LADY LAKE, FL — It was a gorgeous spring morning this past Arbor Day in Lady Lake, as rays of sunshine reflected off those who gathered around the grounds of North Lake Presbyterian Church on Rolling Acres Road to celebrate the planting of a red Crepe Myrtle tree in honor of Pastor Denny Dennison. Attendees of the celebration included the Children’s Youth Ministry, church members, as well as chief leaders in the community of Lady Lake.
The church named the tree after Pastor Dennison in acknowledgement of the phenomenal works he has done for them recently, as well as what he has done for the community of Lady Lake. The director of Parks and Recreation, Pastor Mike Smith, introduced key speakers such as Mike Burske (the Director of Parks and Recreation), Mayor Ruth Kussard, and Doris Turlo, who was present at the celebration to represent the Orange Blossom Gardens Lion’s Club. The Crepe Myrtle was donated to North Lake Presbyterian from the Orange Blossom Gardens Lion’s Club, as well as the rest of the trees that are planted on the church’s property.
Mayor Ruth Kussard led everyone into the pledge of allegiance and gave a speech and on the importance of Arbor Day, describing why this holiday plays a vital role in Lady Lake’s ecosystem. Betty Senter also spoke to the crowd about the history of Arbor Day. with an intriguing story of how Mr. Morton and his wife spread agricultural information and their enthusiasm for trees, which in turn encouraged others to participate in preserving trees. Mr. Morton and his wife’s works are still celebrated today, through a holiday created after them that is meant to inspire people and organizations into planting and caring for trees.
Betty also spoke on the history of the pencil, which had all the children intrigued and on the edge of their seats. One of the noteworthy facts Betty mentioned was that the demand for pencils is actually going up, despite the upwards trend in technology and computers. Another interesting tidbit she shared was that early American pencils in the 1800’s were made from the cedar wood that was located on Florida’s Cedar Key. The overwhelming demand for pencil wood at that time left the city completely harvested by the 1900’s. Since then, Florida has been more cautious to only harvest as much as the forest can sustain without causing a deficiency.
Doris Turlo from the Orange Blossom Gardens Lion’s Club mentioned that their club was challenged to plant 1 million trees within 1 year, to which they surpassed by planting over 100 million within those twelve months! They have since been challenged to plant 14 billion trees; and with over 12 billion planted so far, it is safe to say they are on the right track.
— Article & Photos by Tara Gerber
