On Thursday, January 8, 2015, Hickory Rotary Club participated in a joint meeting with Friends of Hickory to unveil plans for a new park west of Union Square in downtown Hickory. “Friends of Hickory is an organization of private citizens dedicated to investing in the welfare and prosperity of the City of Hickory and its surrounding communities. Friends of Hickory’s first project is the development of a downtown park that will incorporate play space, an interactive water feature, as well as a place to sit and enjoy the surroundings. The historic downtown area currently attracts a wide variety of businesses and visitors to Hickory. The addition of a park will add to the appeal of shopping, dining, and doing business in Union Square, offering an active destination for our youngest visitors and their families”. Hickory Rotary Club donated $14,000 to pay for the concept drawings for the park, the first step necessary for the project to proceed.