Sumter, SC â December 2, 2015 â The City of Sumter marks its 29th year as a âTree City USAâ with a special planting during the annual Arbor Day observance on Friday, December 4, 2015 at 2 p.m. The event takes place at Memorial Park on West Hampton Avenue, in the heart of Sumterâs residential historic district.
The Tree City USA program, established in 1976 by the National Arbor Day Foundation, has recognized more than 3,400 communities nationwide for their commitment to sound urban forestry practices. Sumterâs recognition is an ongoing achievement that demonstrates the communityâs dedication to creating and maintaining a beautiful, healthy landscape.
2015âs ceremony serves in part as a tribute to Mrs. Dillonâs achievements with the selection of a Chinese Evergreen Oak to be added to the park, replacing one planted by her staff. The original tree flourished for decades until it was lost to a lightning strike this past spring. During the planting ceremony, a proclamation will be read declaring December 4th as Arbor Day in the City of Sumter. Representatives of the Sumter Master Gardeners and the Council of Garden Clubs will be present and the public is invited to attend.
Memorial Park, established in 1921, was named in honor of Sumterâs fallen soldiers of World War I. The park holds the distinction of having been designed by Mrs. Julia Lester Dillon. Mrs. Dillon, a Georgia native, had an established reputation as one of the nationâs foremost landscape architects, and was chiefly responsible for Augusta being named âThe Garden City of the South.â Following the completion of Memorial Park, Mrs. Dillon established her permanent home in Sumter where she was named Superintendent of Parks and Trees, the first woman in America to hold this distinction.
For more information, please contact Brock McDaniel, City of Sumterâs ISA Certified Arborist, at (803) 847-7967 or by e-mail at bmcdaniels@sumter-sc.com.
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