What started as a celebration of Arbor Day turned into a search for stolen trees in Allenhurst.

Early on April 14, Thomas McKnight and Gary Gorsuch of Troop 500 with Assistant Scoutmaster Sgt. Tom Gorsuch and Bradley Gorsuch, who will become a Cub Scout this fall, met at the Allenhurst Town Hall with Councilman Carl Easton, his wife Nell and Mayor Pro Tem Amanda Cox to plant trees in a delayed Arbor Day Ceremony.

Keep Liberty Beautiful Director Sara Swida gave Allenhurst eight dogwoods and eight crepe myrtles to plant. The town was waiting to find an agreeable time for the Scouts to plant the trees. Easton, who had been watering the trees, first noticed that a dogwood was gone. The next week, all but one of the crepe myrtles also was gone.

“It’s a sad state of affairs when people steal trees from a town hall,” Cox said. “We are just glad some remained, and we are thankful for those who helped us to achieve part of our goal for the beginning of a park here in honor of my father William C. Cox, who was mayor here for 38 years.”

McKnight is a first class, working toward his star rank.  His requirements for the rank are: six hours of community service, four Eagle-required merit badges, two badges that aren’t required for Eagle, to be first class for six months and attend the Scoutmaster’s conference.

Gorsuch is a Scout working for the rank of Tenderfoot.  He is required to learn exercising and runs, first aid, knots, snake ID, safe hiking, community service and go through a board of review.

Gorsuch, Gary’s stepfather and a sergeant on Fort Stewart, has been assistant Scoutmaster for four years.