November 19, 2014 - What do you get when you put together an inspired neighborhood association, Ijams Nature Center and the City of Knoxville's Public Service Department employees?

Answer: A very big decorative rock.

The partnership resulted in a Lake Forest pink marble entry sign being placed at the corner of Chapman Highway and East Lake Forest Drive. Ijams Nature Center donated the rock sign; volunteers with the Lake Forest Neighborhood Association dug a hole and filled it with construction sand; and the City of Knoxville provided heavy equipment operators and labor.


The Lake Forest association wanted to welcome visitors to the neighborhood while paying homage to its Pink Marble Trail legacy.

"This was definitely a group effort," said Molly Gilbert, President of the Lake Forest Neighborhood Association. "The rock sign is 9.5' x 3' x 2.5' and weighs an estimated five to six tons. Everyone played such a large role in getting the rock donated, engraved and moved to the entrance of the neighborhood."

In addition to the entry sign, neighborhood volunteers provided dogwood trees and tulips and worked with the City's Urban Forestry Division to landscape the block.


"This is a story that can go on and on," Gilbert said. "There is a great history in the neighborhood. We're on the Pink Marble Trail, and many of the homes in Lake Forest and along Chapman Highway are constructed from Tennessee Pink Marble - outdoor barbecues, retaining walls, chimneys, whole houses. Several of these are featured along the Chapman Highway Dogwood Trail, which includes Lake Forest.

"We decided to celebrate our architectural history with a slab of pink marble as an entry sign. David Gilbert, a neighborhood resident for over 40 years, designed the Lake Forest logo. As a bit of trivia, he also designed the 1982 World's Fair logo. We are proud of our neighborhood, and joint efforts like this make us proud to be Knoxvillians."