CASPER, Wyo. — One piece of the holiday season puzzle dropped into place on Friday as the annual Community Tree was installed at David Street Station.
“It’s a monster,” said Kevin Hawley, Executive Director of the Downtown Development Authority, as the tree arrived on a Total Oilfield Solutions flatbed.
This year’s tree is a blue spruce harvested from an East Casper neighborhood, according to landscaping manager Jacob Rodolph. Like all the Station’s trees, this one was slated to come down anyway. Rodolph said it was one of a pair that had outgrown ideal dimensions for the home and its neighbors.
Black Hills Trucking again worked the crane that lowered the tree into place. Site supervisor Bill Knickerbacker said the operator has the process down to a fine science, and the company strives to work efficiently and keep road closure times to a minimum.
The annual lighting of the tree will be on Nov. 26, which is also Small Business Saturday. Citizens can have one of the bulbs lit in honor of someone loved or admired for a $20 donation.
The Station is managed with private funds and a tax self-imposed by downtown business owners. Due to supply chain issues, there won’t be ice skating this year, but the lighting ceremony will coincide with the launch of The Den, a roomy, heated industrial tent to host the Station’s winter events.
Correction, Nov. 11, 2022: Jacob Rodolph was incorrectly identified. The name has been corrected.
