Parks and recreation
Lester Prairie provides a facilities for a variety of outdoor activities in its city parks.
There’s plenty to do at the park located in the southeast corner of town that features, among other things, a heated outdoor swimming pool with certified lifeguards on duty.
Alongside the pool is a heated kiddie pool for younger children. It has two slides and a diving board. The pool also has a mushroom waterfall and a water wiggle play feature for younger children.
The pool offers concessions and American Red Cross swimming lessons for patrons. Swimmers can pay at the door, or use tokens, purchased ahead of time, to enter the pool area. The pool is open the months of June through August.
Beyond the pool, the city maintains a number of facilities in the park. These include two tennis courts, horseshoe pits, a basketball court, and a sand volleyball court.
Ball fields include one baseball field, one lighted softball/football field, and two little league fields. For practice, a batting tunnel is available.
There is also an assortment of playground equipment for children. Two shelters, one open and the other enclosed, can be reserved through the city offices. The park also contains grills and restroom facilities.
The park hosts a number of community events including Little League and Legion baseball, high school football games, and an assortment of festivals.
Sunrise Nature Park is in the works north of East Park Estates and east of Lester Prairie. Eventually, there will be walking paths made for the public. There is no hunting allowed on the property.
In the winter, the recreation does not fully shut down.
When weather permits, a skating rink and warming house is erected in the downtown area near the bandstand for wintertime recreation. It is lighted and has two hockey goals.
To reserve shelters or for more information on the park, call (320) 395-2646.
Another city park has been the subject of much discussion recently.
People know it by different names, including “Central Park,” “Gazebo Park,” and “Downtown Park,” but one thing that everyone seems to agree on is that the park near the center of Lester Prairie’s business district is not very appealing.
In an effort to change that, a committee was formed last year to come up with a proposal to revitalize the park.
After months of research and discussion, the committee, which is made up of concerned citizens, brought its findings to the park board.
The park board unanimously approved the committee’s proposal, and the two groups brought the proposal to
the city council. Park Board Member Chris Schultz said the proposal would add significant aesthetic value to the downtown area, and provide a focal point for the continuation of trail projects in the city.
Schultz also stated that the committee prepared the plan without incurring any engineering costs.
The committee said the goal of the proposal is to provide a positive image of downtown Lester Prairie provide a place of leisure, relaxation, and entertainment.
What is proposed?
The committee determined that the old bandstand is deteriorated beyond repair.
There is a plan to remove the existing structure at no cost to the city.
The proposal is to construct a new bandstand to be centrally located in the park.
It would be constructed from low maintenance materials, and would include a concrete floor, lighting, and electrical outlets.
The structure would be built with volunteer labor.
The plan also includes an imprinted concrete walkway from Central Avenue to the bandstand. and west to a proposed parking area and Legion memorial.
Seven colonial-style streetlights would be strategically placed along the walkway, and landscaping would include the planting of a variety of trees to fit the park.
Five maintenance-free park benches would be permanently installed around the bandstand.
The proposal also includes a wing wall climbing structure for children.
An area will be set aside for the Legion near the corner of Central Avenue and Juniper Street for a memorial.
Other secondary proposals include the construction of a skating rink and a warming house that would resemble the old railroad depot, skating rink lighting, a youth dirt bike track, and an electronic programmable sign to be located along Central Avenue that could be used to advertise community events.
Some of the funding for the renovations would come from park funds and park reserve funds. Additional funding could come from grants and donations.
The council decided to seek public input on the proposal before taking any action on it. No decision had been made at the time this publication went to press.
A variety of parks to choose from
There’s plenty to do in town at the city-owned park located in the southeast corner of town that features, among other things, a heated outdoor swimming pool with certified lifeguards on duty.
Alongside the pool is a heated kiddie pool for younger children. It has two slides and a diving board. The pool also has a mushroom waterfall and a water wiggle play feature for younger children.
The pool offers concessions and American Red Cross swimming lessons for patrons. Swimmers can pay at the door, or use tokens, purchased ahead of time, to enter the pool area. The pool is open the months of June through August.
Beyond the pool, the city maintains a number of facilities in the park. These include two tennis courts, horseshoe pits, a basketball court, and a sand volleyball court.
Ball fields include one baseball field, one lighted softball/football field, and two little league fields. For practice, a batting tunnel is available.
There is also an assortment of playground equipment for children. Two shelters, one open and the other enclosed, can be reserved through the city offices. The park also contains grills and restroom facilities.
The park hosts a number of community events including Little League and Legion baseball, high school football games, and an assortment of festivals.
Sunrise Nature Park is in the works north of East Park Estates and east of Lester Prairie. Eventually, there will be walking paths made for the public. There is no hunting allowed on the property.
In the winter, the recreation does not fully shut down.
When weather permits, a skating rink and warming house is erected in the downtown area near the bandstand for wintertime recreation. It is lighted and has two hockey goals.
To reserve shelters or for more information on the park, call (320) 395-2646.
Sunrise Park
A bonanza of plants and wildlife can be found at the Sunrise Nature Park located north of the East Park Estates development.
The city of Lester Prairie purchased 50 acres from Irene Schmidt to develop into a public nature park through a grant that was originally awarded to it by the Department of Natural Resources.
Some of the unique plants that have been identified by botanists are wildflowers such as goldenrod, prairie coreopsis, coneflowers, Iris, sunflowers, prairie rose, butterfly weed, black and brown eyed Susans, among other varieties.
Prairie grass such as Indian grass, switch grass, bluestem, Canada wild rye and wheatgrass will be home to the park as well.
Mueller noted that there are already some wildflowers and prairie grass that are coming up and blooming and within the next few years, all of the plants will be blooming and established.
Trees will also be planted in the park. One hundred and forty-four crabapple trees of three different varieties were donated to the city and have been planted along the trail.
The former Jonio’s restaurant also donated a few crabapple trees that are growing in the main entrance to the park.
Deer and wild turkey have been seen in the park.
The park is open to the public, but no motorized vehicles are allowed beyond the parking lot.
