NEOSHO, Mo. —
A Norway spruce tree that has been a central feature of Christmas programs in Big Spring Park for years will have one more holiday season before it comes down.
The 40-foot tree is a victim of two years of drought, or maybe disease, said Jon Skinner, urban forester with the Missouri Department of Conservation.
The tree’s condition was a topic at Tuesday night’s Neosho City Council meeting, at which John Jordon, parks director, reported to the council.
Skinner said by phone Wednesday that the tissue in more than half the tree is dead.
“There are no live needles or buds” on at least half the tree, Skinner said. “That portion of the tree is never going to green up again. That side is going to stay brown and dead.”
Skinner said he hadn’t estimated the age of the tree.
“We realize it’s a huge loss for the community,” Skinner said. He said he hopes the city’s plan for a final Christmas for the tree will help soften the blow.
City Manager Troy Royer said that during the annual lighting ceremony in Big Spring Park, the person chosen as Citizen of the Year is given the honor of flipping the switch on the lights for the evergreen.
The program usually includes music from school groups and remarks by city officials
Royer and Jordon said the city has decided to light and decorate the tree for a final Christmas, and to remove it sometime after the holiday.
“We feel like that’s probably the best course of action,” Jordon said by phone Wednesday. “It will give people one last chance to enjoy and remember the tree.”
Jordon said he became concerned when he noticed the tree getting brown in the driest part of the summer.
“This is a tree that has a history,” he said. “It’s unfortunate that the tree has died. People have a sentimental attachment to it. It’s something we can re-establish. We plan on replanting another tree to continue the tradition.”
Park fixture
JOHN JORDON, 37, Neosho parks director, said the tree has been around for as long as he can remember, and so has the Christmas lighting ceremony.
Local News
Neosho Christmas tree has one more holiday
- Local News
-
-
Joplin sends team to help Moore
A team of public safety workers from Joplin were deployed Monday night to assist in Moore, Okla.
-
Two plead guilty to post-tornado wire theft
Two defendants pleaded guilty Monday to stealing copper wire from utility poles in the wake of the May 22, 2011, tornado that struck Joplin. Timothy M. Silveria, 45, of Joplin, and Nycoa K. Kracht, 32, of Laurel, Ind., entered open pleas of guilty in Jasper County Circuit Court to felony counts of theft from a public utility.
-
Vandals cause $37,000 in damage at Joplin business
A Joplin business owner was the victim of a weekend vandalism spree that resulted in an estimated $37,000 in damages and theft, in addition to putting the company out of service for at least two days.
-
Mike Pound: My wife hid the clutter so well, I may be missing
OK, now I’m worried. Late Sunday afternoon, my wife announced that she was going to clean up our kitchen and our family room. When she made that announcement, our 15-year-old daughter, Emma, and I laughed because, at the time, our kitchen and family room were sort of cluttered.
-
Joplin council meeting canceled due to storm forecast
Storm forecasts have caused the Joplin City Council to cancel its meeting tonight.
-
Carthage School Board meeting is postponed
The Carthage School Board meeting set for today has been postponed for due to threats of severe weather.
-
Storms cause damage throughout the Four States
Four-State Area residents hunkered down twice Monday to ride out tornadoes and powerful spring storms, then went to work cleaning up. The worst damage from Monday night’s storm was being reported in Ottawa County, Okla., near Wyandotte. That followed a report of an EF-1 tornado early Monday morning near Carthage.
-
Alan Marble, Crowder College president, to retire
After 27 years with Crowder College, President Alan Marble has announced his plans to retire on June 30, the formal end of the academic year. “It’s just the right time,” Marble, 58, said in a telephone interview Monday morning. “I’ve enjoyed, I think, every minute of these 27 years, but it’s time to move on to the next challenge.”
-
EF1 tornado hit Carthage early Monday morning
Clean-up was underway in Carthage after winds estimated at 90 to 100 miles an hour damaged buildings and toppled trees and power lines in the Carthage area just after midnight early Monday.
-
Federal agency proposes adding two Missouri mussels to endangered species list
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will host a public meeting in Joplin Tuesday and another meeting later in the week in Southeast Missouri to provide details and answer questions about adding two freshwater mussels to the endangered species list.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Joplin sends team to help Moore
