We will be holding our annual “Tree City” celebration on March 15 at 4 p.m. in front of the pickleball courts off of Park Drive. The public is invited to attend. Carlsbad was named a 2022 Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation. There will be a short ceremony, and we’ll also take a look at some of the recent trees that have been planted in the area.
We have a new Tree Board chairman in Dave Rogers, and a new Parks Superintendent in Michael Hernandez. We know they are excited about having a Tree City USA event. “Tree City USA” recognition is achieved by forming a tree board or department, having a tree care ordinance, having an annual community forestry budget and having an Arbor Day observance and proclamation. Arbor Day has been around since 1872 when more than a million trees were planted in Nebraska.
Carlsbad became a “Tree City” member in 2010, thanks to the hard work of former resident Lynn Atwood. We’re very proud of our beautiful parks, and we’re very committed to keeping our trees healthy and replenished.
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It sure seems like this year is going by quickly- and we’re already starting to have meetings to discuss our upcoming Independence Day celebration. This year, the Fourth of July will be on a Monday, but we’re going to expand the celebration throughout the weekend to celebrate our liberties and welcome back some of Carlsbad’s biggest legacies.
As always, our famous fireworks show will take place on the Fourth of July itself, a little after 9 p.m. We are also planning musical performances at the beach bandshell on Sunday and Monday evening.
We’ll have our annual Independence Day parade on Monday morning, and it will conclude at the Eddy County Courthouse. We’ll be honoring some of our veterans at a ceremony again this year and we’d like to include our Korean War veterans as part of this ceremony. Please let us know of any Korean War veterans living in Eddy County, so we can give them a special invitation. We will also have a tribute to any Korean War veterans who have passed away, so we appreciate all names and suggestions.
We’ve made one big change to this year’s schedule – the Independence Day boat parade, which goes down the Pecos River, has been moved to Sunday evening. That way, participants can decorate their boats to make the celebration extra special.
We are in the process of looking for sponsors to support this year’s event. Please contact us if you’d like more information about sponsoring the Independence Day concerts and celebration.
Sincerely,
Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway