America's Great Outdoors in Derby

Another great event on Derby Day

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The Derby Hall of Fame Plaza on the Derby Greenway was the site for two special ceremonies on Derby Day. The City unveiled the memorial bricks for the three newest members of the City's Hall of Fame followed by the uncovering of the new America's Great Outdoors monument with a beautiful new plaque from the National Park Service.

Derby is one of the few municipalities in the state to have a civic hall of fame, and three new members will be added to the Hall on Saturday. They include a former mayor and civic leader (James B. Atwater), the "world's greatest banjo player" (Horace Weston), and the man who literally built the New York Stock Exchange (Stephen Whitney).  The three new members bring the total membership in the Hall of Fame to 35. You can read all about the newest members here or see the full list here.

Following the Hall of Fame presentation, officials from the National Park Service were on hand to help Mayor Anthony Staffieri and U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro uncover the Park Service's tribute to the the Naugatuck River Trail which is one of the national projects highlighted in the Department of the Interior's "America's Great Outdoors Fifty-State Report". The report is a summary of the 101 projects around the country in 2012 that were designated to protect special places and increase access to outdoor recreation. (Click image for full report.)

The Naugatuck River Trail is a featured project because it is turning the once heavily polluted Naugatuck River into one of the nation's greatest environmental success stories as the cleanup of the river is turning the river and the lands along its banks into an incredible natural resource and recreation opportunity for towns and cities from Derby to Thomaston.

The 2005 opening of the Derby Greenway atop the flood control walls that once served as a barricade between the population and the waterway marked a turning point for the river and the way that it is viewed and used. When the Derby Greenway opened, it brought people back to the river where they soon discovered the formerly polluted and lifeless stream teeming with fish, birds and other wildlife not seen in generations. It opened new opportunities for public recreation. A similar transformation is taking place all along the river as the Naugatuck River Greenway takes shape. The new plaque is meant to celebrate this incredible transformation that began in Derby. Eventually, there will be plaques in each town, but it is fitting that the first one is in Derby - the city that first brought the Naugatuck River back to life!

Story posted on June 10, 2013