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Vienna residents will have two opportunities to plant trees during this year’s Arbor Day festivities, with events planned at Waters Field and along the W&OD Trail.
The official Arbor Day ceremony begins at 5 p.m. Friday, April 24, at the Center Street batting cage at Waters Field, 300 Center St. S., next to the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department. Local dignitaries, scouts, parks and recreation staff, and other attendees will help plant multiple trees.
A public volunteer planting will follow at 9 a.m. Saturday, April 25, at the corner of Dominion Road SE and Park Street SE. Participants will plant several trees across from the Vienna Community Center along the W&OD Trail.
Prospective volunteers can contact Jeremy Edwards by email or use the town’s online registration form. Street parking and spaces at the Vienna Community Center, 120 Cherry St. SE, will be available for both events.
The Arbor Day Foundation has recognized Vienna as a Tree City USA since 2000. Communities receiving the designation must maintain a tree board or department, have a public tree-care ordinance, spend at least $2 per resident on community tree care, and hold an Arbor Day observance and proclamation. Vienna is one of 3,587 recognized Tree City USA communities.
Arbor Day began in 1872 through the Nebraska Board of Agriculture. It is now observed in all 50 states and around the world, with nearly 1 million trees planted annually.