Newton to host Arbor Day celebration

City Hall event to feature tree planting and Startown Elementary School Chorus performance

Newton will celebrate Arbor Day with the planting of a Rising Sun Redbud and a performance by the Startown Elementary School Chorus at City Hall on Saturday, April 27.

The celebration, which is organized annually by the Newton Tree Board, is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. with readings of Newton’s 2024 Arbor Day proclamation and 2023 Tree City USA recognition. Attendees will be provided with tree care tips and techniques before enjoying musical entertainment from the Startown Elementary School Chorus.

The Rising Sun Redbud (Cercis canadensis ‘JN2’) develops a graceful crown of foliage that varies in color through the season. In the spring, the tree produces small, lavender-pink flower clusters. Heartshaped orange-red leaves emerge and transition to golden-yellow before maturing to shades of chartreuse in the summer. In addition to its beauty, the Rising Sun Redbud is prized for its adaptability to a wide range of soil types, as well as its ability to attract pollinators such as bees and butterflies.

Newton is pleased to have been recognized for the 14th year as a Tree City USA in 2023. Cities that achieve the Tree City USA designation meet requirements that include maintaining a tree board and a tree care ordinance, dedicating an annual community forestry budget of at least $2 per capita, and hosting an annual celebration of Arbor Day. The Tree City USA program is sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters.

Newton City Hall is located at 401 North Main Ave.

For more information about Newton’s Arbor Day Celebration, please call the Newton Recreation Center at (828) 695-4317.