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VICTORVILLE — Victorville's first live Christmas
tree now stands watch over City Hall after a crane helped plant the 25-foot
cedar on Tuesday.
The live tree came from the Valley Crest Tree Co. in Fillmore. Finding a
large live tree to purchase isn't easy, said Jon Gargan, the city's director
of community services.
"We were searching out of state for quite a while," Gargan said.
The tree sits about 18 inches above a grassy area to the south of the
center. That grassy area will become a parking lot in the expansion, and the
tree was set at what will be the new elevation, Gargan said.
The Rotary Club of Victorville donated $10,000 for the tree that is part of the
city's Civic Center expansion.
Desert View Memorial Park is donating the memorial stone with the Rotary
Club and city symbols on it for the tree's dedication, scheduled for Dec. 1,
along with the annual tree-lighting ceremony, Gargan said.
In Christmases past, Victorville strung lights in the shape of a tree across
from the Green Tree Inn. The intersection has become too busy for the tree
lighting, and incorporating the tree into the Civic Center is part of the
expansion plan, Gargan said. |
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Scott Smeltzer/Staff Photographer
Bill Scott with the Rotary Club of Victorville
watches the city of Victorville's new
Christmas tree being planted near
City Hall on Tuesday.
Along with the tree, the holiday season will feature a portable ice rink
and a Santa's Village at City Hall, sponsored by the city and Clear
Channel. It will open Nov. 26. For more information, call 245-5551.
Emily Berg may be reached at 955-5358 or
emily_berg@link.freedom.com.
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