The Cameron County Chamber of Commerce announced on social media Monday that the site of a future dark sky park near Emporium will be called “May Hollow Skyway,” which references the name of a road leading to the area.
In December, the chamber opened public voting by donation for the name of the stargazing park. Overall, they raised $262.33. Almost half of the donations, $121.23 were toward May Hollow Skyway, according to Rowan Crisp. She's the education and outreach administrator for the Lumber Heritage Region, an economic development group helping with the project.
"This fundraiser will cover the application fee for the dark sky designation process," Crisp said.
The park will be similar to the nearby Cherry Springs viewing area, which is currently the only DarkSky Place certified in Pennsylvania. Officials hope to pursue the same certification at the Cameron County site, which is at a former landfill near Emporium.
Officials say the stargazing park could be developed within three years, depending on funding and the management capacity of the partners involved.
Even though the park doesn't have the official DarkSky Place recognition yet, Crisp said people are still welcome there to hike and stargaze. In the future, officials hope to add a pavilion, a hilltop viewing area and new trails.
