Iowa will celebrate the 100th anniversary of its state park program in 2020. However, a popular local park almost didn’t survive to see this landmark. The sparkling water front of Lake Darling State Park that thousands of Iowans enjoy each year is the result of a 12-year $16 million restoration project spearheaded by community members. 

The park was originally dedicated in 1950 and is named after J.N. Ding Darling, editorial cartoonist and fierce conservationist. After being completely drained in 2008 due to a dam leak, the park reopened in 2014 with the 300-acre lake and its facilities completely refurbished. Fundraising efforts from local citizens and businesses helped to pay for the renovation.

Friends of Lake Darling member Dr. Fay Vittetoe tells KCII News that the upcoming 100th anniversary allows the community to take pride in the efforts they’ve made to save their park, “Community members, small donors, large donors, they have all come back to look around and say, ‘Wow.’ We listened to everybody’s ideas and believed that if we could just take a bit of each idea, like the stroke of a paint brush it would be a mural painted by many people. We sat down and agreed that we were going to get this done. And we did.” The park is open all year, including four-season cabins available for rentals. 

To plan your visit to Lake Darling (click on the link attached to this story at KCIIRadio.com) follow this link https://iowastateparks.reserveamerica.com/camping/lake-darling-state-park/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=IA&parkId=610109