Pawnee City chamber planting 100 trees as part of city beautification project

PAWNEE CITY - As part of the city's continuing beautification project, the Pawnee City Chamber of Commerce plans to plant 100 new trees in the city during the week of April 21-28.

Steve Glenn, Pawnee City Chamber of Commerce president, said 50 redbud trees and 50 red maple trees would be planted throughout the community. The event coincides with Arbor Day, which is April 27 this year.

In addition, the Nebraska Legislature last year designated Pawnee City as the “Redbud Capital of Nebraska.”

Glenn says trees would be arriving from growers in mid-April. Committee chairs Joe Davis and Carolyn VanHorne will be distributing the trees to people requesting them. Homeowners will be responsible for planting and care of the trees.

Residents wishing to receive a tree should call VanHorne at 852-2775.

Glenn said the chamber began the citywide beautification program two years ago.

This year, he said the chamber was excited to expand the tree-planting and beautification program by planting 50 red maple trees. He said the red maples would complement the beautiful spring flower of the redbud tree with the fiery red fall foliage of a red maple.

Glenn said in 2005 the Pawnee City Chamber started the idea of having Pawnee City designated as the Redbud Capitol of Nebraska.

That first year the chamber purchased 200 trees that were given away to Pawnee City grade school students to plant and 100 additional redbud trees were planted throughout the city. In 2006 an additional 67 redbud trees were planted.

Glenn said the project goal is to plant a redbud tree on every home lot in the city.

“Every spring we hope to see hundreds of people visiting our town as the redbud trees burst into full bloom,” he said. “This will be something that people from around the region will be interested in coming to Pawnee City to view.”

Chamber officials are hoping that while people are in town to view the redbuds, the community will develop special shopping and dining venues for visitors to enjoy as well.

“As the project gets going we could possibly expand this to include a ‘Redbud Festival' in the spring,” Glenn said.