SIOUX FALLS, SD (KELO) — It’s a towering holiday landmark that you can’t miss from our downtown Sioux Falls Live Cam.
First United Methodist Church flipped the switch on its brightly-lit Christmas tree this week.
It’s the second year the tree has greeted drivers and sightseers at 14th and Minnesota.
The tree has become a shining symbol of holiday renewal.
The countdown to Christmas started Sunday night in the parking lot of First United Methodist Church.
“Three-two-one… whoa!”
38,000 lights on this artificial tree are brightening the holidays along Minnesota Avenue.
“I think it just gets me excited for the beginning of the Christmas season and kind of makes the beginning of all the celebrations to come,” Pastor Sara Nelson of First United Methodist Church said.
The tree stands 40 feet tall. The star on top adds another five feet.
As you can see, the lights are shining all day long. It was important to the church to keep them shining both night and day.
“One of the things that’s really fun for us is that we see people come and pull up in the parking lot and look at the tree at all hours of the day, they come and take pictures with it,” Nelson said.
This year, the church added a railing along the cement base of the tree.
“The height of the cement is not over-code. But we thought if somebody slipped off, or falls off, we’d put some kind of railing up. Plus, it allows us to put garland up with lights on the front, kind of sets the tree off a little bit more,” Board of Trustees Chair Ben Lamp said.
The tree replaced a 50-foot pine that had grown too old and was removed last year. The old tree was cut into planks and is being re-purposed for future holiday celebrations.
“And now we have a gentleman that is making the remaining of the planks into Christmas ornaments for us. He’s trying to make 500 of them between now and Christmas. He’s been doing it for a month or so. He’s got a great laser machine, it’s really cool,” Lamp said.
The holiday spirit of renewal has come full circle in the glow of this downtown Christmas tree.
“Light always finds a way of breaking through the darkness and that no matter how cold it is or how difficult things may be, hope always finds a way,” Nelson said.
The church will also post a plaque at the tree that honors the couple who inspired the original Dorothy’s Tree of Hope three decades ago. The plaque is expected to arrive this week.
