Deb Fall, Accounting Clerk

I want to tell you about an amazing seminar I attended in Sandusky, Ohio, the Ohio Parks and Recreation Association (OPRA) Conference & Trade Show. I took several classes from educated instructors and enjoyed every one of them, but I had two favorite classes. Both classes touched on human biases and how they affect the workplace and our lives.

One of the definitions in the dictionary states that bias is prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair. For example, You may have a favorite college basketball team and feel bias towards their rivals. Go Bucks!

We all have biases, even if we don’t think so, because we are all bringing something different to the table. It’s quite normal to have different views from others but it’s not ok to be disrespectful. People have their own views according to their life experiences, upbringing, morals, and values. These stories shape who we are and what we believe and don’t believe in, but our opinions and biases can change as we experience new events and different people in our lives.

A person who disfavors the LGBTQ community may find himself with a gay grandchild and his mindset then changes. He no longer harbors his bias– he sees his successful and kind grandchild who has a different sexual choice from his own. It’s ok to disagree with someone’s choice for yourself, but we don’t get to choose the life path of others. We each get to live our own life. We get to do what makes us the most productive and happy in society. We should not have to live by others’ life choices to be admired.

People gravitate to people of their likeness, it’s a primitive response. Elephants walk with elephants and bees fly with bees. There is nothing erroneous with this as long as we appreciate the differences of others.

A few other ways biases are formed are through social media sites and news outlets. There are over 128 social media sites and over 3,000 news outlets. There are also 4,000 different religions/faiths that exist in the world today. Hinduism is the oldest religion. Judaism is the first religion to believe in God. Christianity is the largest religion in the world. Just like the Islam religion, Christianity and many different branches, there are many dimensions of diversity. When we shut ourselves off from certain groups of people we risk the opportunity for personal enhancement. Hearts are very capable of growing and blooming.

Nature welcomes everyone, no biases there! Enjoy a walk on a trail or visit the animals at the Darke County Parks. Here you will find respect amongst the staff, respect for yourself, and nature. Come and enjoy the parks and become a part of our community. We are here – unbiased – for all of you!

Robb Clifford, Executive Director

January is somehow behind us already and we’re now well on our way into 2024. The New Year is always filled with excitement, anticipation, and maybe a bit of sadness; 2024 is no different. Many of the Park District’s usual programs and community events will return, trails will be maintained and updated, and as a whole, we’ll continue to offer you a multitude of avenues to get into nature! We at the Park District are excited about new adventures in 2024. You may want to get your calendar out while you read the rest of this article… there’s a lot here you won’t want to miss!

Maple Sugarin’ on the Prairie will be here before you know it! The sap is flowing as I write this article and within days, the sugar shack will be fired up producing that sweet springtime treat! The Friends of Darke County Parks will host their annual Waffle Breakfast at Shawnee Prairie on March 2nd. Tickets are on sale now at the park district office at the nature center and Bear’s Mill. Tours will be hosted that morning, educating on the science and history of maple sugaring. Of course, don’t forget to step into the steamy sugar shack to witness the magic firsthand! Sponsor a bucket for the best deals (details on our website) or buy your breakfast tickets in person today!

The Nature Center Gift Shop now stocks select products from Bear’s Mill! Store favorites like cornmeal, pancake mix, shirts, mugs, and COFFEE are now also sold at Shawnee Prairie. In addition to these items from the mill, maple syrup will soon be stocked… yum! Maybe the most convenient news; credit cards are now accepted at our gift shop!

The solar eclipse is on the horizon and if you haven’t heard about it by now, be sure to check out all the cool events and plans being put forth by us at the Parks as well as across the county! I’ve only been lucky enough to witness one total eclipse, and even though it was partly cloudy that day, it was so cool! This April 8th is going to be an amazing experience. Check out all that Darke County Parks will be offering for the event here: https://www.darkecountyparks.org/eclipse2024

This year marks the 175th anniversary of Historic Bear’s Mill! As such, we have a variety of special events taking place all year long in celebration! We will have musical guests, open houses, the return of Soup N’ Bowl, and more! And after 175 years, it’s time for some restoration work. This February the Buhr stones, the heart of the mill, will be resurfaced to improve their grinding abilities. This is the first time in over 40 years this has occurred. An expert historical miller visited from Virginia to train our staff on this process. The foundation and the tail-end of the mill race will be getting some vital work done this year as well. This will take care of some critically needed repairs that have been looming over the mill for many years now. Keep an eye on the mill this year and be sure to stop in and tell it “Happy birthday”!

Last year’s inaugural Bash at the Bish was a blast and we’re stoked for round two! If you missed out, mark your calendars for June 22. Many favorites from last year are planned to return, including the BMX bike stunt show, tree climbing, and the fascinatingly unique Corcl boats. We can’t wait!

This year will mark the departure of a favorite event of the Park District. The sun has set on Prairie Days, at least in its most recent iteration. We have made the long-coming, but difficult, decision that while being a great event, the format was far too volunteer-reliant. With our shrinking number of volunteers, we were unable to continue the event in that format. Our September’s won’t feel quite the same. We are exploring options for a new autumn event to begin sometime in 2025-2026.

On a brighter note, we have agreed to take over the Gathering at Garst event! This change of ownership allows us to bring many elements of Prairie Days to the Gathering this year and in the years to come. The Gathering will remain much the same as in year’s past in 2024 and we’ll continue to grow and try new things with it in the coming years. You can expect unique vendors, amazing history and great entertainment and food!

2024 will bring the third annual Tour de Darke back on August 4th! We’ve been so happy to host 200+ cyclists from the county and neighboring regions in the past two years and are hoping to grow those numbers this year! If you like riding a bike, be sure to check out the details on our website, registration is live. All proceeds go towards the bike trail maintenance and updates, such as the new navigation signs installed last year!

Excitement, anticipation, and maybe a bit of sadness… it’s the beginning of a New Year and Darke County Parks can’t wait to experience it with you! Check out our website for all details: www.DarkeCountyParks.org. We’ll see you on the trails!