Did city of Conway buy a hurricane-ravaged tree from NC for its holiday? What we know
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The city of Conway will have its Christmas tree lighting on Thursday.
And while it’s an annual event that draws hundreds, many people in recent days have taken to social media to criticize the look of the tree.
Posts have said the tree is “underwhelming” compared to last year and that the tree was “butchered.” One post said that the city had bought the tree before Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina and the tree had received damage.
Others praised the city for honoring its commitment to buy the tree.
The posts have received hundreds of comments and many shares.
“We did purchase our tree from a farm in Western North Carolina, that was impacted by Hurricane Helene,” according to city spokesperson June Wood by email. “However, the criticism was due to decorations that were in fact not complete. Our staff works all hours of the day and weekends to complete holiday decorations. ... We are proud of the tireless work by our City staff and they deserved to take a break with their families for Thanksgiving.”
Wood said the tree will be completed by Dec. 5 for the city’s tree lighting ceremony and Christmas in Conway. The lighting will occur at 6 p.m. at Main Street and Third Avenue.
There has been a push across the country for people who buy real Christmas trees to purchase them from Western North Carolina, where most of the country’s trees are grown. The White House also used a tree from a North Carolina tree farm for its annual holiday lighting.
In late September, strong winds and catastrophic flooding from Hurricane Helene caused destruction in Western North Carolina. Some Christmas tree farms experienced damage due to landslides, according to North Carolina State University.
In North Carolina, Fraser fir is the most common species grown and sold by Christmas tree farms, with about 850 growers producing more than 50 million trees annually.
It is unknown what kind of tree the city of Conway bought or how much it cost.
The price for a Fraser fir ranges anywhere from $65 to $250 depending on the size of the tree and the retail venue, according to NCSU.
This story was originally published December 3, 2024 at 1:35 PM.
