Tuesday, November 25, 2003
By Nancy Talley
The Winchester Star
A Norway spruce tree will grow on the grounds of the Shawnee Volunteer Fire Department on Weems Lane to commemorate the rescue workers nationwide who responded to the World Trade Center terrorists attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
 A blue spruce tree was planted at Shawnee Volunteer Fire and Rescue by the Winchester-Clarke Garden Club to honor rescue workers from Sept.11, 2001. In the above photo, James Underwood of Oakland Tree Plantation in Clarke County pulls open the branches of the tree planted. Those taking part in the planting were Peter Cook, one of the owners of Oakland Tree plantation, Robbie Bailey, vice president of the fire company, and Jane Foster, chairwoman of the project for the garden club. (Photos by Rick Foster)  |
Donated and planted by Peter Cook of Oakland Orchard, Berryville, the tree was commissioned by the Winchester-Clarke Garden Club as part of a statewide project of The Garden Club of Virginia. The GCV has requested that each of its 47 member clubs plant a community tree honoring the 9-11 heroes.
An inscribed stone made by Grove Monuments is installed at the foot of the spruce as a reminder of its purpose. Jane Foster of Winchester, a past president of the Winchester-Clarke Garden Club, is chairwoman of the local project, assisted by Susan Carney of Winchester and Polly Crawford and Judy Dougherty, both of Berryville.
Current civic contributions of the Winchester-Clarke Garden Club include the restoration of Dogwood Lane at Blandy Experimental Farm, the State Arboretum of Virginia, which earlier this year won a $7,500 Founders Fund award from The Garden Club of America.
The Garden Club of Virginia is restoring the original stone wall along Dogwood Lane with proceeds from Historic Garden Week in Virginia.
Earlier, the Little Garden Club of Winchester, also a member club of The Garden Club of Virginia, planted three red maple trees at Timbrook Park in honor of the Sept. 11 heroes. The choice of planting location was based in part upon the park’s being named for a local police officer killed in the line of duty.