Medina celebrates Arbor Day by planting 71 trees

Students join in tree planting at State Street Park

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – The Village of Medina celebrated Arbor Day today with help from students from Oak Orchard Elementary School. The village held a tree-planting celebration at State Street Park.

The village has planted about 1,500 trees in the past 15 years. This Arbor Day marks the ninth year in a row that the Village of Medina has been awarded the Tree City USA designation by the National Arbor Day Foundation. The award honors Medina’s commitment to community forestry.

Medina is planted 71 trees this spring, mostly along areas of West Center Street with additional plantings on West Avenue, Gwinn Street and State Street Park.

Aidyn Jackson, a Medina first-grader, puts the final shovel of dirt on a flowering pear tree at State Street Park. The village planted six flowering pear trees along the park’s perimeter.

This first grade class poses for a picture in front a newly planted tree.

Dan Doctor, the Oak Orchard principal, gets a picture of students by a new tree. Doctor told the kids to “Say Trees!” when he took the picture.

Medina Mayor Michael Sidari is pictured with Tree Board Chairman Chris Busch on a stage during the Arbor Day celebration. Sidari said saplings will go to be tall trees. He told students to return to the park often as adults and take pride in the new trees.

The mayor also read a proclamation about Arbor Day.

Sidari and Busch presented a “Friend of the Urban Forest Award” to Bob Sanderson, a Medina resident who donated $5,700 to plant many of the new trees. Sanderson owns Candlelight Cabinetry and Kitchen World in Lockport, employing 230 people. The company uses lots of wood, and Sanderson said the business is committed to planting new trees through several “Tree Hugger Initiatives.” Sanderson said Medina is becoming known as “the town that plants all of the trees.”

Medina third-graders Garrett Koch, center, and Elizabeth Thompson read a poem about Arbor Day. They are joined by teacher Nicole Goyette.

Mayor Sidari poses with elementary students after planting trees at State Street Park.