Starting at 7am this morning 103.3 The Edge, the Olmsted Parks Conservancy and a host of various Buffalo tree huggers have been stationed at Fat Bob’s in Allentown. Shortly after 8am, a ‘full blow’ parade set out into the city’s historic Tree District, while Dakota Skye was officially crowned Miss Arbor Day . All this to commemorate The Biggest Arbor Day Party in America. With visits from members of the Botanical Gardens, Reinstein Woods, Winnie the Pooh (currently sucking down beers at the bar), nut aficionados, a live demonstration by a painter by the name of Blair Rusin, and anyone who has a penchant for drinking beers early in the morning, the inaugural Arbor Day celebration, despite the chilly AM temperatures, is being considered a raging success.
The event’s t-shirts sold out by 9:30am, and plantable pine sprigs (not pussy willow branches) can be seen in the hands of many a reveler. “This whole thing is absolutely hysterical,” one of the bartenders told me. “I love it!” The really funny thing is that although this celebration was fueled by a couple of on air guys with a good sense of humor, the message of Arbor Day is loud and clear in Buffalo. Tree groups are getting their messages out to those who care… and even those who don’t care. In the end, it’s an opportunity for organizations such as Olmsted Parks to share information on efforts such as ReLeaf – a program that goes a long way towards reforesting our urban parks.