CONTRIBUTED PHOTO The Marshall County Conservation Board is bringing People in the Park back for a second year, and every day in July, a LEGO person will be set up in one of the 32 county parks with a chance for those who find it to win a kayak or various other prizes.

The 32 parks in Marshall County are about to see a lot more foot traffic this month as the Conservation Board is bringing People in the Park back for a second year.

People in the Park is a month-long event that aims to get people out to explore the great outdoors. Every day through July 31, a LEGO Star figurine will be placed in one of the 32 county parks, with the only hint of its location being a vague photograph posted on the Conservation Board’s Facebook page.

Once the LEGO person is found, it can be turned in at the Grimes Farm Conservation Center for a chance to win a kayak or a range of other prizes that have yet to be announced. Only one entry is allowed per person, and names will be drawn during the Aug. 18 Live and Local concert intermission. The first name drawn will have the opportunity to choose any prize, as they will have first pick.

Tammy Krough, who is the Conservation Board’s administrative assistant, said the community had a great response to the inaugural 2021 version of People in the Park, which is why they brought it back for a second time in 2022.

“It was really popular, and even before LEGO People in the Park, we’ve done different activities to get people out to our parks. One year we had where they had to go out and find a token and then turn in the token. We’ve done where they had to go take their picture by park signs, but we’ve found out, by doing the LEGO people, people were more excited about those and had more fun finding those,” Krough said. “We’re just trying to get people out to our different parks.”

Naturalist Emily Herring and Operations Supervisor Jeremiah Manken are the minds behind the event, and they are responsible for setting up the figurines and posting the photo hints on Facebook. Even those hints, however, will be posted sporadically to keep things interesting.

Krough said they are hoping to see new people visiting the parks and turning in the LEGO figurines this year, and most of all, they are hoping a new appreciation for the parks is instilled in the community.

A different LEGO person will be visiting one of the parks every day, even through Independence Day weekend, but those figurines will have to be turned in Tuesday as the conservation center will be closed.

People are encouraged to look for as many of the figurines as they want, but the Conservation Board asks that only one is collected per person. To see the photo hint of the day, visit https://www.facebook.com/MarshallCountyConservationBoard.