NEWSRACK
Spring/Summer 2004    Volume 4

It has been a very busy and exciting time here at the Deerassic Park Education Center! Thanks to your support and the funds raised at the 2003 Deerassic Classic Giveaway, we are moving ahead with development plans.

Excavation work has taken place to prepare the grounds for parking lots, roads, a lake, and sitework for the future Ohio Whitetail Hall of Fame Museum complex. Please see PROGRESS for other accomplishments. I trust you’ll be as excited as I am at our accomplishments!

We are now open for group tours, and education programs have been successfully under way, both in schools and as field trips to the park.

We are busy planning our annual membership picnic, held during the Ancient Arts Festival this year (see details in newsletter), and, of course, the two-day 2004 Deerassic Classic Giveaway. Please see www.deerassic.com  for more information about both events. Tell your friends, and bring them along!

We hope you see, as we do, that dreams are indeed possible to achieve, and that now, more than ever, offering outdoor education to our youth today is of utmost importance if we are to pass on a heritage that we believe in. We hope to see you at the membership picnic June 26, so you can see for yourself the progress you are helping make happen!

Sincerely,
Dean Ziegler, Director of Operations and NWDEF Founder

• NWDEF purchase of 117-acre Deerassic Park property.

• Excavation, road, and infrastructure improvements.

• Land development into park-like conditions with primitive camping area.

• Development of successful outdoor education programs presented in schools and as outdoor field trips at the Deerassic Park Education Center.

• Park opening to group tours.

• • First Ancient Arts Festival and Knap-In in June, drawing national exhibitors and performers.

• Multi-purpose 60’ x 100’ pavilion.

• Plans to enlarge the deer enclosure and improve hiking trails.

• Expanded 2004 Deerassic Classic Giveaway to two days, featuring spokesperson Irlene Mandrell, Horton Crossbow Celebrity Challenge, and entertainment.

• Partnerships with supporting corporations and organizations.

GROUP TOURS AND FIELD TRIPS

We now offer fun and educational outdoor group tour programs at the Deerassic Park Education Center that include guided interpretive walks in the woods, outdoor and environmental education, and of course a visit to the herd of spectacular whitetail deer. Our mission is to inspire youth and their families to reconnect with the outdoors. Contact Program Director Toni Kellar at 740-435-3335 or tonikellar@deerassic.com  to schedule a group tour appropriate for schools, youth groups, clubs, senior groups, 4-H, church groups, summer camps, Scouts, your family reunion, you name it! We will design an experience to suit your group’s needs.

Our field trip program, “The Outside Is In!” is designed to help meet State Academic Content Standards. Please see our website for more information and references from students and teachers.

“It was very exciting! I think that now instead of playing video games I will go outside. Keep up your great work!” -- Alicia Swain, 5th grade student, Old Washington Elementary

“It’s nice to see wildlife and the outdoors coming to the classroom. This program is excellent.”
-- Mike Legats, 5th grade teacher, East Guernsey School District

A special thank you goes to corporate sponsor Dunning Motors of Cambridge, OH, for donating two 2004 Dodge Dakotas, complete with graphics, for Deerassic Park Education Center use. And, to Luburgh Construction of Zanesville, OH, for excavation work at a fraction of commercial cost.

Please join us at our annual membership picnic Saturday, June 26, at the Deerassic Park Education Center. This will take place during the Ancient Arts Festival and Knap-In, which is June 26 (9 a.m. to 7 p.m.) and June 27 (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.).

Show your membership card at the gate Saturday and your carload gets in free! Admission fee is $5 per vehicle for nonmembers.

The festival will feature flint-knappers (the art of making arrowheads) from around the nation, a national atlatl (spear throwing) competition, demonstrations and displays of ancient and heritage arts such as tanning, blacksmithing, scrimshaw, jewelry, pottery, stone carving, and more. Entertainment Saturday will feature Christine Boiano of Santa Fe, NM, on Native American flute, and a participatory community drum circle. Special youth activities are planned. Pack a picnic basket or enjoy Cowboy Dan’s Hoe-Down Dinner for a modest cost. Our annual membership meeting will take place at 4 p.m. at the main pavilion. We hope you will join us for this first-time festival and see for yourself the progress we’ve made, with your support, at the Deerassic Park Education Center.

TICKETS
Tickets are still available for this year’s Deerassic Classic Giveaway! Please help spread the word to your friends and co-workers about this great opportunity to have a chance at winning over 200 fabulous prizes (including over $100,000 in cash!) and support a great cause of promoting outdoor education and building the world class Ohio Whitetail Hall of Fame Museum. You can order tickets online at www.deerassic.com , by phone at 740-435-9500, or by mail. Tickets are $100, and the $40 Big Buck Bonus Ticket is available for $25 when purchased with a Deerassic Classic ticket.

THE EVENT
Bigger and better this year! We’ve expanded the Classic to two days, featuring the Friday Nite Kick-Off Party August 6.

Admission is free Friday, and features the Big Buck Bonus Ticket drawing, spokesperson Irlene Mandrell, Nashville entertainment, and side raffles. Dinners served by Cowboy Dan for a modest cost start at 4 p.m., and the drawing begins at 6 p.m. Overnight primitive camping is available Friday and Saturday nights. (Gates open for campers 9 a.m. Friday. $10 per night, per tent, camper, or motor home.)

The 2nd Annual Deerassic Classic Giveaway drawing is Saturday, August 7. The pre-show starts at 11 a.m., and the drawings begins at noon. This exciting day will feature spokesperson Irlene Mandrell of the famous Mandrell Sisters, the Horton Crossbow Celebrity Challenge, free Hoe-Down food by Cowboy Dan, free Pepsi products, 17-foot Event TV screen, additional side raffles, and more surprises (hint: the sky’s the limit!). Admission is free by showing your Deerassic Classic Giveaway ticket, or $20 at the gate for non-ticket holders. Please see www.deerassic.com  for a complete list of prizes, rules and details.

NWDEF Board President Bill Dalessandro was honored, along with Operations Director Dean Ziegler, in a special assembly at Orrville elementary schools in March. Education programs for all fourth grades in the school district followed. Both Dalessandro and

Ziegler are natives of the Orrville area. Lynn Abrams-Spilker is the NWDEF’s new Development and Finance Director. Lynn brings experience from her own financial services business and directorship of the Salt Fork Arts and Crafts Festival to further NWDEF’s growth. The NWDEF would like to thank board members Kenny McClelland, Tim Higgins, Joe Detweiler, and Steve Kame for their continued work and support. We now have 13 part-time education program presenters who bring years of outdoor experience and enthusiasm to our field trips and school presentations. Jody Cowan continues her role as coordinator of Classic ticket sales.

We are proud of our achievements so far, but we have much more to do. We need your help, and there are many ways and levels for you to contribute. Here are just a few samples of support and sponsorship opportunities:

• $5,000: Deerassic Classic Gold Sponsorship

• $2,500: Deerassic Classic Silver Sponsorship

• $1,000: Horton Crossbow Celebrity Challenge with Irlene Mandrell (all proceeds to benefit our education fund)

• $500: Lifetime membership

Any amount (even $5!) can be placed toward our education or general fund. A contribution card is enclosed for your convenience. Please consider sharing your support with friends, co-workers, and workplace management. Endowments, goods, services, or time are gratefully accepted. Naming rights are available for substantial corporate or family sponsorships.

For more information about sponsorships, the Horton Crossbow Celebrity Challenge, or to schedule a group or corporate presentation, please contact Development and Finance Director Lynn Abrams-Spilker at 740-435-3335 or Brenda@deerassic.com.  Outstanding outdoor education, and the ultimate construction of the Ohio Whitetail Hall of Fame Museum, can happen with your support!

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