Nearly 60-year-old tree spruces up Harrison's 3rd Christmas festival

Cynthia Adams was 10 years old when her aunt and uncle planted a blue spruce for her in the backyard of their Brackenridge home.

“We would decorate it every year,” she recalled.

On Friday, Adams, now 69, and other family members watched as the tree was trimmed, cut, lifted and laid down on a flatbed, which would take it to the grounds of Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament Church, where it will stand as the focal point of Harrison’s third annual Christmas parade and festival on Saturday, Dec. 1.

Adams and her relatives in the Petracco family donated the tree for the community celebration in memory of their departed family members.

“My family would be so proud to see this is being done in honor of them,” Adams said.

The tree had originally been scheduled to be moved last Friday, but it was rescheduled because of rain and muddy conditions. Conditions were ideal on Friday, with sunny skies despite the cold.

The tree is about 45 feet tall and weighs about 4,000 pounds, said B.J. Schaltenbrand, owner of BeaverJack Tree Service, which donated its services to take the tree down and set it up. Ron Gillette Towing donated the flatbed that was used.

The tree will be lit before the parade starts at 4 p.m. on Dec. 1, said parade chairman Todd Stanzione. The festival, sponsored by the township’s recreation board, will follow the parade at the church field and run as long as people stay.

“It’s a great way to bring the community out,” Stanzione said. “It gets families out and about. The way things are today, we don’t have so much camaraderie anymore.”

The parade starts at Alabama Avenue and Broadview Boulevard and goes up Broadview to the far side of Blessed Sacrament. Participants will include the Highlands High School marching band and three drum and baton corps, along with fire departments, community groups and organizations, churches, scouts, and more.

Santa Claus will make an appearance at the festival, where will there will be children’s activities including crafts and face painting. Several food trucks will be selling food, groups will be selling baked goods, and Harvest Baptist Church will be handing out free hot chocolate, Stanzione said.

Music will be provided by a DJ and groups will also be performing live, he said.

Stanzione said the recreation board is always looking for more volunteers to help stage and grow events such as the Christmas celebration.

“If we don’t have new blood coming in and participating, it’s hard to keep these events in place or come up with new ones,” he said.

Brian Rittmeyer is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Brian at 724-226-4701, brittmeyer@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BCRittmeyer.