Published: March 26, 2008 12:18 pm            

Celebration of Trees set for Saturday

EDMOND — Edmond’s fourth annual Arbor Day Celebration will feature informational booths, free seedlings, rain gauges, door prizes and demonstrations for children and adults. This year’s event is scheduled from 1-4 p.m. Saturday with activities to take place at the Festival Market Place.

Activities for entertaining and educating children include a moon bounce and booths where children can plant the right tree in the right place or determine the age of round slices of tree trunks called cookies.

“Tree and landscape experts at the various ISA certified arborists’ booths will be on hand for free landscaping and tree advice,” said Carrie Tomlinson, Edmond’s urban forester. ISA is the International Society of Arboriculture.

“Mark Bays from the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry will demonstrate proper tree planting and pruning,” Tomlinson said.

Edmond’s Water Resources will give away free rain gauges and provide water conservation tips. Visitors to the booth can register for a drawing for tree gators and xeriscape plants.

As in past years, Edmond Electric will give away seedlings at its booth. Several species of trees will be given away including Red Bud, Dessert Willow, Lacebark Elm, Indian Cherry, Loblolly Pine, Cedar Elm and Carolina Buckthorn.

Edmond Electric also is sponsoring the event’s free T-shirts that feature the designs from the winners of the Arbor Day Poster Contest.

The eight local Arbor Day Poster Contest winners will be recognized at the event. The contest for fifth-graders from Edmond Public Schools was earlier this year.

Winning posters from each participating school were created by: Grace Kelting, Clegern Elementary; Katherine Hawes, Cross Timbers Elementary; Haydn Kirkpatrick, John Ross Elementary; Brayden Rucker, Northern Hills Elementary; Nicole Varghese, Angie Debo Elementary; Chalyn Edson, Orvis Risner Elementary; Tommy Mosley, Russell Dougherty Elementary; and Matthew Brownd from Washington Irving Elementary.

One of the school winners received second place at the state-level poster competition. A special ceremony will take place at 2:15 p.m. Monday to honor Haydn Kirkpatrick from John Ross Elementary for his achievement at the state level.

Participants in the event include Absolutely Nuts, Agri-lawn, Audubon Society of Central Oklahoma, Oklahoma Master Naturalists, Best of Books, Citizens Bank of Edmond, City of Edmond Drainage Utility, Edmond Electric, Edmond Lions Club, Edmond Land Conservancy, Edmond Parks and Recreation, Edmond Tree Keepers, Edmond Urban Forestry Commission, Iceberg Italian Water Ice Co., Keep Edmond Beautiful Inc., Oklahoma County Master Gardeners, Oklahoma Department of Agriculture Food and Forestry, Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority, Professional Tree Care LLC, Roots and Shoots Organization, Southern Tree Care, Tresco-Cedar Tree Cutting, Farmers Grain Co. and the University of Central Oklahoma.

Festival Market Place is on First Street just west of Broadway in downtown Edmond.



FOR MORE information about the Arbor Day Celebration, call Tomlinson at 359-4799.

        

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