Events And Upgrades Abound At Milan's Park

By Mike Perleberg Members of the Milan High School chapter of the National Honors Society paint a shelter at Darren Baker Memorial Park. Photo provided. (Milan, Ind.) – A busy spring and summer are planned at Milan’s Darren Baker Memorial Park. “We’ve got a whole bunch of things rolling just since last year,” says Deb Shumate, president of the park board. The park board was established in May of 2016 and quickly got busy bringing new life to the park. Shumate along with fellow board members Joyce Call, Teresa Johns and Susan Houze have been working to put together a list of activities at the park. The next event is the Community Health Fair in the Park. It will happen Saturday, May 13 from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. The health fair will feature St. Elizabeth Healthcare's mobile vascular and mammography vans, a Lions Club vision test, Indiana Poison Control, George’s Pharmacy, Laura Ault Zumba, Anytime Fitness and many more. In June and July, families will be invited out on certain dates for free movies in the park at the stage. The first weekend of July is jam packed. The Running Hog 5K Night Race will be held at Hoosier Link Golf Course on Saturday, July 1 at 7:30 p.m. Independence Day fireworks will be held at the park on July 1. A little league baseball tournament will also happen that day. Another footrace, the 5K Lumber Jack Dash in Memory of Josh Beam is scheduled for Saturday, August 12 at 7:30 a.m. In addition to the events, families can enjoy new and updated amenities at the public park. Earlier this year, a new dog park was dedicated after being completed by Todd and Michelle Cooksey, Pike Lumber, and the Milan National Honor Society. Also recently completed or soon to be ready are an updated stage, refurbished bleachers, updated bathrooms, and replacing gravel with blacktop. “We’ve been doing a lot of cleaning up as far as renovations and that kind of thing,” says Shumate. A local Girl Scout troop helped clean up trash around the park. Photo provided. Eagle Scout projects have been done throughout the park. Alex Volz completed a World War II Memorial. John Rohrig installed a handicap swing. A fire pit by Jacob Rohrig will soon be ready. Girls Scouts Sarah Bohley and Megan Brown finished refurbishing the soccer building. The local Lutheran church painted inside the Barlow Building. Fundraising efforts are underway to raise money for new playground equipment, swings, basketball goals, and exercise equipment for the park’s walking path. When built, the new playground will be dedicated in memory of Chester and Ruth Baylor, founders of Baylor Trucking. “They were big in the Milan community for years,” Deb says. You can follow Darren Baker Memorial Park on Facebook for updates on events and progress at the park. Jarrod Meinders from Southeastern Indiana REMC donating an AED to the Milan Park Board. (Left to right) Joyce Call, Deb Shumate, Jarrod Meinders, Teresa Johns, and Susan Houze.