City Seeks Candidates for 2012 City/County Christmas Tree
Your tree could decorate Red Arrow Park for all to enjoy!
With Halloween right around the corner, it’s that time again when the City of Milwaukee looks for that perfect tree to be this year’s City/County Christmas Tree, which will grace Red Arrow Park downtown this holiday season.
Residents within the City of Milwaukee are asked to check their yards and the yards of their neighbors (with their permission!) for a tree to donate for the holidays.
The ideal tree should be 30 to 40 feet tall, and must be accessible for harvest with a crane, meaning no overhead wires present to interfere with the process. Generally the crane is parked near the front yard or side yard to harvest the tree. The tree candidates are judged on size, shape, uniformity, density, and color – the same criteria that residents use to buy their own trees.
When a tree is selected, the City’s Forestry staff will cut the tree, use the crane to place it on a flat bed truck for transportation downtown, remove the stump, and fill in the hole. The tree will receive a police escort to Red Arrow Park.
Every tree has a story to tell, and over the years, the City’s holiday tree has had a rich history. One tree harvested, a Colorado Blue Spruce, had been a house warming gift 30 years earlier for a couple who had moved into their new home. Another tree donated had been planted to honor a son who was killed in a car crash, with his ashes mixed with the dirt to plant the tree. Yet another tree was donated by a church from its yard.
Residents who wish to have their tree considered for 2012 should contact the City of Milwaukee’s Call Center at 286-CITY (2489) as soon as possible. All tree candidates will be evaluated, and one will be selected and harvested the week of October 29, and lit at the City/County Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on Thursday, November 15 in Red Arrow Park. Mayor Tom Barrett and Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele have been invited to attend. The donors of the selected tree will take part in the lighting ceremony by helping to flip the switch at exactly 5:15 p.m.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.
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