WEST STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. (WWLP) – The 74-feet-tall, 11-ton Norway Spruce in West Stockbridge will start its journey to Rockefeller Center on Thursday.
Crowds flock to tiny Massachusetts town to send off New York’s Rockefeller Christmas tree
The massive tree was cut down at 8:00 a.m. and loaded onto a truck headed to New York City. Then, come Saturday, it will be lifted by crane into its place in the plaza.
This is the first New York City Christmas tree to come from our state since 1959. The selection process began in July 2020 when Rockefeller Center’s head gardener, Erik Pauze, first spotted the tree on his search for future New York City Christmas trees. He always looks for a Norway Spruce because of its grand scale and strong branches.
When he thought he found what he was looking for, he knocked on the property’s door and met Earl Albert. Without hesitation, the Albert family agreed to donate their tree to become a holiday season icon.
It will soon be decked in 50,000 multi-colored lights and on display for millions of people in the plaza. The tree will be lit during the live broadcast of “Christmas in Rockefeller Center” on Wednesday, December 4th on 22News and will remain in Manhattan until mid-January.