New Christmas tree planting in Liverpool to honor Arbor Day

VILLAGE OF LIVERPOOL – The local tree committee will celebrate Arbor Day by planting a new village Christmas tree at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 29, at Johnson Park.
The committee is dedicating Saturday’s tree-planting to the memory of the late Garrey Curry, a U.S. Army veteran who portrayed Santa Claus for many decades at the annual Christmas gatherings sponsored by American Legion Post 188 at Johnson Park.
Curry died in 2019 at age 77. He had played Santa for nearly four decades.
He served as commander of Legion Post 188, and he acted as marshal of the Memorial Day parade for more than 20 years.
Tree committee chairwoman Yvette Hewitt said certified arborist Teresa Link, from the Onondaga County Soil & Water Department, determined that the current evergreen which functions as the park’s holiday tree has about 10 years of life expectancy left. So on Saturday, they’re planting a six-foot Colorado blue spruce.
Ten years from now the spruce should stand between 15 and 18 feet high, Hewitt said. When it reaches maturity, it should stand 50 feet tall.
Members of the Curry family are expected to attend the planting along with the Tree Committee and members of Post 188. The public is also invited to attend.
Trustee Christina Fadden will read the Arbor Day proclamation. In 2019, Fadden oversaw the establishment of the Tree Committee, an important part of Liverpool’s  eventual designation as a “Tree City USA.”
Fadden now acts as the village government’s liaison to the tree committee which includes Hewitt, Lisa Ballantyne, Karen Bambacht, Ray Finney and Holly Granat.
For information about the village Tree Committee visit villageofliverpool.org/tree-committee.html.