A 45-foot-tall Douglas fir tree was installed in downtown Santa Barbara on Tuesday morning and will shine bright for the holiday season.
Volunteers with Big Red Crane Co. hoisted the Christmas tree into place in the middle of the 1300 block of State Street, near The Arlington Theatre.
The tree installation is part of a Santa Barbara tradition that has been occurring for more than 20 years.
“We are excited to continue our annual tradition of donating the community Christmas tree to Santa Barbara,” said Irene Rhodes, owner and CEO of Consumer Fire Products Inc., the presenting sponsor of the tree.
The installation of the massive tree captured the attention of visitors passing by, who stopped to watch and take photos as workers placed the star atop the tree.
Shooting star light decorations were put up on the surrounding light poles to make for a whimsical holiday display.
“Although we can’t gather together for the annual Holiday Parade this year, we’re honored to be a part of bringing the community some much-needed joy,” Rhodes said.
The towering tree arrived from a sustainable tree farm in Northern California that plants four new trees for each one that it sells, according to Tim Persson, marketing manager for the Downtown Organization of Santa Barbara.
Although the annual holiday parade cannot be held this year because of coronavirus-related health and safety precautions, the Downtown Organization hopes that the installation of the tree will keep the holiday spirit alive.
“Our team at the Downtown Organization of Santa Barbara is very excited to bring the tree and some holiday spirit to downtown again this year,” said Robin Elander, executive director of Downtown Santa Barbara. “We love this annual tradition and hope it brings some joy to a challenging year.”
— Noozhawk staff writer Jade Martinez-Pogue can be reached at jmartinez-pogue@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
