Hall County Parks & Leisure's turtle sculpture now has a name!
Eight-year-old Jentry Hood submitted the winning moniker for the parks mascot, appropriately dubbing the sculpture "Parker."
A countywide contest to name the sculpture opened in March, with the turtle and name suggestion box rotating between Hall County's three community centers. The more than 100 name suggestions were reviewed by a panel of parks experts in late April, when "Parker" was selected as the winning submission.
"Parker 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 fact that his name pays homage to our parks system is just icing on the cake!"
As the winner of the contest, Jentry and his family received prizes which include a one-year membership to a Hall County Community Center, gift cards, family passes to Frances Meadows Aquatic Center, and a backpack filled with toys and books.
Jentry participates in Hall County Parks & Leisure's youth baseball program and also attends Northside Church, which is held on Sundays at North Hall Community Center. He submitted the winning name at the East Hall Community Center.