ELKHART, Ind. — The Elkhart County Parks will celebrate the grand opening of the Ox Bow Park Tower on Saturday, Nov. 1 at 1 p.m. with a ribbon cutting ceremony.

Ancon Construction and the Elkhart County Parks are placing the final touches, inspections, signage and landscaping on this new park icon and it will be ready for the public to enjoy after the ceremony.

The community is welcome to the event and entry into the park will be free the entire weekend. The steel beam and treated lumber structure stands 34 feet high and features a first level accessible platform. The capacity load is 316 people and it overlooks the lower field. The modern tower was designed with safety, accessibility and multi-use purposes in mind.

The Elkhart County Parks envisions the new tower will be used for observation during cross country meets as well as public programs and is excited the first level will be accessible.

The public is also welcome to bring memories of the old tower to the event. Copies of photographs, artwork, handwritten stories and poems are welcome. There will be a “memory board” on display during the ribbon cutting ceremony, and afterwards the materials will be preserved by the park department.

Light refreshments will also be served.

The original tower built in 1972 was an icon to Ox Bow County Park until it was burned by fire in the summer of 2010. In the midst of an economic decline, it was deemed a non-essential item; therefore the County’s self-insurance was unable to cover the cost to rebuild. With an outcry from the general public, the Elkhart County Park and Recreation Board stated a new tower could be constructed if the public helped raise the funds.

A designated donation fund was established in August of 2010 and Ancon Construction came forward to offer its expertise. Volunteers from the Two Rivers Running Club and Concord Ox Bow Elementary School initiated the first fundraisers while many others from the community gave through t-shirt sales and donation boxes.

In 2013, the Elkhart County Community Foundation gave the largest tower project gift with a $32,000.00 matching grant. This grant inspired other area foundations and donors to give funds for the Tower Project. Local foundations such as the Bill Deputy Foundation, Ironis Family Foundation, Welter Foundation, Monogram Loves Kids Foundation, and Corson Family Foundation all contributed and in addition many donations were given by individuals and service clubs.

To date the Elkhart County Parks has raised $133,280 including $42,000 from the county. The tower will cost over $120,000 with the remaining funds to be used for a nearby concrete accessible parking pad.

Donations are still needed for park amenities such as a bike rack, educational signage, security lighting and a spotting scope. There is still time to give towards the tower amenities, but the department would prefer all donations by Dec. 31, 2014. Gifts of $250 or more will have their names placed on the permanent donor that will be installed in the spring.

For more information contact the Elkhart County Parks at (574) 535-6458 or visit www.elkhartcountyparks.org.