Blue Springs, Mo. – The Blue Springs Parks & Recreation Department will host a ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony on Saturday, June 4 for the new trail located in Ward Park, 1000 SW 22nd Street. The ceremony begins at 11 a.m. and will be held at the south entrance to the park in the 22nd Street parking lot.
Immediately after the ceremony will be an informal community walk to help dedicate the new trail. Residents are encouraged to lace up their walking shoes or bring their bikes to help Blue Springs Parks & Recreation kick-off National Trails Day 2011 on June 4.
National Trails Day 2011 focuses on bringing together outdoor enthusiasts of all kinds to celebrate the natural heritage of the United States trail system. Traditionally held each year on the first Saturday in June, National Trails Day was established to recognize the value of recreational trails and the people involved in building and maintaining them. For more information on National Trails Day 2011, visit www.marc.org.
The land for Ward Park was donated to the City by George Ward in the late 1970’s. The original construction of the park was in 1980, which included the original trail. The Parks & Recreation Department secured a Federal ARRA grant to help fund the replacement and upgrade of the over thirty-year-old trail. The new trail is 8-feet-wide, twice the width of the old trail, and includes two new bridges and improvements to the existing bridges. The new trail also connects to Quarry Road on the west end of the park which is a part of the City’s bike route and trail system.
In the case of inclement weather, this event will be canceled and will not be rescheduled.
For more information on this trail, contact Roscoe Righter, Director of Parks and Recreation at (816) 228-0137 or email to rrighter@bluespringsgov.com. For more information about Blue Springs bike routes and trail systems, visit www.bluespringgov.com/parks.
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