After 20 years of dreaming, Downtown Park in Cary has officially opened
The highly anticipated Downtown Cary Park is finally completed, and leaders are gearing up for a huge celebration this weekend.
The six-acre park will feature ponds, a waterfall, walking bridges over bubbling streams, gardens, event space and nature-based areas. There will be an amphitheater, a grab-n-go market, picnic areas, multiple dog parks, a splash pad and playgrounds for kids of all ages.
On Friday morning, Sky 5 flew over the park, which took three years of construction to complete.
Residents approved a $68 million bond project to develop the park, which is expected to boost the local economy, bringing businesses and families to the area.
Making history: Cary's Downtown Park has been 20 years in the making
From the first spark of an idea to the official opening today, the Downtown Park has taken roughly 20 years to become a reality, according to an interview Mayor Pro Tem Don Frantz.
"It's taken forever to get here, but it's happening," he commented ahead of the ground-breaking three years ago.
Like the building of the first train station, or the doors opening at Ashworth's, the new park is expected to bring both cultural and economic growth.
"It's history in the making," said Joy Ennis, general manager for the Downtown Park.
What to expect at Sunday's ribbon-cutting
Sunday’s event from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. will feature live performances, a Bandit Flight Team flyover and light shows. Also, there will be food trucks and vendors. There will also be programs and park tours throughout the day.
Emmy-winning actor Jim O’Heir, known for his portrayal of Jerry (or Garry or Larry) Gergich on the NBC sitcom “Parks and Recreation,” will attend Sunday’s event. He’ll do a story time at 12:15 p.m. Sunday in the Botanical Garden and then a meet-and-greet from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in Academy Pavilion.
He's just one celebrity in the line-up for the ribbon-cutting events, which start Sunday at 11 a.m. The new park is opening at 327 South Academy St., which is beside the Cary Regional Library.
The park’s regular hours after Sunday will be from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. each day.
