Windows, parks, and more

The Fendig Gallery has a new exhibit, "Through the Window". It is the annual show in which members of the Prairie Arts Council exhibit works that follow a theme. This year the theme is windows, so most of the work highlights windows.

 Below is the strangest piece on display. It has a window.

 I like the bright yellows in this one.

The exhibit runs to September 27. The gallery is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon till 4:00. The opening reception is Friday.

Work preparing the site for Autumn Trace, the assisted/independent living apartments, continues. I was surprised as how much progress they made in just a few days.

 They are trucking out the black top soil and have trucked in sandy soil for the foundation.

 Little Cousin Jasper Festival happens this weekend. Volunteers have been busy this past week setting up the electrical wiring and outlets.

 The stage and bleachers are ready. I hope the weather cooperates.

 I have noticed that for the past couple weeks the quarry has been pumping water. Below is a picture from a few days before they began pumping.

 The picture below is several days old but you can see that the water is several feet lower. The pumping has increased river flow through Rensselaer.

I think the point of the pumping is to keep open the option of future quarrying.

I skipped the Drainage Board on Tuesday because nothing struck me as especially interesting on the agenda. (The agenda is posted near the door to the Commissioners Room in the Court House. I cannot find it on-line.) Instead I went for a Walk with A Doc in Brookside Park. The event has participants walk a mile through Weston Cemetery. Before the walk there is a short presentation by a medical professional. This weeks topic was congestive heart failure. It is like diabetes—it cannot be cured but can be managed. The walks continue through Oct 12 and start at noon. The attendance on Tuesday was quite low but the heat and the humidity were very high.

I see from Facebook that CDC Resources is opening its fitness center to the public. They are having an open house on Monday, Sept 24 from 10:00 am until 1:00 pm. The cost will be $10 per month. The Monticello office has a fitness center but it is only open to the elderly members of the public. There seems to be no restriction on the Rensselaer Center. If you are interested or want to learn more, go to the open house.

Finally, the Rensselaer Park Board met on Monday evening. The Board would like the soccer program to be under Park sponsorship, especially since they are planning to spend a lot of money improving the fields. Work should begin on the fields as soon as the fall soccer season is finished.

The first project of the Parks for People campaign, however, will be the dog park on Bunkum Road. It is relatively cheap and simple. It may open this fall. When it does open, it will open with a free period. Eventually dog owners will be expected to purchase a pass.

Of the $1,200,000 raised by the Parks for People  campaign, $700,000 is cash and $500,000 is pledges. The organizers are working to get as many in-kind donations as possible--work or items donated so they do not have to make a cash outlay for them.

There are a couple of Park programs coming up. The first is Scare Crow Trail. Here is an entry form. The other is the Fall Fest on Oct 18, which last year had big attendance.