Two special annual events planned on the last Saturday in April offer the public opportunities to visit and explore two special and unique JCPRD properties.
Both the Mildale Farm Spring Community Day and the TimberRidge Adventure Center Open House are planned for April 27, and both events are free. Usually, these properties are accessible only as part of programming or through rentals.
Mildale Farm Spring Community Day
The five-hour event is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will give interested parties access to the 158-acre site including the 22-acre rental property in southwest Johnson County as well as to about 136 acres which are now all part of the 2,060 acres which make up Big Bull Creek Park, which opened to the public in September 2018.
The centerpiece of the Mildale Farm property, the high-quality equestrian-style barn featuring peg construction and a hand-laid brick floor, will be open. Restrooms will be available, but the property’s two homes and other outbuildings will not be open during this event.
Arts and crafts activities for kids will take place in the main barn and visitors can explore and picnic on the grounds. The public can bring their own bait and tackle and practice catch-and-release fishing in any or all of seven ponds within the 158-acre area. While district fishing permits have been waived for this event, Kansas residents ages 16 to 64 and nonresidents 16 and older need to have a Kansas state fishing license, which will not be sold on-site.
Mildale Farm is located at 35250 W. 199th St., Edgerton. From the north, take Interstate 35 south to Homestead Lane. Proceed north on Homestead Lane. Turn left onto 199th Street and proceed west 1.6 miles. Mildale Farm will be on the right. From the south, take Interstate 35 north to Sunflower Road and proceed north of Sunflower Road 0.7 miles. Turn left onto to 207th St., and proceed west for 0.1 miles. Turn right onto 8th St. (Edgerton Road) and proceed north 1 mile. Turn right onto 56 Highway and proceed east 1 mile. Turn right onto 199th St., Mildale Farm will be on the left.
For more information about the
Mildale Spring Community Day, call Sarah Vogelsberg at (913) 826-2957.
TimberRidge Adventure Center Open House
The
TimberRidge Adventure Center Open House will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with a climbing event at the Hawk’s Nest Climbing Tower from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. All activities are free, but the climbing event has limited space and participants must register in advance by filling out an
online form, or by calling (913) 856-8849.
Visitors are encouraged to wear sturdy walking shoes and pack a picnic lunch or snacks as they explore the TimberRidge facilities and grounds which are primarily used for JCPRD adventure and challenge course programming, as well as for rental opportunities for a variety of events, including outdoor weddings, family reunions, and corporate events and picnics.
Activities available during the event include: kayaking, canoeing, and pedal boating on Catfish Pond, the largest of TimberRidge’s three ponds, and use of the facility’s archery and BB gun ranges for ages 8 and older. All ages are welcome to participate in the Family Fun Treasure Hunt from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Representatives of the Northwest Consolidated Fire District will be onsite with a fire truck, and will be teaching hands only CPR. The agency met its goal of teaching this life-saving technique to 50,000 residents in 2017, and is continuing to teach it and explain how chest compression only CPR really does make a difference and saves lives. Staff from several of JCPRD’s programs will be on site including: 50 Plus, Children’s Services, the Mill Creek Activity Center and the gymnastics program, JCPRD job opportunities, and the Parks and Recreation Foundation of Johnson County. In addition, the Johnson County Extension office will have master naturalists on hand to talk about invasive plants in the area.
During this annual event, anglers are allowed to take fish from the ponds as long as they are following state creel and length limits. While JCPRD fishing permits are not required at this site, Kansas residents ages 16 to 74 and nonresidents 16 and older need to have a Kansas state fishing license, which will not be sold on-site. Cops n’ Bobbers will be onsite with poles and bait available, or you can bring your own.
The activities at the center’s 40-foot-tall Hawk’s Nest Climbing Tower will give interested parties 12 and older who register in advance a free opportunity to experience the tower’s two climbing walls. Participants will be required to complete medical and liability releases prior to participating, and those under 18 will also need the signature of a parent or guardian. To register, call Outdoor Adventure Specialist Lysa Holladay Dvorak at (913) 856-8849.
The open house is an opportunity for the public to take a look at two other features of the facility including the Whispering Pines Shelter, which can accommodate groups of up to 200 people, and the Welcome Center, which has a large wraparound deck and can accommodate up to 80 people.
This event is held in conjunction with Outdoor Kansas Kids Day. Started in 2001, this program is an initiative of Kansas Wildscape which provides multiple outdoor recreation opportunities for Kansas youth with adult partnering and mentoring to encourage outdoor recreational opportunities, and promote and provide an active lifestyle as an alternative to sedentary activities. The program covers the entire state of Kansas and involves Kansas State Parks as well as other organizations and venues such as city and county parks and recreation departments. Visit www.kansaswildlifer.com for more information about Kansas Wildscape and to see what activities you can cross off your list at the TimberRidge Open House.
TimberRidge Adventure Center is located at 12300 S. Homestead Lane, Olathe, and is a 200-plus acre facility adjacent to Kill Creek Park. The center is accessible via an entrance which is separate from and south of the main entrance to Kill Creek Park.
For more information about the open houses or the TimberRidge Adventure Center, contact Outdoor Adventure Specialist Lysa Holladay Dvorak at (913) 856-8849, or see the center’s
Facebook page.
Take a look at all the fun events in store at the open house!