Lisa Walters and her friends were biking downtown on Tuesday morning when they came across a merry scene: the installation of State Street’s holiday tree. They had to pause and watch.
Walters even snagged some of the conifer’s top branches as a souvenir, which she stored in the bike’s carriage next to her Cycling Without Age companions.
The tree came all the way from Grants Pass, Oregon, to stand on State Street’s 1300 block, in front of the Arlington Theatre. That is, except for those top few branches that were sawed off to make room for the tree topper — those twigs will be decorating Walters’s house, she beamed.
“I haven’t watched it go up before,” she said, her eyes grazing the tree’s canopy, 39 feet in the air. “They really spend time doing it. When you see this, it makes you realize the holidays are here.”
The Downtown Santa Barbara Improvement Association (DSBIA) provided complimentary coffee and pastries for the occasion, which was a months-long process in the making. The 30-year-old tree was delivered downtown around 10 a.m. Tuesday, and crews immediately got to work putting it into place. Passersby frequently stopped to watch and take photos.
Consumer Fire Products Inc. donated the tree, marking the company’s 12th year sponsoring this holiday tradition. They select the tree and cover its travel expenses down to Santa Barbara.
“Every year, it seems to be just the right tree,” said Daniel Ramirez, director of operations and initiatives for DSBIA.
Much of the installation is completed on donated time, including the Big Red Crane Company’s expertise and crane used to erect the tree. The rest of the logistics and setup are done in partnership with the City of Santa Barbara and built into its budget.
The tree is getting a brand-new topper and all new lights this year, which was “long overdue,” Ramirez chuckled.
“It’s a great tree,” added Christy Jacobs, the DSBIA’s events and communications manager. “It’ll be a really special element of the holiday atmosphere downtown.”
Walters said she can’t wait to see the tree lit up. The annual tree-lighting block party will be held on Friday, December 5, from 6-8 p.m. in front of the Arlington Theater. It will stay in place through the end of December.
“You know Rockefeller Center in New York — this is better than that!” Walters said. “This is such a great town; we’re so lucky.”
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