On June 1st, 17th Street between Warren and Central will transform into a vibrant scene complete with teacups, costumes, vendors, bands and trees. The first ever “Spill the Tea for Trees” event will benefit Rooted in Cheyenne and the organizers are hoping to make it an annual affair.
The Spill The Tea Event was the brainchild of The Hawthorn Tree owner, Susan Allen. Susan spent her freshman year of college in Kentucky and remembers an annual event during The Kentucky Derby where competing restaurants ran with a tray full of wine glasses during the Run for the Rose’ race. Allen thought “Why can’t we run with full tea cups?”
Rooted in Cheyenne is the largest non-profit tree planting program in Wyoming.
The mission of Rooted in Cheyenne is to build a more diverse and resilient urban canopy while cultivating greener, healthier and more livable neighborhoods in Cheyenne. Since 2017 Rooted in Cheyenne has planted approximately 200 trees per year; however, in 2024 the organization will be increasing planting numbers by 50% to meet the demand of local citizens.
Mark Ellison, City Forester and Rooted in Cheyenne Chairman, has been with the Cheyenne Urban Forestry Division since 2014. He formed Rooted in Cheyenne as a way to build support for local tree planting. Ellison remarked “Rooted in Cheyenne is grateful for environmentally conscious local sponsors (such as The Hawthorn Tree) who understand the importance of trees to our community. We are excited with the opportunity to build support for Rooted in Cheyenne through this fun and unique event. Trees are dying at rates never seen before in Cheyenne due to old age, insect infestations and extreme weather events. Our tree canopy is being diminished.
The Spill The Tea Event will kick off with the relay race at 10am followed by three Wyoming Bands: Mason McTell, Brandon Warburton of Cheyenne and Pleasure People of Casper from 12pm – 3pm. Pleasure People is releasing their new album “All Black and Blue” May 3rd and the band will be touring throughout Wyoming in the month of May. Their music ranges from alternative, folk to Americanna and bluegrass. Chris Weydeveld, the mandolin player in the band, grew up in Cheyenne and worked for decades as a forester for the Wyoming State Forestry Division and the USDA Forestry Service.
Allen remarked, “we are super excited we can all come together with fun, food, vendors, music and tea for the sake of trees.”
The event is free and open to the public. If you are interested in sponsoring the event, sponsoring a team or setting up a vendor booth, please contact Susan Allen at susan@hawthorntree.com or Jackie Suntrup at Rooted in Cheyenne jsuntrup@cheyennecity.org.
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