Lady Lake Town Hall was the site of an Arbor Day celebration this past week. Mike Burske, director of Parks and Recreation for Lady Lake, welcomed close to 50 residents to the celebration. He explained that Lady Lake has been designated a “Tree City USA” and that the town is dedicated to promoting Lady Lake as an urban forest.
Mayor Jim Richards read an Arbor Day proclamation and told the audience how he loves to live under a tree canopy, even if the squirrels drop acorns on him. Both Richards and Burske stressed the importance of tree plantings to replace those trees removed due to development.
Doris Turlo of the Orange Blossom Gardens Lions Club spoke on how the Lion’s club has promoted tree planting in Lady lake and around the world. Betty Senter of the Lady Lake Garden Club provided a short history of the origins of Arbor Day in Nebraska during the 1880’s and how it has spread around the world.
Mayor Richards, with the assistance of Commissioner Tony Holden and Mike Burske then conducted the tree drawing. All residents of Lady Lake were eligible to submit an entry for the drawing with 25 to receive a $200 voucher from Burke’s Tree Farm in Fruitland Park.
The winners are Donald and Nancy Young, Bill and Ramona Eaglin, Richard and Shirley Rodgers, Bernie and Shirley Leclerc, Ed Lange, Carl Davis, Helen Pope, Jack Bigford, Gail Hudon, Gina Labossiere, Mildred Teisinger, Frederik Snow, Susan Ireland, Ronnie Wade, Robert Schlaegel, Jan Bythway, Al and Peggy Weaver, Debbie Shartle, David Langdon, Larry Rauls, Manuel Rivera Callura, Chris Saxton, Kacy Krieg, Holly Lawler, and Katie Wallace.
This is the first time Lady Lake has sponsored a tree drawing. In the past, Lady Lake has planted a large number of trees but Director Burske explained the city only has so much land so the city decided to enlist the help of the residents to increase the number of trees in Lady Lake.
The celebration concluded with the planting of a tree on the town hall grounds.
