116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Marion family’s spruce will be Cedar Rapids’ Christmas tree
Tree will be lit Saturday in Greene Square
CEDAR RAPIDS — It was about this time last year that Kyle Gingrich said he saw an article in The Gazette about Mike and Anne Condon’s tree donation to the city of Cedar Rapids to be used in Christmas festivities.
As a spruce grew in the Gingrichs’ yard, he said his family contacted the city to see if the tree at their Spear Point Court home in Marion would be fit to be lit in Greene Square in 2023. City staff came out to see if the tree would fit the city’s needs.
The 25- to 30-foot-tall tree was getting too big for the spot that it’s in, which Gingrich said is one of the things the city looks at — if the tree to be donated is distressed or has overgrown its spot.
“It’s taller than the house, and it’s starting to encroach on the neighbor’s lawn,” said Gingrich, 58, who is semiretired from Apache. “It sits close to our property line … It was just getting too big for the space.”
The tree has been in the Gingrichs’ front yard since the family moved there in 2016.
Cedar Rapids Christmas tree lighting ceremony
What: The Gingrich family donated a spruce to be used in Cedar Rapids’ tree lighting ceremony. Family activities precede the tree lighting.
Where: Greene Square, 400 Fourth Ave. SE
When: 4:30-6 p.m. Saturday. Lights on the tree will be turned on at 5:30 p.m. following remarks by Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell.
Cost: Free and open to the public
“It survived the (2020) derecho — has maybe a couple broken branches here and there — but it survived,” Gingrich said. “It’ll leave a big void, but on the other hand we’ll be able to see our neighbor’s house.”
Gingrich said his family was unsure if it’d be a problem that the tree was located at their home in Marion, but said it didn’t seem to be an issue.
“It’s all one community, anyway,” Gingrich said.
Coonrod Wrecker Service assisted Cedar Rapids Parks and Recreation Department staff Monday to cut, transport, set and string the spruce with lights. The tree will be used in Cedar Rapids’ lighting ceremony at Greene Square, 400 Fourth Ave. SE, 4:30-6 p.m. Saturday. Lights on the tree will be turned on at 5:30 p.m. following remarks by Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell.
Before the ceremony, family activities will begin at 4:30 p.m. in the park. The event is free and open to the public. Food trucks will offer refreshments for sale. For more information, call Cedar Rapids Parks & Recreation, 319-286-5566.
To donate a tree, Forestry Supervisor Rick Newland said in a statement that people contact the city when they have a tree that needs to be removed, typically when it has outgrown its space.
“We won’t consider a tree unless there is a reason why it needs to be taken down,” Newland said.
In the fall, the city arborist evaluates trees on the list and chooses one based on its condition and access. The city is looking for trees to be included on the list for future years. Trees in front and side yards with easier access are ideal. Individuals interested in having a tree considered for donation may contact the city Forestry division at forestry@cedar-rapids.org.
Gingrich said his family has not been to the tree lighting ceremony before, but is excited to participate in this year’s celebration.
“We’ve been telling people that our tree’s going to be the city tree,” Gingrich said. “ … We’re excited to be a part of it and glad that this huge tree is going to have a part of Christmas in Cedar Rapids.”
Comments: (319) 398-8494; marissa.payne@thegazette.com
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