By Danelle Cutting
For the Salisbury Post

The Spring Celebration is probably the largest event for Hurley Park. This year in particular is a very special celebration since Hurley Park is officially turning 30 years old!

To commemorate the anniversary, and to prepare you for this year’s celebration, I thought it would be best to tell you some lesser known facts about the park.

One of the first facts is pretty significant. Not many citizens know the history and true name of Hurley Park. The park is actually named the Elizabeth Holmes Hurley Park, and is dedicated in memory of Elizabeth by her loving family, in part due to her love of natural beauty.

Hurley Park is a unique park and quite different than the other Salisbury parks. You will not see slides, playgrounds, or basketball courts in Hurley because this park is built with nature in mind. It is similar to a botanical garden with many different native and non-native plant specimens.

The park encompasses a total of 18 acres with the paths making up a total of one mile. The park has rolling hills, streams, and even a woodland path to help get you “back to nature.”

Second, Hurley Park provides natural interest throughout all of our seasons. Of course, spring and summer provide the most blooms, but during fall and winter there are the beautiful berries, fall leaves and snow. If that is not enough to capture your senses, the wildlife is just as amazing. It is neat to see the different species of birds and to hear their calls throughout the day.

The next fact is that the park has incorporated plants that are also beneficial to pollinators. Last year, they helped celebrate this by offering a butterfly release. The event was so popular that the park is planning to continue this event in the future.

There are additional efforts throughout the park that attendees may not readily notice. For example, all of the maintenance that happens in the park is an amazing feat in itself.

The park is also a unique situation where the City of Salisbury and the Hurley Foundation work together to make sure that the park runs smoothly. We have two full-time employees who help maintain the gardens, trash, limb pickup, weeding and leaf blowing.

Public Services also helps with the mowing, leaf pickup, stump grinding, mulching and so much more. There are so many other small items that I have forgotten to mention but without all of their help, Hurley Park would not be what it is today.

So for that, thank you to all of the hard workers that make Hurley Park special. There are currently no volunteers who help with the gardens. However, volunteers are welcome. Contact me to ask more.

Finally, you will definitely want to write down this last fact on your calendar. The annual Spring Celebration will be Sunday, April 8, from 2-4 p.m. at Hurley Park. We will have food, music, and plenty of other entertainment. Make sure to bring the whole family and celebrate Hurley Park’s 30th anniversary!

For more information on Hurley Park, go to https://salisburync.gov/Government/Parks-and-Recreation/Parks/Hurley-Park, like us on Facebook and Instagram, or call us at 704-638-4459.

Danelle Cutting is curator of Elizabeth Holmes Hurley Park.