After a breakfast of doughnuts and fruit, we split up into five teams and began going to our areas to plant tree--including dogwood, oak, and red bud--in the green strips between the streets and sidewalks. My group of about ten went north of Benton Park. In about three hours, we were able to plant about 50 trees. I had not planted a tree in years, but after a short course by the Forest ReLeaf people, my fellow volunteers and I were able to dig holes and plant the trees. Forest ReLeaf loaned us the shovels and pickaxes we used, and provided the tree saplings they had grown on their CommuniTree Nursery at Creve Coeur Lake Park (http://moreleaf.org/learn/nursery-tours/). Forestry Division personnel brought the saplings and mulch over to the planting sites.
I did have a bit of a mishap well into this shift, as my belt broke and my pants sagged. I was able to use my rain jacket threaded through my pants' belt loops as an improvised belt and it was good enough for the rest of the shift.
After the trees were planted, we went back to Benton Park for box lunches from Subway (https://www.subway.com/en-US) and the thanks of Enterprise and Forest ReLeaf for our efforts. I was certainly happy and proud to have taken part. I trust the residents will appreciate the new trees on their streets, especially when the trees grow towards full size.
After this stint, I headed towards Pattonville High School (https://phs.psdr3.org/) in Maryland Heights. After stopovers at a Target (https://www.target.com/) in Brentwood for a new belt and a library to change my shoes and pants, I arrived at the high school in the early afternoon. Pattonville was hosting a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineers, and Mathematics) event aimed at school children and their teachers. The Missouri Aviation Historical Society, or MOAHS (https://moavhist.org/) had a table there with information on the group, and on the upcoming Spirit of St. Louis Air Show and STEM Expo (http://spirit-airshow.com/) this September. Joe Gurney from the Society asked me to relieve him that afternoon, as he had to leave for another event, so I agreed. In addition to promoting MOAHS, I also promoted the Gateway Chapter of the International Plastic Modelers' Society (https://sites.google.com/view/ipmsgatewaychapter/home). I brought in some models and IPMS/Gateway flyers for the table, and there were a few visitors who showed interest in our club and picked up our flyers.
Most visitors had left by the time I arrived on site, but I stayed until mid-afternoon when the other groups were starting to pack up. One of the fair's organizers thanked me and my groups for coming, and I gave her an IPMS/Gateway flyer.
It was quite a busy, yet fulfilling day for me.
Later.
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