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Show Garden Club plants tree on Arbor Day r - 4 ft 1 - " - - j 1 " I ' ' ' i N ' s ss f ' " . ' ' X v , 1 y(4,lft.v A 4tt s MvV. vJT & 1 , J Wv 4M.t A8 ife vWv "wife Faye Belliston helps plant a tree in her honor on Arbor Day in Battlecreek Park. She was honored by the Garden Club.. By KAI.YN SKCKKTAN The Pleasant Grove Garden Club continued their nine-year tradition by planting a tree on Arbor Day at the Battlecreek Park. The tradition was changed this year with an evening rather than morning ceremony and the honoree named in advance. A Kentucky Coffee tree was planted in honor of Faye Belliston. The new tree joins 135 trees representing 40 different types in the park. Shirley Millgate represented the Garden Club and conducted the ceremony. Bill Hoglund offered remarks and information about the tree purchased pur-chased for the event. He sees Battlecreek Park as an arboretum with a variety of species where school children and others can come . and observe trees with unique leaf structure. In 10 to 20 years, the Coffee Tree will be a lovely specimen to sit under. The drought resistant tree will grow even as high as 75 to 110 feet tall with a 30 to 50 foot wide canopy. Hoglund feels the public needs to be educated about the care of trees. They are a living thing. He said he had just noticed that day some flowering crabapple trees with broken limbs. He noted it is best not to stake trees, kids break the trees to get the stakes. Trees are like people and should be encouraged to stand on their own. Mary West, representing the city council, paid tribute to the ladies of the Garden Club. She knew many as a young girl and they have contributed con-tributed much to the town. Over the years they have planted flowers in the community entrances, maintained main-tained a rose garden near the library, and contributed to the park. She said she can look at the flowers in her garden and remember her friends. Mary told the story of "The Giving Tree," how a tree offered a little boy a place to play, leaves to gather, apples to eat, money from apples, branches to build a home, a trunk for a canoe and all that was left was a tree stsump for an old man to sit on. The tree loved the boy throughout his life. Faye Belliston attended the ceremony with her husband, Gerald, and family members including in-cluding a son and daughter, Kathy and Jerry. Karen and Mark live with their families out of state, but were aware of the day set aside to honor their mother. mom and stated how truly nice it was to be there. Her parents had the opportunity to serve in the community com-munity and the church, along with raising a family and running a store. The ceremony concluded with a beautiful musical number by Shirley Millgate and daughters, rendering "Edelweiss" in front of the newly planted tree. The Garden Club would like to remind everyone of the plant sale on May 7 from 7 to 11 a.m. in front of Radmall's store. They hope to have a good sale, and any donation of plants would be appreciated. |