Union's Cardinal Park is one of five finalists for Kentucky Living's 2026 Beautify the Bluegrass Governor's Award, and residents can vote daily through Sept. 1 to help the pocket park win the statewide honor.

The park sits at the corner of Sycamore Drive and Mt. Zion Road, built on land the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet donated to the city after completing the Mt. Zion Road expansion. The parcels were too small for homes but ideal for green space, according to city commission records and NKY Tribune reporting published Thursday.

Cardinal Park is the first of six planned pocket parks in Union, all named after Kentucky state birds: Cardinal, Bluebird, Goldfinch, Sparrow, Dove and Hummingbird. The Union City Commission approved those names in March 2025.

The commission awarded the construction contract to Natorp's Inc., the lowest of four bidders, on April 21, 2025, under Municipal Order No. 2025-26. The park was completed in fall 2025 and features landscaped gardens, a walking path and benches. Two of those benches were purchased with a Duke Energy Foundation grant.

"The purpose of the pocket parks is to give people who are walking on Mt. Zion Road a place to stop and rest," Mayor Larry Solomon said at the commission's June 2, 2025, meeting, when the parks had become a topic of discussion on social media.

The Beautify the Bluegrass program, now in its 10th year, is a partnership between Kentucky Living magazine, Kentucky Electric Cooperatives and the Kentucky Governor's Office. Governor Andy Beshear announced the finalists during Kentucky Living's 2026 Best in Kentucky Awards Show.

Cardinal Park is competing against Worthington Memorial Park in Jackson County, the Cumberland Falls Spring Cleanup in Whitley and McCreary counties, Paula's Garden in Anderson County and the Danville Mural Project in Boyle County.

This isn't Union's first nod from the program. In October 2025, communications coordinator Jaime Lyons told the commission that Hummingbird Park, another pocket park along Mt. Zion Road, had received Beautify the Bluegrass recognition as a welcoming gateway to Union.

Residents can vote once per day at KentuckyLiving.com/beautify through Sept. 1. The City of Union's website is encouraging daily votes. Voting is free.

Upcoming: Beautify the Bluegrass voting closes Sept. 1.