The City of Comer will host two groundbreaking achievements on Friday, April 26: the ribbon cutting for the recently planted Comer Pollinator Garden and its first annual National Arbor Day celebration as a Tree City USA.
First, the Madison County Chamber of Commerce President and CEO, Anna Strickland, and Chamber members will do the ribbon cutting at 10:30 a.m. at the Comer Travel Museum located at 1984 Center St. Through the efforts of entomologist Dr. Jennifer Berry, the secretary of the Honey Pond Garden Club, the club was awarded a grant of over $4,300 from the Georgia Beekeepers Association License Plate Fund to create a pollinator garden around the Comer Travel Museum downtown. Not only is this project geared to plant a habitat that will feed pollinators, it will also educate visitors and encourage folks to plant their own pollinator gardens.
Secondly, the National Arbor Day celebration will follow at noon on the grounds of Yarbrough Park in Comer at the corner of Main Street (SR 22) and North Avenue. Comer’s Arbor Day celebration on April 26 will consist of a reading of the City of Comer’s proclamation honoring Arbor Day, followed by an Arbor Day keynote speech delivered by the esteemed Madison County Pastor Calvin Ward who, at age 95, has a razor-sharp mind and real passion for speaking on the virtues of trees. Finally, the Honey Pond Garden Club of Comer will join Mayor Jimmy Yarbrough and the City Council in planting a white oak tree in the park.
The City of Comer has been working in partnership with the Honey Pond Garden Club of Comer to earn the designation as the first Tree City USA in Madison County. The City’s effort has been led by City Councilman Michael Wilder, who has worked over two years to ensure all requirements have been met to qualify.
Trees provide much more than beauty and support for pollinators and other wildlife. In an urban setting like Comer, trees absorb the sounds of traffic by 40%, according to the National Arbor Day Foundation. Neighborhoods with trees are seven to eight degrees cooler in summer than those without, and trees reduce energy costs up to 25% by shading buildings and protecting them from winter winds.
Please join the proud Comerians as they celebrate the new pollinator garden and the city’s new status as Madison County’s first Tree City USA.
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