Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

VALLEY — The City of Valley and its Valley Tree Board will have their annual tree giveaway outside city hall on Saturday, March 8th. It will get under way at 8 a.m. ET and continue until all the small trees are given away.

“We are excited about this year’s giveaway,” said Tree Board President Suzie Britt. “It’s our 30th anniversary of doing this as a member of Tree City USA, and we are celebrating by giving away pear, crabapple, Japanese magnolia (or tulip) trees and a variety known as Nantucket Viburnum.”

To be given away in a drawing will be a Carnelia bush and a Butterfly bush.

Britt said she was especially pleased to have a special guest present for the tree giveaway. “We will have our own able gardner, Milner Letson, and his father, Jacob Letson,” she said. “They will have some giveaways on Saturday, too. You will need to be there to see what they will have.”

Britt said the Tree Board wanted to thank Mayor Leonard Riley and members of the Valley City Council for their support of the city’s Tree Board and its annual giveaway program. “I also want to thank fellow Tree Board members for being there to help out every year, and I especially want to thank Public Works Director Patrick Bolt and his crew for being there every year to help with the distribution of the young trees. We also thank The Valley Times-News for the good job they do every year in getting the word out about our tree giveaway.”

Britt adds that the always enjoy hearing stories from Valley residents about the trees they have gotten at past giveaways and how well they have been growing here in Valley. “They tell us about how long they have been living and whether they have given fruit, flowers, shade or beauty around their home. It’s conscientious people like that that makes Valley such a great place to live,” she said. “I love hearing stories of how they came with their children years ago to get some trees on giveaway day and now they are coming with both children and grandchildren. Thanks to all Valley residents who have turned out over the years to make Tree Giveaway Day the special occasion it always is. I look forward to seeing you all again this year.”