Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Two local organizations received statewide recognition by the North Dakota Recreation and Parks Association last week.
Dennis Nybo, director of the New Rockford Park District, nominated the New Rockford Eagles Club and New Rockford Lions Club for the 2020 Partnership Award. This award is presented to an agency or organization that has developed a successful partnership to create a project or program that benefits the community, region or state and increases awareness of the importance of parks, recreation and leisure services in quality of life.
“Nominating one organization or club for the Partnership Award was almost impossible in New Rockford. When we think of volunteering, funding, use of their facilities, and willingness to make New Rockford, Sheyenne, Eddy County, and the surrounding area better for the citizens and visitors; you have to understand that two organizations/clubs, the New Rockford Eagles Club and the New Rockford Lions Club, go hand in hand to make this happen. It would be hard to pick one over the other for this award since they both have done so much for our community at the same time,” Nybo said.
Nybo cited several recent projects as examples of the work both organizations have done to improve parks, recreation and leisure in the surrounding area:
• Funding and volunteer labor for the New Rockford swimming pool, which is now 5 years old.
• Funding for new uniforms for all the local baseball teams in 2020.
• Funding for youth baseball and softball coaching salaries.
• Volunteering, funding, meal preparation, and use of facility for the Community Clean-Up Day, during which volunteers installed playground borders and wood chips at the new playground in the Archie & Jessie Campbell Memorial Park campground.
• In Centennial Park, volunteers renovated and repainted the gazebo, and new benches and picnic tables were purchased and assembled.
• Provided support, prepared meals, and offered use of facility for the local North Dakota Hunter’s Safety Education program.
for the past 5+ years.
• Put financial support and volunteer labor towards the construction of four new dugouts for the ball diamonds at Archie and Jessie Campbell Memorial Park.
•Provided support and funding for Park District baseball, volleyball, and basketball tournaments and events.
• Planted trees in the parks.
• Clean up road ditches that are adjacent to our parks and facilities through the Adopt - A - Highway program.
• Annually provide funding and help for the community’s annual Santa Days carnival, which is a fun-filled day with games and prizes for kids 1-12.
• Provide support and funding for the Central North Dakota Steam Threshers Reunion, which is held in September every year.
• Financially supported new baseball and football scoreboards for our community.
“The longer I am in the community, the more I realize that these two great clubs/organizations are a big part of the heartbeat that makes New Rockford special,” Nybo concluded.
The annual conference for the North Dakota Recreation and Parks Association has been cancelled this year due to COVID-19, so the award was presented to the organizations by Nybo on Wed, Sept. 9. The recorded presentation will be shared virtually during the NDRPA Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 17.
