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By NOAH WORTHAM | Managing Editor

ALABASTER – Alabaster residents will have an opportunity to secure their very own tree and learn about how to maintain and take care of it during Alabaster’s annual Arbor Day.

The Alabaster Parks and Recreation Department, with assistance from the Alabaster Beautification Board, will host the city’s annual Arbor Day celebration on Saturday, March 8 from 8-11 a.m. The event will take place rain or shine at the maintenance building at Alabaster’s Veterans Park.

“It’s just a family event to pass out trees and raise awareness of the importance of trees and the impact trees and plants have on the environment,” Lawley said.

Registration for Arbor Day begins at 8 a.m. with a Coca Cola music truck set to be present from 8-11 a.m. Door prize giveaways will take place at 8:50 a.m. and tree distribution will start at 9 a.m. During the event approximately 175 trees and 200 saplings will be distributed for free to Alabaster residents.

The following types of trees will be distributed during the event:

• Jane Magnolia
• Red Maple
• Sugar Maple
• White Dogwood
• Pink Dogwood
• Red Dogwood
• Eastern red bud
• Pin Oak
• Red Oak
• Red Crape Myrtle
• Purple Crape Myrtle
• Pink Crape Myrtle

During Arbor Day, eight representatives from Shelby County Master Gardeners will be present to offer tips and advice to attendees on how to plant trees and answer any other gardening-related questions people may have.

“I would like to give a special thanks for all the help we received from the Alabaster Beautification Board on this,” Lawley said.

Several giveaways will take place on Arbor Day for those present with gardening supplies and decorations set to be administered.

“Our Parks and Recreation department does a really good job of putting this on every year and they’ve kind of gotten it down to a science, especially having all of the different kinds of trees available to people,” Alabaster Public Relations Manager Neal Wagner said. “It’s something that I know they really enjoy doing, and we always have a really good turn out.”

Following the Arbor Day celebrations on March 8, the Alabaster Beautification Board will sponsor a class on planting, transplanting and repotting trees and shrubs on Saturday, March 29 from 1-3 p.m. at the Albert L. Scott Library. Jefferson County Master Gardener David Doggett will speak during the event.