ROCK SPRINGS – You can participate in the city-wide cleanup, help a neighbor, take a child to a park, eat a burger and plant a tree all in the month of May.
At the recently Rock Springs City Council meeting, several events were brought forward through proclamations. They included everything from doing random acts of kindness for a neighbor to celebrating burger month.
Arbor Day
On May 20, the city will once again take part in Arbor Day. In 1872, J. Sterling Morton approached the Nebraska Board of Agriculture asking that a day be set aside for the planting of trees. More than a million trees were planted on the initial holiday, and it has since become a worldwide event.
For the city of Rock Springs, this will mark the 21st year the city has participated in the event. Parks Supervisor Mark Lyon said Rock Springs is the fifth longest running city in the state which participates in the state tree planting event.
This year, residents can once again take part in the celebration. The city will be meeting at Wetlands Park on May 20 to plant 40 trees, and the public is invited to come down and help. Planting will begin at 10 a.m.
Lyon explained the trees they will plant are purchased from a Exxon Mobile Grant which the city gets through the state. They are contributed and distributed through the state forestry division.
Burger Month
Mayor Carl Demshar also proclaimed and recognized the month of May as Burger Month. National Hamburger Month is a tried and true commemorative holiday used by various governments, groups and organizations to commemorate and celebrate a true American food – the hamburger. Each year, Americans consume 14 billion and purchase 5 billion hamburgers each year.
To help celebrate Hamburger Month, the Rock Springs Main Street/Urban Renewal Agency has brought back the popular burger challenge. This is its second year.
To participate, residents must eat a burger at five different stops, Bitter Creek Brewing, Broadway Burger, Coyote Creek, Grubs and Remedies. Diners will then share a photo of each of their dining excursions to the Downtown Rock Springs Facebook page, via email or in person at their office.
When they’ve completed all five stops, they’ll be presented with a Certificate of Epic Achievement, signed by Mayor Carl Demshar, as well as a Downtown Rock Springs Burger Challenge t-shirt.
Do Something Good for Your Neighbor Day
The city also proclaimed May 16 as do something good for your neighbor day. Demshar challenged residents to use the day to do random acts of kindness for neighbors throughout the city.
“It brings the City of Rock Springs residents of all ages, cultures, religions, and economic backgrounds together in efforts to perform acts of love and kindness throughout the neighborhood of its city,” Demshar said.
He was quick to point out, May 16 is also city-wide cleanup and urged people to again participate to help the entire city. Contact the Rock Springs Chamber of Commerce for details on how you can participate in city-wide cleanup.
Kids to Parks Day
May 16 was also proclaimed take a kids to parks day. This is an annual nationwide day launched by the National Park Trust.
The proclamation reads it is important to introduce a new generation to the nation’s parks because of the decline in park attendance over the last decades. It is also set up to encourage children to lead a more active lifestyle to combat health issues.
