Trees to take root in hope

LA CRESCENTA — More than a century after the inception of Arbor Day, elected officials and community members gathered at Two Strike Park on Saturday to celebrate the planting of trees.

“With all this cosmic chaos going on around us, we’re going to plant some trees,” said the Rev. Paige Eaves of United Methodist Church, who delivered the invocation for the Crescenta Valley Annual Arbor Day Ceremony.

From the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan and civil unrest in Libya, the “oddly normal act” of planting trees served as an act of faith and hope for the future, Eaves said.

More than 100 people gathered at Two Strike Park Saturday morning for the event, which was hosted by Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich, the Crescenta Valley Town Council and The Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation.

Stuart Byles, of the Crescenta Valley Historical Society, detailed the history of Arbor Day, which is observed on various dates in communities throughout the world.

The event, he said, stemmed from a young couple who had moved from Detroit to the Nebraska Territory in the 1850s and missed the forested land of Michigan. The first Arbor Day was held on April 10, 1872, and more than 1 million trees were planted.

“One good idea promoted tirelessly by an individual can truly make a difference,” he said.

The ceremony also honored the 100th anniversary of the La Crescenta Women’s Club, a local service organization that has contributed to dozens of community causes throughout the past century. A tree will be planted in front of Crescenta Valley High School to commemorate the organization.

“They have been great role models for the community,” Antonovich said.