MCALLEN – At this time of the year, there’s all kinds of 10K and 5K runs in different cities. But there’s one coming up in McAllen that’s a little different.

Participants want to run and learn all about trees.

The event is called Arbor Day Celebration and its goal is to remind people to plant and care for trees.

“They provide many benefits. They filter air pollution. They help reduce noise. They provide the oxygen that we breathe,” Keep McAllen Beautiful Program Coordinator, Chris Lash, said.

The event will be held at the McAllen Municipal Park. It’s located next to the high school football stadium.

“It’s a great opportunity for the whole family. It features a 5K, a 10K, 25-mile bike ride or a fun walk. Either you can do the fun walk or the education walk. And it also features tree planting,” Lash said. “Last year, with the help of volunteers for our Arbor Day Celebration, we planted over 30 trees along the hike and bike trail on Bicentennial Boulevard.”

This year, they plan to give away from six to 800 trees to those who participate or just attend.

“You’ll be able to take a tree home and we’ll also be raffling off four big-sized trees. So this Arbor Day Celebration, we’re inviting you to come and learn those things. Learn how to properly plant a tree and take care of it and maintain it,” Lash said.

And in case some people need a reminder of Valley people’s love for trees, back in December CHANNEL 5 NEWS reported about a single tree along the expressway in McAllen. We decorated it with a single Christmas ornament. Since then, others have added more décor to the tree.

“Last year, we had almost 1,000 people come here to Municipal Park and take part in the Arbor Day Celebration,” he said.

This year marks the sixth annual Arbor Day Celebration.

“So, not only are you taking care of your body, health wise, you’re also taking care of the environment and helping preserve our environment,” Lash said.

You can catch Con Mi Gente segments Tuesdays and Thursdays on CHANNEL 5 NEWS THIS MORNING and CHANNEL 5 NEWS at 5.