Ranger Denny

Dennis Goldsmith of Port Washington may know Harrington Beach State Park better than anyone else.

He has served as a volunteer since 2002 and a few years ago was hired as a part-time employee.

“I don’t think there’s 10 square feet in this park I haven’t walked on,” he said.

One of his proudest accomplishments is the accessible cabin available to those with disabilities.

A contractor put up the structure, but Goldsmith and a couple of others handled much of the rest, including installing insulation during winter. They had to bundle up; the heat was kept off to avoid condensation on the studs, he said.

The interior includes furniture, cots, a microwave, refrigerator, stove top,coffee maker, toaster, lamps, cleaning supplies, dishes, cups and utensils. It is heated and air conditioned.

A journal rests on a table allowing those who stay there to leave their thoughts on the cabin. Many call it an “amazing place” and express thanks.

That’s not the only structure that Goldsmith helped build, however. Anyone who buys wood at the park will be picking a package from a garage near the office, courtesy of Goldsmith.

It’s just a one-car garage kit from a big-box store, he said, but Goldsmith added some special touches to make it more functional. He moved the access door over and added a wall. Inside the smaller space, the Friends of Harrington Beach State Park stores birdhouses and bat houses. Goldsmith helps build those too, as well as split wood to sell to campers.

He built a smaller wood storage structure deeper into the park so people don’t have to come back to the office for wood.

Closer to the lake, Goldsmith constructed a phone-booth-sized shelter with a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It provides shelter from wind and rain for the representative of the Western Great Lakes Bird and Bat Observatory, who comes to count migratory birds six hours a day.

Near Puckett’s Pond, Goldsmith added a closed-in extension to a roofed-in area where programs are held. The walls keep presenters and attendees out of the wind.

“We get an east wind and the temperature drops 20 degrees, especially in May and June,” Goldsmith said. “But in July and August, the breeze off the lake feels pretty good.”

Goldsmith, a retired electrical engineer who grew up on a 300-acre farm near Dyersville, Iowa, learned construction while working summers during college. “That’s like riding a bicycle. Once you do it, you remember it,” Goldsmith said.

Goldsmith started volunteering when his son-in-law Andrew Krueger  was the park manager. He asked if Krueger wanted some help, especially free help, and he obliged.

It turned into quite a hobby.

“You find when you retire if you don’t have a worthwhile project to do, life is pretty boring,” Goldsmith said.

“You get to be outside. It keeps you in shape.”

Goldsmith’s first job at the park was helping remove honeysuckle and other invasive plants in an area about three-fourths of a mile long and 300 yards wide to allow for more views of the lake. He and another volunteer worked by hand, using a loppers.

“Like I said, it keeps us in shape,” Goldsmith said.

When the three-year project concluded, they started a brush pile on fire and cooked brats to celebrate. “That was a ball,” he said.

Another of Goldsmith’s early jobs was to pick up litter. The first year he filled 17 garbage bags and the next year he filled about 10. In the third year, it was down to fewer than five bags.

“If you keep an area clean, it will stay clean,” he said. “It almost seems like people don’t want to be the first to leave something.”

Goldsmith was hired as a limited-term employee shortly after the accessible cabin was built.

Park Supt. Carolyn Morgen told him he was putting in so many hours that he should apply for a job there.

During the park’s busy season in summer, Goldsmith works regular hours. When the paid job is over, he returns to volunteer a few days per week.

Goldsmith’s commitment to the park has earned him a Hero Award from the Friends of Wisconsin State Parks. Only two are chosen each year. He received a plaque at a ceremony in Mosinee this month.

“It felt pretty good, like an accomplishment,” Goldsmith said.

Morgen said his contributions to the park are huge.

“Denny is one of those volunteers where he comes in and he just kind of goes,” she said. “He has been such a great asset to the property.”

While Goldsmith likes cutting grass and has no issues cleaning bathrooms during summers to keep the park clean and looking sharp for visitors, he doesn’t like camping. He said he always ends up with a sore back.

He tries to enjoy the park a couple of times a year without working, but he finds it difficult.

“It’s hard to pass by when you see what has to be done,” he said.

Although he can’t lift what he could at one time, Goldsmith, 73, has no plans to stop volunteering.

“I’ll go until I don’t feel like doing it anymore,” he said.