Spirited spruce-up
<p>Ben Owens, left, and Bob Gedeborg measure a wall of a covered area that is being constructed at Majestic Park Saturday in Rathdrum during a day of service hosted by the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.</p>
<p>During a day of service hosted by the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Ellie Tenbrink, 10, left, and Brooke Bentley, 10, carry a bucket of water to a group of tree planters Satruday at Majestic Park in Rathdrum.</p>
<p>Crystal Jensen, 17, digs a hole for a young tree at Majestic Park Saturday as the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints hosts a day of service to beautify Rathdrum.</p>
<p>Landscape architect Stan Griswold demonstrated the proper way to plant a tree Saturday during a day of service hosted by the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints at Majestic Park in Rathdrum.</p>
<p>Skylar Armstrong, 4, gets excited about helping to plant a tree Saturday at Majestic Park in Rathdrum during a day of service put on by the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.</p>
RATHDRUM — Branson Seamons looked like he was wearing mud socks Saturday morning, but getting dirty was just part of the job.
The 13-year-old Coeur d’Alene resident planted trees in Majestic Park Saturday morning as part of a city-wide community service project led by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
“It’s fun,” Seamons said.
“Working Together to Make Things Better” consisted of multiple tasks to restore, clean and beautify areas of Rathdrum that were in need of some loving care.
The service day began at 8 a.m., and by 9:30, more than 350 people had showed up, ready and willing to lend a hand. Volunteers were sent to wherever they were needed and were given custom-made yellow T-shirts.
Painting, digging, planting, raking and building were all on the to-do list.
“We went to Rathdrum City and we said, ‘What do you guys want? What’s your wish list?” said Julie Crandall, co-director of the project. “They came up with these projects and we’re just trying to make them happen.”
Crandall said members of the LDS Church like to give back to their communities every year, especially around 9/11.
“We just really wanted to make a difference,” she said. “At the end of the day, we just want to improve the quality of life for the city of Rathdrum. We wanted to come in and just descend and just make things better.”
Although the service projects were headed by members of the church, people of all backgrounds were invited to help. Volunteers of all ages, some as young as 4, donned gloves and grabbed shovels to plant the trees in Majestic Park.
“This is what a community does,” said Rathdrum Mayor Vic Holmes. “I think back to roughly 105 years ago when City Park was built by community members ... the trees they planted, the buildings they put up, the grass they started there, has served the community for generations. The same thing’s going on here today. These trees that are being planted, kids and adults are going to enjoy the shade from these trees 80 to 100 years from now.”
Other tasks included building the Majestic Park Pavilion, painting a fence along Boekel Road, landscaping the community garden, cleaning the cemetery and painting the Rathdrum Masonic Lodge.
Lori Park of Coeur d’Alene said the LDS Church project two years ago focused on cleaning up a trailer park in Coeur d’Alene, and that experience was powerful.
“It was just such an amazing thing, and the people that you helped,” she said. “How would you not volunteer again?”
Dirk Baird of Coeur d’Alene is the Hayden Lake stake president of the LDS Church. He rolled up his sleeves and worked alongside other volunteers.
“This year we wanted to do something local in Rathdrum,” he said. Baird said the organizers decided on Rathdrum because they had never made it the central focus, and many church members call Rathdrum home.
“It’s a beautiful town, beautiful community and we haven’t done a service project out here before,” he said.
“Working Together to Make Things Better” has been in the works for about eight months. The foundation for the pavilion in Majestic Park was laid last week, and many volunteers knew months ago that they would be spending the day beautifying Rathdrum.
The well-organized and spirited day of volunteerism ended with a barbecue at lunchtime, and the planters, builders and painters enjoyed some hard-earned relaxation time.