Celebrating 5 years

Quarry Springs is having a celebration. The park and recreation destination is hosting a 5 Year Anniversary Party with festivities beginning at 5 p.m. Saturday.

“At 5 p.m. we will have a ceremony to thank Bob Brown and family for donating the funds for the three shelters that Curt Small and crew erected on the west shore of the southwest lake,” Quarry Springs Board Member Doug Garrett said.

Following the ceremony, at 6 p.m. a celebration will begin for the fifth anniversary of Quarry Springs Park. Cocina Hernandez and Marcia’s Sweet Treats food trucks will be on hand with adult beverages available and live music will be provided by Richard and Emm Arndt at a free concert in the Block Building.

“We will also have family games and raffle prizes to give away throughout the evening including a kayak and other items,” board president Kim Seebeck said.

The event is being sponsored by Beck Hybrids with Quarry Springs Outfitter proving the kayak.

A donation from Martin Marietta Corporation in 2015 of approximately 480 acres previously used as a rock quarry to the City of Colfax was the first step to the creation of Quarry Springs Park. With the reorganization of the Colfax Park and Recreation Auxiliary Board and agreement to develop, operate, fundraise and promote the area on behalf of the City of Colfax, the park was on its way to a new future.

The board got to work, cleaning up the leftover materials from the quarry, constructing a boat ramp on the southwest lake, establishing a walking trail and repairing existing buildings in its first year. With hefty goals for the area, the park opened in spring 2016 offering a 10 site primitive campground along with a variety of recreational opportunities.

In the following years, events including the Free Kids Fishing Tournament, Rock the Quarry fundraising concert and Paddle-Skedaddle have become mainstays at the park. Additional shelters were added and Quarry Springs Outfitters opened to allow for rentals and purchases of equipment for the park.

Another popular attraction at the park has been the osprey who nest on the grounds. The grand birds can be seen throughout Quarry Springs during the warmer months of the year.

From April 2014 through December 2020, the park has had more than 37,000 volunteer hours donated to make it what it is today. It has also seen several Eagle Scout projects take place including placing five park benches along the trails, creating a kayak-in/hike-in primitive campground and the creation of placement of sign markers at each half miles on the 3.5 miles Dike Loop Trail.

Looking forward, the board is planning to continue promoting and holding more reserved events on the grounds, design, build and operate a 30 site RV campground and shower/restroom facility and design and build a new “pedestrian” bridge over the isthmus opening between the east and north lakes for boat traffic between the two lakes. Those goals along with continuing to sponsor and fund Eagles Scout projects, use the park as a source of education for the Colfax-Mingo and Baxter school districts and hosting the popular Annual Free Kids Fishing Derby will keep pushing the park forward well into the future.

Contact Jamee A. Pierson at 641-792-3121 ext. 6534 or jpierson@newtondailynews.com