Tree Dedication

Village readies for special planting
Tree planting scheduled for April 21

By:Vanessa S. Holt, Staff Writer
April 10, 2002

   ROEBLING — The Roebling Garden Club would like to offer residents a quiet place for contemplation beneath the flowering branches of a magnolia tree.
   The dedication and planting of a special tree in front of the Roebling Post Office at Fifth and Main streets to honor the many lives touched by the events of Sept. 11 will take place April 21.
   The area around the tree will be landscaped, a bench will be installed and a plaque in front of the tree will bear the inscription that it is dedicated to everyone affected by last year's tragedy, said club members.
   "It's not just the people who lost their lives, but so many people have been affected by these events," said club member Dan Roth.
   The club decided upon a magnolia tree to represent this idea because it is a hardy species that will "be here long after we're gone," he said.
   "We didn't want a tree that would overpower the building," said club president Loretta Varga, who has had three magnolias in her back yard for 30 years.
   She said the trunk does not generally get more than a foot thick and the trees are hardy but small and bloom every year in the spring.
   Among the groups invited to attend the dedication are the Roebling Rescue Squad, which went to the World Trade Center site on the night of Sept. 11 to assist in the rescue mission.
   Also invited are the Florence Memorial High School marching band, local police and fire officials and the mayor, Mr. Roth said.
   "It's something that changed all of our lives forever," said Mr. Roth. "We thought this would be a nice thing to do here."
   Mrs. Varga said the idea came from the vice president of the club, Harry Robinson, who will supervise the landscaping.
   This Saturday, club members are invited to come to the site to begin work on the landscaping.
   "It's a nice little plot of ground," said Ms. Varga.
   The post office is built on a site that longtime Roebling residents remember as an old sledding hill. A church was going to be built on the site many years ago, said Ms. Varga, but plans did not come to fruition and a large hole was filled in after it was determined that construction would not take place.
   The Garden Club also does plantings at Roebling Circle and throughout the village. Spring daffodils are beginning to brighten up the circle.
   The dedication will take place at 1 p.m. on April 21 in front of the Roebling Post Office.

©Register-News 2002