2 Trail Events June 2 for National Trails Day

Stark Parks and its community partners will celebrate the
opening of 10 new miles of trails on National Trails Day, Sat., June 2:  the Hoover Trail in North Canton, and the
Middle Branch of the Nimishillen Creek Trail that goes through both Plain Township and Canton City Parks. Both new trails were paid for with Clean Ohio Trail Fund grants and  matching funds provided by local residents through their support of Stark Parks’ current half-mill operating levy.

In North Canton: 10 a.m.

Festivities will begin at 10 a.m. behind Hoover High
School in North Canton, and will focus on the newest sections of the Hoover Trail from Marquardt Street east to Hoover High School and south to the North Canton YMCA.

The morning event will include informational booths by the
N. Canton Chamber of Commerce, the North Canton YMCA, Walsh University, the Stark County Bicycle Club, the Friends of Stark Parks, SARTA, and DeHoff Realtors. Staff from the YMCA will lead a hike from the high school to the Y, and Stark Parks staff and volunteers will lead a hike and a bike ride to the North Canton Nature Preserve. The Hoover Pep Band will provide music.

"The North Canton City School District is proud to be a teammate in the National Trails Day event!” said Mike Gallina, Superintendent of the North Canton City Schools. “Our partnership with Stark Parks is so special.  We are blessed to have a portion of the new connector trail weave its way around our Hoover High School campus.  This new addition makes us feel like we are a contributor to the overall appeal and healthy living styles found in North Canton!"

The two trails will be  connected at the corner of Market Avenue & Easton Street, where the current stoplight will be modified with a pedestrian crossing button. A new flashing pedestrian crossing signal will be installed at Marquardt Street early this summer.

In Plain Twp: Noon

A free Bicycle Poker Run and collection of dry dog and cat
food are two of several activities that will highlight the Plain Township celebration at Schneider Park from Noon-3 p.m. on June 2.

Plain Township and its Parks and Recreation Dept. will
have a concession stand open during the event, and members of the GlenOak Band will provide music. Stark Parks’ new  pet patrol volunteers, the TAILblazers, will be on hand to greet guests, and information booths will be hosted by the Stark County Bicycle Club, the N.
Canton YMCA, Friends of Stark Parks, the City of Canton, the Hilltop Hikers,  the Plain Township Historical Society, Quonset Hut, and the Plain Community Branch of the Stark County District Library.  

The newest addition to Stark Parks’ countywide system of
trails, “Canton is pleased to play a key role in helping to develop the county-wide trail system. This system is
changing the way we look at transportation in Stark County and helping to make Canton a more livable community", said Dan Moeglin, Canton City Engineer
who managed the development of the trail in the city.

In Plain Township the trail encircles Schneider Park and
GlenOak High School and then goes south by High Mill Church of the Resurrection,  Rice’s Nursery, and Gervasi
Vineyard. The township section of trail joins the Canton section of the trail at Martindale Park and continues south through Canton’s Reifsnyder Park and
Schreiber/Maple Park. Another section goes north through Lexington Farms and west along Bellview Street and will cross Market Avenue to connect with the Hoover Trail.

“Today is a celebration of our truly magnificent trail system, its volunteers and supporters. The trail system represents our commitment to our community and is a tangible gift to future generations, and all people of all
ages and abilities, “said  Albert P. Leno, Plain Township Trustee.

Overflow parking for the Schneider Park event will be
provided at GlenOak High School. Activities will include the cutting of a grapevine to open the trail, as well as informal hiking, Frisbee golf, and bicycle helmet checks from the Plain Twp. Fire Department. SARTA will have one of its
new eco-friendly buses with bike racks on display.  The Poker Run will begin about 1 p.m.,  and  stops will include Rice’s Nursery, Gervasi Vineyard, “the rock” north of GlenOak High School and  the City of Canton’s Martindale Park.

This summer two solar-powered flashing pedestrian crossings will be installed where the trail crosses Easton north of GlenOak High School and where the trail crosses Schneider Street south of the high school.

Pet Food Collection

Since Schneider Park is home to two dog parks, and because dogs on leashes are welcome along all Stark Parks’ trails, guests are encouraged to bring donations of dry cat and dog food to the afternoon event;
the donations will be given to the Stark County Humane Society, who will have a table at the National Trails Day event.