Nature Park opens today

The Elizabethtown Nature Park is pulling back its gates to the public.

Mayor Tim Walker said the city officially will open the park today and operate it from daylight to dark.

Contractors still are in the park finishing details on landscaping, but Walker said the environment is safe enough for public use.

The park, located off Ring Road, is home to the Hardin County Veterans Tribute, a star formation with granite monoliths and bronze sculptures honoring all five branches of the military and civil service. The park also houses a pavilion and a walking trail, which ties into the Freeman Lake Park trail system.

Walker said the city intends to extend the trail around the perimeter of the park at a later juncture.