The City of Lilburn will host an Arbor Day celebration on Saturday, March 16, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. at City Park. This year’s celebration will include the dedication and planting of a tree in honor of former mayor Diana Preston and the dedication of a bench to honor the late Diane Bronk, a longtime city volunteer.
The first 50 families in attendance will receive a 16-inch seedling to take home. Refreshments will be provided by the Lilburn Woman’s Club. Thank you to McKinley Landscape for their generous donation of the tree being planted at this year’s celebration.
Diana Preston is a long-time Lilburn resident. She became interested in city government in the 1980s and served on Lilburn’s first citizens’ planning commission. In addition to serving as Mayor of Lilburn from 2007-2011, Ms. Preston served as a board member of Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful and the Lilburn Woman’s Club. She continues to be active in the Lilburn community, volunteering with the Lilburn Woman’s Club, serving on the Downtown Development Authority, and working as volunteer Executive Director for the Lilburn Community Partnership.
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Diane Bronk was an active member of the Lilburn Woman’s Club until her passing in November of 2012. She volunteered many hours with the City of Lilburn, assisting with elections, various special events, and employee luncheons. Ms. Bronk is remembered fondly for her many contributions to the community and for the wonderful Santa sketches she did each year.
Lilburn celebrates Arbor Day through its participation in the Tree City USA program. In 1872, Julius Sterling Morton proposed a special day be set aside, dedicated to tree planting and creating awareness of the importance of trees. That first Arbor Day resulted in over one million trees being planted in Nebraska. Today, Arbor Day is celebrated in communities across the country.