Rawlins Hosts Arbor Day Celebration This Weekend

MAY 29, 2025 |

Photo – Arbor Day Celebration itinerary – Courtesy City of Rawlins

The City of Rawlins is hosting its annual Arbor Day Celebration this Saturday.

This Saturday, May 31^st, the City of Rawlins will be holding a fun run, tree sale, and a flower and pruning demonstration at the Family Recreation Center.

Arbor Day is a national celebration dedicated to the planting, care, and preservation of trees. The first Arbor Day was celebrated on April 10th, 1872, in Nebraska City, Nebraska. Within two decades, every state except Delaware was celebrating the tree-themed event. On April 28th, 1972, roughly 100 years after its inception, President Richard Nixon officially designated Arbor Day as a national holiday.

Rawlins has been recognized by the Arbor Day Foundation as a Tree City USA, meaning the city has demonstrated a strong commitment to urban forestry and tree care. An annual Arbor Day celebration is required to maintain the designation.

University of Wyoming Ag and Natural Resources Extension Educator Abby Perry explained there will be two races of different lengths held during the Arbor Day celebrations: a 5K and a 1K. Participation in the races is free. However, donations will be accepted during the event to support school running programs around Rawlins.

Both, the 1K and 5K races, will take place across the street from the rec center at the sports complex. Maps of the race routes will be available.

All fun run participants will receive free seedlings. The first man and woman to finish the 5K will each receive a free tree.

After the races have finished, the City will begin a tree sale. UW Extension Educator Perry said between 100 and 130 region-appropriate trees will be available to purchase.

While the tree sale is underway, the City will have a bounce house set up in the rec center, along with food trucks. Additionally, attendees can buy commemorative Arbor Day t-shirts during the event.

Raffle tickets will also be available for purchase. For $5 per ticket or $10 for three, participants will be entered for a chance to win a high-value tree, most likely a chokecherry.

Starting at 11:00 a.m., the City will host two horticulture-related demonstrations. UW Extension Educator Abby Perry explained one session will showcase flower planting and the other will focus on tree maintenance.

Both, the flower planting and tree pruning demonstrations, will take place outside of the Rawlins Family Recreation Center.

Arbor Day traditionally takes place on the last Friday of April. However, Perry explained, Wyoming weather, unlike in much of the country, is usually too cold to plant trees at that time.

Instead of having residents buy trees they can’t plant, the City of Rawlins chooses to postpone the celebration until the end of May.

The Rawlins Arbor Day Celebration is this Saturday, May 31^st, at the Rawlins Family Recreation Center, located at 1616 Harshman Street. Registration for the 1K and 5K races opens at 8:00 a.m. with the races starting an hour later. The tree sale begins at 10:00 a.m. followed by the flower planting demonstration at 11:00 a.m. and the pruning demonstration at 11:30 p.m. Both demonstrations will be repeated 30 minutes later.