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Over the weekend, the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree was installed at its post above the ice rink and Prometheus statue in Manhattan. Untapped New York Insider Robyn Roth-Moise was on the scene to capture the entire process, from the tree’s arrival to its placement by giant cranes, and finally, the installation of scaffolding that will obscure the tree until it’s time to be lit. Check out the photos below!
This year’s tree is a Norway Spruce from Vestal, NY. The 12-ton tree stands 80 feet tall. It was spotted in the yard of the McGinley family by Rockefeller Center’s head gardener Erik Pauze while he was in the area looking at a few other candidates. Pauze has been hand-selecting the Rockefeller tree for nearly thirty years!
Secrets of Rockefeller Center
The McGinley’s tree was cut down on November 9th and transported from the Binghampton area to Center Plaza this past Saturday. It arrived wrapped up in the back of a flatbed truck and was hoisted into the air by massive cranes and a crew of yellow-vested workers overseen by Pauze. Members of the McGinley family were on site and helped hammer in the support bolt at the bottom of the tree’s trunk.
Once the tree was removed from the truckbed, it was slowly turned right-side up and its branches began to unfurl. It was then carefully swung into place above its stand, guided by Pauze and his crew, and rotated to show its best side to the plaza,
Unlike in 2020, when a Saw-whet owl hitched a ride to the city in the tree, there were no stowaways to report this year. However, Rockefeller Center’s mascot inspired by that event, Roxy the Owl, was on hand to greet the tree and kids who were there to watch it go up.
Secrets of Rockefeller Center
For the next couple of weeks, the tree will be wrapped in scaffolding as the Rockefeller Center crew decorate it with more than 50,000 multi-colored, energy-efficient LED lights and top it with a Swarovski star. You can watch the tree light up at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday, November 29 when the annual tree lighting ceremony airs live on NBC, on Peacock, and wherever you stream NBC New York. The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree will be on display until January 13, 2024 at 10:00 p.m.
Next, check out 10 Secrets of Rockefeller Center
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