The Grand Opening of White Deer Park will take place with a ceremony Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.

Garner residents and guests can visit the new park, 2400 Aversboro Road, adjacent to Garner's Lake Benson Park.

Residents and guests are invited to spend the afternoon strolling along the nature trails, enjoying the wildflower meadow and arboretum, and learning more about the park's green features and nature center. All areas of the park, along with its trails, picnic shelters, gardens, playgrounds, and the park's 2,500-square-foot Nature Center and learning deck will be open.

The Nature Festival will offer nature exhibits, children's nature activities, educational displays, refreshments and park tours, that will highlight the many green features of the park and nature center, during the afternoon.

A dedication ceremony and "green" ribbon cutting will be held adjacent to the park's Nature Center at 3 p.m. Garner Mayor, Ronnie Williams, along with Garner's Elected Officials, staff and special guests, will join with residents to dedicate this park.

The Town of Garner has registered this project with the U.S. Green Building Council to achieve silver LEED certification. The park's Nature Center will be the Town of Garner's first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) accredited building. A LEED Green Building Rating System is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings. The Nature Center will be one of twenty LEED certified municipal buildings in North Carolina and one of four in Wake County.

Children of all ages can enjoy two playgrounds located within White Deer Park. One of those areas is a natural playground, which was constructed entirely by hand and uses rhododendron and locust wood, both harvested in North Carolina. This playground provides children the opportunity to play virtually anywhere, from climbing on boulders, to sand- and water-filled areas where they can make their own fun.

Children enjoy climbing on the rock formations and hills, crawling through tunnels, and exploring the "sky chamber," which is a fun play area cut into the hillside that can serve the child's imagination as a fort or castle. Natural log seesaws provide a great ride for play partners and water play is always a hit when kids interact with the hand pump that sends water from the cistern, where rainwater it is collected, down to a river basin area where splashing and frolicking take place.