Mount Prospect celebrates Arbor Day on April 28

The Village of Mount Prospect Public Works Department will host an Arbor Day tree planting ceremony at 1:30 p.m. Friday, April 28, at the Mount Prospect Historical Society, 101 S. Maple St.

During the ceremony, Mayor Arlene A. Juracek, village trustees and officials, students and staff from Saint Paul Lutheran School and Saint Raymond School will plant a Triumph Elm in the parkway.

The students will perform songs and poems to commemorate the occasion. Members of the Garden Club of Mount Prospect will assist with the planting. Both the Garden Club and the Green Team from Saint Raymond contributed funds to help the village purchase the Arbor Day tree. In addition, Public Works mascot P.W. Paws will make a special appearance.

The village will also commemorate its recent receipt of the Tree City USA Award from the Arbor Day Foundation. This is the 32nd consecutive year Mount Prospect has received the TCU award for the village's urban forestry program.

Mount Prospect achieved Tree City USA recognition by meeting the program's four requirements: A tree board or department, a tree-care ordinance, an annual community forestry budget of at least $2 per capita and an Arbor Day observance and proclamation.

Mayor Juracek said, "Year after year, we have been recognized by the Arbor Day Foundation for our beautiful trees and our high quality urban forestry efforts. Join us at the Mount Prospect Historical Society campus to celebrate this achievement and to commemorate 100 years of our village's history."

"Planting a tree is a great way to celebrate Arbor Day," said Dave Hull, Mount Prospect Forestry/Grounds superintendent. "I am especially excited this year, as we celebrate our centennial, to be planting a disease-resistant elm hybrid in one of the original parts of town. I hope our citizens will join us this year in planting trees throughout the community to help perpetuate Mount Prospect's urban forest."

If you are interested in supporting the village's ongoing forestry mission of diversifying our landscape with appropriate trees, call Public Works at (847) 870-5640 for details.

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