Christmas returns to the downtown
Published 12:00 am Saturday, November 30, 2002
After almost 40 years, Albert Lea has a downtown municipal Christmas tree.
“It’s been quite a while,” Mayor Bob Haukoos said. “We used to have a tree each year downtown, when Broadway Avenue still had a turnaround at the end of it.”
Haukoos said it was the mid 1960s when the traditional city tree last was put up.
On Dec. 23, 1912, Albert Lea became the first city in the nation to have a municipal Christmas tree, according to Tribune archives. New York City put up its first municipal tree one day later.
The local municipal Christmas tradition was extremely popular at that time. The Tribune, in 1912, reported that over 5,000 people were in attendance at the first Christmas celebration. The Albert Lea Business Men’s League helped to create this tradition.
The tradition became famous in the Midwest, as Albert Lea’s tree became a symbol of a small town Christmas. But through time the tradition was lost.
Nearly 40 years later, Destination Albert Lea (DAL), with help from the city and county, hosted a tree lighting ceremony Friday evening in hopes of reviving the tradition.
“I think it was very successful for the first time,” Randy Erdman, president of DAL, said. &uot;I hope it is a tradition we can bring back and make strong once again.&uot;
Friday’s event brought out more than 100 people, who braved strong winds and a cool temperatures to see the lighting of the tree.
The tree, about 20 feet in height, was strung up with large colored bulbs. Karen Trow, a member of DAL, switched on the lights at 5:30 p.m.
After the lighting the mayor addressed the crowd, saying he was delighted to have everyone work together on this project. Officials from the city and county along with DAL representatives went out and got the tree from county land.
These groups weren’t the only organizations who helped with the Christmas theme throughout the city. The Chamber of Commerce paid to put Christmas lights on the street lamps throughout town, ABC Seamless Co. helped to put those lights up and downtown businesses stayed open throughout the evening on Friday night for those who were downtown. After the lighting ceremony the American Legion held a soup and pie fundraiser to raise money for funding city Christmas decorations in the future.
“The support from everyone has just been great,” Haukoos said.
After the mayor addressed the crowd, two choirs from Ascension Lutheran Church and the Spainish children’s choir from St. Theodore Catholic Church sang traditional Christian carols in both Spanish and English.
City Councilor and pastor at Grace Christian Church, George Marin, played guitar and sang more Christmas songs with help from the crowd. He closed with a prayer. In it he said that the city has faced tough times in this last year, but that the future is full of hope.
After the service the low growls of four Harley Davidson motorcycles filled the air as they came roaring up Fountain Avenue they stopped in front of the tree and Santa Claus stepped off from one of the bikes. When he arrived he was hounded by smiling children to whom he passed out handfuls of candy.
Erdman said, watching as Santa greeted the children, that he thinks the tradition will become an Albert Lea staple once again.
“I think we just grow from here,” Erdman said. Pointing to the tree, which he felt was a little small, he said, “If we can add five feet a year it’d be great.”