6/21/2021 11:20:00 AM Detectorists find treasures at Florence Park
Jim Parry demonstrates proper use of a metal detector as Amanda and Jeff Chapman and their children, from left, Cadence, Alaina, Jolene (at far right in the background) and Sophia, look on.
Gathered at Florence Park on a pleasantly beautiful Saturday morning, June 12, a group of about 30 residents learned more about the fine art of metal detecting. Jim Parry, REACH teacher and coordinator at Stewartville High School and Middle School, hosted A Day with a Detectorist to share what he's learned since he started metal detecting about 18 months ago. "I took up metal detecting as a way to connect with my students," Parry said. "I was looking for something a little bit different to get kids outside." Metal detecting isn't easy, he said. "You put in tremendous time and a lot of hard work to find bottle caps, beer cans and garbage," he said. "For every kind of cool item, there are hundreds of pieces of trash." Shortly before the June 12 event, Parry seeded an area of Florence Park with 600 to 700 newer and older quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies, along with replicas of old Spanish doubloons... For more on this story pick up your copy of the June 22 Stewartville STAR.
