Dryerson Festival to celebrate Ryerson Station State Park
Colleen Nelson
Dryerson Festival at Ryerson Station State Park features a number of family-friendly entertainment options. (Photo by Colleen Nelson)
Colleen Nelson
The Dryerson Festival will be held on Saturday, June 25 at Ryerson Station State Park in Graysville. (Photo by Colleen Nelson)
For the 蘑菇视频
The 16th Dryerson Festival at Ryerson Station State Park on Saturday, June 25 is an afternoon of free fun, food and live music, hosted by the Center for Coalfield Justice to 鈥渃elebrate the park蘑菇视频 beauty, outdoor opportunities and the work of the CCJ community to protect and revive this local treasure.鈥�
This year蘑菇视频 picnic in the park, located in Graysville, runs from 1 to 4 p.m., and includes plenty of eco-friendly things to do, from pitching games of Corn Hole to tie-dying shirts to take home to discussing the latest environmental news while jazz guitarist Dan Baker matches notes with the many species of birds that nest here throughout the summer.
For longtime fans of this yearly child and pet-friendly get-together, Pavilion 2, tucked in the ravine below the stately brick Lazear House where park manager Alan Johnson lives, feels like a family reunion. For park visitors who drop by to see what蘑菇视频 going on, it蘑菇视频 a chance to grab a free snow cone and learn about the history of the park and the history of the people who have worked hard to protect the water resources that make Ryerson Station State Park an economic boon to tourism in western Greene County.
CCJ got its start in 1994 as Tri-State Citizens Mining Network, a coalition of grass roots groups focused on the environmental impact of long wall mining.
After Duke Lake蘑菇视频 dam was compromised and a number of adjacent streams were damaged by coal mining subsidence in 2005, the group reorganized as the nonprofit CCJ and hired its first staff. CCJ then expanded its mission to holding the extraction industry legally accountable for the destruction of the dam at Ryerson. The first Dryerson Festival was held in 2006 to spread the word.
Public outcry over the loss of Duke Lake was a galvanizing force that brought citizens, county and state officials and the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources together to litigate a settlement for the damages done.
When hopes of restoring the lake were dashed by official reports that the earth was still moving around the dam site 10 years later, a new plan of action was implemented.
With $36 million dollars in settlement money to work with, restoration work began. Many tons of silt that had accumulated since the lake was created in 1959 were trucked to Mather to remediate a gob pile and a 鈥淩evisioning Ryerson鈥� Task Force was formed to plan for the state蘑菇视频 first 21st century retrofitted park, with solar features built in wherever possible to help bring day to day operations closer to its zero carbon footprint goal.
CCJ, along with community leaders and county and state officials became members of the task force that meets periodically to promote new features and review contracts for the park蘑菇视频 ongoing projects. The park now has a new pool with a water park and adjoining accommodations including solar panel shade islands. It has also retrofitted the campgrounds with modern cabins that bring in sojourners from states away to spend days and sometimes weeks enjoying the natural beauty of Southwestern Pennsylvania as they work from their woodsy homes away from home.
This year蘑菇视频 free lunch is being catered by 5 Kidz Kandy and CCJ is conducting a survey asking residents what they would like to have implemented at the park. Those planning to attend can register online and submit any dietary restrictions for the free lunch and sign up to tell a personal story about Ryerson. Those who register will receive a 鈥渟urprise piece of CCJ swag.鈥�
To register go online: https://secure.everyaction.com/tRZJi5K-1EelAYxutsLeiQ2?ms=GCM