A new, transparent frog species was discovered based on its unique sound
This newly discovered glass frog looks almost identical to another species, but its high-pitched call suggests it is a new species.
Buzz60
The story of the Angora Frog Farm and Dog Park began many years ago when Horace Brown, a postal worker for the L&N Railway, decided to give his farm a slightly more creative name than others in the area.
In 1927, Brown registered his farm with the state as the Angora Frog Farm, in honor of the amphibians he so often told tall tales about.
Horace Brown’s son Arvin and his wife Sabra donated the land to the Legacy Parks Foundation in 2020, and today’s park is inspired by those same stories.
As park visitors walk along the trail, they come across various stations, each with an interactive feature and a story to go with it. The half-mile gravel path is well shaded and children can play on equipment such as a seesaw and rope net and follow prompts that encourage them to interact with a shallow stream and a small wooden house.
The stories build on each other to tell the larger story of Arvin the Angora frog and what happens when he eventually finds other frogs like him. Many of the frogs in the story, such as Edgar and Linnie, are named after members of the Brown family.
A place where imagination runs wild
Daniel Wiseman, a Knoxville author and illustrator, transformed the Brown family folklore into the story now on display in the park. It was a unique experience to take his talents from writing and use them to create something more open-ended, Wiseman said.
“You have to be in a big box all the time, and that wasn’t the case here, and I like drawing forests, and I like drawing silly characters, it was just my thing,” he added.
Maxell Brown, age 5, was one of the children who enjoyed the opening of the new park on August 21. He is a member of the original Brown family, and a frog pictured in the story at Station 12 was named after the same ancestor as him.
“I liked the circle,” said the human Maxell, pointing to a portion of the rope spider web at Station 12. “Let me show you,” he added, climbing up the web and then jumping the short distance down to the mulch below.
A collective effort
The Legacy Parks Foundation works to create unique outdoor projects by preserving green spaces, building trails, expanding parks and improving river access, its website says.
“We took a different approach with this park and created a linear playground where you can enjoy a walk in the woods, climb and play, read a story and sit by a small stream – all in one,” said Executive Director Carol Evans in a press release.
“This is just a great joy for our family,” said Maxell Brown’s mother, Maria Brown. Arvin Brown knew he wanted to leave this land to the community, so it’s special to see it being used, she added.
The entire family is grateful to Evans and the Legacy Parks team for helping to make this possible, she said.
Other park community partners include Knox County Parks and Recreation, American Rental Association Foundation, Toro Company, East Tennessee Pediatric Dentistry, Mynatt Funeral Home, Aubrey’s, DeRoyal, Laura Bailey, FirstBank, TVA Retirees Association, TVA and Bicentennial Volunteers.
At the entrance to the park is a new Knox County accessible dog park funded by Randy Boyd’s Family Foundation. It is the sixth Knoxville Neighborhood Dog Park in Knox County, according to the press release.
The Angora Frog Farm and Dog Park is located at 7323 Brickyard Road and is open from sunrise to sunset.
Hayden Dunbar is the storyteller reporter. Email: [email protected].
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