Visiting from New Jersey, Equinda Lewis came across a 12,600-pound tree being planted in the New Haven Green.
“I’ve never seen nothing like this in my life,” she said with awe.
Lewis, who was in town to visit a friend, was one several passersby who stopped to marvel as city workers hoisted a “Holiday Tree” into place on a balmy Thursday afternoon.
Workers from the parks department put up a giant tree on the Green every year. This year it’s a 65-foot tall Norway spruce. It came from the Shelton property of Frederick and Sara Peters, who donated it.
The tree arrived on the Green on a flatbed truck, which promptly got stuck in the soft turf. After a quick tug from another parks department truck, the tree was in place and ready to be hoisted.
Parks Deputy Director Christy Hass, on hand supervising the installation, said that a passerby had griped that the tree was going up early this year. It has to be in place well in advance of the holidays, she explained, because it can take three to six weeks to put all the 20,000 lights on.
“Every light bulb has to be tied on by hand,” she said.
As workers lifted the Norway spruce, Equinda Lewis voiced her approval for not only the tree — “It’s amazing!” — but the Green as well. “I’ve never seen a park like this,” she said. “It’s nice.”
The parks where she lives, in South Bridgeton, N.J., are smaller and not as open, she said.
New Haven has a lot going for it, Lewis said. “It’s a lot of different things up here.” She said she was so impressed by what she’d seen of the city that she’s considering moving here.
Not to be a Scrooge, but how much does it cost to put all those lights on the tree? Are there more worthy programs in the City to spend the money (in keeping with the Holiday Spirit)?