Cancer Survivors Park

A huge thanks to Sunshine Cycle for getting me back up and cycling yesterday; after another flat I’ve now got two new tires (better suited to keeping up with the boys) and an upgrade – a kickstand! Sunshine has always been our go-to in Greenville for cycling needs, and their service is A+; I’m no Hincapie, but they get me back on the trail for a reasonable price without making me feel like I need to buy a copy of Bike Repair for Dummies!

Celebration Pavilion

What better way to celebrate being back on two wheels than by hopping on the Swamp Rabbit Trail for a post-school ride before all the autumn after-school activities kick in? We opted to hop on at the brand-new Cancer Survivors Park. Located between Falls Park and Cleveland Park in downtown Greenville, the park had its grand opening on June 1st of this year, and has joined the long list of beautiful parks along the Reedy River watershed.

There are three ways to access the 6.8 acre park: Cleveland Street, Church Street, and the Swamp Rabbit Trail. Despite being so centrally located, it’s a little hard to get to the park by car – there is no access from Church Street or University Ridge. However, the parking lot at 43 Cleveland Street provides free parking, and both Church and Cleveland Street are accessed by ramp, meaning even the 3 year old could easily get to the SRT on his bicycle.

The Chamber Portal

Passing through the gate of blue butterflies, the Celebration of Life Pavilion sculpture dominates the Cleveland Street side of the park. Cancer Survivors Park Alliance is planning to install canvas underneath the metal frame, and hope to illuminate the canvas year round with different colors representing different types of cancer. The metal sculpture sits atop the Survivorship Education Center, utilized for programs and activities to “help people learn more about screening, detection and treatment, as well as how to live beyond cancer.”

A multi-level boulder waterfall next to the Survivorship Center

The park is a result of a partnership between public and private parties, the majority of funding raised through private donations. Not only does it link Falls Park and Cleveland Park, but it is a key piece of the Swamp Rabbit trail, as the 2-foot-wide suspension Spirit Bridge replaced the old ‘cheese grate’ bridge that formerly crossed the Reedy right before it enters Cleveland Park.

Crossing the Reedy River, before and after

While portions of the plan have been completed including a labyrinth, a small amphitheater and the start of the children’s garden, it is obvious that the project has its work cut out for it; kudzu still dominates the steep sides cutting up to Church Street and NEXT Innovation Center, and the black sewage pipes cross the Reedy alongside the beautiful new bridge. However the park is a valuable addition to the Greenville cityscape, not only as the link between the two main parks that are at the center of Greenville's identity, but also for the spiritual aspect; the park has been carefully designed to mirror the various experiences of cancer – high and low points, areas for gathering and for solitude, tranquility, and the journey.

Healing Garden

Cancer Survivors Park is dedicated not only to those who have survived the disease, but also those who are battling it, and the survivors left behind by those lost to cancer. For more information, please visit the Cancer Survivors Park Alliance website.

Fear Not, by Charles Pate, Jr. in the Children's Garden

Source: Cancer Survivors Park website