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Forest of Friendship board previews Sept. 12 50th anniversary, cites $300,000 in sidewalk work
Summary
Diane Liebsh told the Atchison County Commission the Kansas Forest of Friendship will mark its 50th anniversary on Sept. 12, after more than $300,000 in sidewalk replacement funded largely by a Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks grant and donor-supported park improvements.
Diane Liebsh, a board member of the Forest of Friendship, presented the arboretums history and plans for its 50th anniversary to the Atchison County Commission on July 21. She traced the Forest's origin to the 99s and Amelia Earhart and said the Forest opened July 24, 1976, on Earhart's birthday. Liebsh described donor-funded renovations and a Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks grant that covered most of more than $300,000 in concrete sidewalk work (the county paid about 15%).
Liebsh listed site improvements: relocation of 1,600 honoree stones to gravel beds, a mosaic compass rose and circle bench on Memory Lane, nine new donor-funded benches, a limestone table and stools, renovated parking and a new road provided by the city with materials from the forest, and plans for a Liberty Tree planting and community picnic on Sept. 12. She also noted routine maintenance actions (15 new trees planted, 30 pruned), Carrigan Pond renovation funded by roughly $8,000 in Match Day donations, and seasonal restroom operations funded by a private gift. "Motto: 'world friendship through flying.'"
