Friends of Pleasant Grove Heritage Park is encouraging people to get outdoors this weekend with a trip to the park in Lisbon for “Community Day” from 1 to 4 p.m. at the park.

“The McElmeel family is thrilled to have the property back in their care and wanted to celebrate a new beginning for Pleasant Grove Heritage Park by hosting a community celebration, thus ‘Community Day,’ a version of an open house but in an open, outdoor space,” answered Ann Opatz, committee member of the Friends of the Pleasant Grove Heritage Park.”

Pleasant Grove Heritage Park was originally sold to Lisbon in 2019, with plans to develop the space into a permanent park and restore the historic barns.

In 2024, when little action had been taken to preserve the barns and the city council was considering demolishing the barns, the McElmeel family formed a non-profit organization to help preserve the barn and properties. The barns and property were transitioned to the non-profit in February.

There are plans to develop the park and rehabilitate the barns, with the assistance of numerous volunteers and grants and donations.

At Community Day, the community will be able to see the efforts that are planned for restoring and repurposing the barns as part of the Meyers Farmstead Historical District, and upgrades needed for other areas of the park, including prairie, pond, trails, play areas, parking and other amenities.

Attendees will be able to view the preservation plan developed by OPN Architects and other research studies by preservation professionals that will be used as a guide in our rehabilitation efforts for the barns.

“We will also be sharing preliminary conceptual designs for a master plan being developed by Edwards Creative Group that reflect our vision for the park as a whole and invite input from the public at Community Day,” Opatz said. “The master plan will incorporate amenities that focus on the themes of conservation, preservation, and education.”

The McElmeels and Friends of the Pleasant Grove Heritage Park are looking forward to sharing the vision of the park.

“We are looking forward to welcoming visitors of all ages to enjoy the natural beauty of the park, especially seeing friends and neighbors and those who share our passion for the outdoors,” Opatz said. “We’ve planned a fun day with activities of interest to all age groups.”

The park was also selected as a host site for Iowa State University’s Iowa Learning Farms Conservation Station Program, and a fleet of four mobile learning labs that educate audiences on different conservation practices to protect the environment. The mobile lab featuring the rainfall simulator will be at the park for the day, demonstrating the results of rainfall on different soil conditions, with games and hands-on activities for the youngsters.

Hikes around the park, fishing at the pond or enjoying time in the hammocks are also activities provided. Snacks and water are provided by Hertz Farm Management.

While Community Day is the first official event at Pleasant Grove Heritage Park, the park has been a noticeably busy place in recent weeks, with a growing interest in using the space as an outdoor classroom.

A number of students from Lisbon Community School have used the prairie area as an outdoor classroom in celebration of Earth Day, helping with the first phase of the prairie reconstruction project, a biodiversity study.  A group of Lisbon High School Student Council students helped with spring clean-up in April in connection with the Keep Iowa Beautiful initiative and, unfortunately, an outdoor poetry reading by Lisbon third grade students was cancelled due to rain.

A Cornell College professor and his research students will be sampling insect diversity in the park this summer.

“Seeing children and families enjoying the park brings a deep sense of pride and satisfaction to our family,” noted Steve McElmeel adding, “We hope visitors will develop a special bond with this special place.”

The Friends group has also seen good support for their efforts from a number of organizations, including the Iowa Barn Foundation, Hertz Farm Management, Lisbon Historic Preservation Commission, Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway, Mount Vernon-Lisbon Community Development Group, and Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area.

“We are encouraged by the many individuals — now numbering near 100 — who are part of the Friends of Pleasant Grove Heritage Park group, and welcome new Friends who share our commitment to preserve and develop the park,” Opatz said.

Those interested in receiving regular updates on the development of the park may sign up for the Friends group on the Pleasant Grove Heritage Park website (www.pleasantgroveheritagepark.org). Those wishing to volunteer time and talent or donate for park improvements may do so through the website.