The lights go up in Farmville

Published 1:21 pm Thursday, December 15, 2022

By Brian Carlton

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(Photo by Connor Thompson)

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It’s still somewhat of a new tradition in Farmville. Music plays, a switch is flipped and the lights on the town Christmas tree sparkle. This year’s celebration marked the eighth year the practice has been happening in town and it’s changed slightly every time.

Originally, the town used a synthetic tree, one donated by Longwood University that had previously been in the Rotunda. But starting in 2020, the Town of Farmville went shopping for one of their own.

This year’s tree, named Sadie the Spruce by a poll of local residents, had a bit of a journey to get in its current position. The Norway Spruce was delivered from Pennsylvania on a tractor trailer, with town workers having to use bucket trucks to set the tree in its foundation. Then, to make sure it doesn’t go anywhere, the tree was welded in by town workers. The three also has some guide wires, to help it stay secure.

You may have noticed the star, but there are plenty of other decorations on the tree as well. Town officials estimate it took six or seven Farmville employees at different times to install and decorate the tree, which includes an estimated 250 ornaments.

You can visit the tree in Main Street Plaza through the end of December.