Sharon Johnston Park
Encyclopedia
Sharon Johnston Park is a county park located in north Madison County, Alabama
near New Market, Alabama
, about 20 minutes from downtown Huntsville, Alabama
. The park consists of over 250 acre (1 km²) and features a 12 acres (48,562.3 m²) fishing lake, Olympic-size swimming pool, outdoor track, soccer fields, campground facilities, picnic shelters & pavilions, and open air barbecue grills. The park project was originated and developed by former county commission chairman James Record
and the Madison County Commission in the 1970s.
Fishing is allowed in the lake, which is stocked with catfish
, bream, bass
and crappie
. Numerous events such as a children's fishing tournament and a civil war reenactment are held annually at the park.
The Sharon Johnston Pool is operated each summer from the Saturday of Memorial Day
Weekend through the early August Sunday prior to Madison County Schools' fall term beginning. The pool is open everyday from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. from Tuesday through Sunday. It is normally closed on Monday except for when holidays like Memorial Day
, Independence Day
, etc. fall on Mondays. The pool is then open to the public and closed the following day on Tuesday. The SJ pool employs 9-12 lifeguards and 1-2 concession workers per summer. It is also host to the Sharon Johnston Swim Team, the Tornadoes - the name is aptly due to the partial destruction of the Sharon Johnston Pool by a tornado in 1997.
The park was named for Sharon Johnston, a stunt pilot who died at the age of 31 doing what she loved, stunt flying.
Madison County, Alabama
Madison County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is a major part of the Huntsville Metropolitan Area.It is also included in the merged Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. The county is named in honor of James Madison, fourth President of the United States of America, and the...
near New Market, Alabama
New Market, Alabama
New Market is a census-designated place in Madison County, Alabama, United States, and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the population of the CDP is 1,864...
, about 20 minutes from downtown Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 Census....
. The park consists of over 250 acre (1 km²) and features a 12 acres (48,562.3 m²) fishing lake, Olympic-size swimming pool, outdoor track, soccer fields, campground facilities, picnic shelters & pavilions, and open air barbecue grills. The park project was originated and developed by former county commission chairman James Record
James Record
James Ralph Record is a former Alabama state senator, a former Chairman of the Madison County Commission, and a noted historical author. He was born in New Market, Alabama, near the Alabama-Tennessee border...
and the Madison County Commission in the 1970s.
Fishing is allowed in the lake, which is stocked with catfish
Catfish
Catfishes are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the heaviest and longest, the Mekong giant catfish from Southeast Asia and the second longest, the wels catfish of Eurasia, to detritivores...
, bream, bass
Bass (fish)
Bass is a name shared by many different species of popular gamefish. The term encompasses both freshwater and marine species. All belong to the large order Perciformes, or perch-like fishes, and in fact the word bass comes from Middle English bars, meaning "perch."-Types of basses:*The temperate...
and crappie
Crappie
Crappie is a genus of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. The type species is P. annularis, the white crappie...
. Numerous events such as a children's fishing tournament and a civil war reenactment are held annually at the park.
The Sharon Johnston Pool is operated each summer from the Saturday of Memorial Day
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War...
Weekend through the early August Sunday prior to Madison County Schools' fall term beginning. The pool is open everyday from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. from Tuesday through Sunday. It is normally closed on Monday except for when holidays like Memorial Day
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War...
, Independence Day
Independence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
, etc. fall on Mondays. The pool is then open to the public and closed the following day on Tuesday. The SJ pool employs 9-12 lifeguards and 1-2 concession workers per summer. It is also host to the Sharon Johnston Swim Team, the Tornadoes - the name is aptly due to the partial destruction of the Sharon Johnston Pool by a tornado in 1997.
External links
The Madison County Commission along with the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources entered into an agreement with the Johnston family, previous property owners of the park property, to dedicate Sharon Johnston Memorial Park on June 4, 1979.The park was named for Sharon Johnston, a stunt pilot who died at the age of 31 doing what she loved, stunt flying.