Lehighton's initiative to plant 150 trees in honor of the borough's upcoming sesquicentennial celebration has received a huge boost.

Earlier this month, volunteers and members of the Lehighton Shade Tree Commission congregated at the D&L pavilion along Lehigh Drive.Mark Hoffman, chairman of the shade tree commission, said the volunteers were given a brief talk on safety and proper planting techniques before they were dispersed with a shovel in hand to start planting the 141 trees."It was such a gratifying sight seeing the cars and trucks arrive loaded with volunteers braving the rain, all in the spirit of making Lehighton just a little more beautiful and greener," Hoffman said.Hoffman said the first ceremonial tree planted was the tree donated by Bonnie Knauss in memory of her loving husband of 44 years. The tree was picked as the ceremonial first tree because Bonnie was the first donor contributing toward this initiative when it launched in September, he said.Some of the groups represented were employees of Mauch Chunk Trust, who all wore matching T-shirts; Marine recruits under the direction of Sgt. Brandon Bender; Girl Scout troops; Daisy troops; Boy Scouts; Lehighton Downtown Initiative; Alpha Phi Omega from Kutztown University; members of the sesquicentennial committee; borough council members; and many dedicated and committed residents from Lehighton and nearby communities.Hoffman said one of the volunteers expressed to him he was ecstatic to learn that trees would be planted along Lehigh Drive, as he had been wishing for this to happen for a long time.One of the more touching stories of the day, he said, was when Boy Scout Grant Rimbey took on the task of planting a tree that was dedicated in honor of his grandfather.Hoffman said one of the main objectives of this initiative was to get more residents involved with the planting and donation of trees."The hope is that by donating or planting a tree, there will be more of a connection to the tree and to their town," he said.Hoffman said other areas planted within the borough included Baer Memorial Park; below the recreation center; within the community Grove; and along many of the streets within the borough.The trees planted included various varieties of oaks, dogwoods, Cleveland pears and red maples, Hoffman said."Based on the fact that 148 of the 150 trees were donated in honor or memory of a loved one, confirms this initiative was an overwhelming success," he said.Hoffman said the 149th and 150th trees will be planted during the sesquicentennial celebration, starting June 25.The 149th tree will be in honor and memory of prior, as well as current, residents of the borough, while the 150th tree will be in honor of the future residents of the town, he said.Hoffman said there will also be seven trees planted on Arbor Day in partnership with the Lehighton Middle School students, who will plant red oak trees within the grove on Arbor Day under the direction of their teacher, Joe Yescavage.He said the idea to plant 150 trees in honor of the borough's 150 year anniversary was originally suggested at a Lehighton Shade Tree meeting last summer.The eight-day celebration will take place from June 25 through July 2.