Chicagoans Pick Christmas Tree For Daley Plaza
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The votes are in and Daley Plaza's new Christmas tree for this year will be coming from the Spangler family in Western Springs.
Last month, the city began its search for a Christmas tree for Daley Plaza by asking Chicago area residents to send in photos of potential Christmas trees from their own yards. The city said the trees had to be spruce or fir trees at least 55 feet tall, accessible for safe removal and no further than 100 miles from downtown.
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Earlier this month, the city picked three finalists and asked Chicago residents to vote online. It was the second year that the city held a contest encouraging residents to vote on a tree for Daley Plaza.
On Wednesday, the city announced that the Spangler faily of Western Springs had won, for their 55-foot Colorado spruce tree in their front yard.
The Spanglers were a runner-up in last year's Christmas tree contest, so they decided to enter again.
"Our 'celebritree' status from last year brought much excitement and support from family, friends and neighbors," said owner Klaudia Spangler.
As part of their contest entry, Klaudia Spangler wrote about the tree:
"Over the years, the tree has served us well. It has been a fort for our kids when they were younger, a great source of shade and an ideal marker when directing people to our home."
Crews will remove the tree on Nov. 4 and deliver it to Daley Plaza sometime after 7 p.m. that day. It will then be decorated with lights and ornaments before a lighting ceremony on the day before Thanksgiving.
Two other families were among the finalists this year. he Jozefow family of Northlake also offered a beautiful 55-foot Colorado Spruce.
And the Trudel family of Glenview had the tallest tree in the contest - a 59-foot Colorado Spruce that they purchased in 1966 when it was only four-feet tall.
