GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- The Christmas tree that will adorn Rosa Parks Circle this holiday season arrived Tuesday morning.
Evette Pittman is Special Events Manager for the City of Grand Rapids. She said on West Michigan's Morning News they got the tree from the Indian Trails Golf Course in Grand Rapids.
"They gave us a call at Indian Trails and said, 'We're going to be moving one of our greens.' So, we called Rockford Construction and our forestry department and some of my crew. And they went out there and took a look and said, 'We got this.' So, they harvested that tree and they brought it downtown, and now they've installed it," Pittman said.
The tree is a 26-year-old Concolor fir that is 36 feet tall.
"We have Gelock (Heavy) Movers out there with a large crane, and they actually lift the tree - and you've got to think about (avoiding) the streetlights and the wires that are going overhead. So, they have to actually lift that tree over the streetlights, over the wires, over trees. And then, they have to bring it in to set it perfectly down in this little bitty bollard area," Pittman said.
A tree-lighting ceremony will take place on December 7th, following the Grand Rapids Santa Parade, which begins at 5 p.m. on that Saturday.
"It will actually come down Ottawa and turn down Louis, where it's the backside of Rosa Parks Circle. Santa will actually get off that sleigh. And he will come on over to the tree, and at 6:45 p.m. we'll light that tree. There will be about 50,000 L.E.D. lights on that tree and a beautiful star topper," Pittman said.
###
Photo: Photos taken by: Adam Orocho, WOOD Radio.
Photo: Photos by Adam Orocho.
