As part of a statewide Arkansas State Park’s cooperative event, visitors gathered Sunday, January 1, 2023 at Bradley County’s Moro Bay State Park to participate in the annual first day hikes program.
In a post on social media, Paul Butler, the head ranger at Moro Bay State Park, posted to Moro Bay’s social media page that 11 people took part in the January 1 hike through Moro Bay’s trail system. Four of those hiking were from the Austin, Texas area. Seven of the hikers were from nearby El Dorado. The group began their walk at 10:00 a.m. to celebrate the new year.
“This year’s hike is special as it is also the centennial mark for Arkansas State Parks now in 2023,” said Butler. “The parks exist because many Arkansans have worked hard to get them, maintain them, and keep them seeing the value that they are for a century now,” he continued. According to Bulter, he has served about 18 years with Arkansas State Parks. As seen in the photo above, the medallions on his staff, which he carried on the first day hike, represent the Parks he has worked at, trained at, or helped at over his career.
The park also had a special visitor Sunday, as Mr. James Parks stopped by. Parks will be turning 100 years old in 2023. He is from Smackover originally, but now lives in El Dorado.
All photos by Paul Butler.
