Ellie G.’s Dream World
When Franklin’s first inclusive playground opens sometime in 2023, it will have a name most would agree couldn’t be more appropriate. Ellie G.’s Dream World, which will be part of the planned Southeastern Municipal Complex Park located on Carothers Parkway, was named after Elliott Grace “Ellie G.” Castro. The daughter of Brandon and Samantha Castro and granddaughter of Franklin Alderman Brandy Blanton, Ellie G. died in September 2019 at the age of 4 from a rare, terminal form of dwarfism. All who knew or met her were simply charmed by her beam of a smile and infectious laughter. Ellie G.’s Dream World will feature a safari theme, something that Blanton says she would have loved. JOHN MCBRYDE