Did You See Our Celebrity Tree? Local Norway Spruce Gains Top Honor

Along Main Street in Queensbury, which is the corridor that leads from Glens Falls to the entrance of the Northway, stood the next Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. This Norway Spruce stood 82 feet tall, was 50 feet in diameter and weighed approximately 14 tons. This soon to be famous tree was hidden in plain sight in a highly active mixed commercial and residential use area of Queensbury N.Y. 

Next Stop Rockefeller Center 

This tree will be seen by an estimated 500,000 people a day at Rockefeller Center. Locals are surprised not only that this tree was chosen for the honor, but that so many of us have driven by it without notice. 

The Norway Spruce has been donated by the Lebowitz family of Glens Falls. Tishman Speyer, the company that manages Rockefeller Center, covers the cost of transporting the tree. It will be the 90th tree to be adorned and lit at Rockefeller Center. 

This tradition was started by workers during the depression. In 1931 workers at the Rockefeller Center construction site put their money together and bought a tree.They decorated it with handmade garland, streamers and ornaments made out of tin cans to show how thankful they were to have jobs. It was two years after this original tree was decorated that the tradition was established and continued. 

Since 2007, the lumber from the tree has been donated to habitat for humanity and used to help build houses. The tree will be brought into Manhattan by flatbed truck and erected at Rockefeller Center on Saturday November 12. 

Early on Thursday morning members of the community and the media gathered to watch the tree be taken down. A local arborist said to Glens Falls Today, “Beautiful, in a sad way. It leaves us but will be cherished by hundreds of thousands of people.” 

Jenifer Lindsey brought her six year old daughter, Delaney Olson to the event. Jenifer and her daughter spent the evening before the event making a sign. Wishing the tree a safe trip. The crowd was excited and proud to have a tree chosen from their community gain this top honor. 

The Houdini of Trees 

There were cheers when the crane first removed the tree from its stomp. A young girl in the crowd called out, “Look Mommy it’s flying.” As the 82 foot tall spruce sailed through the air supported by a large crane as well as workers on the ground. 

Workers handed out pine cones from the tree to the crowd and packages of Norway Spruce Seeds. Many in the crowd spoke of plans to go and see the tree when it is at Rockefeller Center. “We have to go see the tree, it’s one of our own.” A woman in the crowd said. The Rockefeller Christmas Tree Lighting is on November 30th.