Community Coming Together

We're a couple days into spring and there's a new look to the track, especially the pond. Throughout the winter, Cliff Richardson has been lining up small work parties to cut, burn and get the blackberries under control. He's been joined by a number of volunteers including Don Dow, Tim Hooten, Terry Herndon, Gene Flint and Sonny Willis. Then, of course, there's the ever-present Weiss family with their chainsaws, weed eaters and built in crew of minions.

So far we've managed to get the view in front of the pond cleared out and the walking trail opened up. Once the weather lightens up, we plan to get the path widened out even more and clear the view all the way around the pond.

The entire existence of the track is dependent on community involvement. All of the work, from mowing the lawns to restocking the toilet paper, is done by volunteers. Track meets are run by volunteers. The board is made up solely of volunteers, some of whom don't even live in the area but believe in the track and all it stands for.

This entire facility was made possible by the generosity of Aaron and Marie Jones and built by community members who gave up their time and brought their expertise to the table. What was once a wasteland was transformed into a place where the McKenzie Valley could come together. When we work as a team, great things happen. This is our community. This is what we do.