The Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum continues trying to build partnerships with other groups working to bring visitors to Starke County. Museum Treasurer Robert Barcus and President Todd Flannigan recently paid a visit to the Starke County Park Board.
“The railroad museum, I believe, has entered a new era,” Barcus said. “We really haven’t made a lot of friends, it seems like. So I think the main thing is that we’re here to introduce ourselves, reintroduce ourselves. I think it’s important for us to communicate with you guys, open up the lines of communication and let you know what we’re doing. We want to know what you’re doing, and then we want to find synergies between our groups so that we can all benefit one another.”
Barcus said the museum’s first-ever master plan stresses the importance of Starke County’s waterways, which ties into the park board’s efforts to add kayak launches. “We bring thousands of people to the river every year, and we just cross the river. I think it would be very interesting if we actually make the river a destination,” Barcus added. He noted that neighboring Pulaski County gets thousands of visitors a year, thanks to the Tippecanoe River.
Park Board President Richard Ballard, County Commissioner Kathy Norem, and Steve Lucas with the Prairie Trails Club all expressed their support of the idea of collaborating. Ballard added that he’d like to promote county attractions like the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum on the park board’s new website.
Lucas said communication between the organizations has been terrific for the past few months, and he’s confident they’re on the same page. He noted that many visitors want to use multiple recreational opportunities. The museum owns the Erie Trail that the Prairie Trails Club helps maintain.
