By Kelly White
Cicadas are coming and the Village of Palos Park is ready.
The village hosted its 31st annual Arbor Day Celebration on Sunday, May 5, themed, “The Wonder of Trees” at The Center in the Lodge, 12700 Southwest Highway, with featured speaker, Tricia Bethke of The Morton Arboretum who presented, “Cicadas in the Park.”
“I couldn’t wait to see our community come together at the Arbor Day celebration,” Palos Park Mayor Nicole Milovich-Walters, said. “As we prepare for the cicadas to emerge, this event offered us a chance to take a moment to appreciate nature’s incredible wonders and to remind us of the importance of preserving our environment for future generations.”
During the Arbor Day Celebration, Palos Park village officials handed out over 100 free seedlings to everyone that attended. There was also a free door prize raffle, along with Tricia Bethke’s presentation educational presentation.
“As part of Palos Park being Tree City USA status for 31 years, we look for new educational options to present that our community will be experiencing,” Danny Foster, Village of Palos Park Arborist, said. “Especially with our large volume of mature trees and that Palos Park is 70% surrounded by Forest Preserve.”
Foster started working for the Village in 1990 and became an arborist for the Village in 2006. The Arbor Day Celebration is one of his favorite events, he said, because there is so much for the public to gain by attending.
“It was mostly education, but attendees also gained appreciation of our special community, along with celebrating the tree uniqueness that the Palos Park community offers especially to our wildlife that live in our community along with friends and visitors that may from time-to-time pass through,” Foster said. “This in addition to a knowledgeable and educational presentation by an environmental science professional. It was beneficial because those in attendance were able to have questions, they might have answered about cicada answered.”
Bethke was contacted by the Village through email as they do often on tree issues with the Morton Arboretum being a great resource for all tree-related information. She explained how 2024 marks an important year for periodical cicadas in Illinois because periodical cicada broods XIII and XIX will be emerging throughout much of the state at the same time. Although exact times and locations will be varied, there will without a doubt be plenty of cicadas.
“She was excited to use her expertise in environmental science and pest identification to educate Palos Park on the upcoming cicada cycle,” Foster said
This year, as well, children ages 4 through 12 were able to participate in a poster contest. Entries had to be submitted by May 4 at the Kaptur Administration Center, 8999 W. 123rd St. The theme is “The Wonder of Trees.”
Posters had to be on 11 X 17 poster paper. Colored pencils, crayons and markers were able to be used for children to conjure up creative images of trees and nature.
The poster contest was judged by Village Staff, the Palos Park Tree Body, the Palos Park Beatification Committee, and the Palos Park Library Staff and prizes of $25 were awarded to the 4 to 5, 6 to 7, 8 to 9 and 10 to 12 age groups.
All entries were displayed were on display at The Lodge at The Center for “The Wonder of Trees” Arbor Day celebration.
