Friends of South Cumberland Email Newsletter

November 23, 2008

Greetings,

A few quick news items for you today.

December Planned Activities Are Now Online

 South Cumberland State Park planned activities for December 2008 are now online.  Please visit http://www.friendsofscsra.org/activities.htm

One of the most popular programs offered is the Buggytop Cave tour which is on the schedule for Saturday, December 13, 2008 at 11:00 A.M.

New Photo Competition Planned

Grab your camera and head out to South Cumberland for the first annual Pictures in the Park photo contest!  Information will be on the Friends website soon and we will email an announcement when the website is ready.  You will be able to enter the contest online and upload your photographs to the Friends website for viewing by the judges and the public.

The contest, which runs through May 30, 2009, is open to all ages. Suggested topics are: people enjoying the park, landscapes, wildlife, and plants. Photos may be realistic or creative/abstract. Those that show recognizable park features are encouraged.

A traveling exhibition, hosted by area businesses, will showcase the best photos entered. In addition, they will be published in the Friends of South Cumberland State Recreation Area (SCSRA) newsletter and on the Friends website.

The competition is open to all amateur photographers, excluding the Friends of SCSRA board and community relations committee members, and SCSRA employees.

There will be three categories for judging (adults, ages 13-17, and children 12 and under) in each of two groups:

*Residents of the counties in which South Cumberland State Recreation Area is situated: Franklin, Grundy, Marion, or Sequatchie 
*Individuals residing outside the above four-county area

More information will follow soon.

Are You A Friends Member?

The State of Tennessee budget is suffering major financial constraints like the rest of us during these challenging economic times.  South Cumberland has several open employee positions that are frozen from hiring and every other aspect of the park budget is cut to the bone.  The Friends of South Cumberland have since our inception back in 1993 used funding from membership dues and other fundraising to fill the gaps between what the Park needs and what the budget allows.  This support will be more important than ever during the next 6 to 12 months.

If you are not a Friends member, please join up.  If you are a Friends member, please renew your membership.

The Park needs all the Friends we can get - your participation will help keep South Cumberland the great resource that it is.

Thanksgiving for South Cumberland

South Cumberland is certainly one of the things I am thankful for.  On behalf of Park Manger John Christof and staff and the Friends board of directors, thank you for your support of South Cumberland and the Friends.  We wish you a safe and peaceful Thanksgiving holiday.  If you eat too much turkey, note that there is a Day After Turkey Day hike planned on Friday afternoon, November 28.

Thank you and best wishes,

Ron Castle
Board Member and Webmaster
Friends of South Cumberland State Recreation Area, Inc.

www.friendsofscsra.org

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