Arbor Day celebrations held in Arlington Heights, Palatine

Park districts led Arbor Day celebrations Friday that involved community participation in Arlington Heights and Palatine.

In Arlington Heights, progress on the $32 million renovation of Recreation Park’s brick-and-mortar facilities served as the backdrop for the ceremonial planting of an Emerald City Tulip Tree at the 42nd annual collaboration of park district and village officials.

Construction crews took a pause as representatives of both governments took the microphone and a group of students from the Northwest Suburban Special Education Organization’s Miner School down the street performed to Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World.”

“Arbor Day is more than the planting of a tree, it’s recognizing the vital role they play in our daily lives,” Arlington Heights Park District Deputy Director Jason Myers said. “It’s also a reminder of how much trees connect us.”

Arlington Heights Mayor Pro Tem Tom Schwingbeck pointed out that every mature tree in the village consumes about 50 pounds of carbon dioxide each year.

“This is always one of my favorite events,” he said. “It’s really important to plant trees.”

Arlington Heights Forester Brian Crawford accepted a Tree City USA plaque on behalf of the village. He said his department trimmed more than 6,000 trees and inspected more than 36,000 last year as well as recently adding an arborist to its ranks.

The park district also recognized the winners in three age categories of its Arbor Day coloring contest. They each received a $25 gift certificate to park district programs.

Salt Creek Park District officials and preschoolers similarly gathered for the planting of a new tree the kids named “Oakley” at the Rose Park Community Center in Palatine.

The children sang a song about a tree while circled around “Oakley,” just before they shoveled in the dirt over the roots just south of the tree planted during last year’s rain-soaked event.

“This is a longstanding tradition,” Salt Creek Park District Executive Director Diane Hilgers said. “It has to be over 30 years, and it's a fun tradition that we have done with our preschoolers every year.”

· Daily Herald staff writer Brian Hill contributed to this report.