Maywood 40th Anniversary Kickoff Celebration Set

Sheboygan’s Ellwood H. May Environmental Park, which was converted from a hobby farm, turns 40 this year, and arrangements to celebrate the anniversary were announced this past week.

The inaugural event of the 40th anniversary celebration will be held Friday, February 10th at the park’s headquarters with a retrospective journey hosted by former Director David Kuckuk.  Stories and slides of the estate, which was originally the home of Mayline Furniture Company owners Ellwood and Mary May, will outline the original 1950s era estate, and its transformation into the first Ecology Center at the park.

The Mays donated their property to the City of Sheboygan in 1974, and after a nearly decade-long study the City decided against options such as a golf course to establish the park that serves as a center for environmental education and habitats for wildlife.  A forest of mixed pines and hardwoods, a native prairie and ponds were created, and 40 years later, Maywood, as it’s known, is at once a busy place and and a peaceful example of Sheboygan County as it once was when ruled by nature.

A limited number of tickets for the celebration, which includes a tour, appetizers, beverages and a cash bar, will be sold at the Maywood Ecology Center, or online through this link.