Thousands flock to Lexington’s newest park on its opening day

As the sounds of the Bryan Station High School marching band faded away, Allison Lankford took to the microphone to welcome people to Gatton Park on Town Branch.

It was the culmination of a decade of work for her and those involved with the goal of taking the park from idea to reality.

“I’ve been waiting a long time to say that, just over 10 years, but who’s counting? What a joy to see so many of you here today. This moment is the result of thousands of residents sharing their voices, hundreds of donors stepping up with generosity, and so many partners giving their vision and dedication to this project,” Lankford said.

Thousands of people piled into the park on Saturday to celebrate the opening. On stage, Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton and former Mayor Jim Gray, now Kentucky Secretary of Transportation, joined members of the park’s board and partners while attendees filled the grass in front of the stage.

Gorton said the park’s opening was the perfect birthday present for the city as it celebrated the 250th year of its founding.

“A community like ours that is turning 250 years old this year should rightfully expect a really special birthday present, right?” she said. “Well, it’s hard to find a present more special than this park. It’s a true game changer for downtown Lexington and for our whole community. Like many of you, I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time, in my case, since when I was vice mayor and then Mayor Gray appointed me to the original task force that began exploring this idea. It has been exciting to watch as the idea gained support.”

The idea for the park originated with Gray as a way to transform the former parking area around Central Bank Center and Rupp Arena into an attraction for Lexington residents and others. In 2023, the city broke ground on the park.

Now, the nearly 12-acre facility is open to the public. Lankford said the park features more than 500 new trees, 30,000 native plants and a restored stretch of Town Branch lined by a stone wall. It also features a pedestrian walkway, a 35-foot grist mill play tower, five public art pieces, places to sit and gather and a dog park for both large and small dogs.

“These aren’t just features,” Lankford said. “They are invitations to step away from our hectic lives and reconnect with nature, with community and with pure joy right here in the heart of Lexington.”

Lankford said the park will feature weekly free programming, such as concerts and performances under the stars for audiences of up to 5,000. There will also be signature celebrations to mark the seasons, the first one starting this year with a winter village for the holidays.

Saturday’s celebration also featured performances on two stages – from dance groups to singers and bands. Food trucks lined the perimeter as people walked through the park, stopped for casual drinks or took in the adult swings behind the stage.

Getting the park across the finish line wasn’t without its challenges, Lankford said.

“You know, over the last decade, there’s been some challenging times that included COVID and other things that maybe would have seemed like a roadblock, but actually, I think over this period of time, we learned to appreciate and value our public spaces more than ever,” she said.

“I think we know now that that is where community is built in these kinds of spaces. Any of those roadblocks we had really turned into a refinement of the project, and I think we came up with a better outcome because of any stumbles that we had.”

But the celebration was the perfect way to see a project come to fruition, she said.

“(The turnout has been) amazing. I have no idea how many people are here, but I see people everywhere, out enjoying the space,” she said. “And that’s what we always hoped for.”