Oh Christmas Tree, oh Christmas Tree…
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas as the city of Albany raises its downtown Christmas tree
By Brad McEwen
ALBANY — Several Albany Utilities Board employees were hard at work Tuesday morning to help increase the festive holiday mood in downtown Albany, delicately placing the first-ever live Christmas tree in the plaza in front of the Pine Avenue Government Center.
The tree, which was given to the city by a private donor, will be dedicated to area law enforcement personnel, and, according to Albany Utilities Marketing Manager Monique Knight, the roughly 40-foot tall, 16-foot wide tree will be adorned with 4,000 lights in time for Saturday’s “Celebration of Lights” Christmas parade through downtown Albany.
“We’re really excited about the tree,” said Knight. “We hope we’ll really get a great turnout for Saturday’s parade and everyone will enjoy the festive decorations and lights we’ll have.”
Knight said the placing of the tree in the center plaza was the work of several employees from departments within the city of Albany, including Public Works, Engineering, and the Utility Board’s Light, Gas and Water divisions.
“It was really a team effort across the board,” Knight said. “We’re really excited about it, and it shows how tight our team is.”
The tree is expected to remain in place until after New Year’s, and Knight said the city hopes to continue having a live tree in the plaza for years to come.
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