Bilingual storybook trail in Len

Bilingual storybook trail in Lenoir City features Dolly Parton’s ‘Coat of Many Colors’

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A new bilingual storybook trail is open in Loudon County. It is the county’s first-ever storybook trail.

The trail was created by the Loudon County Library Board in partnership with the Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation (GELF) and features the bilingual edition of Dolly Parton’s “Coat of Many Colors.” It is located on the Town Creek Greenway at Rock Springs Park in Lenoir City.

“We wanted our storybook trail to be a place for all Loudon County families to enjoy, so selecting a book that was in English and Spanish was a no-brainer,” said Library Board Outreach Committee Chair Beth Waldman.

A grand opening was held for the trail on Wednesday, August 23 at 10 a.m. The event included a kid-friendly ribbon cutting and each child who attended received a free hardback copy of the “Coat of Many Colors”.

The Loudon County Library Board began discussing the possibility of a storybook trail in 2020. The board then successfully secured a GELF grant, with support from the Women’s Suburbia Club of Lenoir City, Lenoir City Mayor Tony Aikens and Loudon County Mayor Buddy Bradshaw.

The signs for the trail were created by DII Graphics Signs & Engravers in Lenoir City. The trail was installed by Lenoir City Parks & Recreation.

“We’re thankful to our partners in this project and thrilled it’s finally time to open the storybook trail,” said Library Board Chair Ruth McQueen. “We hope the community loves the trail as much as we do and sees that our Loudon County libraries are living up to their motto ‘We Are More Than Books.’”