“Get Mac Back! Campaign” The Eagle Creek Park Foundation and the Gilmer Family are working together to bring a shelter and information kiosk to house the Mackenzie statue at the entrance to the bark park.
But your support is urgently needed!
Your generous tax deductible donation toward the installation of the shelter/kiosk will be matched dollar for dollar by the Gilmer Family. In addition to housing Mac, the shelter features a kiosk with bulletin board to post announcements for bark park members. All the proceeds of this campaign will go towards building the structure, preparing the site and installing the Mac statue. Any funds remaining will be placed in an account for the Gilmer Canine Companion Zone. If you have any questions, please contact Meghan Mustin, Meghan@eaglecreekpark.org.
The Story of the Dog that Inspired the Gilmer Bark Park
-By Nancy Moore
Who was Mackenzie? Mackenzie King was a big, yellow Labrador of Canadian heritage who belonged to Gordon Gilmer, a long-time city-county councilman representing Pike Township, including the Eagle Creek area. Shortly after Gilmer retired from the Council, the City named the bark park in his honor in recognition of Gilmer’s contributions to the development of Pike and Eagle Creek Park over his three decades in office. Gordon was thrilled as this brought together all the things he loved---parks, people and pets!
Mackenzie’s Story. Mackenzie was a rescue dog. In the mid-1990s Gordon’s wife, Betty Gilmer, saw an ad in the Pike Register for a yellow Lab in need of rehoming. She wanted Gordon to have company on his daily walk at Eagle Creek Park. She was right and soon Mackenzie became Gordon’s constant companion. A few years later, Betty passed away and Mac’s steadfast companionship with Gordon endeared him to the entire family and the park community.
The Mackenzie Statue. In 1999 when the bark park opened, a park employee carved a wooden statue of Mac and donated it in Gordon’s honor---as a tribute to his support of IndyParks and its employees. The Mac statue was placed just outside the bark park but after many years of exposure to the weather it deteriorated. In 2014, the Eagle Creek Park held a re-dedication ceremony of the Gilmer Canine Companion Zone to celebrate its 15-year anniversary. As part of the “Bring Back Mac” event the Gilmer Family commissioned a new statue to replace the original.
Where’s Mac Now? Since 2014 “Mac”, the new Mackenzie statue, has been stored in the Park Office, awaiting construction of a shelter to protect it from the elements. The shelter/kiosk project stalled due to funding issues and Mac was never placed back at the bark park entrance. Recently, however, the Eagle Creek Park Foundation took up the quest to complete the shelter to house Mac and relocate him back at the bark park.
