On Thursday, Aug. 13, a Pendleton Times-Post photographer caught the railings of the raised walking bridge near the Pendleton Historical Museum. They were barely sticking up out of Fall Creek. Another frame showed the creek reaching the museum's foundation. A third showed a fish that had been washed over the concrete embankment of the lighthouse pond being thrown back in.
Two months on, Falls Park hasn't reopened all at once. It has come back in pieces, and the order makes sense once you see who did the work. Volunteers, staff and the Fire Department cleaned up the pickleball courts, and the Community Building was open again within a week. The bridges, a culvert, two ballfields and the Conservation Building are on a slower track that depends on engineers, contractors and rebuilding. At the park board's August meeting, board member Cory Hall said that as the park rebuilds there will be a "before flood/after flood" at Falls Park, according to the Aug. 26 Park Board minutes. So far, "after flood" has followed a predictable order.
The week-one list: what hands and donations could fix
The Community Building at 299 Falls Park Drive reopened after about a week, Park Director Sheree Belt reported to the board. Pickleball reopened as well. The minutes credit cleanup by volunteers, park staff and the Fire Department. The Park Office and Pro Shop came through fine. At the museum, the damage stopped at the restroom floors.
The park lost 14 picnic tables to the water. Board member Steve Wills thanked the community for a successful Park Fest and for the donations to replace those tables. Replacing a picnic table takes money and a truck, not an engineering study, so it moved fast.
The Pendleton Indiana Farmers Market followed the same pattern. The flood cost it Saturdays, so Friends of Falls Park told the board the market would add two Saturdays at the end of the season. The Times-Post calendar shows the change. In mid-September it listed the market as running "through September." By Oct. 8 it was billing Oct. 10 as the finale, with vendors still setting up along Falls Park Drive between the Main Entrance and the Community Building. Yesterday was the last of those make-up mornings.
Just two weeks after the flood, Friends of Falls Park was also reporting that the Pendleton Fall Creek Heritage Fair had signed up 176 vendors. That was the most the fair had ever had. The fair was set for Sept. 11 and 12. To keep costs down, the Friends group and Main Street were splitting expenses and sharing dumpsters for both events.
The waiting list: what needs outside help first
Maintenance Director Donnie Meyer's August report reads differently. Most items on it are waiting on an engineer's assessment, contractor work or a rebuild. Here is where each facility stood in the late-August minutes, the most recent park board minutes the town has posted:
| Facility | Status in the Aug. 26 minutes | Waiting on |
|---|---|---|
| Walking footbridge behind the dog park | Out of service until further notice | No timeline given |
| Metal footbridge to the trails | Washouts needing work | Contractors, coordinated by maintenance |
| Trail Bridge | Needs a few modifications | Not specified |
| Green Bridge | No update yet | Pending update |
| Culvert | Under review | Engineers' assessment |
| Bridge over the falls | Okay | Nothing |
| Conservation Building | Floors and paneling removed to the studs | "A lot to be done" |
| Sports Complex Fields 3 and 5 | Need work to be playable | Repair work with Cal Wilson |
| Soccer fields near the dog park | Being worked on and treated | Work with FCRW |
On the Conservation Building, the board heard that staff had worked with the DOC to take the floors and paneling out down to the studs. That is the stage where cleanup ends and rebuilding starts. The fields were a problem before August. In April, the minutes noted drainage work on Field 5 and said youth sports had outgrown the available space. Losing two fields squeezes a complex that was already full.
The town has posted an agenda for the Sept. 23 Park Board meeting but no minutes. Nothing published since late August confirms which of these items have moved. Read the table as a late-August snapshot, not a list of what's closed today.
Getting to the museum while the bridges sort out
The flood also changed how you get around the park. The Sept. 17 Times-Post community calendar added this note under its museum listing:
"With flood damage limiting use of Falls Park Drive, access to museum is best using John and East streets. Parking is available at the Community Building circle, park office, dog park gravel lot and the Conservation Building."
The Oct. 8 calendar runs the same museum listing without that note. That suggests conditions have improved. It doesn't confirm that every crossing is repaired.
The Green Bridge is the one to watch. In August, Friends of Falls Park raised concerns about traffic once the Green Bridge opens Falls Park Drive. Board member Cory Hall suggested the park post on social media about what to expect either way. If you drive through the main entrance on market mornings or game nights, those posts are your best source of traffic updates.
The planning that kept going anyway
Flood repairs are only part of the work. Several improvements were planned before August and have kept moving.
- Trail markers. Belt and the board reviewed proposals with the Trail Way firm for 10 trailheads and 26 trail markers. Before the flood, Belt had walked the trails and logged GPS coordinates for every marker location. To deal with vandalism concerns, the board discussed protective covers and coatings for the signs.
- An accessible swing. At the same meeting, the Fall Creek Township Advisory Board said it had voted unanimously to give Falls Park $10,000 for a wheelchair-accessible swing.
- The Overlook and Amphitheater. The lowest quote to demolish the Overlook while capping its utilities for later reuse came in at $28,000. Renovation quotes were still outstanding, and quotes for an Amphitheater bandshell varied by material.
- A stream gauge. Board member Drew raised the idea of a USGS gage on Fall Creek and said he would contact someone about it.
All of this sits inside the park's updated five-year plan. Belt wrote in January that the plan covers trails, natural areas, education and stewardship, events, the sports complex, infrastructure and the pool. In February, the plan was still under DNR review. The board was also told that recreation impact fees can pay for new facilities but not for fixing existing ones. That rule matters now, because a lot of the repair list is existing facilities.
Where the park calendar goes from here
There are still weekends left in October.
- Friends of Falls Park meeting, Monday, Oct. 12, 6:30 to 8 p.m., Falls Park Office, 460 Falls Park Drive. The group helps the Park Board preserve, improve and promote the park.
- Pendleton Historical Museum, 223 Falls Park Drive, free, Saturdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Sundays 1 to 5 p.m. through October. A volunteer board runs it.
- Boo Bash, Saturday, Oct. 17, 5 to 8 p.m., with music, trunk-or-treating, games and food trucks. The Times-Post lists it at the Pendleton Sports Complex. The town's own calendar lists it at the main entrance to the Community Building at one point and the Sports Complex at another, so check the town listing before you go.
- Pendleton Garden Club, Monday, Oct. 19, 6 to 8 p.m., Community Building. All are welcome.
- Tuesday runs and walks, 6:30 p.m. outside the museum, with Anderson Road Runners Club and Community in Motion. All paces are welcome.
After October, the action shifts downtown. Christmas in Pendleton is set for Nov. 14, 2026, with craft vendors, a kids' zone, Santa, an illuminated parade, a community snowball fight and the tree lighting. By then, the next Park Board minutes should show which footbridges and fields have moved off the waiting list.
At The McKown Team, Mike McKown's background as a licensed contractor means we see a lot of buildings the way Falls Park's crews are seeing theirs right now. Some things a few people can fix in a weekend, and some have to wait on an engineer. If you're weighing that question on a property of your own, Contact Us and we'll give you a straight read.
