Local Boy Scout continues tradition of planting cherry trees
A new generation of Cherry Hill residents stepped up earlier this month to participate in the annual planting of cherry trees along Chapel Avenue.
On Aug. 12, a group of Boy Scouts from Troop 70 in Cherry Hill woke up early in the morning to participate in a community beautification project. The Scouts planted seven cherry trees along the township’s lane of cherry blossoms at Chapel Avenue. The new trees were planted just east of the Chapel Avenue and Haddonfield Road intersection.
The Scouts’ participation was thanks to the efforts of Karl Eberhardt, a rising sophomore at Cherry Hill High School West. Eberhardt chose to plant cherry trees for his Eagle Scout community service project.
“I just saw it as a project for the public,” Eberhardt said. “I haven’t heard anything else about it in my time in Cherry Hill.”
Eberhardt admitted he didn’t know much about the history of the cherry trees prior to doing the project. However, he was able to learn about the significance of the trees from long-time resident Joseph Zanghi.
Zanghi was one of a number of community members who began replacing the shade trees along Chapel Avenue with cherry trees in the early 1970s. This movement also led to the creation of the Cherry Blossom Parade and Festival, an annual event held in the township from 1973 to 1992. While the parade and festival ended 25 years ago, the annual tradition of planting cherry trees continues today. The Cherry Hill Fire Department annually plants new trees along Chapel Avenue with the help of other local organizations.
After hearing about all of the details, Eberhardt was excited to move forward with the project.
“(Zanghi) filled me in on all of the details and how he’s been doing it for 43 years,” Eberhardt said.
Before the planting could occur, Eberhardt had to raise money to purchase trees. To do this, he reached out to numerous people and local businesses.
“I went out looking for people or companies that wanted to sponsor some trees,” he said. “I’d send the letter I made out to people asking if they wanted to sponsor a tree.”
Eberhardt raised enough money to purchase seven trees. Next, he reached out to dozens of people to see if they would volunteer their time to plant the trees. Eberhardt recruited 35 volunteers to join members of the Cherry Hill Fire Department to come out for the Aug. 12 planting. Eberhardt said the volunteers put in a combined 140 hours of service into the project.
“Most of them were from my own Boy Scout troop,” Eberhardt said of the volunteers. “We also had some friends and some family come out.”
“It feels really good that I was able to contribute to the beautification of the roadway,” Eberhardt added.
This year’s cherry tree planting may not be the last one for Eberhardt. He said planting cherry trees is something he would possibly consider doing again in the future.
