Cheney State Park News

OK KIDS Day 2011

OK Kids Day 2011 at Cheney State Park on April 23^rd was a huge success. Put on by the Cheney Lake Association with help from Wildscape, Capitol Federal Savings, Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks, the Kansas Health Foundation, Cheney State Park, the Cheney Chamber of Commerce, and all of the C.L.A. Sponsors. A special thanks to current CLA president Rich Loibl, and past president and wife, Larry & Sue Booze for all the work the Cheney Lake Association does on behalf of Cheney State Park and the Kids. At last count, there were 168 kids which is an increase over last year. Even with a steady growth every year in the number of kids attending, the adult helpers still out-number the kids.

The Kids enjoyed a presentation by Eagle Valley Raptor’s Ken Lockwood about how birds of prey affect the environment. He had several birds to show the Kids and had an inter-active portion of the show where the Kids could volunteer and actually handle or pet the birds. There was also an appearance by the Cheney Fire Department with a fire truck the Kids could crawl all over and a police car the Kids could explore, brought by the Cheney Police Department. There were tattoes, games, snow cones, a police dog, and an appearance by Dizzy the Clown.

The Cheney Lake Association served lunch to an estimated 350 people. Hot dogs, chips, cookies and a drink were enjoyed by all. After lunch, there was a presentation of the prize winners of the jars of Skittles, M & M’s plain & peanut, and Reese’s pieces. At registration, each Kid had the opportunity to guess how many were in each jar and the Kid with the best guess won the jar. There was also a couple of grand Prizes, a tackle box and sleeping bag where the winner was chosen from the tickets given out and signed at registration.

The Fishing Derby followed with poles provided by the Cheney Lake Association and a tackle kit given to each Kid that participated. The assembly line to put together the fishing poles was aided by pole holders made by “Midway” and worked really well to keep them organized. It was a cold, windy, overcast day but the Kids enjoyed the fishing and there were even a few Kids that caught fish. Thanks again CLA for all you do to help Cheney State Park and promoting fishing and the outdoors in Kansas.

Cheney State Park at Sunset

Here are a couple of rare pictures of Cheney State Park at sunset with no wind. These pictures were taken by a state park patron and sent to us to publish.

New Handicapped Accessible Courtesy Dock

The west side boat ramp has received a much-needed improvement with the addition of a newhandicapped accessible courtesy dock. We think boaters will be pleased with the addition.

Weather Station

The partnership of the Ninnescah Sailing Association, the Friends of Cheney Lake, and the Cheney Lake Association have worked to provide a weather station at Cheney State Park providing current weather conditions ‘real time’. The weather station can be accessed by going to www.ninnescah.org and clicking on weather conditions.

Through these same partnerships and with their funding, we have some new aerial pictures in our photo gallery that help us with a better view of what conditions are and help in planning future projects. Check them out.

CHENEY STATE PARK NEWS

We anticipate a busy summer again this year. Gas prices seemed to keep people close to home last year and we expect more of the same this year. We are hoping they saw what great opportunities for entertainment there are at State Parks across Kansas. We have some beautiful parks and walking trails within our parks that need to be explored by all.

Through a partnership with the Corps of Engineers and Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks, maintenance has added several additional handicapped accessible campsites this year. We have a couple of sites now and they are in almost constant use so the addition of more will help.

We do have 30 reservation sites, 20 of them on Heimerman Point on the East side of the lake and 10 sites on the North Loop Campground on the West side and these sites can be reserved up to a week before a date. All sites are first come/first served within a week as we don’t have any way to check sites. Call 316-542-3664 to check on what it takes to reserve a campsite.

Cabins

Our cabins have become very popular and we have many repeat customers. The cabins came to Cheney State Park through the efforts of our Friends of Cheney Lake Group. They formed to enhance their enjoyment of Cheney Reservoir and to help provide improvements that the regular budget cannot cover. Their first project was finding funding for 7 rental cabins and after the fact providing for and paying for the upkeep of them. Our board members include the former manager of Cheney State Park, and members of the Ninnescah Sailing Association, as well as members of the Cheney Lake Association, another group formed to enhance Cheney State Park. We are very happy with the benefits that working with our Friends Group provides us.

We have added Cabin #9, the Osprey, this year and just recently took possession of Cabin #1, the Heron. The Osprey is a 2 bedroom cabin, the only one in the state so far and the Heron is a 1 bedroom cabin. The cost of it is $95.00 a night Sunday through Thursday and $110.00 a night on Friday and Saturday nights with an $11.50 reservation fee. We're estimate they will sleep 6 to 8 with the Osprey having two sets of bunkbeds in one bedroom, a full sized bed and futon in the other bedroom and a futon in the living area. It is also more furnished than our other cabins with a full sized refrigerator and stove, dishes, cookware and utensils. The Heron has a full sized bed and a futon in the bedroom, a futon and a Murphy bed in the living room. You will still have to bring your own bedding and towels.

Call or go to https://reserve.ksoutdoors.com to check on the availability of the cabins for a weekend getaway. It’s beautiful this time of year and very relaxing, perfect for a retreat. REMINDER! The cabins can be reserved up to a year in advance and there are gift certificates available to give as gifts. The prices of the cabins are $85.00 a night on Fridays, Saturdays, and Holidays, and we require both nights on a weekend to be reserved and all three nights on a Holiday weekend. The price Sunday through Thursday is $65.00 a night and there is an $11.50 one time reservation fee for each reservation. These prices are in effect until the off-season starts October 1st. The prices are then $65.00 a night every night.

A Cabin at the State Fair again this year was a great success. Maybe you saw us there. They were very well received by the public and hopefully will generate visitation to the State Parks when people see there are alternatives to "sleeping on the ground". The new online reservation system went live early in September so it's now possible to check availability and make a cabin reservation online. Go to https://reserve.ksoutdoors.com.

Maintenance

Maintenance will be in the repair mode again all winter fixing previous storm and flood damage. They have been trimming trees, fixing fences, clearing areas and replacing rock on sites where it was washed away in the heavy rains.

It is quite an undertaking to keep a park this size running smoothly and looking so good. We get quite a few compliments on how well the park looks and how clean our bathrooms are and how well our areas are mowed and that is a testament to our maintenance department. The new restroom at Wichita Point is much appreciated and getting used. Our guys trenched ½ mile to run electric, water and sewer lines in order to accomplish the job. Park patrons say they really appreciate having a shower house right there in the campground.

Partnerships

Cheney State Park is fortunate to have a great partnership with the Ninnescah Sailing Association.

Through their efforts, they have built a gorgeous facility and we are lucky to have such great neighbors. The sailing club sponsors events that draw participants nation-wide to our park, and we always receive positive comments about the beauty of the club grounds and our park. Thank you for being such good stewards of Department Lands.

Cheney Reservoir is considered to be a premier sailing, windsurfing, and kite-boarding lake. We have even been ranked one of the 10 windiest lakes by Windsurfing Magazine. Regattas are being held most weekends during the summer so you can often get a glimpse of some colorful sails.