The Great Tree Giveaway, Part 2

The second tree giveaway was held in Texarkana last Saturday morning. Before the e-mail went out, I sent my own proactive note saying something like, "If you have enough volunteers, I'd be happy to sit this one out. Please let me know." To which, the response came that nobody had signed up for this event. Therefore, I opted to go. 

After I replied, the leader of the Master Gardener group sent out a blanket note asking for volunteers. Because most of this group can't figure out how not to "reply all" I counted at least seven other Master Gardeners who should be arriving. That's a good number for this kind of event. 

Saturday morning, I arrived at Spring Lake Park--Texarkana's version of Central Park--at 8 a.m. That was the time mentioned on the e-mail. I was told there would be 800 trees this time, which was a far cry from the last event where we had 40 bags and we were done by 9:18 a.m.. And just like last time, people were already lined up waiting for their free trees. 

What wasn't mentioned in the e-mail was this wasn't a Master Gardener event. This was a City of Texarkana event. Those folks had arrived at 7:30. They had already filled the bags (we had 100 bags when all was said and done, not 800 trees) and had no idea any Master Gardeners were expected to arrive at all. The spokesperson I chatted with, said they didn't want to "waste paper" by putting the actual planting directions in with the trees (they had about 500 pre-printed copies of the directions, provided by the US Forest Department, from what I could see). Instead, the directions were only to be given out if someone demanded planting directions. 

With an hour to kill, Myra, (one of the Master Gardener trainees) and I snuck the box of the planting directions and started working the line. We walked up to every vehicle (the City of Texarkana employees summarily ignored the winding line RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM, instead, opting to eat their donuts), said hello to folks and gave them the planting directions. We chatted with the folks in line about what they could expect ("you will be getting a bald cypress, a chinkapin and an oak tree") and after a 10 second Google, said a few other comments like "plant the cypress in full sun." We also told anyone who wanted to hear--after all, we are a community organization--about the Master Gardener program and invited them to our class next week. 

At--I'm not making this up--9:05 the folks from the bureaucrats from the City of Texarkana decided they would finally give out the trees. Anyone who wanted more than one bag was told to drive around the line a second time. We didn't run out of trees this time, but the folks from the City of Texarkana decided the event was over with by 9:45. 

As I was getting ready to leave, the same woman who told me about not giving out the planting directions, pointed to the box (which obviously she hadn't opened) and said, "See, nobody needed those anyway." At that point, Myra and I made our exit and before she knew any better.