Arbor Day event set for Parks Hoke Park
♦ Friday’s celebration coincides with Rome’s 30th anniversary as a Tree City.
National Arbor Day won’t be here until April, but Rome and Floyd County will be celebrating Georgia Arbor Day this Friday.
Arbor Day is celebrated in Georgia on the third Friday of February. At last week’s Floyd County Commission meeting, commissioners issued a proclamation stating the annual event will take place this Friday.
“It’s a time to draw attention to the importance of trees,” said Emma Watson, director of Keep Rome-floyd Beautiful.
Keep Rome-floyd Beautiful will be hosting the
celebration at Parks Hoke Park on South Rome’s Hardy Avenue.
According to Rome Arborist Terry Paige, the City of Rome Tree Board planted 13 willow trees around the park leading up to the event.
“It shows how our community takes care of our green space,” he said.
This year’s celebration is also in conjunction with the 30th anniversary of Rome becoming a part of Tree City USA, a national organization dedicated to “greening communities across the country” and taking care of trees in urban areas.
“We usually plant about
25 to 40 trees a year around Rome,” Paige said.
The Rome arborist will be leading the welcome, with the Lovejoy Baptist Church Cub Scout Troop leading attendees in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Rome-floyd Parks and Recreation Director Todd Wofford will be talking about some of the upcoming improvements to the parks around Floyd County in 2020 — including a pavilion at Parks Hoke Park — funded by 2017 special purpose, local option sales tax funds.
Long-time Rome resident Mary Mchenry will be conducting the tree dedication and talking about the history of the park, which used to house a public swimming pool.
The Arbor Day 2020 celebration will start at 11 a.m. Friday and is open to the public.