Meet Me at The Park
/It is a spectacular spring weekend in Flat Rock and it seems only appropriate to celebrate one of my favorite places to enjoy the season of renewal and rebirth - The Park at Flat Rock. Some observations about the value of this amazing resource to our community. BH
Spring has arrived and my favorite place to celebrate the season is The Park at Flat Rock. The Park’s beautiful Daffodil Project garden is in full bloom, the bluebirds are busy making their nests, and the trees are starting to pull on their green summer cloaks. Most of all, visitors of all ages are filling the trails, playgrounds, and pavilions with the positive energy and sense of community that make it such a blessing for everyone who visits The Park.
I love to find a comfortable perch on one of The Park’s benches and watch the world go by. I see old couples holding hands. Young families with exuberant children race to the playgrounds. There are joggers enjoying the open trails and nature lovers who linger near the streams and ponds to catch a glimpse of the herons, turtles, and frogs. My favorite is the sight of a senior with an elderly dog – two old friends making their way slowly along the trails and cherishing every moment they have together.
In reality, The Park is more than just a place. Yes, it is a beautiful verdant sanctuary. But more importantly, it is a community in the truest sense of the word. The Park invites us to come together. It heals us. It restores us. As humans, we need community to be truly happy and The Park is the perfect place to meet friends, exchange greetings and smiles with people we don’t know, and to appreciate the animals, birds, and plants that make the natural world such a magical place.
In short, The Park is our community touch point with natural beauty – and with each other. It is a gift to all of us, and I am grateful every day to live in a community that values and cares for a place like The Park at Flat Rock.
Thank you to everyone who visits, maintains, supports, and simply loves The Park at Flat Rock.
We are all in this together. And we are all in community when we gather at The Park.
Bruce Holliday
Board Member
The Park at Flat Rock Foundation
Upcoming Events at The Park
Free Yoga Classes
Pardee in the Park Yoga classes are offered each Thursday at 5:30 pm and Saturday mornings at 10:00 am. April through October. Meet at the green space behind the Welcome Center. Bring your own mat.
Hosted by YAM in Hendersonville, Pardee UNC Healthcare, and The Flat Rock Park & Recreation Foundation.
Forest Bathing/Nature Immersion
First Sunday of the month at 12:00 pm. May through September.
Take a guided walk with Roger Bass, a certified guide with the Association of Nature & Forest Therapy. The walk will be less than a mile and will focus on experiencing nature through our senses while breathing in healing forest air.
Meet at the Staton Pavilion. All ages. Free. Sunscreen, comfortable shoes, a water bottle, and a snack are recommended. If you can, bring a cup or mug. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. Sorry, no pets.Limit: 15 people .
Nature Walks
The 3rd Sunday of every month at noon. May to September.
2024 Schedule of Programs
•Blue Birds – 5/19
•Beekeeping – 6/16
•Pollinator Garden Tour – 7/21
•Dye Creek Project Tour – 8/18
•Birdwatching – 9/15 (This program starts at 9 am)
Arbor Day - Tree Planting
Saturday, April 27th
11:00 am
Meet at the Staton Pavillion
Dye Creek Restoration Project
Construction has begun on a major restoration project to bring Dye Creek, which runs through the middle of The Park at Flat Rock, back into a natural and healthy state. Decades before the park was established by the Flat Rock Village Council, Dye Creek was “straight channeled,” destroying its natural flow and shape. The creek, which crosses eight park acres, is rapidly deteriorating, causing extensive bank erosion and trail washouts. This project will also help improve water quality and create a healthy ecosystem for fish and other wildlife.
“The current construction that is going on right now is just the grading and rerouting and re-carving of the creek and stream channel,” Michael Dages, park director, said. “That phase will probably take about a month, and the rest should be done by June.”
Once completed according to Dages, Dye Creek will be healthier with less erosion and better water quality. “It will be a better habitat for birds, amphibians, fish and wildlife within the park. We’re also looking to see better flood mitigation. Every time it rains now, we get a lot of washout. This will have better impact on storm water management,” he said.
During the restoration project, park trails that cross the creek will be closed.
The cost of the entire restoration project, including planning, design, and construction, is estimated to be around $475,000. The project is being funded by grants and donations from a variety of sources, including the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, the Community Foundation of Henderson County, and the Flat Rock Park and Recreation Foundation, a nonprofit created by the Flat Rock Village Council in 2013 to support projects in the park.
For more information, please contact Michael Dages, park director, at 828.435.0397. The Park at Flat Rock
Join Friends of The Park
Are you a Friend of The Park at Flat Rock? Learn more about our Foundation's Giving Society. The Friends of The Park at Flat Rock play a significant part in preserving and enhancing the beauty of our 66-acre park. Your contribution goes directly towards maintaining walking trails, planting trees and native shrubs, and providing free wellness and educational programs to park patrons and guests of all ages. See the website for details:
