MAPLE SPRINGS - The Friends of Midway State Park, a nonprofit support group organized in 2010 to help Midway State Park with preservation and restoration projects, kicked off its 2011 fundraising Campaign for Midway with the opening of the park in late May.
The 2011 Campaign has two goals, according to Bob Wooler, president of the all-volunteer support group.
''We want to raise $3,000 to bring back the July 4 Fireworks tradition at Midway, and we would like to raise a similar amount to restore the decorative rounding boards on the 1946 Herschell Carousel,'' Wooler said. At its recent meeting on June 25, the Friends announced that the fireworks goal had been met and that the grand July 4 tradition will be coming back to Midway Park this year.
The Friends of Midway have organized a Skee Ball ''Roll-A-Thon'' fundraiser for Sunday, July 24 from noon to 5 p.m. at the Midway Park arcade. The event will work as follows: Teams of four contestants will pay a $10 entry fee and roll continuously for a half-hour time block. The team which scores the most points in its time frame will share a $300 prize. The team which comes closest to its predicted score will win $100, as will the contestant with the highest individual 9-ball game score. A Chinese auction will also be held, and all proceeds will benefit the Carousel Restoration Fund.
The first step in the two-year project will be the repainting of the local scenes that adorn the rounding boards, said Kathie McCarthy, a Friends board member. To learn more and register for the Skee Ball event, visit the Friends' website at www.fomsp.org.
Looking ahead, the Friends are planning a Midway Couples Reunion on Saturday, Aug. 20 from 4 to 7 pm. Couples who met, dated and even married at the park are all invited back to relive the memories, share stories with each other, and enjoy all the park still has to offer, now in its 113th year of continuous operation.
The Friends of Midway now number nearly 200 and support the preservation and restoration of Midway State Park.