South Entrance of the TRWA Bike Parking Completed.

Ask and when you have special people working with you, the results are sometimes too good to be true.  Rodney and Allison Pearson proves this point with the creation of the new Bike Racks and Bicycle Parking Area at the Townsend River Walk & Arboretum.

One of projects on the Master Plan for the Townsend River Walk & Arboretum (TRWA) was to install proper bicycle parking.  As we were working on the upgrades to the entrances to the TRWA Rodney and Allison took on the task of creating bicycle parking that would fit in with the surrounding landscape and the look and fell of the River Walk.  After seeing some examples of logs that were used for bike racks and making a couple of prototypes, the cartoon light bulb finally went off above Rodney's head and proceeded to create the final product that is a perfect fit for the TRWA.

The racks are made to accommodate several bike tire sizes and parking on both sides.  A bumper is placed about 8 inches from the rack so that the tire has a place to rest securely.  Bicyclists can also chain their bikes to the racks to secure them while walking the TRWA.  They are made from 3 and 4 inch round fence posts, the same as the railing down the south side entry steps and the fence around the iris garden.

Allison then ordered "Bicycle Parking" signs that were placed on each of the racks.  A 3" to 4"layer of fine compacting gravel was place on the bike parking area with a 1/2" - 1" layer of Tennessee brown crushed rock to finish.

If you are a bicyclist, stop by and give them a try. If you aren't stop by and admire the construction and placement of the parking area.

When you see Rodney and Allison, around Townsend, give them a big THANKS!  Dedicated volunteers like these are hard to find and we are so glad to have them working with us.

The Townsend River Walk & Arboretum does not receive government funding and is completely managed and maintain by volunteers.  All funding comes from donations, grants and the Tuckaleechee Garden Club Plant Sale.  To continue our effort in upgrading the TRWA we need your donations.  Material costs have risen significantly and there are several projects on the horizon.

A special thanks goes to Elaine Russell for donating money to purchase the materials used to build the Bike Racks!

 Make a donation to the Townsend River Walk & Arboretum, TODAY!

Rodney Pearson (left) and Mark Seder Installing the First Section of Border Fencing
along the Iris Garden at the Townsend River Walk & Arboretum.

Bottle Brush Buckeye Now Blooming at the Townsend River Walk & Arboretum

The Townsend River Walk & Arboretum Iris Garden Fence is Now Completed!

 Mark Getting the Scoop Right From the Horses Mouth!

Marsh Phlox Blooming in the Pollinator Garden

Spring has passed and as we wait for the next big bloom time in mid to late summer the Pollinator & Memorial Garden is giving us a bit of a show.  Currently there is Coneflower, Monarda, Butterfly Weed, Phlox, Zinnia, Yellow Twig Dogwood and more in bloom and lots more to come.  Next the Yellow Wingstem will be blooming throughout the Townsend River Walk & Arboretum (TRWA) getting ready for that spectacular mid-Summer and Fall bloomfest.  A great time to take a walk along the tree lined shaded TRWA, during these hot summer days.  Enjoy your walk and check out our What's Blooming section of the website to help with flower identification.

Monarda in the Pollinator & Memorial Garden

Purple Coneflower Showing Off in the Pollinator & Memorial Garden

A Feature Article about the Townsend River Walk & Arboretum by Melanie Tucker in The Daily Times of Maryville

 The Friday edition of The Daily Times of Maryville featured a full page article about the Townsend River Walk & Arboretum (TRWA).  Melanie Tucker truly captured the essence of the TRWA from past and present as well as the Tours that are being offered June 8 and June 11 for National Garden Week.  Signup Here For One Of The Four Tours Being Offered.

We graciously thank Melanie and The Daily Times for such a brilliant article,
Read The Article Here At The Daily Times!

Tours Will Be Offered at the Townsend River Walk & Arboretum on June 8 and June 11 to Celebrate National Garden Week.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO & TO SIGNUP!

The Latest Addition to theTRWA is the First of Two Bike Parking Racks. This one is located by the Iris Garden.
Thanks to Rodney Pearson for Designing, Creating and Installing.

This past Spring we put together a Master Plan for the Townsend River Walk & Arboretum. One of the items was to install two Bike Parking Racks at the top and bottom entrances to the TRWA.  Rodney Pearson took on this challenge and after a false start or two he came up with the bike rack pictured above. It will handle 8+ bikes of all wheel widths including the, now popular, electric bike.  Bicyclists also can chain their bikes to the support poles. The rack fits in perfectly with the already installed Iris Garden fence and with our future plans.  A second Bike Parking Rack will be installed in the area at the top of the entrance steps on the South side of the TRWA.

Rodney with the help of his wife Allison assembled and installed the rack and is now ready for use.  We appreciate all the time and effort that Rodney put into this project and to Allison for her creative eye, keeping Rodney's design in line with the look we are trying to create at the TRWA.  Townsend is very lucky to have these two residents who have contributed so much to several volunteer projects around town and in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  I know that the transformation of TRWA would not be as far along as it is without their help.  Grazie mille!

Stop by and check out the new Bike Parking Racks and explore the Townsend River Walk & Arboretum.  There is something for all ages!

Rodney Pearson Digging Holes for the New Bike Rack Installation

Mark Seder and Martha Frink Displaying the Dee Lidvall Sustainable Stewardship Award as Part of the 2022 Foothills Beautification Awards Ceremony.

The Dee Lidvall Sustainable Stewardship Award to Townsend River Walk and Arboretum (TRWA) at the 2022 Foothills Beautification Awards help by Keep Blount Beautiful (KBB) at Bella Restaurant on June 29, 2022.   This award given and signifies  an organization that incorporates sustainable practices or policies; renewable, sustainable, or energy-efficient spaces; and/or best stormwater management practices. Britney Whipple, KBB Executive director presented the award to Martha Frink (Tuckaleechee Garden Club) and Mark Seder (Tuckaleechee Garden Club, Blount County Master Gardeners).

This honor is so well deserved for this ongoing project benefiting the community and visitors to the City Townsend. Started 18 years ago and funded by monetary and labor donations as well as an occasional grant it has been managed by the Tuckaleechee Garden Club with contributions by The City of Townsend, Blount County Master Gardeners and Tennessee Dept. of Transportation.   Community Partners, Keep Blount Beautiful & The Little River Watershed Assoc as well as residents of Blount County have played a major role in maintaining the TRWA.

We welcome everyone to stop by and enjoy the wildflowers, trees, decorations and solitude that this gem of Townsend offers and to watch us continue to grow.

Read More!

Foothills Beautification Award Sign Displayed at the Townsend River Walk & Arboretum
Mark Seder (left) and Martha Frink (right) Receive the Dee Lidvall Sustainable Stewardship Award from Brittney Whipple, KBB Executive Director, (center) at the 2022 Keep Blount Beautiful Foothill Beautification Awards.

2022 National Garden Week Tour Participants Exploring the Townsend River Walk & Arboretum

A first for the Townsend River Walk & Arboretum (TRWA) was leading tours of the TRWA during National Garden Week  The response for the tours was overwhelming and appreciate everyone that participated.  Over 40 signed up to take the tours coming from Maryville, Alcoa, Friendsville and Knoxville. 

Unfortunately our Wednesday tours were canceled due to the supposed severe thunderstorms that were approaching which turned out to be a bust.   Allison & Rodney Pearson were able to take three individuals on a tour that day.

On a beautiful Saturday morning we were finally able to give two of the four scheduled tours.   Allison & Rodney Pearson, Jerry & Wanda Faulkner, Kay Goodwin and Mark Seder were on hand from the Tuckaleechee Garden Club to guide the tours and to answer any questions.

The two tour groups spent about 1.5 hours learning about Past, Present and Future of the Arboretum.  The participants were really involved asking a lot of great questions.

Allison Pearson provided decorations for the Tuckaleechee Garden Club table and Keep Blount Beautiful provided literature and stickers supporting their causes.

I personally want to thank the Tuckaleechee Garden Club members and the tour participants for making this a special event.  We are planning additional tours in the Fall, Winter & Spring.

The Tuckaleechee Garden Club is proud to announce the first guided public tours of the Townsend River Walk & Arboretum(TRWA) to celebrate National Garden Week.

Join us for one of the Four Guided Tours we will be offering during National Garden Week (June 5 - 11).  The The tours are Free but attendees must register for the tours that they and their guests would like to attend (see below).

These guided tours will focus on the Past, Present and Future of the TRWA and given by guides that have intimate knowledge of the workings of the TRWA.  Take some time and join us to learn more about this special treasure along the Little River in Townsend, TN!

We plan to have several additional tours throughout this year and years to come with the schedule still in development.