Mission Statement of the Hancock Park District is to create, preserve, protect, restore and manage a system of parks, nature preserves, and outdoor recreational facilities to be held in public ownership with a focus on local, natural, historical, and cultural resources and maintained for the leisure use, education and enjoyment of this and future generations.
What's New
Job opportunities available with HPD
Ever considered employment with the Hancock Park District? Applications are now being accepted for qualified individuals seeking employment with HPD for permanent positions including one full time Director-Secretary, two part-time, Program Assistants and two part-time Park Maintenance Techicians. Seasonal positions are also available including one Waterfront Manager, three Waterfront Aides, and four Park Service Persons.
Complete Job Descriptions for all positions including qualifications, responsibilities and compensation, and Employment Application are provided in the “Get Connected/Job Opportunities” section of the website to download. Please follow the application process completely.
Further questions can be directed to the Hancock Park District office during normal business hours (M-F, 8am – 4:30 pm) at 419-425-7275.
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Raccoon Run Winter Sports Center Open for Business
OPEN MONDAY, FEBRUARY 15 - PRESIDENT'S DAY
Learn to Ski Workshops Available
Raccoon Run Winter Sports Center is now open for the 2010 winter season and will remain open weekends and some holidays through the winter season from 11am to 5pm and as long as conditions remain favorable. The Center will be open on Monday, February 15 due to the President's Day holiday with normal business hours.
The Center offers a complete outfitting of snowshoes and cross-country ski equipment for kids of all ages. Rentals fees are set at $7 per hour or $20 for the day and are available on a first come, first served basis. For all day rentals, equipment can be taken to other park areas including 
Blue Rock Nature Preserve, Oakwoods Nature Preserve, and Litzenberg Memorial Woods. Arrangements for all day rentals should be made in advance through the HPD office.
"Learn to Cross-country Ski Workshops" are available and are scheduled when conditions are suitable on Saturday mornings from 9 am – 10:30 am. Watch The Courier or local media for scheduled workshops. Learn the basics of cross-country skiing including gliding, turning, moving forward, and falling down “gracefully”. Time is allowed for you to practice your new skills during the workshop. The workshop costs $10 per person, which includes ski equipment rental and complimentary warm beverages. Advance registration and payment are required by 4:30pm the Friday before the workshop. Register at the HPD office with exact change or check. For details, call the HPD office during the week at 419-425-PARK (7275) or call to let us know you are interested in a workshop and we will put it on the waiting list for the next available workshop.
Raccoon Run Winter Sports Center is located in Shelter #3 in the Big Oaks Area at Riverbend Recreation Area (16618 TR 208, off SR 568 to TR 241 east of Findlay). Due to bridge and road construction, please follow detour signs to the park.
For more information regarding Raccoon Run Winter Sport Center , cross-country ski workshops or other upcoming programs view the HPD Seasonal Guide at www.HancockParks.com under the “What's New” section, monthly calendar or call the HPD office at 419-425-PARK and “Discover Your Hancock Parks”. A Raccoon Run brochure can be downloaded from the website along with a discount coupon to redeem at the concession. To check current snow and trail conditions on weekends, call the Raccoon Run Winter Sports Center at 419-424-1555. During the week, Monday through Friday, 8am – 4:30pm, call the HPD office at 419 425-PARK (7275).
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14th Annual HPD Photography Contest Winners Announced
399 photos were entered by 101 different amateur photographers from Hancock and surrounding counties in the 14th Annual HPD Photography Contest on January 23 & 24. Over $500 in cash, gift certificates, and prizes were awarded to select winners and provided by the following sponsors: 
Blanchard River Watershed Partnership, Blanchard Valley Lawn and Pet, Hancock County Naturalists, Hancock Friends of the Parks, Imagine That, Lishawa CPA, Ltd., Rieck's Gallery, and VCA Animal Medical Center .
Winners included: Robert Hills "Best of Show – Adult”, Grant Hites “Best 
of Show – Youth” and Robert Hills "People's Choice". All winners are now available for viewing in the "Photo Gallery" section.
A BIG THANK YOU to all our sponsors and participants for another great year!
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It's Maple Sugarin Time at Litzenberg
It's maple sugarin' time in northwest Ohio and the Hancock Park District 
will be hosting its' annual Maple Sugarin' Day at Litzenberg Memorial Woods Saturday, February 27 from 12noon -3pm. Participants should get their coat, hat, and hiking boots on for an afternoon of seasonal fun and enjoyment.
HPD trained volunteers will guide each hike departing from the Gatehouse, located near the parking lot between 12noon - 2pm. Along the walk, participants will encounter a variety of interpreted stations. The first stop discusses how wild animals use sap and sap science is highlighted at the second station. From there visitors will travel to the Native American site and watch a demonstration of how a hollowed log and hot rocks were used to boil sap. Visitors then proceed to an 1840's re-created sugar camp and find out about the process early settlers used to make maple syrup.
A living history demonstration will be conducted behind the Historic McKinnis House focusing on how trees were tapped and spiles were made. Inside the farmhouse HPD staff and volunteers 
will be boiling down sap to sugar and discuss cooking with maple products over the wood stove.
Inside the Activity Barn, Hancock Friends of the Parks will be providing warm refreshments for a donation and local syrup producers Dave and Ilene Fruth will be on hand to answer question regarding modern day production and selling a variety of maple products including syrup, candy, popcorn and sugar.
The annual event is FREE for the entire family. Litzenberg is located approximately six miles west of Findlay on State Route 224.
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Good news! The wait is over! The covered bridge project on Twp. Rd. 241, 
over the Blanchard River east of Findlay, is now complete and open for traffic. Barricades have also been removed from Twp. Rd. 208 (road south the follows the river) leading to Riverbend. The new covered bridge is a great addition to the scenery around Riverbend and along the Old Mill Stream Scenic Byway.
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Historic Marion Twp Rd 241 Iron Bridge Preservation Project Starts
Saving the TR 241 Bridge has been accomplished in October 2009 with its move off the river and into Riverbend Park nearby. Now the preservation work starts by the Park District in cooperation with the Hancock Parks Foundation and the Ohio Historic Bridge Association. The history of this bridge as an engineering landmark and the preservation work are attracting much attention around the Midwest. Site work 
to gain access to the structure is planned for spring 2010, along with painting the structure. Volunteers and funds are needed as this project moves forward. A new brochure is now available and can be downloaded from this website. Stop by and see the progress.
View the Historic 1895 Bridge Project - Brochure .Pdf
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