BLOOMINGTON – Bloomington and Palo Alto, Calif., will celebrate their Sibling City relationship Oct. 3 by planting matching trees more than 2,000 miles apart at the same time.
Urban forestry crews in both cities will plant a Canadian redbud during coordinated ceremonies Saturday, Oct. 3. Bloomington’s tree will be planted at RCA Community Park, 1400 W. RCA Park Dr., at noon EDT. Palo Alto will hold a corresponding planting at Rinconada Park, 777 Embarcadero Rd in Palo Alto, at 9 a.m. PDT. The public is invited to attend.
The coordinated planting celebrates the connection between Bloomington and Palo Alto, which in 2022 became the first two communities in the country to establish a Sibling City relationship. The partnership was created to encourage connections and collaboration between communities in different regions of the United States.
The idea for the joint tree planting was proposed by Palo Alto Mayor and former Bloomington resident Vicki Veenker.
“Trees do more than provide us with cleaner air and cooler communities,” Veenker said. “They also have the power to bring communities together, even when they’re 2,000 miles away from one another. These trees will be a reminder for generations to come of what can be accomplished when communities work together in the spirit of partnership and friendship.”
Urban forestry staff from both cities worked with the Palo Alto-based urban forestry nonprofit Canopy to coordinate the event, including selecting a tree species well-suited to conditions in both Indiana and California, as well as organizing a community scavenger hunt in Palo Alto to find 30 years’ worth of Mayor’s trees. Planting the same species on the same day provides the two cities with a living counterpart in each community, and an opportunity to compare how the trees grow and respond to two very different climates over time.
Bloomington Mayor Kerry Thomson will welcome participants and mark the occasion in a recorded video message shown during the event.
“In Bloomington, we believe that connection is at the heart of thriving communities,” said Mayor Thomson. “This partnership is a reminder that—even across great distances—we share common hopes, a commitment to a brighter future, and a dedication to preserving the natural beauty that makes our communities special.”
Representatives from Palo Alto, Sibling Cities USA, Canopy, and Bloomington will participate in the simultaneous Palo Alto ceremony. The two events will be connected by live stream.
The Bloomington and Palo Alto Sibling City relationship was established in February 2022 to create opportunities for community organizations, local government, and residents in the two cities to connect and exchange ideas. The partnership has focused on community connections, civic dialogue, and opportunities to learn from the experiences and strengths of each city.
Canopy’s connection to Bloomington extends beyond the Sibling City project. Its local affiliate, CanopyBloomington, is partnering with the City on the Cool Corridors initiative, supported by a $50,000 City grant. The project identifies opportunities to increase tree canopy and create more shaded walking routes in neighborhoods with limited tree cover, particularly along routes connecting residents to transit and community destinations. Work has included tree inventories, identification of planting sites, and new tree plantings in the Crestmont and Walnut Woods neighborhoods.
