Christmas in October?

October 31, 2007
By Robert C. Burns
Muskegon Chronicle Business Editor

For the second consecutive year of what is becoming an annual holiday tradition, a Community Christmas Tree was "planted" in Muskegon's Hackley Park Tuesday.

The 40-foot Norway spruce was cut from the front yard of Jim and Joyce Muston, 3911 E. River in Twin Lake, where a crew from the city had assembled at 8:30 in the morning. Muston is a longtime Cedar Creek Township supervisor.

Some 90 minutes later, Mark Holman of Andy's Tree Service was at the controls of an 80-foot boom, adroitly lowering the tree into a special 4-foot manhole that serves as a tree holder in the downtown park While that was going on, the Rev. Dennis Remenschneider walked over from St. Paul's Episcopal Church across the street and gave an impromptu blessing: "...may it give joy to all who see it," he said.

Once it is lit in a formal ceremony scheduled for Nov. 24, the tree will be part of Hackley Park's traditional holiday decorations. They include a variety of secular and religious themes, ranging from Baby Jesus and the Magi to Santa and his reindeer.

Since the park's traditional Christmas tree was cut down and removed due to disease two years ago, the city has sought donations of a large conifer each holiday season.

This year's tree is shorter than the 50-footer Laketon Township resident Jim Timme donated last year, but wider -- so wide that a special sheriff's escort was required to get it down River Road.

The good news, according to the city's forester, Larry DeCou, is that the city has plenty of lights to string onto the new tree. Last year at this time, a call for donations to buy Christmas lights brought in about $1,200, DeCou said.

Also showing his Christmas spirit was Curtis Andrews, owner of Andy's Tree Service, 1622 Barnes. He has donated his company's services to the city for the second year in a row to help get the holiday tree set up.

Last year's tree was put up in mid-November. This year, DeCou said the tree went up earlier to allow time to string the lights in time for the holiday lighting ceremony around Thanksgiving.

City crews strung the lights last year, but DeCou said the city would welcome help from anyone with a bucket truck and a willingness to help out. The city also could use some help putting up decorations elsewhere in the park.

© 2007 Muskegon Chronicle. Used with permission