The Firefly Trail - Home

GRANT MATCHING FUNDS MAKE THE DIFFERENCE!

12/21/2022

Thanks to a grant from the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Program (GOSP) the majority of the Firefly Trail in Greene County will be completed by Fall of 2023. This grant will also help get the project started in Oglethorpe County.

This grant would not have been possible without matching grant funds from Firefly Trail, Inc. That's why our Year-End Giving Campaign is so important. We need to replenish our grant matching funds so that we can help other communities get the grants they need to complete the trail. Donate today and help us finish building the Firefly Trail!

GOSP Grant Project components:

- Greene County: Clearing, grading and construction of approximately 3.5 miles of trail. (This will complete the unincorporated Greene County section of Firefly Trail.)

- Union Point: Construction of a bridge over N. Rhodes Street and an additional 0.15 miles of trail.

- Woodville: Clearing, grading and construction of approximately 1.4 miles of trail, leaving 1.2 miles in Woodville to complete with a future grant.

- Maxeys (Oglethorpe Co.): Clearing and initial prep. for future construction of 0.9 miles of trail, to complete Maxeys' 2.1 mile section.

PROGRESS ON THE SOUTHERN END OF THE FIREFLY TRAIL!

12/15/2022

Check out the amazing progress on the Southern Section of the Firefly Trail! Crews have graded and prepped a segment on the south side of Woodville and earlier today were laying concrete. Meanwhile, grading is well underway on the north side of Woodville as well as the south side of Maxeys. Imagine walking, running or riding through these beautiful woods! Huge thanks to Greene County and the PATH Foundation for managing this grant-funded project, to the Cities of Woodville, Maxeys and Union Point for partnering to make it happen, and to the hundreds of Firefly Trail Inc. donors whose contributions helped meet the matching funds requirements for the grant! Want to help build more miles of trail? Click here to donate to our Year-End Campaign!

FIREFLY TRAIL 2022: FULL SPEED AHEAD

11/30/2022

Check out our new video update! The Firefly Trail movement has come a long way. We need your support to keep the momentum going! Firefly Trail Inc. has committed some $300,000 to help our local communities secure nearly $2.5 million in grants so that they can build several miles of the trail. Now, we need to replenish our funds so that we can help our trail communities attract the grants they will need to finish the trail. Please donate today!

FIREFLY TRAIL YEAR-END GIVING CAMPAIGN

11/18/2022

Thanks to the generosity of donors like YOU, Firefly Trail, Inc., has committed over $300,000 to trail communities to assist them with required matches for major grants. Securing additional significant grants will be vital if we are to complete the Firefly Trail. And, without FTI’s grant match assistance, some trail communities cannot afford to build the trail, much as they may want to do so.

The key goal of the FTI 2022 Year-End Giving Campaign is to begin replenishing grant matching funds so essential to completing our trail in the next several years.

Once again we are calling on YOU to help. Donations can be made online via Credit Card, Google Pay, PayPal, or Venmo. If you prefer to donate by check, please make it payable to “Firefly Trail, Inc.” and mail it to:

Treasurer, Firefly Trail, Inc.
345 Lyndon Ave.
Athens GA 30601

Donations of any amount are warmly welcomed!

DONATE VIA CREDIT CARD OR GOOGLE PAY

DONATE VIA PAYPAL

DONATE VIA VENMO

NEW FIREFLY TRAIL HEALTH AND WELLNESS PROGRAM: WALK-A-WEIGH

10/18/2022

Firefly Trail Inc. Board member Brad Averill brings his national award-winning Walk-a-Weigh health and wellness program to the Firefly Trail at Dudley Park. The first session is this Saturday, October 22nd, at 9 a.m. and it's FREE!

SOUTHEAST STRIDERS 5K INTRODUCTORY GUIDED GROUP WALK

9/20/2022

Join the Southeast Striders on Sunday September 25th for their introductory guided group walk.

5k Guided Group Walk
1A walk rating
Start Point: Dudley Park, Cook & Brother Plaza, 1177 East Broad Street, Athens, Georgia
Registration: 2:00 p.m.
Step Off: 2:15 p.m.

There are a few designated parking spaces for the Oconee River Greenway at the entrance and more ahead. On weekdays, avoid parking in UGA designated spaces by continuing ahead and parking on the right side. Parking is plentiful. Restrooms are just after the start of the walk.

Highlights:
Railroad History in Athens, Georgia
Cook and Brother Confederate Armory
Charles Aguar Plaza
Firefly Rails To Trails

Bring your water, sunhat if you need it and meet us in the parking lot. Look for the Green and Yellow flags. If you bring a sticky return address label, it makes registration much quicker. All walks are $3. However, this introductory walk is a follow up of recent presentations on walking with America's Walking Club/Southeast Striders and will be free of charge.

Side Note: Popular walk times are 8-8:30 am Saturdays, 2:00 pm Sunday afternoons for 5k and 10k walks. Fun Walks are shorter, done during weekdays and may start at 8:30-9:00 am or 5:30- 6:00 pm.

Email southeaststriders@gmail.com if you have any questions or would like to let us know what your preferences are for future walks.

NEW PARKING AREA FOR FIREFLY TRAIL ACCESS ON SPRING VALLEY RD

8/31/2022

Want to walk, run or ride the newest part of the Firefly Trail in Athens-Clarke County but not sure where to park? ACC has now opened the parking area at the Streets & Drainage Office at 605 Spring Valley Road for trail users. You can park in the main parking lot on weekends and after 5 p.m. during the week. Please do NOT park in front of the gated entrance on the right; crews may need emergency access. The facility is directly across Spring Valley Road from the trail, very close to its current end at Hancock Road. From here, it's about 1.7 miles to the Race Trac at Old Winterville Road and 2.3 miles to Dudley Park and the North Oconee River Greenway. Use caution crossing Spring Valley Road – and have fun!

NEW MAP OF ALL BICYCLE FIXIT STATIONS IN ATHENS-CLARKE COUNTY

8/18/2022

Check out this new map of bicycle Fixit Stations in Athens-Clarke County, including the Karen Tinsley Memorial Fixit Station on the Firefly Trail in Dudley Park. Under a new agreement between Bike Athens, ACC Leisure Services and the Oconee Rivers Greenway Commission, Bike Athens is providing their skilled hands to care for the stations on park property. Bike Athens' Scott Long created the great map showing Fixit Station locations!

Each Fixit Station provides a stand, a pump, and an assortment of tools that bike riders can use to make adjustments and minor repairs. It's part of developing a bike-friendly network on and near the multi-purpose trails in Athens-Clarke. Thanks, ACC, ORGC, Scott, and Bike Athens!

4TH ANNUAL MAXEYS MODEL MILE 5K WAS A RECORD BREAKER!

6/3/2022

The Maxeys Model Mile 5K just gets better and better. This May 21st was the event’s fourth running, and race director Anne Garner and the Maxeys community outdid themselves once again.

A total of 268 registrations were received, surpassing last year’s previous high of 255. The 2022 figure includes 139 race morning runners and walkers plus 36 “virtual” participants, who completed their 5Ks on their own the week leading up to the event. The remaining 93 registered as “Phantom” or non-participating event supporters.

While Georgia supplied most of the registrations (247 in all, representing 48 towns across the state), entries came in from 11 other states as well. And there was one international registrant, Hector Leiva from New South Wales, Australia.

Overall 5K winner was 13-year-old Andrew Cabaniss of Knoxville, Tennessee, grandson of Maxeys residents Barbara and Bill Cabaniss. Andrew’s time of 18:18.9 established a new course record. The first female finisher was Lizzie Wadsworth of Winterville in a speedy 22:30.1, good for 12th overall.

No fewer than 64 Maxeys residents volunteered for the event in a variety of capacities, including sponsor solicitation, registration, race day parking, water stations, refreshments and award distribution. Members of Boy Scout Troup 97 assisted with registration and finish line duties.

Total proceeds from this year’s event have yet to be fully tabulated, but the first three Model Mile 5Ks raised approximately $20,000 for the Firefly Trail Amenities Fund. The intention is that these funds will go toward amenities for the Maxeys Model Mile within the Maxeys city limits. Three picnic tables were recently acquired and installed, thanks to the Model Mile 5K.

The event’s origin in 2019 also gave rise to the Firefly Trail Race Series, now in its third and most successful year. The Race Series is composed of four running/walking events in Firefly Trail towns, the other three consisting of the Winterville Civitan Snowflake 10K (held January 29), the Crawford Restoration Run 5K on Labor Day, and the Union Point J3 5K on September 24.

TSPLOST 2023 PASSES!

5/27/2022

Athens-Clarke County voters have approved TSPLOST 2023 with almost 68% of those casting ballots voting YES. Passage ensures that the county will have enough funding to complete the Firefly Trail between Athens and Winterville with a durable concrete surface that will last for decades. Your support and enthusiasm were vital for this great outcome. Thank you for your support for completing the Firefly Trail in Athens-Clarke County. Together, we are building our trail and setting an example of how to connect our communities!

Overall, TSPLOST 2023 will provide an estimated $150 million over five years for 34 projects in Athens-Clarke County, Winterville and Bogart. The Firefly Trail Project, #18 on the list [https://www.accgov.com/10103/TSPLOST-2023-Projects], will provide up to $7.495 million to finish paving trail sections – namely, the 3.4 mile-gap between Hancock Road and Athens Road in Winterville. If funds permit, ACC can also use TSPLOST 2023 to install trailheads, restroom facilities, signage, and/or other trail amenities as needed. TSPLOST funds can also be used as matching funds to leverage grant opportunities.

Thanks again for your support of the Firefly Trail and the safe walking, running, biking, skating and active transportation opportunities it is bringing to Athens-Clarke County!