MILWAUKEE -- It’s early November, but the snow on the ground along with cold temps have a lot of us already thinking about the holidays. So, what better day than Thursday to harvest the annual city Christmas tree donated by Milwaukee resident Daisy McGregor.
“I’ll tell you I am so excited. It’s cold out here, but I am so warm and just loving [that] this big gentle giant is coming down and I just feel great,” Jennifer Jackson, a neighbor, said.
The 35-foot Colorado Blue Spruce was planted in 1998 in an Elmhurst Road neighborhood where Jennifer Jackson has lived for 27 years. The tree was always adjacent to her home and she’s watched it grow —now, she’ll have a piece of the tree trunk forever.
“I’m going to just treasure it and just really really enjoy,” Jackson said.
After a nearly five-mile trek from the city’s north side to downtown —the gentle giant was lifted once more and planted on N. Market Street, and will later be decorated by the Department of Public Works forestry staff.
Tree donations like this happen every year. The goal is always to take one from a different part of the city.
The city's tree lighting ceremony is scheduled for November 21st outside City Hall.
This year's harvest went off without a hitch, but that hasn't always been the case. In 2008, the tree was notably damaged when a part fell off as crews tried to transport it:
