Bring the family or some friends and have a good adventure in the world of birds and wildlife waiting for you. And as always, remember...

The following is a schedule of naturalist activities for the remainder of the month of June.

You can also view additional future events by clicking "Events" on the main menu on the left side of this page.

There's a new full-time interpretive naturalist roaming Lincoln State Park these days, but you may not even notice if you see him around the park. The full-time interpretive naturalist position at Lincoln State Park has been vacant so far this season after naturalist Peggy Brooks announced her intention to depart and pursue other interests.

The park didn't have to look far to find a replacement as assistant park manager Michael Crews applied for the job and recently learned he had been awarded the position. Crews has worked many years for the DNR at Lincoln State Park starting as a seasonal employee and eventually becoming the assistant park manager after graduating from college.

While Crews will come to work at the same location he's used to he will have a longer commute. As assistant manager, the Crews family lived on the Lincoln State Park property in a home provided by the DNR. The new position means they will have to move offsite to a private residence.

Crews will undoubtedly bring his own ideas and philosophy to the new position as he takes the helm of the interpretive naturalist program at Lincoln State Park. The office of the interpretive naturalist is located inside the park’s main office near the entrance to the park.

Around 250 people, including Abe Lincoln himself, attended the area community band concert on May 27th. The concert featured the combined performance of the Spencer County Community Band, the Newburgh Old Dam Band, and the Owensboro Community Band.

The concert featured a variety of patriotic music, marches, and more modern favorites. Members of the armed forces in the audience were recognized during the bands' performance of the Armed Forces Salute. The concert also featured an original piece composed by Spencer County Community Band director, Jon Patton, called Tina Smile.

Abraham Lincoln presenter, Dean Dorrell, introduced the concert and greeted concert goers as they arrived on Sunday afternoon. The concert concluded with a rousing rendition of The Stars and Stripes Forever.

Many in attendance commented afterward about how much they enjoyed the concert as did many of the band members. The bands are already talking about joining forces for a similar concert again next year.

Thanks to everyone who attended!

The Friends welcome the following new members since last month's newsletter:

Friends:  Don & Judy Carrell, Bob & Betty Grose, and Keith & Betsy Wilkinson

That brings the total number of new members for 2007 to 35!! Thanks everyone!

It's not too late to join or renew your membership for 2007. We will be drawing for Holiday World tickets at the end of the month, so get those dues in if you want to be automatically eligible for our prize drawings this year. Visit our membership area on our website for more information.

Don't forget we now have a number of prints for sale of a watercolor painting of the historic Huffman Mill bridge painted by Jerry Baum.

Each print is numbered and measures approximately 15.5" x 27.5". The original painting was created in May 1999. They would make a unique gift and would look great framed and matted.

The prints are $35 each plus shipping, if necessary. For more information or to purchase one of the prints, contact Dan Wilkinson at (812) 362-7954.