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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Kevin Hougham

[General  Manager, Sky Tours at YMCA Union Park Camp]

Toby Wisecup

[Executive Director, Dubuque Community YMCA/YWCA; 563.556.3371]

Sky Tours at YMCA Union Park Camp expands zipline course

Monday, January 28, 2013


Sky Tours at YMCA Union Park Camp expands zipline course

 

Dubuque, IA – The premier zipline canopy tour in Iowa just got bigger. Sky Tours at YMCA Union Park Camp, a zipline canopy tour owned by the Dubuque Community YMCA/YWCA, has expanded its zipline course located on the north edge of Dubuque, IA. 

 

The expansion included construction of two additional ziplines (increasing the number from 7 to 9), designed to add both additional length and height to the course, as well as afford better views of some of the historic remains of Union Park. The new lines, lying essentially within the footprint of the existing course, cross over the main valley and return, running above and perpendicular to the existing lines of “The Duel” which runs through the valley, creating the Midwest’s  first double layered ziplines. The construction added an additional 1,600’ of distance to the course and raised the maximum height experienced to 70’. The highlight of the expansion project is a line over 1,000 feet long, which crosses the valley at of a height of 70’, both of which are new records for ziplines in Iowa.

 

“The response to our zipline tours has been very gratifying. We have been pleasantly surprised by the distance people have traveled to experience Sky Tours. We felt that by adding more length, height, and speed to our course, we could attract even more visitors to Dubuque County, exposing even more guests to the wonderful story of Union Park” says Kevin Hougham, General Manager of Sky Tours.

 

With the expansion, Sky Tours will be adding 8 additional staff positions for the 2013 season. Openings are available for zipline tour guides as well as administrative positions. Sky Tours will open for the 2013 season on Saturday, March 30, 2013. The tour cost is $65/person. Reservations can be made online at www.SkyToursZipline.com or by telephone at 563-484-4248.

 

Experienced Based Learning, Inc., the original builder of the course, was responsible for the new construction. EBL is the leading builder/operator of zipline canopy tours in the U.S. Sky Tours at YMCA Union Park Camp is one of twelve courses currently operated/licensed by EBL, Inc.

 

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Kevin Hougham

[General  Manager, Sky Tours at YMCA Union Park Camp]

Toby Wisecup

[Executive Director, Dubuque Community YMCA/YWCA; 563.556.3371]

Fly into Fall

Saturday, October 20, 2012


Fly into Fall

 

Dubuque, IA - Approximately 600 people attended the Fly into Fall event at the YMCA Union Park Camp on Saturday, October 20, 2012. Over $6,000 was raised for the Friends of the Dubuque County Conservation Board. With the money, they plan to build a maple syrup processing system for both education and fund raising purposes. 

 

Sky Tours at YMCA Union Park Camp, owned by the Dubuque Community YMCA/YWCA, made its zipline course available to the Dubuque County Conservation Board for this event as a small token of appreciation for the support provided to Sky Tours by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the Swiss Valley Nature Center over the course of our first two years of operation. As a Dubuque County attraction, we felt it was important to try and provide some support to the Dubuque County conservation effort in any way we could.

 

“We are gratified by the response from the community. Their outstanding support will help the Dubuque County Conservation Board establish yet another education offering tied to the outdoors and conservation.”


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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Kevin Hougham

[Marketing Director, Dubuque Community Y; Operations Manager, Sky Tours; mobile: 563.484.4248; email: skytourszipline@gmail.com]

Toby Wisecup

[Executive Director, Dubuque Community Y; YMCA: 563.556.3371]

Sky Tours Zipline to be featured on Iowa Public Television

Monday, February 27, 2012

 

 

Sky Tours Zipline to be Featured on Iowa Public Television Wednesday, March 7, 2012, at 6:30 PM

 

Dubuque, IA – Sky Tours at YMCA Union Park Camp will be profiled on the next episode of “Iowa Outdoors” to be televised for the first time on Iowa Public Television at 6:30 PM on Wednesday, March 7, 2012. The segment, filmed in September 2011, will feature footage of the zipline canopy tour in operation as well as telling the story of Union Park through historical images, interviews, and images of the remaining park ruins. It will be an excellent opportunity for a state-wide audience to get a look at the park as it exists today and learn of its storied history.

 

The March 7, 2012, telecast is the beginning of Festival 2012 for Iowa Public Television. Through a partnership between Sky Tours and Iowa Public Television, Sky Tours admissions will be awarded to premium donors to Iowa Public Television during the “Iowa Outdoor” pledge breaks. It is a great way to support both Iowa Public Television and the DNR and provide a great personal adventure as a reward for the generosity of IPTV donors.

 

“We look forward to showcasing both Sky Tours Zipline and Union Park to viewers across the state. We are proud of what we have created and look forward to welcoming large numbers of Iowans this summer to what we think is one of the most unique attractions in the region”, says Toby Wisecup, Executive Director, Dubuque Community Y, Sky Tours owner and operator.

 

Sky Tours at YMCA Union Park Camp is a 7-zipline canopy tour located immediately North of Dubuque, IA. EBL, the course designer and builder, resourcefully used Union Park’s natural valleys, ravines, hillsides, and bluffs to create an eco-friendly progression of seven(7) ziplines through the forested hillsand valleys. The course was completed in early May 2011, and opened to the public on May 28, 2011. Sky Tours is a wholly owned project of the Dubuque Community Y. All profits resulting from its operation will be used to advance the mission of the Y in the Dubuque community.

 

“Iowa Outdoors” is a print and video product of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. The editorial mission is to open the door to the beauty and uniqueness of Iowa's natural resources, inspire people to get outside and experience Iowa and to motivate outdoor-minded citizens to understand and care for our natural resources.

 

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