2023 LEGACY AWARD

On February 4, 2023, Don and Pat Brown received the Legacy Award for +35 years of unrelenting support for the horse trails at Sleepy Hollow State Park.  Back in 1988, Pat, along with other Clinton County 4-H horse leaders, Donna Apsotle and Juanita Atkinson, started a relentless letter-writing campaign to MiDNR. It took years but finally, DNR listened. In Oct 1994, Phase 1 of the project, led by Pat Brown, worked on an entrance road, a parking and staging area, and a well and pump. In 1997, needing more assistance to meet the DNR’s timeline, Wayne Mears and Agnes Wallace, helped organize the trails group at Sleepy Hollow. Again, Pat Brown led the charge by becoming a part of that first Board. Her continuous leadership and knowledge were integral to the development and maintenance of everything we have at the Park today. From the Pavilion in the Staging Area, the South Loop trail, the renovation of the Island Bridge to accommodate horses, and the creation of the Rustic Cabin with pens, Pat and Don Brown have been there every step of the way. A trail needs mowing…Don is there. You’ll find them at every work bee. Tireless and relentless in their support of SHTRA, Don and Pat Brown have earned the Legacy Award.