EDITOR'S NOTE: Work was finished earlier today on the city's tree.

 

By the end of today, the only thing that should be left to do to officially have Bridgeport’s 11^th Annual “Light Up Night” would be to plug in the tree Thursday evening. The reason for that is that workers with Bridgeport’s  Parks and Recreation staff hope to have the final touches of the tree in front of the Benedum Civic Center wrapped up and ready for Christmas goers done before quitting time.

 

“We started (Monday) morning,” said Parks and Recreation Foreman Bill Lafferty. “Putting the tree itself up is a relatively simple task as compared to years past.”

 

The reason for that stems from the Associated Businesses of Bridgeport. The active business group, which figures prominently in the Light Up Night event, purchased a 22-foot artificial Christmas tree to be utilized by the city.

 

“With this, you move it from storage and snap the branches in from top to bottom, which is so much less of a chore than before,” said Lafferty.

 

Prior to the ABB tree purchase, the city would solicit a tree from the community for donation. Not only did that require the right tree, it also required the ability to remove the tree and bring it to the Civic Center. Once it arrived, you also had to dig a hole at the Civic Center on the main grounds, bring in equipment to make the hole and, usually, create yard damage that was noticeable after the tree was removed to one of the most visible areas in the city.

 

“It was a much longer process,” said Lafferty. “Now, it’s usually two days. The hardest part actually is decorating the tree as opposed to putting the tree up.”

 

The tree is the focal point of “Light Up Night,” which kicks off Thursday at 6 p.m. and the tree lighting at 7 p.m. The event ends at 8 p.m. Click HERE for a past story on this year’s event.

 

Editor's Note: Parks and Recreation staff handle the Bridgeport City Christmas tree Monday morning.