Ever wonder what it would be like to reach up to the highest branches of a 50-foot tree? At the Connecticut Tree Festival on Saturday, May 17 at Cranbury Park in Norwalk, kids will have the opportunity to sit in the bucket of an arborist’s truck and do just that. They will also have the chance to be hoisted up into a tree using ropes and saddles, guided by experienced arborists.
According to Rich Whitehead, a supervising arborist at The Care of Trees, one of the more than 40 exhibitors who will be on hand at the festival, these are just two of the many exciting, hands-on events planned for this event.
“The festival will also include demonstrations of a portable sawmill, as well as a giant tree spade that will actually dig up a tree and replant it in a different spot.” In addition, exhibitors will offer advice on many practical tree care issues such as controlling for insects and diseases, proper tree trimming and an organic gardening workshop. The event will also include activities for the very young, from face painting to scavenger hunts to arts and craft projects.
Now in its eighth year, this popular event started out as the Norwalk Tree Festival. Based on the success of the earlier festivals, it was expanded to include Wilton and many other towns throughout the state, hence the name change to the Connecticut Tree Festival. “Exhibitors now come from all over the state,” Whitehead notes. At this year’s festival, exhibitors include 11 arborists and many ecologically-minded companies, such as the Woodcock Nature Center, Earthplace, the Wilton Garden Club and Wildlife in Crisis.
During the day, there will be a tree-planting ceremony to honor the late Dick Aime, who died last year at 93, after many years of service as the secretary of the Norwalk Tree Alliance. Wilton’s own Alice Levin, a member of the Wilton Garden Club Conservation Committee and founder of the Wilton Deer Committee, will be honored as Wilton’s Tree Steward of the Year for her life-long commitment to planting and preserving trees in Wilton. Six years ago, on her 85th birthday, Alice’s children donated five trees to Wilton in her honor; their gift launched Arbor Day in Wilton and led to Wilton’s designation as a “tree city”.
The festival will feature a tree-themed art show of paintings, sculptures, photography and mixed media work by Connecticut artists, including Wilton resident Pam Rouleau, displayed in the Gallaher Mansion in Cranbury Park.
The mission of the Connecticut Tree Festival is to create awareness of the critical role that trees play in the quality of our lives – from our health to the aesthetic benefits that trees provide – and to encourage residents to provide proper care of trees on their property. “The festival is the culmination of six months worth of work putting it together and coordinating with all the various vendors,” Whitehead explains.
Not only is entrance is free, but visitors will be treated to a free lunch. “The event promises to be an exciting and educational day for the entire family,” Whitehead adds.
The Connecticut Tree Festival starts at 11am and runs until 3pm, rain or shine, in Cranbury Park, 300 Grumman Avenue in Norwalk. Anyone interested in making a contribution to support the festival can do so online.