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Hi everyone, for several years now, we've kicked around the idea of having a fun walk where greyhound owners can get together with their greyhounds and socialize outside of our meet and greets, and our annual picnic. And for those of you who subscribe to Celebrating Greyhounds, you probably saw the article in the issue that arrived this week, about greyhounds and their owners participating in organized walks. I have been talking about this for a long time, and had tentatively planned for this event to take place a couple of weekends ago, but then the rains came... As the word "Inaugural" might suggest, I'm envisioning this as the first in a series around the Indianpolis area and surrounding communities. I've been closely monitoring the weather forecast all week, and would like to propose that we have our first walk tomorrow evening, Friday, June 20th at Hummel Park in Plainfield. I know it's short notice, but earlier this week, the weather forecast had been calling for rain, but it appears as of tonight, that is no longer the case. I would prefer not to have the walks on the weekends so as to avoid competing with our own recurring and special meet and greets, so Friday evenings appears to be the best option.<BR>
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I'm attaching links to Hummel Park's website where you can find information and pictures of the park, maps of the park, and directions to the park. For those of you not familiar with Plainfield, it has an awesome series of four parks, with a 5th under construction, all connected by paved trails. The trails also connect to Splash Island, Plainfield's indoor/outdoor water park. The newest extension of the trails currently under construction will bring the total milage of paved trails in Plainfield to 26 miles.<BR>
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For those of you who are interested in participating, let's meet at the Performing Arts Center on the west side of Hummel Park from 7 - 7:30pm. From there, we will take the Blue Heron path which leads through a wooded area, and is approximately 80% shaded. The trail passes by 6 lakes, and as you get to the last and largest lake, which is 8/10 of a mile from the start, there is a mown path through the woods which overlooks White Lick Creek where there is a series of rapids to view, and enjoy the sound of the water. Or you can continue a short distance over the hill and view the last lake which encompasses 5 acres. The paved paths are mostly flat with only a small hill at the beginning and end, so it won't be a taxing walk by any means. And it is usually not crowded, which will make our socializing easier. The paths are about 10 feet wide and have a center line to separate traffic. The reason I'm mentioning this, is besides pedestrians and joggers, we will also be sharing the trail with bicyclists, skateboarders and inline skaters. So for you, and your dog's safety, PLEASE keep your dog on our side of the trail at all times. And the paths do wind through the woods with some blind curves, so be careful to keep your dog close by there as well, as bicyclists may come around the curve at a good speed. <BR>
Please bring poop bags and be prepared to clean up after your pup. There are receptacles to dispose of the waste. There are bathrooms on the west and east side of the park. And there is a water fountain on the east side of the park, but not the west, although there is water available in the bathrooms. For simplicity, you might want to consider bringing some water for your dogs as well, Remember, no retractable leads. And let's limit the walks to greyhounds only, as they are responsible for bringing us all together! If you are interested in coming tomorrow, please shoot me an email so we will know to expect you, but we will set off at 7:30. Click on the links below for more info: <BR>
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Hummel Park website: <A href="http://www.guilfordtownship.com/Hummel%20Park/hummel%20park.htm">http://www.guilfordtownship.com/Hummel%20Park/hummel%20park.htm</A><BR>
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Map of the Park: <A href="http://www.guilfordtownship.com/Hummel%20Park/hummel%20map%20(new).pdf">http://www.guilfordtownship.com/Hummel%20Park/hummel%20map%20(new).pdf</A><BR>
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Directions to the Park: <A href="http://www.guilfordtownship.com/Hummel%20Park/Map%20and%20Directions%20to%20Hummel.pdf">http://www.guilfordtownship.com/Hummel%20Park/Map%20and%20Directions%20to%20Hummel.pdf</A> <BR>
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And now, if I can put in a plug: We had a late breaking special event invitation this week, and Bev Creamer graciously agreed to take on the host duties. The event is Pet Day at the Fishers Farmer's Market Saturday, June 21, 8am - 12pm and we are in need of volunteers and their hounds. Here's the link to our website where you can get more information about the event. Please contact Bev through the email link on the event listing if you are available to volunteer, even if it's for a short time. <A href="http://www.gpaindy.org/events.html">http://www.gpaindy.org/events.html</A><BR>
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Thanks everybody! Hope to see a lot of you tomorrow! Besides Plainfield's series of trails, there's the Monon, the Canal Walk, and Eagle Creek Park that we can consider for our next outdoor adventure. And if anyone has other locations in mind that you think would be a great place for us to meet for a walk, let me know! Sharon<BR>
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<BR><br /><hr />The other season of giving begins 6/24/08. Check out the i’m Talkathon. <a href='http://www.imtalkathon.com?source=TXT_EML_WLH_SeasonOfGiving' target='_new'>Check it out!</a></body>
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