By Hope Johnson
The Central Square Grand Opening and Farmers Market will be held this Saturday, May 4th beginning at 8AM. There will be fun, family-friendly events happening all day. For a complete schedule of events, see the ad on page 6.
Many years ago, prior to the Civil War, the area around the present day Hooper Road and Greenwell Springs Road intersection was known as “Burlington.” The remaining areas of Greenwell Springs and Magnolia Bridge area was known as “Greenwell Springs.” Greenwell Springs and Burlington were both thriving communities. It was the site of a cotton gin, a gristmill, a brickyard, a blacksmith shop, and a ferry crossing the Amite River. Interestingly, the toll to cross the river was five cents by foot, fifteen cents by horse, twenty cents by buggy and twenty-five cents by wagon. The present day City of Central, with all its history, offers the same small town love with affordable living, convenient to all adjacent landmarks and towns.
Central Square, located approximately three miles west of the Magnolia Bridge, is a mixed used development intended for a "live, work, play" lifestyle. Hosting both commercial and residential, Central Square has and is becoming the true heart of the city, a textbook “town square.”
At Central Square, a large emphasis has been placed on the aesthetic aspects of the entire community. The architecture of the townhomes and surrounding areas compliment each other in the highest fashion. The Park at Central Square will house an open, inviting pavilion with plenty of surrounding green space – an ideal gathering place, one of the main purposes of a town square.
The vibrant businesses, dining areas, and green spaces effortlessly mix with the community. With easy access to sidewalks, ample parallel parking, and bike lanes throughout, a mix of retail, dining, and entertainment are located at your fingertips. This convenience is a renaissance to the original landscape architecture strategy of a town square in Modern America.
Central Square’s monumental anchor is the park and its structures. Front and center, you are welcomed by the pavilion. The pavilion will host many events that will hopefully make history. Off-set from the pavilion, you will find the park’s working sundial that has been perfectly aligned with the axis of the earth’s rotation, pointing to true celestial north. The sundial, in every metaphorical way, is a dedication to a man that had his heart and soul into this town square, the architecture that surrounds it, and the entire community’s well being. On May 4th, there will be a public dedication of the park to the community to prosper and adopt as Central’s town square-Central Square. Central Square offers this and much more. May 4th’s public grand opening will host an array of events. In promotion of Vieux Carré at Central Square, Fundamentals Early Learning Center, and the beginning of the first annual Farmers Market by Central Square, May 4th will be filled with small town love. Food, arts & crafts, a cartoonist, jumping gyms, CHS & CMS jazz bands, a traveling petting zoo, kiddy concerts, trackless train rides, fire truck tours, school enrollment, townhome tours, and if that’s not enough, there will be more events to come.
Vieux Carré is the townhome community underway, right across the street from The Park at Central Square. Nestled in the center of the town, Vieux Carré offers easy living. This easy living will open up a brand new perspective to living in Central. It’s country living in the heart of the city. It’s an urban twist to what we’ve always known. It’s a live, play, work lifestyle that you know you love.
Central Square and the City Of Central are getting ready to experience a meaningful advancement for the families and children in the community. The most committed private early childhood education company in Louisiana has chosen to make Central Square the home of their newest school. The facility has been strategically designed to provide the essential components of a high-quality early educational experience to children. The staff at Fundamentals Early Learning Center of Central Square will be local and remain committed to offering your child a superior high-quality early education, delivered to him in a manner which makes parents a partner in the process.
Central Square’s Farmers Market will be held in the park every Saturday from May through October. With Magnolia Bridge Road extending itself to Wax Road and on through to Central Square, the convenience and traffic to and from the Farmers Market produces the utmost potential. The Central Square’s Farmers Market is happy to host its first annual market. Homegrown produce, homemade goods, foods, dips, salsa, arts & crafts, to name a few things, will be the fancies of our vendors this year. It’s not too late to be a vendor! Get in touch with the head of the market to join the community’s market!
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