Community Corner

Memorial Trees Grow at Victory Garden [Video]

Video: Arborist Rico Montenegro demonstrates to attendees how to successfully plant a tree.

About 70 attendees gathered to plant memorial fruit trees at Newtown's Victory Garden at Fairfield Hills Saturday morning — trees sponsored by arborists and universities from Pennsylvania and Minnesota as a gift to Newtown.

"It couldn't be a better day for a lot of reasons," said Victory Garden site director Harvey Pessin. "The weather; the people; the events."

After a tutorial from arborist Rico Montenegro, attendees broke into groups to plant about 30 trees in the garden — expected to eventually bear various fruits for future generations of Newtowners.

"The planting of these trees will not only add beauty, not only provide shade for those who want rest, not only sustain fruit for the hungry, but serve as a reminder of our friends who also find it better to give than to receive," said Selectman Jim Gaston.

The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation of Pittsburgh, the Metropolitan State University of of St. Paul, MN and Inver Hills Community College of St. Paul teamed with Newtown Parks and Recreation to provide the trees, presented in memory of the victims of 12/14.

"We're all getting friendlier and kinder and giving kindness back to one another," said Parks and Recreation director Amy Mangold. "Today is a demonstration of that."

About 25 attendees also got trees to take home and plant in their own yards. For more information about the project, see their post on Patch.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here