Sunbury committee outlines Arbor Day, fishing derby, Memorial Day plans and time-capsule work

Committee staff described several upcoming community events and a new time-capsule working group during the April 21 meeting.

On Arbor Day, staff said Aaron Noblett will plant a ginkgo tree at the pocket lot at Cherry and Columbus and Delaware Soil and Water Conservation will give seedlings to the first 100 attendees; the program will include a rain-barrel demonstration, a scavenger hunt on the square and children's crafts.

Staff confirmed the Jackson Preston Memorial Fishing Derby will be held May 2, with the reservoir scheduled to be stocked on May 1; the event is open to the public and will take place in the morning.

Market Day for Memorial Day and the city's Memorial Day commemoration were also discussed. Committee staff said the veterans’ commemoration will be held at the new parking lot at Granville and Columbus with about 100–150 chairs available, reserved mobility parking, the traditional march down Columbus Street, and 21-gun salutes at both the square memorial and the Fallen Heroes Memorial.

Members also formed a working group to develop an America 250 time capsule and asked residents for ideas about objects that represent Sunbury today. Committee members reported an ongoing local effort to locate an older time capsule said to have been buried on the square; library and historical-society records have not yet located the capsule and staff suggested surface inspection of a marked stone near the gazebo before more invasive searches.

A staff representative noted the Department of Natural Resources discourages planting trees on reservoir banks because such plantings can destabilize the banks, which informed their response to a resident's question about tree replacement at the reservoir. The committee confirmed the next events meeting for May 19 and discussed logistics for meeting setup at the high school before adjourning business.