The public is invited to an Arbor Day celebration in Pembroke beginning at 10 a.m. Friday at DuBois Square, where the city will plant a 15-foot Nuttall oak.  
Thanks to forecasts of below-freezing temperatures, the ceremony, with a welcome from Mayor Mary Warnell, likely will be “short and sweet,” according to Pembroke Downtown Development Authority Director Sharroll Fanslau.
The city also will commemorate its 11th year as a Georgia Forestry Commission-certified Tree City USA community and hold a reception afterward.
Pembroke’s Arbor Day is a prelude of sorts to the North Bryan Chamber of Commerce’s seventh annual Chili Cook-off, which runs from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday at the Senior Center in Pembroke.
There, contestants will compete for prices of up to $100, and the public is welcome to sample “unlimited” amounts of chili for $5, which also includes a drink and dessert.
Last year, the Pembroke Advanced Communications team of Rachel Beckworth, Jeanne McCormick and Shalah Beckworth took first place. The trio’s chili also garnered the People’s Choice Award.
Prizes for the 2015 cook-off are $100 for first place, $75 for second and $50 for third. To enter, call 653-2219.