People who are trying to fight the state’s plans to demolish an historic barn at Potato Creek State Park will hold a rally there Saturday. The state still plans the demolition but won’t say when.
Organizers of the rally fear they may need to start stationing someone at the barn around the clock. That’s because the Indiana Department of Natural Resources isn’t backing off from their demolition plans but won’t say when they’ll carry them out.
The Naragon Barn stands next to where the state is building a $100 million inn and conference center on Lake Worster.
On Saturday people opposed to the demolition say they’ll meet at 2 p.m. for a rally at the barn.
In nearby North Liberty, Vivian Bolen has been distributing Save the Red Barn shirts and signs from the Over the Top Bakery and Cafe that she owns with her sister, Annette Martin. Their grandfather, Raymond Narogon, owned the land when the state took it for the park in the early 1970s.
Bolen says the barn is an important physical reminder of the land’s agricultural history.
“They were one of the last people to actually turn over their land," Bolen says. "It’s just a nice remembrance of all the families that were displaced that were farmers there.”
For weeks now DNR spokeswoman Holly Lawson has declined to make anyone available for an interview. When I reached her by email Wednesday, Lawson would not say whether they’ll give any public notice before demolishing the barn.
