Lone Pine Day Highlights Front Royal’s Bounceback Commitment to Positive Environmental Initiatives

Royal Examiner caught up with a busy pair, co-Lone Pine Day sponsors Justin Proctor, chairman of the Town’s ACES (Advisory Committee for Environmental Sustainability) group, and Melody Hotek, current president of the Front Royal-Warren County Tree Stewards, as the 2025 “Lone Pine Day” was kicking off at 10 a.m. Sunday morning April 27th.

Sunday’s Lone Pine Day event, with a variety of attractions to suit every member of the family at any age is held in the Gazebo-anchored Village Commons Park at the intersection of East Main and Chester Streets in historic downtown Front Royal, Virginia.

The annual event coinciding with both Earth Day (Tuesday, April 22) and Arbor Day (Friday, April 25 this year) is a celebration of the town and county’s natural environment and native foilage. A huge line extended around the Gazebo and down the sidewalk adjacent to East Main Street eastward to register for the Native Tree giveaway.

The free tree and shrub line extends around the Gazebo and down East Main St. Below, what they were lining up for. Royal Examiner Photos Roger Bianchini

“Together with Justin Proctor from ACES we worked on a grant from the Department of Forestry,” Hotek began in explaining an effort to bottom line this year’s event’s costs. “We ended up with a $68,000 grant over a two-year period. And today we’re doing a giveaway of 500 trees for the citizens of Warren County,” she said with a nod down East Main Street. “The line’s wrapped all the way around (the Gazebo) down Main Street. And there’s seven varieties of a couple of shrubs and the rest are trees. They’re in large pots and healthy, and they’re going like hotcakes.”

Indeed they were as new arrivals joined the crowd with the official 10 a.m. event starting time. Those arrivals pondered whether to immediately join the line or wait for it to thin a bit with 500 potted prizes probably outnumbering the lengthy line, at least at that point.

“Couldn’t have done it without Justin’s lead on this. And Chris Radamacher helped organize it and get the trees all in order,” Hotek added with a nod toward Proctor and an ACES supporting member. “And today we’ve got volunteers from R-MA helping us with the setup. I think there’s 45 vendors here today environmentally related.”

And it was an impressive array of vendor booths set up throughout the Village Commons Park and along the first block of Chester Street as it heads north from its East Main Street origin point.

As he approached us, Hotek acknowledged event mascot Stewart, who stopped to say hello with some new friends.

Stewart the event mascot and some new-made friends.

Proctor joined us and he and Hotek acknowledged the work of committee members who helped bring this year’s Lone Pine Day event together, including Town Director of Tourism Lizi Lewis. “We meet once a month and talk about all kinds of environmental issues going on around town,” Hotek observed, giving the floor to Proctor.

“Yea, so we’re doing a lot of work around the Greenway; a lot of Corridor findings as you leave and come into the town; the Dark Skies initiative to try and be able to see the night sky again. So, were doing a lot of downturning of lights both Commercial and Residential. And also we’re working on the AT connector trail, a three-mile trail that goes from where the Appalachain Trail crosses (Route) 522 (south) all the way into town. People can walk in directly. Those are big projects right now,” Proctor enthused of the Town’s municipal embracement of an enviornmental sustainability direction that can help fuel expanded tourism goals.

Sometimes persistence pays off, as it did for this lonely goat seeking a pat on the back. Further below, a cow gets in on the petting action.

With 10 a.m. having passed and oversight work needing to be attended to, Proctor and Hotek noted there would be a 1 p.m. official planting of two new indigenous trees between the park’s Pavillion and Laura Va. Hale Place. This reporter promised to be back, camera in hand for the tree planting.

At 1 p.m. involved committee and other members and public officials were on hand, including Front Royal Mayor Lori Cockrell and new Town Manager Joe Petty to join Proctor and Hotek in dedicating the newly, park planted Eastern Redbuds. Proctor launched the last phase of the plantings, the final filling in of the holes the trees had been set in, flanking one Maple tree planted at a previous Lone Pine Day.

Over 40 vendors with a variety of Outdoor, Environmental, and Conservation credentials were present to engage with. The Blue Ridge Wildlife Center, final shot below, hosted a Wildlife Education Program from noon to 12:30 p.m.

“It looks like more than a thousand people attending today, which is awesome. We have over 50 conservationists here,” Proctor began, acknowledging Lone Pine Day being a local connection to the celebration of Arbor Day, “The celebration of this town being a Tree City USA designation from the Arbor Day Foundation. Twenty-six years and running we have fulfilled that designation, which is a huge deal,” Proctor observed, drawing applause and cheers from those gathered for the planting ceremony.

“We are really, really fortunate to have the Front Royal-Warren County Tree Stewards who have helped that and been a catalyst for that all these years. And then all these other civic groups that have gotten involved. And then the ACES crew has gotten involved over the years and we continue to grow. I think this circle and event which showcases our conservation organizations, which continue to grow every year for a reason. Because we have really good momentum around all these really great enviornmental projects around our town.

“So, I think today is a good visual of what this town wants, who we are, what we’re excited about. And onwards and upwards,” Proctor said, handing the comments over to the Tree Stewards’ Hotek.

This 3-photo sequence illustrates the 2 new Eastern Redbuds planted to the left and right of the Maple tree, center showing more green leaves, planted at a previous Lone Pine/Arbor Day event.

“The Tree Stewards are just thrilled that we have incorporated it (Arbor Day) with Earth Day and Lone Pine Day. This is an event that started back in 1997. So, the Tree Stewards initiated the Arbor Day planting all around town. Some of us, like Emily, can remember each and every Arbor Day tree that got planted and where it’s located. “Well, maybe not all of them,” Hotek hedged playfully of the 26-year tree planting aspect of the Town’s Arbor Day history.

Of the above-referenced grant achieved through the Department of Forestry, Proctor added that those funds would be put towards expanding trees around Front Royal, educational initiatives, schoarships, beautifying our corridors, “all these really exciting things. So, it is a BIG year for us.

“This year what is pretty exciting is that we have two multi-stemmed Redbuds that we’re putting in next to the Maple. And the idea is that we are really targeting drought-tolerant trees. We know that we are in times where we’re going without rain for a month or two at at time. So, we’re specifically choosing trees that we plant around town that are drought resilient and native of course.

“So, the Eastern Redbud is a really good example of a tree that can handle some dryer conditions. They flower in the early Spring, they’re beautiful, they offer some good shade, year-round beauty. And we figured this would be a great spot to kind of bring to the back of the pavillion area here as they kind of fluff out over the years,” Proctor concluded with a nod to the Town Public Works Department, who took care of the heavy lifting in the placement and planting of the two Eastern Redbuds.

Proctor added a thank you to the Department of Forestry, whom he noted has been a big supporter of the Town’s efforts towards expanding its environmenatl sustainability.

Town ACES Chairman Justin Proctor, center white T-shirt, prefaces the final phase of the Lone Pine Day planting of 2 Eastern Redbuds known for their tolerance to drought conditions. Below, Mayor Cockrell, blue shirt, white pullover next to the two children, became philosophical about silver linings emerging from cloudy situations in citing ACES work with other agencies in improving the Town Environmental situation from which it emerged. Final shot, smile for the camera, team — not that camera, this one, or that one.

Before things wrapped up, Mayor Cockrell added an observation on the positivity of the day’s event, and how that had evolved. “I was sitting here listening like, ‘Yes, yes, that’s exactly right.’ I want to mention that sometimes in life there’s a silver lining in a cloud. And several years back when I first got on town council some things that came out negative that weren’t intended to be. And the ACES committee that the Town developed after that, which originally was ESAC (Environmental Sustainability Advisory Committee) but now it’s ACES. I look back and really think that was the silver lining.

“It mended a lot of things. We’re in a different place than what we were many years ago … And I’m so proud of what you all have done. And not just the committee but the way that you collaborate with all these other organizations. We’re stronger … I’m so grateful for that,” Mayor Cockrell told Proctor, who tossed her praise his way back on the entire shovel-wielding crew present.

Town ACES Chairman Justin Proctor, center white T-shirt, prefaces the final phase of the Lone Pine Day planting of 2 Eastern Redbuds known for their tolerance to drought conditions. Below, Mayor Cockrell, blue shirt, white pullover next to the two children, became philosophical about silver linings emerging from cloudy situations in citing ACES work with other agencies in improving the Town Environmental situation from which it emerged. Final shot, smile for the camera, team — not that camera, this one, or that one.