By Emily Williams
Gray skies couldn’t cloud spirits as members of the Kiwanis Club of Birmingham cut the ribbon on their centennial project March 20.
Positioned on the north side of Vulcan Park and Museum, the Kiwanis Centennial Park and its accompanying Kiwanis Vulcan Trail have helped mark the club’s 100th anniversary.
“Ninety years later, we have finally realized Olmstead’s vision to create a linear park from Vulcan across Red Mountain to George Ward Park,” Tom Thagard, Kiwanis Centennial Park chair said, referring to landscape designer Frederick Law Olmsted’s original plans for the city. “We’ve preserved the north face of Red Mountain for both our children and grandchildren forever.”
Thagard added that the project was centered on Vulcan because the statue symbolizes the community’s past as well as its future.
Ground was broken in May, and Vulcan Park has since been transformed to include a plaza with a fountain and steps that lead up to Vulcan.
To further connect Vulcan to the surrounding communities, a 2-mile trail for biking extends to Green Springs Highway, serving as a portion of Birmingham’s planned Red Rock Trail system.
Mayor Randall Woodfin noted that the project is a symbol of the connectivity that the city is working toward – not just physical connections, but connections between the past and present.
“We have to be in a place where we talk about improving our quality of life,” Woodfin said. “And what is a better way than parks, greenspaces and trails where people can walk, can bike, can run and do anything they want as an individual or family.”
In addition to the more than 550-member Kiwanis club, the $5.8 million project was coordinated with the museum and the Freshwater Land Trust.
“When I look at Vulcan, everywhere Vulcan can see, this trail will be,” said Fresh Water Land Trust Executive Director Libba Vaughan.
She added that the project is a symbol for the way greenspace can be used to spur economic development and attract more residents by enhancing the health and quality of life of locals.
“Just as the Statue of Liberty stands for our country, Vulcan serves us as the unifying symbol of our city for generations past and those to come,” said Lawrence Whatley, Vulcan Park and Museum Foundation board chair.
As the year progresses, the club has also planned to create a multi-colored light show that will be projected against Vulcan at night. ❖