By Aidan Mortensen |KOAL News
As the summer approaches, the excitement for warm weather and the fun that comes with it builds in Emery County. To speak on what’s happening around Emery, Commissioner Jordan Leonard joined the KOAL Newsroom to give insight on the inner workings of the county.
Opening our conversation, the Commissioner shouted out the Emery County Trail crew,” Our Trail Crew is an amazing group of folks. They help keep our trails clean, develop new trails and work well with the different federal and local agencies to work on projects to help us as community members enjoy the outdoors.” Leonard added,” I think that the biggest part of it is ensuring it is community-driven by volunteers. People love to horseback ride, hike, bike and ride ATVs. So it’s a collaboration between all the different user groups and it creates a great energy to get things done.”
Continuing the trend of high praise, Leonard spoke on the members of the Emery High Band who will be traveling to Washington, D.C., to perform at a Veterans Day memorial in the capital. “We want to shout out the Carbon and Emery County marching band. We had our Emery marching band youth in attendance; they were state champs, but they’re also invited to Washington, D.C., to play some music at the Veterans Memorial in Washington.”
To aid in this, the Commissioners donated $250 to the four members of the band participating in the trip. “We wanted to support them on their journey to represent Emery County. So we were able to donate to those individuals going to Washington, D.C. to represent our county. They’re talented in the instruments that they play. We’re excited for them and the opportunity they have to travel.”
Rounding out the commission items, Leonard spoke on the new Civic Plus reverse 911 system the county approved. “The goal is to keep the community safe and get our EMS and police officers to our residents’ homes as quickly as possible. And so we just want to ensure that everything’s streamlined and up to date with the new technology.”
With graduation right around the corner for students of the Castle Country, Commissioner Leonard shared some advice for the newest graduating class: “Pursue your dreams. Go after things you enjoy, find education you enjoy, and apply for jobs that fit your skill set. Sometimes we want to chase money and things, and that’s good. But make sure that our youth chase things that they enjoy so that they can enjoy the rest of their life. Continue to move forward with your education, the best you can, through certificates and formal education – be continuous learners.”
Switching his focus to upcoming events, Commissioner Leonard previewed some exciting fare for the county, starting with the Coal Country Cornhole tournament held on May 16 and 17.” Cornhole events bring a lot of people, a lot of camaraderie. So if you’re interested at any level, please come to this tournament. I know they’re giving out Cornhole boards, different prizes, a lot of fun if you’re interested in Cornhole.”
Also, on May 17, the ‘Birds and Birdies’ golf/clay shooting tournament will take place. “That’s always a fun one,” said Leonard. “I’m not the best shotgun shooter, but I hit the pigeons every once in a while. Shotgun shooting and golf paired together makes it a lot of fun.”
Rounding out the events is the Joe’s Valley Pump-a-Thon bouldering competition on May 17 and 18. This event is a paid event, and I believe they’re trying to climb as many boulders as possible in a certain time frame. If you’re interested in bouldering or just want to get to know the sport, look that one up.
In closing, Commissioner Leonard shared,” As spring comes and as summer’s coming up, we have a lot of community events in different towns. Get out in the good weather and rub shoulders with each other in the community. Try to get out and attend these events, and hopefully, we can all see each other.”