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| This single tree from Palos Heights (left) will join the Picasso sculpture (right) in Daley Plaza. (CBS/AP photos) |
Posted: Thursday, 05 November 2009 8:52AM
Suburban spruce meets ax, to head for Daley Plaza as Christmas tree
Bernie Tafoya Reporting
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PALOS HEIGHTS, Ill. (WBBM/CBS) ― In southwest suburban Palos Heights this morning, a crew will cut down the tree that will stand in the Daley Center Plaza this Christmas season.
The 56-foot tall blue spruce comes from Carol Weivoda’s front yard. Her husband, Harlan, had offered it to the city. The city took up the Weivoda’s offer to save money.
It cost nearly $300,000 last year to put together and eventually take down the 113-tree combo that made one mammoth tree in Daley Plaza last year.
Wievoda says, “People have told me I have a tree on MY lot”. Weivoda thinks the city should go with one tree every year, and picked from someone in the Chicago area.
In fact, city spokeswoman Mary May says that’s likely what will happen next year, a contest maybe a vote on the Internet to choose which tree will be used in the Daley Plaza.
This year will be the first time since 1955 that the city has used one tree as THE tree for the holidays.
Weivoda says, “We’ll take a picture of the day that it’s lit up for the tree lighting, and think that’ll be our Christmas card this year.”
Workers begin cutting the tree down on Thursday morning. It will be erected Nov. 9 in Daley Plaza.
The Christmas tree will be lighted for the first time, the afternoon of November 25th.
City workers will still handle the electrical work to light the tree. But in the end, the city says last year's $300,000 cost will likely be cut at least in half.
The city also has a corporate sponsor now. Underwriters Laboratories is donating $100,000. So, the total cost may be cut to about $50,000.
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Contents of this site are Copyright 2009 by WBBM. CBS 2 contributed to this report.
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