The holiday tree will be installed in Portland’s Monument Square next week.
The 40-foot-tall red spruce, currently rooted at a Portland Housing Authority property on Boyd Street, was selected for this year’s holiday tree, according to Jessica Grondin, a spokesperson for the city.
“The Portland Housing Authority is honored to see this tree — rooted in one of our neighborhoods for decades — become part of Portland’s holiday season,” Leah Bruns, interim executive director of the Portland Housing Authority, said in a Friday statement. “For many years, this tree has simply been part of the place our residents and staff call home. As we move forward with building new housing on this site, it needed to be removed, and we’re glad it can continue to serve a purpose. Sending it to Monument Square gives it a fitting next chapter, and we appreciate the opportunity to share a small piece of the place we call home with the wider community.”
The tree will be harvested and installed in Monument Square on Wednesday. Crews will cut down the tree about 8:30 a.m. and then depart with a police escort for Monument Square about 9 a.m. The tree is expected to arrive at the square by 10 a.m.
Crews will then begin installing lights on the tree Wednesday or Thursday, with a target finish date of Nov. 25.
You can watch the tree’s arrival on an online live feed.
The tree lighting will happen on Nov. 28. Festivities will start about 1 p.m., with the official tree lighting at 6:30 p.m. The festivities will include live performances, including from Pine State Pitches, and a free showing of the movie “Elf” at 4:30 p.m.