Cranes in Campton Hills hoisted a nearly 50-foot Norway spruce Monday morning bound for Millennium Park, where it will take the stage as Chicago’s 113th official Christmas tree.
Mandy Clark and her family donated the tree, which is expected to arrive in Chicago on Wednesday, ahead of the city’s annual Tree Lighting Ceremony on Nov. 20, officials said. It will be decorated before the ceremony and remain on display through early January, when it will be taken down and turned into wood chips for city parks.
The ceremony marks the “official start of the Chicago holiday season,” according to the city, and has become a “cherished” holiday tradition.
Last year, officials selected a 68-foot Norway spruce from Glenview weighing roughly 12,000 pounds. It was the largest ever displayed by the city, Jim Williams, who oversees transportation for the ceremony, told the Tribune.
But it wasn’t the tallest, he said. That distinction belongs to a 71-foot white fir.
Chicago has selected a single official Christmas tree through contests or nominations since 2009, though the tradition dates back more than a century. The city’s first official tree, a 35-foot Douglas spruce, was erected atop 40-foot poles in Grant Park and illuminated with 600 multicolored lights in 1913.
The free ceremony in Millennium Park will feature a fireworks display, according to the city’s website. The event will be livestreamed for those who can’t attend in person.