The Buzz: New trees in local parks, big honor for Radio Players

News and notes from around Petaluma|

Local parks get new trees courtesy of Rotary Clubs: As part of an enormous international community-service project that has been months in the planning, all three of Petaluma’s Rotary Clubs - The Rotary Club of Petaluma, Petaluma Valley Rotary, and Petaluma Sunrise Rotary - have joined forces to spread a bit of green around town. And by green we mean the leafy kind, as in young, thriving trees. Several local parks were targeted as candidates for this ambitious arboreal effort: Arroyo, Lucchesi, Wiseman, Grant, McNear, Oak Hill, Wickersham, Bond, Leghorn, McDowell, Meadow, Sunrise, Anna and Miwok.

With a goal of planting one tree for every member of Rotary over the course of 2018, there have been three planting weekends already this spring, with the final day of planting scheduled for Friday, May 11. By the time it’s done, the local clubs will have planted 150 trees.

Each day of planting has required one to two “site leaders” overseeing groups of volunteers. On the Thursday preceding each planting, the site leaders have visited the park that would be planted that weekend, to get a clear idea what would be needed, and where the trees would be placed. Workers from the City of Petaluma did the actual hole-digging, with Rotary members doing the planting of the trees, including packing new soil around the trees and installing stakes to protect the trees.

“The city workers have been amazing!” says Tony Lander, who’s been helping with the effort since its inception. “They’ve made sure we are planting and watering properly, and they will continue watering to be sure the trees are all successful in their future growth.”

Petaluma Radio Players gets good news: Petaluma’s four-year-old audio theater troupe known as the Petaluma Radio Players has just learned that two of its radio plays have been nominated for honors by the HEAR Now Festival, which will be taking place in Kansas City, Missouri in June. Considered the radio theater’s most prestigious gathering, the HEAR Now Festival gives out awards in several “divisions,” from Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum. Petaluma Radio Players has had their satirical fairy tale “Be Bold! Be Bold!” nominated in the Silver Division. Awards will be announced on the final day of the festival, June 10. The play was written by Houston playwright Donna Latham. Another Petaluma Radio Players production, “The Misadventures of the Disobliging Cadaver,” by UK playwright Vince Stadon, will be played during the Festival as part of its Podcast Palooza event.

(Have a BUZZ item to suggest? Drop a line to David at david.templeton@arguscourier.com)

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