Back for yet another year, our 2025 Vigo County Parks Magazine has arrived! You can view a digital copy below and get your physical copy at any of our upcoming events, at the Indianapolis Boat, Sport and Travel Show or in our office!
Maple Syrup Season is here!
We’re excited to announce our maple trees at Prairie Creek Park were tapped this morning and sap is flowing! Our crew hopes to be boiling sap to make syrup by the end of this week. Stay tuned for more information 
in the mean time be sure to get your pancake breakfast tickets at www.ticketsignup.io/TicketEvent/FowlerParkPancakeBreakfast We hope to have syrup for sale soon!
in the mean time be sure to get your pancake breakfast tickets at www.ticketsignup.io/TicketEvent/FowlerParkPancakeBreakfast We hope to have syrup for sale soon!
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2025 Blacksmithing Classes
Registration is now available! Check out the blacksmithing classes at Fowler Park! Participants will learn how to operate a blacksmith forge, understand the parts of an anvil, and the uses of various hand tools in the blacksmith shop. They’ll also get to shape metal using learned techniques including forging a curve, a twist, a square, and more! Call 812-462-3392 or email our Natural Resource Programmer at [email protected] for more information. Classes fill up quickly so make sure to register today!
Ages 10+, children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult
$60 Registration Fee – Preregistration required.
For registration please visit: 2025 Fowler Park Blacksmithing Classes
Christmas Walk Trees
It’s that time of year again! We once again are planning our annual Christmas Walk at Fowler Park on December 6th and 7th. We will be doing our Christmas Trees in the barn again and are in need of local businesses and organizations to decorate trees! If you are interested, please reach out to our programmer at [email protected]
2025 Booking Calendar now available!
We are happy to announce that our booking calendar for 2025 shelter rentals are now available on our website! Visit our rentals page to make your reservations today.
Hawthorn Closed
Update: Due to technical issues we will be stopping work on the left side of the park (Dogwood Shelter side) and will be closed on Monday instead.
Good morning everyone, today only all roads in Hawthorn Park will be closed. You will not be able to access the park through the main entrance. You can still park at J.I. Case and enter through there. The park will reopen tomorrow morning at it’s normal time. Thank you for your patience and understanding during this maintenance!
Hawthorn Closures
Attention VCPRD patrons: beginning today there will be construction equipment moving in to Hawthorn Park as we begin road work throughout the park tomorrow. We will be completing some much needed road maintenance and during this time there will be sections of the park that are closed to all visitors over the coming weeks to months. As such, shelter rentals will be unavailable until further notice. We will post updates here as we move to different sections of the park and close those sections. While work is being completed in an area we do ask that you please DO NOT enter the area. We thank you for you patience and understanding.
Pioneer Days Parking
Pioneer Days is approaching this weekend, parking will be in the field across from the Pioneer Village as it has been in the past. Due to the high level of pedestrian traffic crossing Bono Rd into the village, the @Vigo County Commissioners have once again allowed us to close Bono Rd from Oregon Church Rd to Harlan Dr to make it a one-way entrance into our parking area for everyone’s safety. Please enter from Oregon Church Rd (south) and exit North towards Harlan Dr.
Please make sure you follow the signs to park in the right field so that you are parking in the correct area. Pioneer Days will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. this Saturday and Sunday, the parking lot WILL NOT open until 9:30! Parking is still $5 per car, but admission is free! We can’t wait to see you all this weekend.
Tour of the Vigo County Parks- Markle Mill Park
Today is the last day of July and the last day of National Parks and Recreation Month. We’ve hoped you’ve enjoyed your tour with us as we take our tour to our newest acquired park and make our final stop. Today’s stop on our Tour of Vigo County Parks is… Markle Mill Park! This site is rich in history, one that you can read on our new signs that went up this spring. In 1816 Colonel Abraham Markle constructed a dam over Otter Creek in order to build a gristmill. While the mill burnt down in 1938, though you can still see remains of the foundation today. Due to safety the dam was removed and parts of the cement from the dam line the parking lot. The timbers from the original dam to be preserved in hopes of being used in the future. We will continue to preserve the old mill foundation and continue to make the park a beautiful space for people to visit.
While we have been caretakers of the park for many years, we took ownership in the fall of 2023. Now the park features a gazebo, picnic areas, a playground and sculptures. For those who love fishing, the creek now offers a little beach area and has wonderful aquatic life. Be sure to check out our final stop on your next adventure!
Tour of the Vigo County Parks- Hawthorn Park
Today’s stop on our Tour of the Vigo County Park is… Hawthorn Park! It was named because of its abundance of Hawthorn trees throughout the property. This park is a favorite for runners and hosts several different runs throughout the year. It features access to the Heritage Trail which is great for students at nearby Rose Hulman to visit the park or for visitors to hop onto the trail to go towards town. Inside the park there are several different trails perfect for hiking.
For those who enjoy other activities you can visit the playgrounds, play soccer at the soccer goals, picnic in one of the shelters, visit the archery range, relax in the labyrinth or even enjoy the views at the amphitheater. The lake is stocked and has great fishing with several places to fish off the bank or at the fish dock. You also can use the boat launch or kayak launch to get out onto the water!
For those who love to camp it has 10 primitive sites and 51 electric sites, 11 of which also have direct water hook up.
Hawthorn is also home to our J.I. Case Wetland Wildlife Refuge, which we featured last week. Next time you’re out be sure to visit this peaceful park!
