Holden Arboretum Celebrates Arbor Day, 4.26–4.28

The Holden Arboretum in Kirtland is celebrating Arbor Day weekend, Friday thru Sunday, April 26–28th, with FREE admission for the whole family. Each day, the first 250 guests (one per family) will receive a tree seedling to plant. The seedlings are Prunus americana, or American plum. The tree blooms white flowers in early spring, grows edible fruit, likes dry soil and attracts birds.

The special weekend includes tree-climbing demos, lumberjack shows, crafts, food and more.

The first Arbor Day was April 10, 1872, in Nebraska. J. Sterling Morton (1832-1902), a Nebraska journalist and politician originally from Michigan, was focused on improving agricultural techniques in Nebraska and throughout the United States when he served as President Grover Cleveland's secretary of agriculture. Morton felt that Nebraska's landscape and economy would benefit from the wide-scale planting of trees, and set an example by planting orchards, shade trees and wind breaks on his own farm, and he urged his neighbors to follow suit. He proposed that a special day be set aside dedicated to tree planting and increasing awareness of the importance of trees.

Nebraska's first Arbor Day was a success. More than 1 million trees were planted. A second Arbor Day took place in 1884, and Nebraska made it an annual legal holiday in 1885, using April 22 to coincide with Morton's birthday. Today all 50 states celebrate Arbor Day, although the dates may vary in keeping with the local climate. Arbor Day is also celebrated in other parts of the world.

The Holden Arboretum
9550 Sperry Road
Kirtland, Ohio 44094