Hall County Government and the Highlands to Islands Trail Alliance will celebrate the grand opening of the recently completed Chicopee Section of the Highlands to Islands Trail on Saturday, April 23 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
The grand opening ceremony is set for 1:30 p.m. in front of Chicopee Baptist Church, located at 13 First Street in Gainesville. A 5K race will follow at 2 p.m. To sign up for the race, log on to runsignup.com/h2i5k.
The newest portion of the trail runs along Atlanta Highway through Chicopee Village from Palmour Drive in Gainesville to the Georgia Department of Labor near Oakwood. Construction of the 11-foot wide concrete trail, complete with benches and trash receptacles, was funded by federal grants and Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) dollars.
The 2.8-mile Chicopee Section is part of a much larger trail network, known as the Highlands to Islands Trail. The City of Gainesville completed another portion of the trail several years ago in the midtown area. Once complete, the Highlands to Islands Trail would include trails connecting downtown Gainesville to the University of North Georgia's Gainesville campus and other area attractions.
