A Big "Oops" For The City's Christmas Tree
By Katie DeLong
Archived Content
MILWAUKEE - The annual city-county Christmas tree removal ran into a big "oops" Thursday morning.
It happened at the home of Yolanda Alvarez on South Iowa Avenue in the Bay View neighborhood.
“It was just almost on the ground and 'crack!’” Alvarez said.
It happened just as crews lifted the tree and tried to place it onto a flatbed, and it happened live on TODAY’S TMJ4.
As crews were lowering the tree onto the flatbed truck using ropes and a crane, the top 8 foot portion of the tree snapped off!
Click on the link under related content to see the tree snap live Thursday morning.
“We were all like, uhh!” Alvarez said.
Alvarez donated the tree to the city of Milwaukee to put up at Red Arrow Park downtown for the holiday season.
“I believe that was the first time that has ever happened to us,” Randy Krouse, who works for the city of Milwaukee’s forestry division, said.
That’s pretty remarkable since the city has been displaying Christmas trees for 95 years.
Krouse said, "It doesn't look that bad and we should be able to shape this up and restore the crown and it will look just fine."
Crews set up the tree in Red Arrow Park. They drilled a hole in both stumps, put in a metal pipe, and then put the tree back together.
So in the end...all is well, despite an unpredictable beginning.
The good news is Christmas isn't canceled. "No.. it's here to stay," Krouse said.
Click on the video link to see the tree in Red Arrow Park.
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