Morganton community transforms Martin Luther King Jr. Park
By Ethan Smith
Martin Luther King Jr. Park in Morganton, N.C., is a story of community-powered transformation. Once a park with aged and outdated equipment, it is now a local favorite on spring and summer days, with its first-class playground equipment and a splash pad engraved with words from speeches by the park’s namesake.
The new park came to fruition after years of planning. Prior to the park’s renovations, it contained only two picnic shelters, two benches, aged playground structures, and a plaque noting the park’s original dedication in 1987. The construction of the new park was made possible by grants from the Kate B. Reynolds Foundation and the Morganton Parks and Recreation Foundation. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held in April 2019.
At the ceremony, Allen Fullwood, one of the community leaders who recognized the need for a new park and was instrumental in bringing the vision to life, recalled the days of his youth growing up on Bouchelle Street, when the area was not what it is now.