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The Lucknow Sentinel, 2016-05-11, Page 1The L ck www.lucknowsentinel.com n $1.50 HST included PM40064683R07656 ow Sentinel Wednesday, May 11, 2016 Lucknow Kinsmen transformation of 'Graceland' underway Darryl Coote Reporter The Kinsmen Club of Luc - know & District is well on its way to transforming two pastures of land near down- town Lucknow into a user- friendly campground. Dubbed "Graceland" after the parcels' former owner, the land off Walter Street was bought by the local Kinsmen Club last year to be used as campsites during the club's popular Music the the Fields annual country music festival. Starting a couple weeks ago, the Kinsmen began beautifying the land through regrading, reseeding and removing trees, said club and Graceland committee member Mort Jakobsen. "There were some areas that needed a lot of attention and to make it more user friendly for when we have Music in the fields in August because we have to use the fields for camping," Jakobsen told The Sentinel over the phone. The Kinsman expect about 4,000 people to be camping in Graceland between Aug. 25 and 27 during this year's music festival, and the club wants the area to leave a last- ing impression on campers, he said. Over the past several weeks the Kinsmen have already removed scads of dead trees from the 55 acres of land, which has raised questions from local citizens about what will become of the land. "We've heard from con- cerned local residents in town who walk the trails often ... and they got a little concerned that we have removed a lot of old dead trees," he said. However, Jakobsen esti- mated that over 50 per cent of the trees on the land were either dead or overgrown with vines. There was also an old barbed wire fence run- ning through the property that needed to be removed. "And we saw it as a poten- tial hazard," he said. So the Kinsmen have been working to remove those trees, which will give healthy ones more space to grow, he said, adding that they plan to reseed the railroad tracks that run through the land. They want to make a campsite Lucknow can be "proud of," he said. Other concerns they have heard is about traffic. Jakob - sen said he has heard rumours that people think the area will become an unofficial "raceway," though he wants to ensure the public that is will not be possible. The area will be gated, he said. And the only time those gates will be open will be during Music in the Fields. Other than that, they will be locked, he said. "It will all be gated before and after Music in the Fields," he said. As a community organiza- tion, the Kinsmen will be looking for ways for Lucknow to benefit from the campsite year round, and whether that means making it a dog park or building more trails within it will be up to the community, he said. "Going forward, it'll be in the fall I'm pretty sure, we're going to have a community meeting where people can come and have a discussion about what people want to see. Do we need more trails, a dog park, you name it. There are no limits," he said. CONTINUED > PAGE 2 Darryl Coote/Kincardine News The Bruce Botanical Food Gardens Mother's Day Cupcake event saw a handful of parents and children out May 7, 2016 to make and decorate some colourful baked goods to celebrate their moms, in time for the special day. Pictured: Reid, 10, and Sadie Pollock, 12, show off the colourful 'bouquet' they made for their mom.