What happened recently:
The Pleasant Township Pool celebrated its 50th anniversary on Sunday, May 29, 2022. This was the first day of the 2022 pool season and the only day where visitors could get into the pool for free. The celebration lasted from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. that night.
The afternoon started with the Kouts High School Band playing the national anthem, followed by the remembrance of the founders who gathered to fund a pool, so children could learn to swim. Afterward, the lifeguards were given a countdown to be the first to enter the pool, then the open swim began.
In addition to swimming, there were bounce houses for younger children and games of cornhole. Concessions were offered like ice cream, pretzels, and candy, and Birky’s Family Farm’s sold hot dogs and pork burgers in their food truck.
The open swim time ended at 3 p.m. and the pool was cleared to make room for the cardboard boat races. The idea was to make it from the longest end of the pool and back, but most boats unfortunately were not seaworthy. Awards given were the fastest boat, Titanic award, and the Most Spirit.
The pinnacle of the event was the Kouts Volunteer Fire Department and their boat vs. the Lake County Volunteer Fire Department (LCVFD) in theirs. Lots of laughter could be heard as the LCVFD’s boat capsized and the other team went back to “rescue” them.
Even after the pool itself closed, the celebration continued moving across the street to Drazer Park, which had been rededicated earlier that week. It was like a large community picnic and a small music festival since there was music and people brought dinner and ate on the grass.
All in all, it was a great day in the small town of Kouts, Indiana.
What’s coming up:
Four Kouts High School students and two recent graduates of KHS are preparing to leave for the European Tour which has been in the planning since the fall of 2019. The trip was meant to leave in the summer of 2021, but it had to be postponed due to Covid-19.
The group will be touring the following countries: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, and Liechtenstein.
The tour will last 10 days, with the group leaving Kouts early in the morning on Wednesday, June 8, and returning to the United States on Friday, June 17.
Some of the activities scheduled on the itinerary are a bike ride through the city of Munich, Germany, a walking tour of Verona, Austria, a hike up one of the mountains in Lucerne, Switzerland, and a gondola ride in Venice, Italy.
There will also be two castles that the students will tour: the Neuschwastein Castle in Schwangau, Germany, and the Heidelburg Castle in Heidelburg, Germany.
This tour will be a great opportunity for these students to immerse themselves in the culture of these five different countries and undoubtedly many lifelong memories will be made along the way.
The town of Kouts wishes the group safe travels and to have fun as they prepare to become international travelers.
Community member spotlight
Jamison and Meagan Burrick operate a German Shepherd rescue called Redemption German Shepherd Rescue in Kouts, Indiana. Jamison is the president and his wife, Meagan is the secretary.
Since March 2014, they have been rehabilitating German Shepherds throughout the country with the needed training, medical needs, and socialization skills. Their main goal is to “help dogs find their furever homes” says Meagan Burrick.
“We passionately believe that by living with our dogs we can learn more about them. Once we have spent some time getting to know each dog, we make the dog available for adoption,” says Burrick.
Another one of their goals is to educate the public on the importance of spaying or neutering their animals since the number one reason why rescues and shelters exist is because of the overpopulation of animals according to Burrick.
They also want to educate the public about vaccinations and proper pet care of their animals to keep up the quality of life for their pets for years to come.
Even though they are a rescue, they would rather not have to remove the animals from their original homes whenever possible through training and food assistance since it would be easier on the dogs and their owners.
“I love what I do. Every day I get to play with dogs, what can be more fun that? Plus, it really warms your heart when you find a dog their furever family,” says Burrick. Burrick says some of the ways the public can help is by volunteering at local shelters, giving donations to those shelters, and considering fostering or even adopting if possible.