The Boston Christmas Tree is going to be coming from Lorne, Pictou County this year.
A tree is chosen each year from Nova Scotia to be sent to Boston as a show of appreciation for the support the city offered to Halifax during the Halifax explosion aftermath of 1917 which killed 2,000 and left 7,000 injured.
Thursday, arborists were binding the branches of the 49-foot tree at the home of Billy and Andrea MacEachern in Lorne.
Billy put a sign up Thursday morning in his yard announcing that the tree was coming from their home and that it will be cut Nov. 17.
He said his wife deserves full credit for suggesting that the tree might be good for Boston. Billy used to work for Nova Scotia Power and when they moved to the property four and a half years ago, she started suggesting to him that he should get one of the bucket trucks home to decorate the tree.
“She always had it in her head that she wanted to see that tree lit up,” he said.
Then last year as they were hearing about the Christmas tree, which was going to Boston from Antigonish, she decided they should enter their own tree and submitted a couple pictures.
A couple men came out last winter to check it out and they were informed that there would be a selection committee making the decision.
There a number of factors the committee looks at, Billy said. In addition to having a good shape, the tree has to be a certain height, a white spruce and be easily accessed.
Later the committee came to look at the tree and a short time afterward, they were told it was down to two trees in the province.
“I got a call a short time later and they said, ‘You’re going to Boston.’”
The MacEachern’s had an older friend, Andrew Fraser, who had for years sheared Christmas Trees in the Garden of Eden, Pictou County. He followed along with them through the process of the selection of the tree always assuring them that they would get it.
When Billy found out, he said he wanted Andrew to be the one to tell Andrea. So he and Andrew arranged for him to visit at their home and he surprised her with the news.
Billy said Andrea and Fraser were as happy as children when he shared the news with her.
The MacEachern’s had hoped that Fraser who was living at Glen Haven Manor, would be able to come to the tree cutting, but unfortunately he passed away in September.
Billy said there are a few smaller trees that are sent down with the Boston tree each year and one of those trees will be given in honour of Fraser.
More than a hundred school children will attend the tree-cutting ceremony along with Minister of Finance and Treasury Board Randy Delorey on behalf of the province, television meteorologist Cindy Day, New Glasgow Town Crier James Stewart and Santa Claus.
After the ceremony, the tree will travel to Grand Parade at Halifax City Hall for a final public farewell at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 18. A large thank you book for Boston will be available at both ceremonies for Nova Scotians to sign. The province will then transport the tree 1,117 kilometres to Boston. The tree lighting will take place on the Boston Common, Dec. 3, at a ceremony attracting about 30,000 people and broadcast live on the Boston ABC affiliate television station to about 300,000 viewers. Details on this year's tree-cutting ceremony are at www.novascotia.ca/treeforboston and people can follow the tree's travels on Twitter @TreeforBoston and "like" the tree on Facebook at www.facebook.com/treeforboston.
The Boston Christmas Tree is going to be coming from Lorne, Pictou County this year.
A tree is chosen each year from Nova Scotia to be sent to Boston as a show of appreciation for the support the city offered to Halifax during the Halifax explosion aftermath of 1917 which killed 2,000 and left 7,000 injured.
Thursday, arborists were binding the branches of the 49-foot tree at the home of Billy and Andrea MacEachern in Lorne.
Billy put a sign up Thursday morning in his yard announcing that the tree was coming from their home and that it will be cut Nov. 17.
He said his wife deserves full credit for suggesting that the tree might be good for Boston. Billy used to work for Nova Scotia Power and when they moved to the property four and a half years ago, she started suggesting to him that he should get one of the bucket trucks home to decorate the tree.
“She always had it in her head that she wanted to see that tree lit up,” he said.
Then last year as they were hearing about the Christmas tree, which was going to Boston from Antigonish, she decided they should enter their own tree and submitted a couple pictures.
A couple men came out last winter to check it out and they were informed that there would be a selection committee making the decision.
There a number of factors the committee looks at, Billy said. In addition to having a good shape, the tree has to be a certain height, a white spruce and be easily accessed.
Later the committee came to look at the tree and a short time afterward, they were told it was down to two trees in the province.
“I got a call a short time later and they said, ‘You’re going to Boston.’”
The MacEachern’s had an older friend, Andrew Fraser, who had for years sheared Christmas Trees in the Garden of Eden, Pictou County. He followed along with them through the process of the selection of the tree always assuring them that they would get it.
When Billy found out, he said he wanted Andrew to be the one to tell Andrea. So he and Andrew arranged for him to visit at their home and he surprised her with the news.
Billy said Andrea and Fraser were as happy as children when he shared the news with her.
The MacEachern’s had hoped that Fraser who was living at Glen Haven Manor, would be able to come to the tree cutting, but unfortunately he passed away in September.
Billy said there are a few smaller trees that are sent down with the Boston tree each year and one of those trees will be given in honour of Fraser.
More than a hundred school children will attend the tree-cutting ceremony along with Minister of Finance and Treasury Board Randy Delorey on behalf of the province, television meteorologist Cindy Day, New Glasgow Town Crier James Stewart and Santa Claus.
After the ceremony, the tree will travel to Grand Parade at Halifax City Hall for a final public farewell at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 18. A large thank you book for Boston will be available at both ceremonies for Nova Scotians to sign. The province will then transport the tree 1,117 kilometres to Boston. The tree lighting will take place on the Boston Common, Dec. 3, at a ceremony attracting about 30,000 people and broadcast live on the Boston ABC affiliate television station to about 300,000 viewers. Details on this year's tree-cutting ceremony are at www.novascotia.ca/treeforboston and people can follow the tree's travels on Twitter @TreeforBoston and "like" the tree on Facebook at www.facebook.com/treeforboston.
