Avon's Tree Lighting & Carriage Rides is on the town calendar for Saturday, November 28, from 4 to 6 p.m. The listing puts it at Blue Heron Park. Blue Heron Park is Town Hall Park, with the same 83 acres off U.S. 36. It got a new name at a Town Council meeting in March. The town didn't present the change as branding. It presented it as a way to pin down a location quickly when someone calls for help.
This fall is the first full season with the new names in use. Each one does a specific job. For anyone who still says "Town Hall Park" or "the pickleball courts," here's what changed, why, and where the rest of 2026 happens.
One Resolution, Nine New Names
On March 18, 2026, the Town of Avon announced that the Council had approved a resolution formally naming several parks, trails and recreation facilities. The town's stated reason was that it is rolling out enhanced safety and security plans across the park system. It said official names would help ensure clearer communication, "especially when identifying exact locations during emergency response situations."
| What you may still call it | Official name now |
|---|---|
| Town Hall Park | Blue Heron Park |
| Pickleball Courts | The Pickle Patch |
| White Lick Creek | White Lick Trail |
| Winton Meadows | Woodhaven Park |
| Burnett | Burnett Woods Park & Nature Preserve |
| Memorial Park | World War II Memorial Park |
| Avon Youth Sports Fields 866 | Foundation Ballpark |
| Avon Adult Sports Fields 104 | Apex Ballpark |
| Avon Indoor Facility on Kingston St | The Summit Indoor Training |
Several of the old names were descriptions, not names. "Pickleball Courts" and "Adult Sports Fields" could mean many places in Hendricks County. A label like The Pickle Patch or Apex Ballpark points to one. The town's notice admits the switch "may take some time to adjust," and it still ends with "more information coming soon."
The ballparks see real traffic. At the February 12 Council meeting, the Parks & Recreation report counted 4,718 sports participants across 32 sports. That's a lot of families arriving at youth and adult fields that, until March, went by generic labels with numbers attached.
Three Places, One Address
Blue Heron Park shows most clearly why the town wanted names in place of descriptions. Three different spots on this fall's calendar share the same street address, 6570 E. U.S. Highway 36:
- Avon Town Hall, the building, where Town Hall Trick or Treat runs Friday, October 30
- Blue Heron Park, the surrounding grounds, which hosted the Harvest Hayrides Festival on October 10
- North Park Playground, where the Apple Mash Dash 5K started that same afternoon
Under the old name, "Town Hall Park" and "Town Hall" were only one word apart, and the address couldn't distinguish them. Now the building and the park have clearly different names, and a specific playground inside the park has its own label.
It helps to know how much the park covers. The town's facility page lists 83 acres, an 18-hole disc golf course, a bocce court, a lake, paved trails, outdoor ping-pong tables, playgrounds, an RC track, picnic tables, shelters and restrooms. The trail page adds detail. The paved loop runs two miles past a nine-acre lake and four acres of native Indiana prairie plantings. A half-mile Story Walk trail connects to the public library. On a property that size, "meet me at the park off 36" doesn't narrow things down much.
The Rest of 2026, Name by Name
The Harvest Hayrides and the Apple Mash Dash both happened on October 10. Here's what remains on the public calendar as of today:
- Ghosts & Goblins, Saturday, October 24, 1 to 5 p.m., Washington Township Park, 115 S. County Road 575 E. The Greater Avon Chamber of Commerce's vendor listing describes a trick-or-treating path lined with 10x10 booths. It tells participating businesses to bring enough candy for 3,000 to 5,000 people.
- Town Hall Trick or Treat, Friday, October 30, 10 a.m. to noon, Avon Town Hall. The town lists it as free with no registration required.
- Avon Tree Lighting & Carriage Rides, Saturday, November 28, 4 to 6 p.m., Blue Heron Park. It falls the day after the town's Thanksgiving closures.
- Avon Chamber Christmas Glow Bingo, Thursday, December 3, 5 to 9:30 p.m., the Pavilion Center in Washington Township Park, 435 Whipple Lane.
The Chamber's two listings give Washington Township Park two different addresses: 115 S. County Road 575 E. for Ghosts & Goblins and 435 Whipple Lane for the Pavilion Center. That's another large property where the right entrance depends on the event. Washington Township Park wasn't part of the March renaming, so its name is the same as before.
Burnett Woods Is the Fall Walk, and the Name Needs Care
Burnett Woods Park & Nature Preserve may be the best place for a quiet walk this season, and the details matter here. The town's facility page says the preserve is owned and operated by the Central Indiana Land Trust. It covers 80 acres at the northeast corner of Dan Jones Road and 100 S, with a 1.7-mile marked loop trail open from dawn to dusk.
Parking isn't obvious. Visitors park behind Light and Life Methodist Church, then walk east from the church lot to the entrance near the road, behind the preserve sign. Shorter fall days also shorten the window for that loop, since the posted hours run dawn to dusk.
The renaming list changed "Burnett" to Burnett Woods Park & Nature Preserve. Separately, the February 12 Council minutes say park plan bids went out for "Pickleball Park and Burnett Park." The minutes don't say whether that work covers the Land Trust preserve or a nearby town property. Until the town publishes the follow-up it has promised, it's safest to treat them as separate items. That same uncertainty is why the town wanted official names to begin with.
White Lick Trail Is a Name for a Network Still Being Built
The trail renaming looks furthest ahead. On the town's facility page, the White Lick Creek route is described as a planned north-south multi-use trail along the creek. Its long-term goal is to connect Plainfield's recreation center to Williams Park in Brownsburg, passing through Washington Township Park. A branch is planned to link Avon Town Hall Park and the library. The page says design is complete for the segment between Avon Town Hall Park and Washington Township Park. It gives no built length or opening date, so "White Lick Trail" names a plan more than a finished path for now.
Council records show steady background work, though agendas list topics, not outcomes:
- February 12: Public Works reported that trail quotes were out. Parks reported that park property had been transferred "so that new trails can be built and connect parks."
- July 9: The work-session agenda listed Foundation Park sanitary sewer work, park land and trail projects on 150 S, "White Lick Creek Trail to MAP," and a 525 E connection to Riverwalk.
- October 8: The work-session agenda included a parks update, a collaboration proposal with Washington Township Park, and the Indiana Community Parks Initiative.
Put these together and the March names look like labels set before a connected system is finished. Blue Heron Park and Washington Township Park already host most of the town's seasonal calendar. Once built, the designed trail segment would link those two hubs. The Washington Township Park collaboration proposal on the October 8 agenda is the next step to watch. The town's next scheduled Council work session is Thursday, November 5, at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at Avon Town Hall.
If you own a home near Blue Heron Park, Washington Township Park or along the planned White Lick Trail route, the Home Experts team watches how park and trail projects like these move from agenda to ground. We'll walk you through what's planned near your street and how buyers are currently valuing that kind of access. Request a free market valuation and we'll put it in context for your address.
