Ceremony To Mark Expansion Of Hank Aaron State Trail
|
|
August 8, 2006
Milwaukee, Wisconsin – The public will have an
opportunity to join Home Run King Hank Aaron on Saturday, Aug. 12,
to celebrate the completion of another section of the State Trail
that bears his name. The Hank Aaron State Trail has now been
completed from Lakeshore State Park on Lake Michigan to Miller Park
Stadium. The trail includes a newly completed paved section of
off-street trail between Miller Park and Sixth Street and marked
bike lanes on city streets from there to Lakeshore State Park.
The trail provides a key link through the heart of Milwaukee, from
Lakeshore State Park through the Historic Third Ward, and into the
Menomonee Valley – the historic core of industry in the Milwaukee
area. Along the way, hikers and bikers using the trail pass the
Milwaukee Art Museum, Potawatomi Bingo, the Marquette Soccer Fields,
and Miller Park Stadium-- home to the Milwaukee Brewers.
With the recent acquisition of a 5.5-mile corridor from Miller Park
west to the county line, the state Department of Natural Resources
is hoping to nearly double the length of the trail by 2009. That
extension would continue the trail west from the stadium past the
historic Ward Theatre on the grounds of the National Soldiers Home,
through State Fair Park, past the Pettit National Ice Center, along
the southern edge of the Milwaukee County Zoo, to its connection
with the Oak Leaf Trail near the Milwaukee-Waukesha county line.
“Based on 2000 census data, there are an estimated 415,616 people
living within a 15-minute bike ride of the Hank Aaron State Trail
and proposed extension,” notes Melissa Cook, Hank Aaron State Trail
manager. “No other trail in the state has as many potential users in
such close proximity. The trail also presents an opportunity to link
residential neighborhoods to employment opportunities and
recreational destinations and to make bicycle commuting a more
attractive alternative.”
The ribbon cutting ceremony for the new trail section begins at
10:30 a.m. where the trail meets the east parking lot of Miller Park
Stadium. The ceremony will be preceded by the annual Hank Aaron
State Trail 5K Run/Walk, which is a benefit for the trail’s Friends
Group. The run/walk starts at Miller Park, winds its way down Canal
Street, and finishes along the trail just across the river from the
starting line. It begins at 8:30 a.m., with registration from 7 to
8:15 a.m.
The walk/run and ribbon cutting ceremony will be followed by a
“Gland Slam Festival” with music, ethnic dancers, skateboard
demonstrations, children’s activities and food. The Grand Slam Event
is free and open to the public, with food items available for under
$5, of which a portion will go to the Friends of Hank Aaron State
Trail. More info is available on the Internet at: <http://www.hankaaronstatetrail.org>
(exit DNR).
In addition to Hank Aaron, Gov. Jim Doyle and a number of prominent
local, county and state officials have been invited to attend the
ribbon cutting ceremony.
Aaron played baseball for the Milwaukee Braves and Milwaukee Brewers
and retired as the all-time home run champion with 755 home runs and
more major league batting records than anyone else in history. He
hit between 24 and 45 home runs for 19 straight seasons, averaging
33 from 1955 through 1973.
The Hank Aaron State Trail has been acquired and developed through
the use of more than $1 million in Knowles-Nelson Stewardship funds
and $4.5 million in state Department of Transportation Congestion
Mitigation Air Quality grants.
The Hank Aaron State Trail was dedicated in his name in 2000, and
has been designated as Wisconsin’s Millennium Legacy Trail by the
White House Millennium Council. One Legacy Trail is named in each
state to represent the essence and spirit of each of the 50 states.
The Hank Aaron State Trail was selected as Wisconsin's
representative because of its respectful celebration of the past,
its connection to the community, and its far reaching vision for the
future.
|
| |
| |
|
|
