Canton To Open Fincher-Adkins Park

The space that's served as an eyesore for nearly five years in downtown Canton has transformed into one the city can be proud of. 

The Canton Main Street Program on Wednesday will hold a ribbon cutting to celebrate the opening of Fincher-Adkins Park, which sits at 101 East Main Street directly across from Cannon Park. 

The ribbon cutting, held in conjunction with the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce, will start at noon at the park. Food and music will also be part of the event.

Fincher-Adkins Park, a project of the city's Main Street Program, has been a long time in the making for the city.
 
The new greenspace grew out of the ashes of the Dec. 26, 2009, fire. The building at 101 East Main Street, which housed Art 101 Gallery and Boutique on the first floor and Wes Frye's paralegal office on the top floor, was destroyed in the blaze.

Also destroyed were Taylor's Jewerly at 111 East Main Street and the accounting office of James Cannon at 150 South Church Street. 

Other buildings damaged in the fire included the Canton Shoe Shop at 140 E. Main Street, in the basement of the Art 101 building; Lloyd Home Consulting on the top floor of Jones and Cloud; and the Mason Law Firm at 160 South Church Street. 

After the fire, the city placed a fence around the site to protect residents from the potential hazards. The program last year began work on transforming the site.

The efforts to build the park would not have been successful if it weren't for the help of the Fincher and Adkins families, said Main Street Program Director Meghan Griffin. 

The city entered into a lease agreement with John Fincher and John Adkins, the owners of the property, to use the space for the park. 

Griffin added the space will be primarily for residents who want to enjoy lunch on the lawn. In the future, Main Street could consider utilizing the space for date night movies and music performances a few times a week.