Friends of Beaver Creek Park keeping busy with projects

From debuting a custom license plate design to adopting a highway, the Friends of Beaver Creek Park have been carrying out big plans this year and will continue to do so.

Lesley Zellmer, board secretary of the Friends, said custom Beaver Creek Park license plates were released in February.

Loretta Widdekind of Havre took the photograph that is the face of the new license plates. The design depicts a scene of Bear Paw Lake during fall with Mount Otis and the Bear Paw Mountains in the background.

"It's gone really well. All of the park plates that were ordered and were available for sale at the Hill County Courthouse have sold out," Zellmer said. "They've had to place another order, and those will be coming in shortly."

At the Friends' annual meeting that was held earlier this month, the group presented Robbie Lucke, a park board member, with a commemorative Beaver Creek Park license plate.

"Robbie was the brainchild, as you would say, behind the whole idea of starting a specialty plate for the park," Zellmer said. "His idea was in 2010."

Zellmer also said Susie Leonard, a Havre resident, made a queen-sized block quilt and donated it to the Friends to raffle off.

"We're selling tickets throughout the year and the drawing will be held at our annual fundraiser," she said, adding that the quilt has autumn colors with burgundy.

The fundraiser is set for Oct. 10.

Raffle tickets for the quilt are $5 each.

Zellmer said the Friends will be at Holiday Village Mall Saturday, May 9, for the Spring Craft Show.

"We will have a booth set up where we'll be selling raffle tickets as well as our sample license plates - people can purchase those and merchandise as well," she said.

Zellmer added that people can purchase a commemorative license plate for $30.

"It will say "BC PARK" - then there are other standard ones. ... It's something people can put on their wall - I know there's a lot of license plate collectors out there," she said. "There's been about three people who have already contacted me from around the country that want one of our plates."

The Friends have also been working on Beaver Creek Park's appearance.

Zellmer said the group adopted a mile within Beaver Creek Park through the Adopt-a-Highway program.

"We adopted Mile 10 within the park," she said. "The Friends are responsible for a spring and fall cleanup along our mile, so we will be looking for volunteers when we do have those cleanup days. We just thought it would be a great way to get in the park and do something for the park, with the community involvement."

For more information on raffle tickets or the commemorative plates, people can call 945-7315.

Anyone throughout Montana can purchase an official Beaver Creek Park license plate, and if people are interested in ordering one, they would need to go to their local county treasurer's office.

The money raised will go into the Friends of Beaver Creek Park fund.