2024 ANNUAL MEMBER
MEETING RECAP
The design for the county’s first park, that will be developed along 400 acres of shoreline at Glenn Flint Lake, was presented. Putnam County Artist Matt Rees unveiled the fourth in his four-print series of original woodcut art. Wes Kendall recapped the success of this year’s “Pedal Putnam” series of bike rides. And Almost Home Restaurant served a top-notch wine and hors d’oeuvres spread as 47 Friends of the Park members enjoyed each other’s company and celebrated the county parks foundation’s successes September 12, during a beautiful evening along Glenn Flint Lake.
Board President Jessica Hartman called the Annual Members Meeting to order at 5:30 and updated members on this year’s highlights, saying 2024 is the third record-setting membership year in a row, with 253 members.
“One goal of the county’s five-year outdoor recreation master plan is for Friends to end 2026 with no less than $500,000 in endowment,” she said. “So at the end of this year, the third year of the plan, the endowment balance should be no less than $300,000. We’re ahead of the goal, thanks to you,” she continued. “As of August 31, the endowment balance stands at $344,000.”
As the county parks foundation, Friends of the Park’s mission is to help fund the outdoor recreation needs of the community. Membership and fundraising are the only ways it accomplishes that, and Hartman again thanked members for their contributions.
Saying the board has invested member gifts wisely, she recapped this year’s accomplishments so far:
- “Celebrate 4,” the county’s Independence Day celebration, was again a success and ended with a carry-forward balance that will help fund the 2025 event.
- The Penn Railroad Freight Depot will be moved by year-end, becoming People Pathways’ first enclosed trailhead and doubling as the county’s first nature center.
- The Putnam County Mural Festival, the second since the Silo Mural was painted, was happening at the time of this meeting, adding seven more murals to the county’s growing gallery and expanding public art to new parts of the county – in Russellville, Reelsville and Bainbridge.
- Friends of the Park supported the new “Putnam Pursuit” program the Visitors Center uses to encourage residents and visitors to visit all of the county’s murals, covered bridges and nature parks.
- This year saw a heavy focus on Putnam Parks & Pathways, with support going to its Monthly Nature Hikes; spring field trips for second-graders from every school district, including a magnifying glass for every student to use to look closely at insects and plants; and the launch of a new signage effort along People Pathways, starting at the Hendricks County line west to the Gazebo by Walmart.
- Friends of the Park supported the “Pedal Putnam” series of bike rides in June, which in turn supported the organization as a fundraiser, adding more than $13,000 to the endowment.
- “Pedal Putnam” was one event in June. That same month, Friends supported two others – a national slingshot tournament in Jaycee Park and an ultramarathon in the DePauw Nature Park. Combined, these events attracted 276 participants from 16 states to Putnam County’s remarkable natural areas.
- Hartman said Friends of the Park continues to work collaboratively with Putnam Parks & Pathways, the Visitors Center board and the County Parks Board. These three organizations are housed in the Putnam County Visitors Center, and together they are pursuing the goals of the county’s five-year outdoor recreation master plan. This year, the Camp Friend board was welcomed to this group, launching work that likely will make those 64 wooded acres southwest of Limedale the second county park.
Hartman said, “We’re here this evening on property that will become the first county park. We supported the creation of a park plan for these 400 lakeside acres,” and Friends of the Park Treasurer Kathy Deer then shared the plan and vision for the park.
Hartman introduced Putnam County Artist Matt Rees, who unveiled his fourth and final print in a series of woodblock prints reflecting a bird native to Putnam County in a habitat unique to the county. Rees’ first print was of cliff swallows living under the Houck Covered Bridge. The second was a barn owl in Fortune Woods, near Bainbridge. The third was of goldfinches living at Camp Friend, and the print unveiled at this meeting was appropriately of a green heron in Glenn Flint Lake. As a thank you, this year’s members received a magnet featuring his first print and, for the next three years, the member thank-you gift will be an identical magnet featuring Rees’ other prints.
A highlight of the evening was a $50,000 check presentation by the Putnam County Convention & Visitors Bureau. For the third year in a row, to encourage Friends of the Park to reach its five-year endowment goal, the CVB has offered a $1-for-$1 matching grant up to $50,000. Hartman said a growing membership has responded enthusiastically to the opportunity to double their contributions, adding well over $50,000 this year to the organization’s endowment that will help fund the county’s outdoor recreation initiatives in perpetuity.