LYNN — As the flowers start to bloom and the leaves turn green, the city is continuing to celebrate Earth Day. Tuesday saw the planting of trees at locations throughout the city, including Flax Pond, and a celebration near the Frederick Douglass Bandstand at the Common.
In the morning, residents came to Flax Pond to watch the Department of Public Works plant two Higan cherry trees, one in honor of Leda Barr, a resident who frequented the park for many years.
Barr was born in Lynn in 1922 and lived long enough to become a centenarian, dying at the age of 100. She spent many years giving back by working as a nurse and was at one point a special duty nurse in a handful of area hospitals.
She lived on Carver Road behind the pond for 71 years and walked around Flax Pond often, even at an old age. When she died, her ashes were spread there.
Barr’s neighbors on Carver Road, who knew her throughout different stages of her life, loved her greatly. Some, including Lynn resident Josie Weaver, came to remember her at the park.
Weaver spoke at the tree planting to keep Barr’s memory alive in a place she cared for and had a big impact on.
“She was the heart and soul of Carver Road,” Weaver said. “And to know Leda was to love her.”
There are tulips near her ashes to honor her, right next to the newly planted Higan cherry trees.
Mayor Jared Nicholson also stopped by to support the community’s environmental efforts for Earth Day and spoke about the importance of the additional trees.
“These trees will serve so many purposes for the neighborhood… finding shade, cleaning the air, making the space more beautiful,” Nicholson said. “And having them in the community is a huge benefit.”
He also spoke about the community’s effort to keep the area clean and protected.
Those who came to honor Barr hugged one another after Nicholson’s speech.
In the afternoon, the celebration continued on the Common. Entities such as the nonprofit Food Project, Waste Management, the Department of Public Health, and the Mayor’s Office came together to provide different activities focused on the Earth to the city’s residents.
“We are lucky to have a lot of folks in this city that are so committed to our environment and our planet, and we want to make sure that we pass that on to the next generation,” Nicholson said to attendees.
Waste Management had a table at the event with numerous flyers and magnets with information on how to recycle and the importance of recycling.
“It’s good to get the message out that you need to recycle. There is an afterlife for these products,” Waste Management employee Christine DeRosa said.
The event also included Earth Day-themed stickers and tattoos, a do-it-yourself tote-bag decorating station, numerous coloring activities, and a station where people could plant their own local seed and take it home.
Marwa Ait Rami, a first grader at Washington Elementary School, was there with her mom and said she was most excited about all the coloring she was getting to do.
When asked why she likes the Earth, Ait Rami said “there’s lots of beautiful plants.” She said her favorite is the rose “because it’s so pretty.”
While coloring in a picture of the Earth, Ait Rami was asked why taking care of it is so important.
“Because we live here,” she said.
Attendees at the celebration included city councilors, city employees, residents, and around 30 children from the Boys and Girls Club.
