Linda Schenk

The Great River Road Visitor & Learning Center in Prescott has a lot going on and we could not be more excited! Lots of wonderful things are happening behind the scenes here at our learning center.

Aidan Anthony, a Prescott High School student, constructed three wooden kiosks with the help of Prescott High School tech ed teacher Kyle Schmidt. Schmidt donated the wood, materials, and time for Aidan to build the stands. Aidan created these stands as his Eagle Scout service project for troop 9133 led by Eric Kreager. Aidan’s Eagle Scout ceremony and celebration were held at our center Friday, July 18. Than you Aidan for all that you have done for our center; we are tremendously grateful.

The Board of Directors and I have had the great fortune to meet and collaborate with the Prairie Island Mdewakanton Band of Eastern Dakota people, “Tinta Wita.” Their members have been extremely gracious by inviting the board to partake in a special field trip to view their birch bark houses, their buffalo fields full of buffalo, and an archeological site. That was a day that we will never forget; it was truly a special experience for all of us. Members of their community are currently curating a new Indigenous Persons Exhibit for the center. They are using one of the stands that Aidan built. We are so thrilled to have their support and their professional expertise with this. We can’t wait to see the finished result!

The center is now curating materials for the other two stands, including interpretive panels, hands on learning iPads, photos, maps, wildlife information, and artifacts. Once content is installed, these kiosks will enhance your visit by offering self-guided learning through:

• Interpretive signage on the ecology, wildlife, and history of the Mississippi–St. Croix confluence.
• The rivers and all that they give us, fishing, boating, transportation, ecology/wildlife.
• Indigenous persons, artifacts, language listening, ecology, and more.

The entrance is also in curation mode. An Acknowledgement Wall is being added so that the center can properly say “thank you” to the many individuals, businesses, foundations, organizations, volunteers, and so many more people who support our center in so many ways.

If you're planning a visit, you can look forward to these additions being lively, educational stops, debuting spring of 2025 when the center reopens for its 20^th season. More to come on our proposed 20^th anniversary celebration.

We have many great happenings taking place, and we could not be more grateful for all of our many blessings that make our center, “The Gem of Prescott.”

Great River Road Visitor and Learning Center at Freedom Park is located at 200 Monroe St., Prescott. Learn more at www.freedomparkwi.org