Ribbon Cutting Opens the Door for the Monarch Butterfly Festival
Bad weather on the forecast has prompted the reschedule of the Touchton Park Ribbon Cutting!
The City of Dade City will host a Ribbon Cutting ceremony for the newly renovated Touchton Park on Wednesday, April 3, 2024, at 11am. Previously known to Dade City residents as Polly Touchton Park and located across 5th Street from the Dade City Garden Club, Touchton Park has undergone a dramatic renovation as a gift from one of “Miss Polly” Touchton’s grandsons, who has also honored his grandfather and his parents with the renovation. The public is invited to attend.
J. Thomas Touchton, who lives in Tampa but grew up in Dade City, credits the examples set by his parents and grandparents for his own community involvements during his lifetime and has expressed great appreciation to the community of Dade City for its positive influence in his life. This prompted him to create a vision for renovating the Ruth Embry “Miss Polly” Touchton Park—both to honor his family and to offer a “thank you” to the people of Dade City. Consequently, he has worked with The City of Dade City for over two years to make this vision a reality.
The renovation includes the planting of more trees and shrubs, the leveling of some of the east side of the Park along 5th Street creating two levels, the addition of irrigation and underground utilities, and the addition of sidewalks, swings, and new picnic tables as well as a retaining wall within the Park to balance the new “upper” and “lower” levels. The City has also installed new underground storm water drainage along Southview Avenue and 5th Street and participated in the creation of new parking spaces on those streets.
The crowing feature of special interest to the Dade City Garden Club is the planting of a significant number of flowering plants and shrubs specifically chosen to attract Monarch butterflies and other pollinators. Strategically located at the southern gateway to Historic Downtown Dade City, the Park provides an enhanced greenspace that promotes the City’s image and sustains the environment with much-needed open space. As a Monarch City USA, The City partners with the Dade City Garden Club to host the Monarch Butterfly Festival on the fourth weekend in October. The re-opening of Touchton Park allows this year’s event to be held on Saturday, October 26, 2024, and will be the same popular family event held in the past with a new look and an expanded focus on more education and public awareness. The garden club and the whole community are grateful to Mr. Touchton and The City for their ongoing support and hopes to meet the public at the Ribbon Cutting on April 3, 2024, at 11 am.