Lost Valley Lake Resort - a Nearby Gem

The first time I ever went to Lost Valley Lake, I was about 5 years old. And I got to ride the horses. I remember the day vividly.

And all the visits after that...the paddleboats, fishing, camping in tents and tepees, the rope swings into the lake...oh, what summer fun! In the winter, it was bingo, mini golf, and the indoor swimming pool. I had the coolest grandparents. They were always driving us out there for the day.

I had hoped that the waterfall would be flowing after all the recent spring rains.

In my early teens, Grandma and Grandpa took just my two cousins, Jenny and Kelly, and I on a little vacation to LVL. We had our grandparents all to ourselves, which didn't happen often since there were nearly 20 grandchildren!

That was a special time for us, as Jenny died just a couple years later. And now Grandpa is gone as well. 

Since having my own family, I haven't been out to LVL very often. But then Kristy Nault messaged me that she was giving me a family weekend getaway. All the memories flooded in, and I was excited to share some of them with my own boys.

Here is our little adventure this past weekend, thanks to Instagram:

We began our first evening at the Rec Center, playing some basketball.

We went swimming more than once. My boys are addicted to swimming.

Saturday morning, security knocked on our door and delivered a beautiful rose for me for Mother's Day.

Some friendly frisbee golf before lunch.

Jacob was very interested in the myriad of caterpillars he found.

After lunch we chilled with a movie at the movie theatre.

Ice cream? Of course!

Walked down to the waterfall behind the dam and skipped rocks.

Joey loved all the critters we came across.

Jacob discovered he was "king of the world."

My boys love board games, so we checked out the ones we didn't have at home.

Ended our evening with an intense game of Battleship.

Obviously, we didn't even come close to experiencing everything that LVL has to offer. Call Kristy at 800-747-8907 to schedule a visit out there and see how much fun it is. Or see their website at lostvalleylake.com.

The summer activities are about to begin, and they have a daily list of things to do for all ages if you want to participate in group activities. Or, just go out on a boat and do some fishing.

Maybe build a sandcastle on the beach, slide into the lake, ride the horses, play a game of softball, attend a concert, or have a picnic.

You can bring a tent for camping or use one of their teepees that is set up. There are RV sites, condos, and villas to stay in as well. Playgrounds and shower houses are nearby.

Oh, and don't forget to bring some stale bread for the geese!

Tyann Marcink
Marcink Designs

Where in Union? {November 19}

Where in Union is this? If you know and are the first one to correctly comment on the blog post or the Facebook post, you will win a $25 gift certificate from GAME OVER!

Please comment with the exact location, including street/streets, buildings, any identifying landmarks, and even GPS coordinates. The first correct comment wins the prize. Please be as specific as possible!

Veterans Memorial Park {Part 1 - Baseball}

Nearly every weekday evening and weekend day from April through June, there are many boys scattered throughout the Union parks playing a game of baseball or having a practice. And with 560 boys playing on just 5 game fields, it gets a little crowded.

A team of t-ball boys getting ready to take the field.

I was a little overwhelmed myself when I heard the number of boys playing baseball this year...560 baseball gloves to get home each night, 46 teams to run the bases, 1,120 sweaty socks thrown in the laundry, and thousands of parents, grandparents, siblings, and other family who come into Union to watch these sweet boys play a wonderful game of baseball.

Coaches (aka Dads and Moms) are integral to the league's success.

So one section of the proposed Veterans Memorial Park is for additional baseball fields - 4 regular size and 1 tournament size. And with the rate the baseball program is growing, the league is beyond the desperation point. Consider that just 4 years ago, there were approximately 400 players, according to Jim Jedrey, league organizer. That is a 40% increase!

A few more facts from Jedrey about the program:

• participating boys are ages 4 years to 18 years old
• roughly 200 adults volunteer for managing and coaching
• 450 of the players are from Union
• 110 players are from 12 towns in the surrounding area

Not only are these boys having fun playing one of the greatest games, but they are learning important life skills:

• teamwork
• focus
• positive attitude
• following instructions
• playing by the rules
• listening
• good sportsmanship
• and more

Good sportsmanship begins early.

On Tuesday, June 5th, the Proposition Park will be on a ballot for registered voters to decide if they want a small sales tax to fund the building of this amazing park in Union. The sales tax is a mere one-half cent. What does that calculate to?

• on a $4 hot dog from the Hot Dog Man - 2 cents extra
• on a $35 order of pizza from Benito's - 17.5 cents extra
• on a $95 prom dress from Margo's A Wedding Place - 47.5 cents extra
• on a $175 grocery bill at Frick's - 87.5 cents extra

The little bit of extra change from each person shopping in Union adds up to an amazing park for not just our residents, but for the surrounding area.

Up next: more on the other areas of the 43.8 acre Veterans Memorial Park...walking trails, splash pad, pavilions, playground, soccer and football fields, and more.

All those dirty socks...

"Baseball" - by Marcink Designs

Author: Tyann Marcink

Photos by: Marcink Designs