As they do every year, members of the Wake Forest Urban Forestry Board, town staff and volunteers will give away free tree seedlings to celebrate Arbor Day. It is just a part of the annual Arbor Day celebration on Saturday, April 21, at E. Carroll Joyner Park on Harris Road. There will also be food trucks and musical entertainment from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. with a formal ceremony at noon.
There will be 900 seedlings given to area residents while they last. Given away will be Southern crabapple, black walnut, sycamore, overcup oak, black gum, dogwood and redbud.
Volunteers will help residents decide which seedlings grow best in their yard conditions. For more information about the tree seedling giveaway, visit www.wakeforestnc.gov/tree-seedling-giveaway.aspx.
The Arbor Day Expo is a family-friendly event featuring a variety of service-oriented civic groups, nonprofit organizations and other local associations that promote proper tree care, environmental stewardship and community service.
As part of the expo, Urban Forestry board members will distribute reusable Tree City cloth grocery bags and temporary tattoos for kids with the Trees are Good logo.
In addition, expo attendees can learn about and sign up for the Wake Forest Tree Stewards Volunteer Program. Children will have the opportunity to participate in various art activities, including building their own birdhouse, and learn more about trees along the interactive Tree Trail.
A number of food and dessert trucks will be on-site, including Spud Kings, Healthy Grill on Wheels, the VFW and Kona Ice.
Exhibitors will include Wake Forest Power, Lions Club, River Hawks wildlife chapter, Wake Forest Tree Stewards, Wake Forest Garden Club, USDA APHIS, Triangle Bonsai Association, Shrooms to Grow, NC Forest Service, Tinkergarten, Heritage High School FFA, Apiololis Bees Habitat ReStore, Master Gardeners and Piedmont Tree Climbing.
Entertainment will include the Tyson Brothers Band and Cyndi’s Faces.
The Arbor Day Expo would not be possible without the support of our sponsors, including Bartlett Tree Experts, All American Gutter Protection, Champion Windows, Nest Egg Home Services, Vision Martial Arts, Girl Scouts NC Coastal Pines, Christi Spencer State Farm, Landscape Masters, Meredith Hilbert of Allen Tate Realtors, and Ads N Art.
The day’s festivities will culminate with the Arbor Day Ceremony at noon. During the program, Mayor Vivian Jones will accept Wake Forest’s 39th consecutive Tree City USA award. Wake Forest Public Works Department and Wake Forest Power staff will also be presented with Wake Forest’s fourth Tree Line USA award.
Android and iPhone users can have a handy pocket guide to this year’s Arbor Day celebration in the palm of their hands by downloading the Town of Wake Forest app and using the app’s “Arbor Day” function. Designed to offer smart phone users instant access to important details about Arbor Day, the function includes a schedule of events and details about the expo and tree seedling giveaway.
In the event of inclement weather, the Arbor Day festivities may be moved inside the Flaherty Park Community Center, 1226 N. White St. For weather-related updates, call the Town of Wake Forest Weather Line at 919-435-9569. Smart phone users who have downloaded the app will receive a push notification message informing them of any schedule changes.
For more information about this year’s Arbor Day celebration, contact Urban Forestry Coordinator Jennifer Rall atjrall@wakeforestnc.gov.
