Winter hikes planned at state park
A series of winter hikes is planned between Saturday, Dec. 22 and March 9. All hikes will begin at 11 a.m. and will cover between two and four miles over rugged or sloppy terrain.
Leashed, friendly dogs are welcome. All hikes meet on Saturdays at the Nature Center except the First Day Hike. That hike will take place Tuesday, Jan. 1, and hikers will meet at Abe Martin Lodge.
- First Day Hike (Bridges, tunnels and more): Hike down Trail 3 to the oldest bridge in the state and stop at a trail-side fireplace for hot chocolate before returning to the lodge; about two miles total and lasting about an hour depending on time spent at warming station.
Saturday hikes at 11 a.m. are as follows:
- Dec. 22 — Kelp Village: Hike down rugged Trail 6 to Strahl Lake, around the lake and down a park road toward the former Kelp Village to search for remains of the village; return to Nature Center; about three miles total lasting about 90 minutes.
- Jan. 19 — Deserter’s Cave: Hike south along park road about one mile to off-woods rugged, steep trail to Deserter’s Cave; about two miles total lasting about an hour.
- Feb. 9 — Curious quarry: Carpool to trailhead at Horse Trail A; hike about a mile-and-a-half to Trail 17 for half a mile; total about four miles with some sloppy, some rugged areas and time to explore quarry area.
- Feb. 16 and March 30 — Lake That Never Was: Carpool to trailhead at Horse Trail B, descend on rugged trail and cross several creeks to Hidden Valley and to dam site; about two miles total lasting about 90 minutes.
- March 2 — Boulder in tree: Carpool to Horse Trail A, hike a short distance and continue on rugged off-trail trek for majority of hike; total about two miles lasting about 90 minutes.
- March 9 — Ten O’Clock Line Nature Preserve: Carpool to a fire trail, hike about one mile to Horse Trail B, then around nature preserve; total distance about two and a half miles for about two hours.
With questions, visit in.gov/dnr/parklake/2988.htm or Brown County State Park on Facebook, email [email protected], or call 812-988-5240.
GOP swearing-in slated for this weekend
Indiana State Representative Chris May, R-Bedford, will officiate swearing in ceremony hosted by the Brown County Republican Central Committee for recently-elected Republican officials on Saturday, Dec. 22
The event will be at 1 p.m. in the Billy Salmon Room of the County Office Building, 201 Locust Lane. It will include a Christmas party pitch-in with finger foods.
With questions, call Mark Bowman 317-691-7394. RSVP by email to [email protected].
State park passes, permits, tags available for next year
Annual entrance permits, horse tags, off-road cycling permits and lake permits for 2019 are on sale now at DNR Division of State Parks property offices.
Permits can be purchased online or at state parks. They are good from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31. Without a pass, daily entrance to the parks for in-state visitors costs $7 per car. The types of permits are:
- $50 annual entrance permit
- $25 Golden Hoosier Passport: For Indiana residents who are at least 65 or eligible for Social Security disability payments under 42 U.S.C. 401.
- $70 non-resident annual entrance permit
- $20 annual horse tag: Entitles one horse access and the use of DNR properties where horse use is allowed. Vehicle admission is not included.
- $20 off-road cycling permit: Required for cyclists wishing to access and use mountain bike trails on state park, reservoir and state forest properties with trail ratings above beginner. A daily bicycle pass costs $5. It is not required for park roads and paved biking trails.
- Lake permits ($25 annual motorized; $5 annual non-motorized): Required for all private watercraft using a state park lake, state-managed lake, state forest lake or Division of Outdoor Recreation lake.
For more information on annual entrance permits, visit stateparks.IN.gov/5062.htm. To buy permits online, visit stores.innsgifts.com/permits.
Movement, acupressure offered at library
Gloria Lawson will guide a group in gentle standing and seated movement as well as acupressure from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 19. at Brown County Public Library. The free program is recommended for adults.
To register, stop in at the library, 205 Locust Lane, or call 812-988-2850.
Talk to a lawyer for free at the library
The Brown County Public Library will host free, short, legal consultations between 3 and 5 p.m. Monday, Jan. 21.
Local attorneys will volunteer their time to help with legal questions on a first-come, first-served basis. The program is presented by Kelly Baer and sponsored by Legal Aid District 11.
For more information, call the library at 812-988-2850.
Free phone and DSLR photography course offered
Ryan Ridge will present basics of photography for phone and digital single-lens reflex cameras from 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 22 at Brown County Public Library.
He will offer tips to help take better photos and methods to manage and store pictures. The course is free and open to the public.
With questions, call the library at 812-988-2850.
Book-a-Librarian service offered
Individuals or small groups can make an appointment with a Brown County Public Library librarian through the free Book-a-Librarian service. Sessions are limited to 30 to 60 minutes and are best used for instruction on how to use the library catalog, databases, digital resources and the Internet. Call 812-988-2850 for an appointment.
Local game convention planned in spring
BroCoCon, Brown County’s first game convention, is planned from Friday to Sunday, March 29 to 31 at the Brown County Inn, 51 State Road 46 East.
The event, hosted by The Toy Chest is intended to be family- and adult-friendly; adults are welcome with or without children.
The convention will include booths set up by category and vendor to learn, play and/or buy games, with popular strategy, family, party and toddler games available.
Game instruction will be provided, with time to learn and play new games, get instruction on strategy games, participate in a scavenger hunt around town and enjoy a 21-and-older after-party, as well as other activities.
BroCoCon tickets cost $10 per adult and $5 per child, with 2 and younger admitted free. The adult after-party, $10, includes a drink ticket. Fees of about $1.50 per ticket will be added.
For more information, visit BroCoCon on Facebook, stop by The Toy Chest, 125 S. Van Buren St., or call 812-988-2817.
History programs for children slated
The Hands on History program, for children ages 8 to 12, is slated monthly on Thursdays next year at the Brown County History Center as follows: April 18, May 16, June 20, July 18, Aug. 15, Sept. 29 and Oct. 24.
The program enables children to engage in many of the day-to-day activities experienced by children living in pioneer times. Activities take place from 1 to 4 p.m. monthly in the Pioneer Village and the History Center, 90 E. Gould St.
Participation costs $5 each. Preregistration is required. To register, call Kathy Sparks at 812-988-2377 or visit browncountyhistorycenter.org for a registration form.
