Norwalk-Wilton Tree Festival May 16, 2009 at Cranbury Park

The first Norwalk-Wilton Tree Festival is set for Cranbury Park May 16 (Saturday) as a collaboration of four partners in the two communities and a day of free-of-charge family fun to promote the urban forest.
The festival offers activities like a popular rope tree-climb for kids secured in harnesses and hard hats and showcases a diverse lineup of environmentally-minded exhibitors in pop-up tents and demonstrations by experts in tree care, a primer for the householder with trees on the property.
Adding the Wilton Garden Club and the Wilton Tree Committee to the sponsors this spring gives a two-community dimension to a day that has unfolded as the Norwalk Tree Festival the last two years, cosponsored by the Norwalk Tree alliance and the City of Norwalk as co-sponsors.
Dave Tracy, president of the Norwalk Tree Alliance, said: this year’s festival “will greatly expand the depth of exhibits and activities for grownups and kids alike. The association with Wilton has already added energy and new ideas to the planning and preparation. The location on the Norwalk-Wilton border is a big plus. We anticipate a major jump in attendance as the word gets out to more folks in Norwalk , Wilton and beyond.”
“The park, with its three-story, 18th century-style Gallaher Mansion, enables us to showcase the role of trees in our communities and gives us the space to accommodate the growing number of activities without overcrowding. It presents a stunning visual setting that reinforces our theme.”
“ Cranbury Park is also a special place in springtime and one of Norwalk ’s better kept secrets.”
Adds Jessica Kaplan, chairwoman of Wilton ’s tree committee and co-chairwoman of the conservation committee of the garden club: “The festival provides us with a wonderful opportunity to focus attention on our urban trees, a resource often overlooked. Wilton and Norwalk can learn so much from each other’s tree activities and enhance each community’s approach to protecting a valuable environmental asset, all while having fun and learning.”
Cranbury Park, north of the Merritt Parkway off Grumman Avenue near Route 7 covers 190 wooded acres with eight trails for hikers and bikers, a sculpture garden, a remarkable weeping beech with multiple trunks, an 18-hole Frisbee golf course and a covered pavilion where no-cost, picnic-style food and drink is to be made available, no matter the weather.
Ample parking is available on-site and door prizes are to be distributed at regular intervals over the course of the festival, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The festival falls three weeks after National Arbor Day activities April 24 at Cranbury Elementary School in Norwalk . Additional information about the festival is available by calling the City of Norwalk Customer Service Center at (203) 854-3200 or via e-mail at info@NorwalkTreeAlliance.org .