Celebrate local medical history with community picnic at Luckey's Landing on Aug. 9

Event: Community picnic to celebrate local medical history
Date and time: Saturday, Aug. 9, 5-8 p.m.
Location: Luckey's Landing – Wolf Lake, Ind.
Cost: The event is free; just bring a food dish to share.
Event sponsors: Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center of Goshen College and the Luckey Hospital Museum
For more information: Call Jennifer Schrock at (260) 799-5869 or e-mail jenniferhs@goshen.edu.

GOSHEN, Ind. – Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center of Goshen College and the Luckey Hospital Museum, both of Wolf Lake, Ind., will hold their annual community picnic on Saturday, Aug. 9 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Luckey's Landing.

The flat, grassy lakeshore on the east side of High Lake served as a summer resort during the 1920s through the 1960s, drawing boaters, fishermen and picnickers from miles around.

Residents of the Wolf Lake, Bear Lake, High Lake area – and those interested in local history and culture – are invited to Luckey's Landing for a potluck. The evening includes a 6 p.m. presentation for adults and nature activities for children about the community hospital era in Wolf Lake and medicinal plants that grow at Merry Lea.

Both the landing and the museum take their name from the Luckey family. Dr. James Luckey owned the hospital; his son and daughter-in-law, Hugh and Hazel, owned the landing that is now part of Merry Lea.

From 1930 to 1959, the 20-bed Luckey Hospital and Clinic provided complete medical care for the Wolf Lake community. Today, the restored hospital building offers an intimate look into medical history, including an iron lung and nursing uniforms from many eras. Guides are well-versed in the hospital's history and full of stories.

Merry Lea acquired the Luckey's Landing acreage in 1985 and the former beach is now located at the center of the 1,150-acre nature preserve, under the auspices of Goshen College. A number of the environmental education programs Merry Lea offers local school children take place at Luckey's Landing. Children come to study water quality and explore nature at this site.

The event is free; just bring a food dish to share. Hot dogs, s'mores and drinks will be provided. Directions to Luckey's Landing: From U.S. 33 in Wolf Lake, turn south on 100S; left on 500W; straight onto 150S; left down a long lane.

Editors: For more information about this release or to arrange an interview, contact Jennifer Schrock at (260) 799-5869 or jenniferhs@goshen.edu.

###

Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college's Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron's Best Buys in Education, "Colleges of Distinction," "Making a Difference College Guide" and U.S.News & World Report's "America's Best Colleges" edition, which named Goshen a "least debt college." Visit www.goshen.edu.