WILMINGTON — Widely revered as a metaphorical pet heaven, the Rainbow Bridge will now have a literal location in the Port City for residents to visit and hang their pup’s collar or cat’s favorite toy in remembrance. It will be dedicated May 30 in a park also coming upon its century birthday.
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First coined in a 1958 Scottish poem by Edna Clyne-Rekhy, in honor of her dog Major, “The Rainbow Bridge” indicates a place where pets go after death to run in meadows, returning to good health and awaiting their owners to join them forever. The literary piece has moved beyond the page and into cities that have begun installing colorful structures as sanctuaries to honor furry friends and family.
Local nonprofit The Big Paw Project and its founder Susan Chesson, along with Life Scout Andrew Fairfull, sought permission from the City of Wilmington to launch an almost 30-foot Rainbow Bridge at Greenfield Lake Park and Gardens. It will be located near the main Lion’s Bridge, currently undergoing construction.
“It’s so serene,” Chesson described. “I have so many memories of my own dogs in that spot.”
She sent a proposal to the city in October following the devastation of Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina after learning of the loss of the popular Rainbow Bridge in Lake Lure. It led Chesson to question: “Why don’t we have one in Wilmington?”
With the town being so dog-friendly, Chesson knew it would be well-received, but also could become another hallmark of Greenfield Park, to draw in tourism and honor all local animals, as well as those lost in Helene.
“By recreating this bridge in Greenfield Park, Wilmington has the opportunity to capture the spirit of Appalachia, a region renowned for its natural beauty, cultural heritage, and connection to nature — just as Greenfield Lake Park is for so many of us here,” Chesson wrote in her proposal, adding the bridge would be a symbol of unity for animals, humans and nature. “The bridge can serve as a memorial for those grieving lost pets and a tribute to the Appalachian legacy, fostering a deeper cultural and emotional tie between the mountains and our coastal community.”
Greenfield Park is 250 acres, 90 of which makes up water, and includes a 4-mile walking and biking trail, houses Greenfield Lake Amphitheater, tennis and pickleball courts and a skate park, plus offers paddle boat and kayak rentals. The city is working on its centennial celebration with varied events this November. Chesson suggested the addition of a Rainbow Bridge could become a place to host events for animal rescues and nonprofit organizations or raise community and environmental awareness.
With a passion for helping dog rescues, Chesson started her own nonprofit The Big Paw Project eight years ago as a way to help stock area shelters and rescues with supplies for the animals they take in. Chesson lost her dog, Gemma, at the time and decided to turn her grief into a do-good celebration; she asked friends to attend a party and bring pet blankets, towels, food, toys, beds, and the like to donate to a shelter in Gemma’s honor.
“I always heard people say they could never foster for fear of getting attached or other reasons that prevented them from taking in dogs and I thought: Well, we can help in other ways. That became the basis for Big Paw,” she said.
To date, The Big Paw Project has made copious donations — ”truck loads” — to rural organizations, such as Bladen and Anson county animal shelter, as well as rescues like Paws Place and Hamilton’s Healing Hearts. Chesson, who volunteers weekly at New Hanover Animal Shelter, said the Rainbow Bridge would continue Big Paw’s animal welfare and community-building outreach efforts while also installing a meaningful landmark in the city.
At the beginning of the year, she heard back from city officials about the bridge. They asked if Chesson would be willing to pair up on the project with a 14-year-old who had also pitched a Rainbow Bridge project to enhance his leadership skills and learn about project management in order to become an Eagle Scout.
“I have always loved animals so I knew I wanted my project to involve something for them,” Fairfull told Port City Daily.
He wrote to Sally Thigpen, the city’s parks and recreation assistant director, that the addition of the bridge would help people mourn and fondly remember their pets.
“I have never personally visited a rainbow bridge before,” Fairfull said, “but that makes it even more special to have one in town.”
Both Chesson and Fairfull have done the majority of heavy lifting on the project. Fairfull and volunteers from his troop have cleared debris around the bridge and enlisted the help of Salty Shorts Property Management and Backyard Boys to power-wash the bridge and replace damaged wood. The scout also raised $250 for materials to build the benches at the foot of the bridge.
One bench will be dedicated to the memory of all animals lost in Western North Carolina during Hurricane Helene and the other will be dedicated to military and service dogs for their “courage and loyalty.”
Chesson has raised $700 on supplies to paint and prime the planks. Home Depot gave a couple hundred dollars worth, such as stakes for plaques that will be installed. Image Monster designed the plaques, with one including a stanza from “The Rainbow Bridge” poem, another showcasing the efforts of The Big Paw Project and the troop, and two for the benches.
Along with volunteers, Chesson and Fairfull are painting the bridge its signature rainbow colors in coming days and installing the benches next week. Chesson will be in charge of paint touch-ups thereafter but the city will oversee structural maintenance.
The bridge will be dedicated on Friday, May 30, at 9 a.m. At the dedication, Chesson and Fairfull will speak and attendees will be able to enjoy free coffee from Starbucks, learn more about the project, and hang a collar or other memorabilia on the railing. Fairfull is securing one in honor of his late pup, Ruger, and Chesson will attach Gemma’s collar first and another in honor of her dog Ruby who passed away two years ago.
Ruby has become the inspiration for another project Big Paw will launch on June 3, according to Chesson. It’s a physical space where people can drop off items for animals in need anytime; to date Big Paw has hosted specialized pop-up events at breweries and other locations once a month. But the permanent location will be at Kent Street Station in Cargo District East, located within Chesson’s salon, Betty — at 1901-C Kent St. behind Banh Sai and The Rift.
“So when someone has a dog crate they don’t need any longer or food their dog won’t eat, they can bring it to us to give to animals in need,” Chesson said.
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