The Douglas County Rotary Club and the Cultural Arts Council of Douglasville/Douglas County have worked in tandem to make a new StoryWalk® experience at Hunter Park and Deer Lick Park a reality. Local author, Kim Ichter Eldredge, is proud to have her children’s book, The Sky is the Limit, as the featured story. Families can enjoy the first half of the book as they walk the trail at Hunter Park, and then visit Deer Lick Park to complete the book on the trail there.

The StoryWalk® concept was created by Anne Ferguson in Montpelier, Vermont in 2007. Since then, it has spread to all 50 states and at least 12 countries. It’s a simple, but powerful idea that encourages reading and outdoor physical activity. Samantha Rosado, Tourism Program Manager for the Douglasville Convention and Visitors Bureau shared: “Research shows that children who are engaged in reading at an early age are more likely to succeed in higher education and have better outcomes in life. Economic factors also play a role in literacy learning, and in areas where there are low-income families, studies show that reading has already become an issue for children entering grade school. We believe that providing a fun and active way to read to your child while bringing families together and encouraging physical activity all at once is a win-win for our community, and StoryWalk is the answer. In July of 2020 we (Douglas County Rotary Club) were awarded $1,500 from the District 6900 Grant for a StoryWalk project.”

This StoryWalk took the pages of a The Sky is the Limit and displayed them along the walking trails of Deer Lick and Hunter Park for families and children to enjoy. Each stop includes an inspiring page from the book along with the vibrant illustrations of artist Toni Friddell Jordan.

The author, Kim Ichter Eldredge, encourages parents to visit ickfridbooks.com for a list of free “conversation starters'' that can enhance the overall experience. Eldredge expressed her thanks to “the Douglas County Cultural Arts Council of Douglasville/Douglas County and the Douglas County Rotary Club for making this project a reality. Special Thanks goes to the following people for spending their Saturday installing the laminated pages of my book at the two parks: Samantha and Juan Rosado, James Broox Harper, Gil Shearouse, John and Elon Baker, Judge Talia Nurse and daughter Corrine, Scoot, Jennifer, Wes and Reid Rogers, Katie Wirth and Kendall Grizzard,” and to Extreme Images of Douglasville who built the StoryWalk elements that the volunteers installed.