Courtesy of City of Grove City
Grove City’s historic Town Center never fails to dazzle during the holiday season. This holiday charm couldn’t be achieved without the annual donation of a centerpiece Christmas tree.
This year the tree will be donated by the Hawkins family, and Amy Hawkins says the family members are no strangers to this tradition. In fact, they were destined to be part of it. When they purchased their house six years ago, one of the two large pine trees on the property was already promised for Town Center by the home’s previous owner.
Glad to participate, Hawkins says she was impressed by the thorough and speedy work of Jodee Lowe, Grove City’s urban forester.
“They came that fall and took the tree, and they came back that next spring and grinded up the stump and planted grass seed,” Hawkins says. “They did an outstanding job.”
This year, the remaining pine on the Hawkins’ property has grown too big to stay, so Hawkins reached out to Lowe to see if the tree would be a good fit for the city centerpiece. Sure enough, the family is sending a second tree to the Town Center.
Lowe’s responsibilities include hunting down a tree and supervising its transport. Ahlum & Arbor Tree Preservation cuts, installs and decorates the tree in Town Center.
While Lowe relies on word of mouth to find the tree, she says she rarely runs into issues, as Grove City residents are enthusiastic about the tradition. Some years the city receives as many as five or six offers. Even with all those options, Lowe carefully selects the right tree. Grove City’s centerpiece has to be something truly special – and large.
“We sink the tree five feet into the ground so it has to be tall and full,” Lowe says.
Courtesy of City of Grove City
Grove City Urban Forester Jodee Lowe
Even if a tree is not the right fit for the centerpiece, Lowe may still use the tree for other decorations in Town Center. She generally cuts down an additional two trees each year. She also may wait and come back to a promising tree in a couple of years if it’s not quite big enough.
Lowe says the process of obtaining trees and decorating the Town Center can become a huge undertaking. One year, a donated tree was so massive that police blocked off the entire street so it could be safely transported. But, she says, all this effort is worth it for the dazzling end result.
“It’s a big honor to have your tree be the official Christmas tree for Grove City,” Lowe says.
Hawkins can certainly attest to this as well. She and her family enjoy visiting Town Center during the holidays for the decorations and displays, but seeing their tree as the centerpiece is an added bonus. Having a tree featured for the second time makes the moment all the more magical.
Emily Lutz is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
