Hall County Parks & Leisure is looking for the public's help with naming its newest team member, a sculpture of a turtle that will serve as somewhat of a mascot for the parks system.
"The turtle represents the type of wildlife that our patrons might find in our parks," said Becky Ruffner, marketing and public relations specialist with Hall County Parks & Leisure. "He's the perfect representative to help raise awareness for things like wildlife preservation, the promotion of greenspace and our parks' policies and procedures."
The turtle was painted by local student Edgar Esquivel and has a brightly colored shell, which depicts scenery and activities at various Hall County parks.
"This is a beautiful piece of public art, and we'd like the public's help in providing him with a name," said Ruffner.
The turtle will rotate between Hall County's three community centers, where children ages 4 through 12 will have the opportunity to participate in the "Name the Turtle" contest via name suggestion cards and submission boxes. Name suggestions will be judged by a panel of parks professionals the week of April 16, with the winning name to be announced the week of April 23.
"The winner of the contest will receive a special prize and recognition for suggesting the perfect name for the turtle," said Ruffner.
The turtle will be in the following locations on the following dates:
- North Hall Community Center March 5 - March 16
- Mulberry Creek Community Center March 19 - March 30
- East Hall Community Center April 2 - April 13
"We're encouraging all children to visit the community centers, enter the contest and help us give the turtle a name," said Ruffner.