Muhlenburg County park to be renamed after John Prine

GREENVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A park in western Kentucky is being renamed after singer-songwriter John Prine.

A dedication ceremony for the John Prine Memorial Park at Rochester Dam in Muhlenberg County is scheduled for Oct. 1, news outlets reported.

The project is part of updating an existing county park, said Karen Harper Lain, a spokesperson and committee member for the John Prine Memorial Park. The project includes a new boat ramp, more parking, a picnic pavilion, new playground equipment and landscaping improvements.

Prine, who died in 2020, wrote “Paradise,” for his father about the small town of Paradise on the banks of the Green River.

After his death, Prine fans began to visit Rochester Dam, which is mention in the song, to leave memorials to the musician.

Lain and others approached Muhlenberg County Fiscal Court about renaming the park after Prine’s death and said officials were “immediately on board.”