ADRIAN — For those who might not know, it takes quite a bit of planning and preparation for the Community Christmas Tree lighting ceremony to take place each holiday season in front of the old Lenawee County Courthouse building in Adrian.
In fact, planning for this year’s 10th anniversary of the tree lighting is already underway — in July. Christmas in July, perhaps?
To make the 10-year anniversary of the tree lighting something to celebrate and commemorate, organizers are eyeing some largescale enhancements to this year’s ceremony, most notably trying to locate a Christmas tree that is nearly double the height of the 2023 holiday tree.
That would mean locating a tree within Lenawee County borders that stands 60-65 feet tall.
“It’s the courthouse tree and because of that, you need to find something nice,” commented former Adrian Mayor Jim Berryman, who for the past nine years has been one of the many people involved in making the courthouse tree lighting a reality.
The tree lighting ceremony is one of the official kickoff events to the holiday season in Lenawee County. It takes place on the Monday after Thanksgiving, which this year is Dec. 2. Thanksgiving falls on the last Thursday of November, Nov. 28.
Whichever tree is selected as this year’s official tree for the lighting, it will end up receiving the annual parade/procession through Adrian and to the courthouse, where it is lifted by a crane, adjusted mid-air and lowered into place on the courthouse lawn. The county installed a permanent substructure in the courthouse's front lawn that holds the tree in place. It is a concrete substructure that is topped with sod.
Berryman said there are two events associated with the Community Christmas Tree: the tree’s police escort parade to the courthouse and its installation, along with the actual lighting ceremony. It is expected the tree will be cut and delivered to the courthouse on Nov. 14, which is two weeks before Thanksgiving. In that time, crews will work on securing the tree and adorning it with holiday lights.
Suggestions of trees that could be used for the ceremony are being accepted by Berryman and the Lenawee County administration . To suggest a tree, contact Berryman at 517-902-8830. The Lenawee County administration office can be reached at 517-264-4508. Jim Van Doren , chairman of the Lenawee County Board of Commissioners, also is accepting suggestions of trees. Van Doren can be contacted at 517-403-1590. People suggesting a tree are asked to provide their name and location.
“It’s become a great tradition,” Berryman said, crediting the partnership that has been formed through the years of the lighting between the city of Adrian and Lenawee County.
The collaboration between both entities and the outpouring of people is what makes the community tree important, Van Doren added. The ceremony couldn’t happen without support from the city of Adrian, Lenawee County and sponsors.
“We have people from all corners of the county come out (to the tree lighting) not just from the city of Adrian,” he said. “It’s great for the holiday season and it brings everyone together.”
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H.L. Green Machine Moving, the Lenawee County Sheriff’s Office, the Adrian Police Department, Consumers Energy, Ropes and Rigging Tree Service of Onsted and Schaedler Enterprises Inc. of Toledo are among some of the agencies and companies that have donated their time and efforts to making the tree lighting a Lenawee County holiday tradition.
“Because of it being the 10-year anniversary for the lighting ceremony, we want to make it special by having the largest tree someone is willing to donate,” Berryman said. “...Everyone is a kid at Christmastime.”
— Contact reporter Brad Heineman at bheineman@lenconnect.com or follow him on X, formerly Twitter: twitter.com/LenaweeHeineman .
This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Community Christmas Tree lighting organizers searching for 'largest tree' to be used at courthouse
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