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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
SEATTLE—Bringing a little holiday cheer to downtown Seattle residents has proven to be a growing project, literally, for one man.
Eleven years after he first started decorating the Druitt Memorial Tree, located on the corner of 4th and Olive in downtown Seattle, Eric Greenberg will once again undertake the massive project on Thursday, December 5 at 9:00 a.m.
Joined by his two friends, Frank Dufrain and Reuben Nichols, Greenberg will spend over seven hours stringing 1,250 lights on the 30-year-old, 100-foot tall sequoia tree.
Local businesses make the project possible through donations of money and supplies. This year Bartell Drugs is supplying the lights, Ness Crane is discounting the cost of the crane and the Mayflower Hotel, Dahlia Lounge and the Laird Norton Trust are contributing money.
“Eric’s project is a unique opportunity for our company to help bring a little holiday joy to downtown residents. The tree is only a block away from our 5th Avenue store, so it’s nice to be able to help light it up for the holidays,” said George D. Bartell, CEO and chairman.
The City of Seattle also supports the project by providing a switcher box at the base of the tree while Metro takes down their bus cables on the street to help facilitate the crane during the decoration.
Greenberg’s crusade to bring a little holiday finery to the sequoia began in 1992 when he noticed that no one ever decorated the stately—and then 60-foot tall—tree during the holiday season.
“It used to bother me that no one ever decorated it during the holidays. So, I started asking around and found out that the tree used to be decorated in the early 80s, but after the downtown holiday ceremonies were moved to Westlake Park, people forgot about it,” he said.
The Queen Anne resident decided to adopt the forgotten tree for the holidays and with the help of Seattle City Light, some donations and a little of his own money, the sequoia was once again outfitted in its holiday finery.
The project hasn’t been without its ups and downs over the years. After the first year City Light declined to participate, leaving Greenberg to undertake the project alone. The following year, a power problem left Greenberg—dressed as Santa—hovering high above the city streets with no way down.
“Frank and I had just finished the lighting ceremony up in the cherry picker when it suddenly lost power. We tried to use the emergency switch to bring it down but that didn’t work. When Frank heard the picker was starting to tip over he wanted to rappel down. Luckily, we didn’t have to do that since the switch started to work,” said Greenberg.
Greenberg’s project is a growing one. Each year the tree grows an average of two to three feet.
The Bartell Drug Company is the nation’s oldest drugstore chain. The family-owned company has 50 stores in King, Snohomish, and Pierce counties.
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