On Saturday, October 24, the City of Anderson will cut a ribbon at the Anderson Recreation Center. Runners and walkers in costume will then head down the city's new community trail to Linley Park, where the first Electric City Food Truck Festival will be waiting. The ribbon cutting is the official part. The trail itself has been in use since summer.
So the event isn't really an unveiling. It's the first time the city has put on a public day built around the route, and it covers each piece that exists so far: the Rec Center at one end, the creekside path in the middle, the renovated park at the other end, and a city-run kitchen supplying the food. The missing piece is the stretch to downtown, which is still in design.
A Trail People Were Already Walking
The segment between Linley Park and the Rec Center is part of what the city calls the Whitner Creek Greenway. In early February, WSPA reported that this stretch was still under construction. By July 21, the station described it as a recently completed trail that cuts through wetlands and ends at the recreation center.
"This is something we needed, and it took a long time to get here, but it's here and people are enjoying it," Mayor Terence Roberts told WSPA.
| When | Where the trail stood | Source |
|---|---|---|
| June 27, 2025 | Linley Park officially reopens after its renovation | WSPA |
| February 5, 2026 | Linley Park to Rec Center segment under construction; downtown connector enters design | WSPA |
| April 2, 2026 | City leaders say route options to downtown will go to public meetings | WSPA |
| July 21, 2026 | Segment reported complete and in daily use | WSPA |
| October 24, 2026 | Official ribbon cutting before the Halloween Fun Run | City of Anderson |
The city hasn't published the segment's exact length or surface. Anyone curious about the walk can start at either end and judge for themselves before race day.
How the Day Runs
The city's event listing makes this a low-pressure outing. Here's how the afternoon unfolds, in order:
- Registration and the ribbon. Everyone running or walking has to register, at $5 per person plus a $1.30 sign-up fee, and an event T-shirt comes with it. Sign-up is through the Electric City Food Truck Festival and Halloween Fun Run registration page. The ribbon cutting happens at the Anderson Recreation Center, 1107 N. Murray Ave., before anyone sets off.
- One mile, no clock. The run is untimed. The city's listing invites people to run, walk, or push a stroller, and strongly encourages costumes without requiring them.
- The one reason to hurry. In the city's words, the first participants to reach the festival "get first in line for the food trucks."
- The festival at Linley Park. Food trucks, live music, and kids' activities set up at Linley Park, 1815 Park Dr. The festival is free and open to everyone, with or without a race bib, and food is bought directly from each truck.
The whole event runs from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Edifice Construction is the presenting sponsor, and the City of Anderson and 110 North Kitchen + Commissary are the hosts. As of the city's September listing, the participating food trucks hadn't been named.
What the Finish Line Looks Like Now
The run ends at a park that was rebuilt from the creek bed up. According to the city's Linley Park project page, the renovation cost $13.4 million and was paid for with federal grants and reinvested Hospitality Tax revenue. WSPA reported that the park officially reopened on Friday, June 27, 2025.
Here's what the renovation added, per the city:
- A redesigned playground with equipment for all abilities and ages, rubberized surfacing, and built-in shade
- A 1,200-square-foot pavilion
- Two restroom buildings
- A sculptural bench made from bicycle chain
- Parking near the main amenities
- About 1,400 feet of Whitner Creek restored by removing its concrete channel, with educational signs planned to explain the stream restoration
The restored creek ties the park to the trail. The new segment follows the same waterway through wetlands to the Rec Center, and it's the waterway the city's planners are following toward downtown. The pavilion and restrooms also explain why the festival lands here and not at the start line. A park built for groups can handle a crowd, a stage, and a row of trucks.
The Kitchen Behind the Trucks
110 North Kitchen + Commissary is a bigger part of the event than its listing as co-host suggests. The city describes it as a licensed commercial kitchen and food-business incubator, and a home base for food-truck operators, with space for food storage, packaging, and distribution. It sits at 110 N. Murray Ave. The Independent Mail reported the city's opening of the shared kitchen in March 2024.
That makes October 24 a city-built day from start to finish. The run starts at a city recreation center, follows a city trail, ends in a city park, and features a food-truck festival hosted by a city kitchen that supports the mobile food businesses using it. The commissary is on N. Murray Ave., the same street as the Rec Center. One avenue holds both the start line and the kitchen behind the food.
The Stretch Still on the Drawing Board
The festival map stops at Linley Park because that's as far as the off-street route reaches today. The next goal is downtown Anderson.
WSPA reported in February that the city had begun designing an extension south from the Rec Center into downtown. Design was expected to take about 10 months and be funded by Hospitality Tax, with the city's capital budget covering construction. In April, Assistant City Manager Andrew Strickland described the early concept as running from the Rec Center down Whitner Creek to Tribble Street and then into downtown. He said it would most likely be built alongside a streetscaping project that widens sidewalks and adds landscaping.
"You could really get it, park downtown, and go from downtown to the rec center to Linley Park. Or, vice versa without ever having to step foot on the road."
Andrew Strickland, Assistant City Manager, speaking to WSPA in April 2026
That route wasn't final in April. Strickland said two public meetings would present different route alternatives to the community, and one downtown employee interviewed by WSPA hoped the trail would come through Earle Street. By July, officials told WSPA they expected the next phase to begin sometime in 2027. Roberts explained why an urban trail is slower to build than a rail-trail: "Nothing is parallel to the railroad track, so it's a little more challenging to do an urban bike/pedestrian trail."
The long-range plan is bigger still. The city hopes to eventually connect the trail to the Anderson Civic Center, forming a 15-mile loop through Anderson. For now, the one-mile run from the Rec Center to Linley Park covers the part of that loop that's finished.
The run's first participants into Linley Park on October 24 get first in line for the food trucks, and anyone can join the festival there for free until 4:30 p.m.
At Nest Realty Greenville, we track how projects like the Whitner Creek Greenway shape daily life in Anderson, from the trail people walk now to the downtown connector still in design. If you'd like to talk about how the trail fits your own routines or plans, we'd be glad to help. Get Started Now.
