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Bruin and Auchter
Pendleton County has long been proud of its state park, but in the past 27 years, the park became even more of an attraction thanks to a swimming pool, a kiddie pool, a fishing lake, a golf course (which is now leased out, Park Board Chair Gerald Fields clarified), and other points of interest in its landscape thanks to the work of Pendleton County native and Park Manager Jeff Auchter.
Auchter retired Friday, February 26, and Kincaid Park Board of Trustees celebrated a job well done the afternoon of Sunday, February 21.
During his comments at the retirement ceremony, Auchter recounted his path back to Pendleton County. When he heard the job of Kincaid Lake Park Manager was opening, he was in Scottsburg, Indiana, with his young family. “I thought I would never be back at this park,” he shared.
But when he showed an interest in returning to the county to become the park manager, the late Bob Yelton became his contact person for Gov. Brereton Jones. The late Mark Ross, one of Auchter’s best friends, crossed party lines and took him to meet State Rep. Roger Adams.
After connections and several required tests that were required to get the position, Auchter was appointed as park manager. That was in 1994.
Auchter made it clear that he was not alone in the job from the beginning.
Delbert Reid was the manager prior to Auchter. “Delbert took a demotion and stayed on as maintenance to help me. He would be mowing the lawn, and I would go out and talk to him about things that had come up,” Auchter recalled.
Auchter also refused to take full credit for the swimming pool and for many of the other positive changes the park saw through his tenure. “Danny Woodhead got the pool,” he recalled. “He was the one who got the county to give seed money for the pool.” Woodhead was a long-time Kincaid Park board member.
“The board bent over backwards to help, no matter what it was that we needed.”
Former State Rep. Tom McKee, who acts as the Harrison County representative to the park board, recognized another support Aucher received during his tenure. “We have seen many improvements because of Jeff and his family. He has gotten remarkable support from all of his family, both his own and his wife’s.”
That support gave Auchter not only the resources to get the jobs done but also allowed him some creativity along the way. He got the idea several years ago to have trick-or-treat for the campers and their kids during the Halloween season. What originated as one weekend several years ago has become three weekends in October. This year, with COVID restrictions, he once again had to be creative. So no one would be disappointed, he, his family, and his staff collected candy and then bagged it so that they could safely redistribute it through the campground.
Auchter also introduced the annual fishing tournament, a favorite that has been held now for numerous years.
His creative mind has enjoyed the “rough spots,” the unplanned events that came along. “We always did the same stuff,” he recalled, “but it was always different. We never had the same things two days in a row.”
Part of those differences likely came about through the hundreds of teens who got their first jobs working at the park during the peak seasons. These young people and other seasonal workers “make this park tick,” Auchter was quick to point out.
The one thing he is disappointed about is that the lodge that he and the board dreamed of never came into being during his tenure. “This is the perfect place for a lodge,” he declared, “and the vision remains. A lodge would be a great thing for the park, the county, and our area.”
As he closed out his remarks, Auchter thanked the community and the city and county servants that supported him and the park all these years—the fire department, the sheriff and police, the ambulance service, the jailer. “They’ve all been good to me and to the park.”
He also thanked his family. “They sacrificed a lot so that I could fulfill my dream job. I was away on weekends and we didn’t take summer vacations.”
Assistant Board Chair Roger Hurst praised Auchter’s work and sacrifices that he made through the 27 years as park manager. “He has been the guardian of what people started a long time ago. He has taken care of our visitors. It was all about the people who came here. He has been a beacon of light to the community, the county, and the state. People had a good time because of our leadership.
“A lot of what has happened here is because of Jeff.”