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Public Invited to Dedication of the Golden Pond Interpretive Overlook at Land Between the Lakes

Land Between the Lakes - LBLLand Between the Lakes, KY/TN – Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area invites members of the public to the dedication of the Golden Pond, Kentucky Interpretive Overlook. The ceremony will be held on Saturday, October 22nd, at 2:00pm.

The Friends of Land Between the Lakes will provide light refreshments. Visitors are asked to arrive 15 minutes early.

Capital Concrete of Nashville, Tennessee engraved a map of Golden Pond, Kentucky on a concrete pad for visitors to walk around the town. (Forest Service staff)
Capital Concrete of Nashville, Tennessee engraved a map of Golden Pond, Kentucky on a concrete pad for visitors to walk around the town. (Forest Service staff)

The Golden Pond Interpretive Overlook sits just off the main path for the Central Hardwoods Scenic Trail and about a third-of-a-mile west from the Sunset Inn Trailhead parking lot.

The trailhead is located at the intersection of the US68/KY80 highway and Forest Service Road 160. Parking will be available along Road 160.

Golf carts will be available to transport visitors with limited mobility between the overlook and trailhead.

Visitors are encouraged to come early to walk or bike the trail. Going west from the Sunset Inn Trailhead, the Central Hardwoods Scenic Trail travels through the forest over hilly terrain on a gravel compacted path to the overlook. Parking is also available at the Golden Pond Visitor Center and will offer over a 3-mile hike to the overlook.

“This project started a decade ago between our Heritage Program staff and former residents of Golden Pond,” explained Jeff Laird, Customer Service Department Manager at Land Between the Lakes. “We will be forever grateful to Jim Wallace, Vicky Lane, and other members of the committee for sharing their time, knowledge, and historical documents to make our new Golden Pond Interpretive Overlook possible. This group of dedicated volunteers serves as a testament to the men, women, and children who once called Golden Pond, Kentucky their home.”

From the interpretive site, visitors can look east down US68/KY80 and see where the original town of Golden Pond once stood. An etched, glass panel will be placed so visitors can look through to “see” where buildings once stood. The six interpretive panels will be installed on that Saturday morning prior to the ceremony.

The 2:00pm Dedication Ceremony program includes:

  • Opening Remarks and MC by Jim Wallace, former resident, author, and
    Committee co-Chair
  • Opening Prayer by Reverend Elijah Balentine
  • General Remarks by Tina Tilley, Forest Service Area Supervisor
  • “Remembering” by Bill Miller, former Golden Pond School Superintendent
  • General Remarks by Hollis Alexander, Trigg County Judge Executive
  • General Remarks by Donnie Holland, former resident, Department of Parks Commissioner, and committee member
  • Closing Remarks and Unveiling of the Interpretive Panels by Jim Wallace

Those attending the dedication are welcome to stay around to view the exhibit as long as desired.

The town began in 1848, and the last of the families left in 1969 to make way for the national recreation area. Overlook volunteer, Jim Wallace, coauthored a pictorial history entitled “Lest We Forget:  Between the Rivers, Golden Pond Area, Trigg County, Kentucky” with George Bleidt in 1983. They updated the book in 2000. The third edition is available in Land Between the Lakes’ Golden Pond Visitor Center gift shop and in area libraries.

To find more information about Land Between the Lakes, log on to the official website at www.landbetweenthelakes.us or call 1.800.LBL.7077 or 270.924.2000.

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