Greene’s Lake park dedicated in poignant ribbon cutting ceremony

ELIZABETHTOWN — During his invocation, a solemn Elizabethtown Mayor Pro Tem Rufus Lloyd spoke of “the importance of taking care of our environment where the young as well as the old can come and enjoy moments of recreational activities.”

Lloyd was referring to the natural beauty before him — Greene’s Lake & Conservation Park, which officially opened on Wednesday afternoon with a dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Approximately 55 people attended the grand opening of what becomes the town’s sixth fully fledged city park.

“We thank you, Heavenly Father, for giving us an opportunity to enjoy your natural environment,” Lloyd said in his prayer. “We thank you for each and every individual of giving of your time and the services to make this occasion a reality.”

The true guests of honor during the ceremony sure seemed to be members of the Greene family.

They were peppered with shout-outs and thank you’s from town leaders.

As Town Manager Dane Rideout put it, “I really want to highlight the Greene family. When I first got here, there was a couple of family’s names that were mentioned that had a huge influence on Elizabethtown and the Greene family was one right up there on top.”

The town acquired the roughly 41.39-acre tract of land for the adjoining lake and park from Elizabethtown resident Mary Greene with funding from a $500,000 grant from the N.C. Parks and Recreation Trust Fund. The town received the grant money in September 2018.

A.H. “Mack” Greene, and Mack Greene’s brother, C.W. “Cecil” Greene, built the man-made pond just after World War II. The Greene siblings established Greene Brothers Lumber Company in Elizabethtown.

Ben Greene, who died six years ago, was the former owner of the lake. His wife, Mary Greene, was in attendance along with other members of the Greene family of Elizabethtown.

“This is a huge honor to have a park that’s named for the Greene family,” she said beforehand. “This area was developed by the Greene family. It was managed by the Weeks family and the Allen family. They were here and kept things going. Then the town bought it. The Town Council did a lot of work to get it designed.”

Rideout noted that former Town Manager Eddie Madden played a pivotal role in making Greene’s Lake & Conservation Park come true. He once called Greene’s Lake “a hidden gem for many generations.”

“Eddie built a lot of shiney things,” Rideout said. “This was one of the last things he took on.”

It is one of three Greene’s ponds in the area, and some local residents know it as the Airport Pond.

Besides its natural setting — which is ideal for walks, picnicking, playing and extended moments of medidation — the new park features swings overlooking the shimmering water, picnic tables, benches, bird boxes and a small children’s playground with slides.

“It is a perfect example of what you can do when you come together,” said Sara Burroughs, a landscape architect and owner of StageDesign.

StageDesign designed the park.

The primary walking trail loop encompasses 1.32 miles of measured trail.

“I think he’d gotten a kick out of it,” Phillip Greene said of what the late Bob Greene may have thought about the park dedication.

“It’s really pretty,” added his wife, Edwina Greene. “A lot different from when I used to walk through here years ago.”

The passive public park with the 8- to 10-acre pond lies by the Bladen County Management Services building and backs up to the Cape Fear Vineyard & Winery property in the Elizabethtown Industrial Park.

Greene’s Lake & Conservation Park has two entrances: 337 Aviation Parkway and 270 Ben Greene Industrial Park Road.

Admission is free.

“We’re very grateful to everyone who made this park work,” Mayor Sylvia Campbell said during her comments on the park.

The town, which owns the property, will manage Greene’s Lake & Conservation Park. There will not be a park ranger on the premises.

“Parks and Recreation Trust Fund — these folks allow us to do things like this,” Rideout said. “… And I will tell you, the folks at PARTF get it right. They’ve got vision. They understand all the hoops you have to jump through from both the state and federal level. They hold you to task.”

The park is connected to the winery, offering easy access to food and beverage.