Friends of Versailles State Park Organizes

News release from Ripley County Tourism Bureau

(Versailles, Ind.) - Friends of Versailles State Park, have you been hearing rumors of this group? Several months ago some individuals from the area met to talk about how to help get new projects going at Versailles State Park, the second largest state park in Indiana.

The group’s By-Laws have been completed, a membership brochure has been printed, and two events have been scheduled. The first event will be a Friends of Versailles State Park Open House and the second event scheduled is a “Walk off the Gravy” Historic Walk through part of the park.

The Friends of Versailles State Park Open House will be Thursday, November 8 from 4:30 to 6pm at the Recreation Hall in the Group Camp (near where the old park office was). Light refreshments will be served for those who want to find out more about the organization. Visitors to the park that evening will also be encouraged to share their ideas of projects they would like to see the Friends Group accomplish, and to become a member. The park will be open at no charge to the public.

The “Walk off the Gravy” Historic Walk is scheduled for the Saturday after Thanksgiving, November 24 at 10am. The public is invited to meet at the campground gate to begin the walk which will pass by some original home sites and park structures. Bill Dallman, a park historian, will lead the walk, which will take about two hours on an easy trail. Walkers are encouraged to bring a walking stick and a bottle of water. No registration necessary, and no charge to participate. If the weather is bad, the walk will be cancelled.

Anyone interested in joining the Friends of Versailles State Park group, may become a member with annual dues of: $15 Individual; $25 Family; or $100 Sponsor; lifetime memberships are $150 Individual or $250 Family. Memberships may be sent to the Ripley County Tourism Bureau (with Friends of VSP on the memo line), P.O. Box 21, Versailles, IN 47042. The Ripley County Tourism Bureau is sponsoring the group until the Friends 501c3 work is complete. The phone number for the Ripley County Tourism Bureau is 812-689-7431.

Those who have been meeting and laying out the groundwork for the Friends group include Jerry and Janice Wilson, Bill and Dita Dallman, Tim Weber, Kea Foreman, Larry Eaton, Jon Strautman, and Katherine Taul. Versailles State Park employees, Manager Paul Sipples, Office Manager Katie Landwehr, and former Assistant Manager Lucas Green have also been instrumental in getting the group organized.