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Last updated on Thursday, October 2, 2014
(OUABACHE) - Ouabache State Park is inviting the public to an Oct. 5 ceremony to help dedicate a statue honoring the men of the Civilian Conservation Corps.
The dedication coincides with the DNR Division of State Parks & Reservoirs' annual CCC Reunion for CCC veterans and their family members. The reunion is held at a different state park each year.
The CCC was a government work program that provided jobs to young, unemployed men during the Great Depression. The workers developed parks; built roads, trails and fire towers; planted trees; and more. CCC Company 1592 lived and worked at the Wells County Game Farm (now Ouabache State Park) from 1935-1940. They built bird pens, hatcheries, and recreational structures, including the CCC lodge.
The statue dedication is at 2 p.m. and all are invited. Several CCC veterans will be present, including Wayne Lydy, who is also a member of the Friends of Ouabache State Park group. Lydy served in the CCC at Camp Anthony Wayne in Fort Wayne and had long hoped for a statue at Ouabache State Park to recognize the CCC.
"A generation of young Hoosiers left home to learn a skill--and in the process created a lasting legacy for all generations of Hoosiers to enjoy," said Dan Bortner, director of DNR Division of State Parks & Reservoirs. "We are humbled to have this opportunity to honor their memory."
The reunion will begin at the lodge at 10:30 a.m. and will include a light lunch for CCC veterans and their guests at 11:30 a.m. Donations are appreciated.
Reunion participants are asked to RSVP by Friday, Oct. 3, 2014, by calling (317) 234-4926.
The CCC Worker Statue program was developed by CCC Legacy Chapter 129 of Grayling, Mich., in 1995. There are statues in 38 states. This will be the 62nd statue nationwide and the second in Indiana. The first statue in Indiana was dedicated at Versailles State Park in 2010.
The statue at Ouabache was funded through donations and fundraising efforts through the Friends of Ouabache State Park group.
Ouabache State Park (stateparks.IN.gov/2975.htm) is at 4930 E. St. Rd. 201, Bluffton, 46714.
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