The document provides an update on recent activities and future plans for Ramsey Park and Zoo. It summarizes the completion of zoo renovations, including the return of animals to their new homes. It details events from the 101st Jamboree anniversary celebration in June 2014. Future projects discussed include a welcome sign and bench near the zoo entrance and potential repairs to the Zeb Gray Shelter overlooking the Redwood River.

1. Volume 2, Issue 1
2012 Current Members
The Ramsey Jam
January 2014
December 2012
Thank you for your membership!
Gwen Bohlke
Richard BeaReview
Brown
A Year&in (Kotval)
Sandra Foley
It Doug & Paulette Hildebrandt zoo in Daniel &Park. Corbett
has been an exciting year for the
Ramsey Susan Bestmann, Cheryl Davis, Gordy Jensen, Mike Salmon
Other than some finishing touches the zoo renovations and Lisa Hansen.
Maxine Knudson
Kohls-Wheelborg Ford
Uhlenkamp The deer, elk
are complete. & Associates and buffalo have returned Oja
Mark & Dorie
Jerry & Joanne Luttman
toBob &newly remodeled homes. It took Thielen Bus Lines
their Betty Mahoney
some time for Jamboree
them to return as they had to wait for some foot padding Swartz
Roger & Sandra This year we celebrated the Jamboree with a bang!
Shirts Plus
Loran & Debbie We geared up for the 101st Anniversary of Ramsey
toSusan Munshower
grow first. Our animal’s needs are top priority. I Kaardal
Alice I even Nelson
believe & Steve saw a smile on
Gail & Dean Toft
Park. If you stopped by the RACC on
Oberloh & Associates
John Sr & Caroline Buckley June 9th then you know we had a variety
one of the buffalo’ faces. If you
Kathryn Olson
Duane Heiling
Mary A. their
check out Olsonnew “pad” you
of activities going on. We had inflatables
Lary & Vonnie it too!
Clint & Diane Knorr
might just catch Roberts If not
which included a bouncy house, obstacle
BJ & Sheila Tersteeg
you willWalden a great view
still have
Carol
course and even some for tiny tots. We also
ofJanis Field donations have
what all your
had a variety of games to play where tickets
Brad & Jeanne
done for them. Limoges
could be collected and redeemed for prizes.
Marge Ripperton
Susan Morrisette
Scott Karpen
Carol Pagac
Friends of the Park are working on a welcome sign near
Lelah White
E&T Plumbing
the entrance of the zoo. We are planning on placing
There was a delicious meal and silent auction featuring
followed through and now
many handcrafted items madeto a close.
and donated by our local
A Sneak Peak at 2014
drawing
talented artists and other items from our local retailers.
So now the big question, what
Once again we were pleased to welcome back Ramona
next? Well if you Those talented
Larson’s Redwood Area dancers. spend any time
a bench at the Northeast corner of the zoo near the
there youand aware that there are
a show are are always
Lifetime Members
Swayback bridge. This will serve as a welcome sign, a dancers put on quite always areas in need of a crowd
Brian & Mona Brau
pleaser. Thank
By to rest and
great photo Michelle Cilek visitors, a placeCorrine Gertsema
improvement which brings us to
Shawn & opportunity for
as a kid friendly attraction. It will be unique to Ramsey you Ramona for
the answer of the impending
Redwood Falls Girl Scout Have you been in the Zoodareaaofi n g
coor in t
Zoo and30093
question. A future project that we
Troop will feature a prairie dog on the arm rest, an
Ramsey Park recently? Have you
are looking into is what is known
Gene & Shirley Gores
elk as the back rest, a hogback arm will benoticed more heavy equipment
a buffalo and such a wonderful
showgood bring
and
as the Zeb Gray Shelter
Heaton
Dorothyportion is a log.
the bench
than zoo animals? The
Stacey Heiling
overlooking the Redwood River
such enthusiastic
news, this is only temporary, the
Tom & Mary Inglis
Valley. It seems this beautiful
we
great news, we are dancers,
heavy
Mr. & Mrs. Elmer Jacobson
We needalso known astointo those and popular structure is in some
Phase III,
love the final
see
Gordon & Judith Jensen
phase of planned smiles. We
Doug & Teresa Karsky
back the miniature
your help! renovations. brought fairly desperate need ofponies and
Al & Jackie Kokesh
This final phase, being by far the added bonus, Kevin Vogel, owner of the
We are looking for this year as an
Mary Ann Mansoor
major most expensive, is ponies brought along a few of his other creatures. He
sponsors to possible due to
Mr. & Mrs. Steve Madsen
some generous donations as well
Janean McKay
fund as the Minnesota DNR Legacy entertaining and educational show about
this bench/ put on an
Craig & Karen Melges
welcome
sign each creature.
Grant. This will be completed no Judging by the crowds I witnessed I
Bob & Bunny Nolting
project.later than sometime Spring of this was a hit. I would look to see him back
Recognition would say
Gay Septon
again next
2013. We are
will be & Kathi on or near the bench for those whoso excited to seeyear. While the meal was being served we
Steve placed Whittet
Gary & Linda Zick to this project. The amount of as it willthe puddle jumpers entertain the crowd. To top
this happening
had complete
choose to contribute
A & W Furniture
years of dedicationoff making
to the evening we had Hicktown Mafia put on a show.
financial contributions will determine placement of
Paul Larson
desperately neededThere was a beer garden and a second meal was offered.
improvements
donor recognition. Please contact Friends of the Park
improvements. Built in 1979 the
to the Zoo area. We are so proud
It sure was a
board members for more information: Vonnie Roberts, see all the phases great way to celebrateparabolic design
Shelter’s unique the Park’s 101st
of being able to
Theresa Oberloh, Corrine Gertsema, Gail Ripka, Gary anniversary.
What’s next for
Friends of the
Park?
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Ramsey Jam

2. We realize that this celebration will
be tough to top but we are always
trying to keep it fresh and exciting
for the next year. Yes some favorites
are bound to come back but we try
and find something new too. Next
year we are looking at hosting the
Jamboree on June 11th. We look
forward to seeing you in 2014 and
yes, it will be held at the Community
Center again. It would be awesome
to host at the Park but keeping safety
and weather in mind we have found
that the Community Center is the
ideal place as the event has grown
leaps and bounds. We hope you
are as excited as we are to be able
to report that.
Thank you for
your continued
support of this
event each and
every year.
journey began. They hopped a Delta
flight to Minneapolis where they
were met by Parks and Recreation
Staff who then escorted them to
their new home in Ramsey Park.
They seem quite happy in their new
home but like all of us would really
appreciate some warm welcomes
from us as you visit the zoo.
We would like to thank the Scovill
Zoo for their generous donation of
the prairie dogs.
Park Improvements
If you have been in the park this
summer then you
may have noticed
some improvements
around the park.
That’s right, you are
not imagining it, a
total of 6 brand new
fire pits and grills
Prairie
have been installed
Dogs
and the old grills have
Did you notice a few new tenants been removed. This is only the start,
in the zoo once renovations were be watching as more replacements
complete? If not, you better run, jog, are to come. We want visitors to have
bike or drive down and check them
out. Some new dogs have claimed a
home between the birds and buffalo
exhibits. Now these dogs did have
some help getting here, actually
quite a bit of help as it turns out.
The City of Redwood Falls Parks
& Recreation Department began a
search for some new prairie dogs
which lead them to a zoo in Decatur
Park District in Illinois. Scovill Zoo
in Decatur Park District was kind
enough to help us out and donated
four new prairie dogs to our zoo.
What an adventure they had getting
here.
Once the “official word” came that
they were being relocated their
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a positive and enjoyable experience
when they choose Ramsey Park so
this is a huge step to ensure they
will come back!
There has also been a collaborative
effort to replace over 20 picnic tables
and over 40 benches in various City
of Redwood Falls parks. Our goal
is to replace all the picnic tables and
benches within the park.
Our walking paths have seen some
improvements too; two sets of
steps made up of old railroad ties
have been replaced. They are now
concrete stairs with hand railings
which are safer and much more
eye appealing. Thank you Vick
Construction for the great job!
Have you figured out that you can
now drive through the Park again?
Yes, that’s right; the Swayback
bridge is now open to all traffic
again. So drive, bike or jog in – you
won’t be turned around any longer.
Great efforts were made to make
sure the bridge was completed in a
timely manner and making sure it’s
historic legacy was preserved.
The Parks &
Recreation
Department
has created a
program called
“1-2-3
Come
Quest with me”.
What is that you
ask? Well, it is a
program designed to help you learn
the history of Ramsey Park all while
on an exciting adventure through
the Park. Young and old can join
this adventure anytime during mid
May through mid September. Visit
the website or stop by the RACC for
more information.

3. history, fundraising efforts which
include: sale of bricks, benches, and
picnic tables, and our memberships
available for purchase.
Youth Working Hard
for our Community
Ramsey Park Online
http://redwoodareacommunitycenter.
com/area-parks/alexander-ramsey-park/
Have you visited the Parks &
Recreation Department’s website
lately? There is a host of information
about the department but did
you know that it also contains
information on Ramsey Park as well?
You can do all sorts of stuff such as
reserve shelters and campsites to
name a few.
There is also a new and pretty
awesome feature available. It is
called a virtual tour. What is that
you ask? Well that is the coolest part
about virtual, you can experience
the parks views from your living
room, dining room, kitchen or even
bathroom if that is where you have a
computer with internet handy. You
log on to the website and a couple of
clicks you can have the most breath
taking views from anywhere in your
home. If you haven’t checked it out
we highly recommend that you do,
you won’t be disappointed. The
maps of the walking trails are also
located on the website, now you can
plan ahead for where you would like
to go.
Other items which can be found the
on the Parks & Recreation website
is information about Friends of
the Park. The capability of making
online donations to the Park is
available. We also have our project
numerous signs installed along the
trail that will describe the plant and
animal life that is native to this area
and are visible on the trail.
Also, as part of this project, I’ve
had to fundraise to help pay for
the cost of the clean up, the new
park benches and signs that will
be installed along the trail. Many
people have graciously donated to
this project, which I am thankful
for. The signs will be installed yet
this fall while
the park benches
will be installed
in the spring of
2014. After this
is done, Ramsey
Park visitors will
be able to enjoy
walking
this
quarter mile loop that partially
parallels the Redwood River and
learn more about the animals and
plant life along the trail.”
We have been fortunate to have some
young men from our community
take on some much needed
improvements in our Parks. One
of the young men is Tyler Hagen.
He made some
improvements
to the shelter at
Perks Park. He
repaired
the
back wall of
shelter, painted
the shelter and
completed
the
landscaping around the shelter. He
did an awesome job!
The other young man is Marshal
Quast. In his own words this is what
he did “My name is Marsahl Quast
and as my Eagle Scout project, I’ve
taken on the task of renovating this
trail and turning it into a nature trail.
Several stages have been involved in
this project. First, the old equipment
on this trail in Ramsey Park was
removed. This was actually done
already last fall. This past summer,
about 20 volunteers showed up on a
Saturday to help widen the quarter
mile trail to make sure
it is passable in all
parts. This included
clearing several spots
along the trail that
will have park benches
installed next spring
for visitors to sit on
and look out over
the Redwood River.
Finally, there will be
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Both projects were taken on by
these young men as Eagle Scout
Projects. We would like to extend
a heartfelt “Thank you” to both of
them for all of their hard work and
dedication to getting the job done.
Way to support our community and
give back at the same time. Please
thank these young men if you run
into them. We are so fortunate to
have them in our community.

4. Join Us
Other News…….
As ongoing improvements to
Ramsey Park continue the question
remains…..
What project do we focus on next?
One big project that we are looking
at is the Zeb Gray Shelter. This
beautiful scenic overlook is in great
need of repairs. This shelter is used
frequently throughout the year for
such events as weddings, picnics,
reunions and many more events
to numerous to mention.
This
renovation looks to incur some
major costs. Even though we have
not committed funds to this project
it is one that we are checking into.
Help Make a Difference
2014 Membership Application
The Legacy grant has once again
been applied for to help with much
needed repairs, maintenance and
improvements to the park. The City
of Redwood falls and Friends of
the Park are making every effort to
maximize every dollar spent in the
park.
Have you thought of gifts for those
hard to buy for people in your life?
What about donating to Friends of
the Park in someone’s name? Say
a teacher, instructor, grandparent,
parent or other friends and relatives.
It is a flexible gift as donations are
accepted in any amount and are tax
deductible.
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