FAIRBURY - People and places across the country are celebrating a national holiday today that traces its roots right back here to Nebraska.

Flags at half staff around the iconic Jefferson County Courthouse Friday as the state celebrates Arbor Day, which began in Nebraska in the late 1800s.

A cold, dreary Friday morning dampened the festivities, but officials from the city of Fairbury celebrated the holiday with the first stage of a planting ceremony, where two trees will be placed into the ground next to Grand View Eye Care on 6th Street in the city's downtown, just around the block from the city offices.


Fairbury's development services director Laura Bedlan says this is just one part of a grant-funded process to germinate more plant life around the city. These are just the first two of nearly 100 trees that will be planted throughout Fairbury, including around downtown and in greener spaces such as the city park and McNish Park.