HENRICO COUNTY, Va. β A beloved 40-foot cedar tree that served as the centerpiece for the Cultural Arts Center of Glen Allen's annual illumination celebration was vandalized by someone with a chainsaw just weeks before this year's event.
The tree, which had been the focal point of the holiday tradition for 27 years, was discovered damaged when a staff member noticed something unusual about one of its branches earlier this month. Upon investigation, they found that someone had literally brought a chainsaw and carved into the tree.
"The best we can figure is that we got a visit from the Grinch, trying to steal our holiday joy and shut down our great event that we do for the community," said Amy Holland with the Cultural Arts Center of Glen Allen.
Holland says staff believed the tree would still be able to stand, but high winds eventually brought the cedar down. In response, Henrico County planted a 10-foot replacement spruce tree at a different part of the property near the center's new outdoor event space.
K Alferio, President and CEO of the center, said while she appreciates the county's swift actions, she says she understands that the public might be underwhelmed by the Spruce's small size.
"Itβs kind of like losing an old friend," Alferio said. "A lot of times, crisis will bring people together. It brought us all together, and we said okay, we need to think and let us not try to re-create the same thing. We can help grow and evolve even to greater heights than what it was before."
Alferio said the new plan is to decorate the entire event space with lights to make up for the hole left by the Cedar tree.
Staff and community volunteers have already begun decorating the lobby of the main building with over a dozen specially-designed Christmas trees, but she admits that the extra space outside means that they will need additional help from the community to make sure the event is bigger and brighter than last year.
"Obviously now we have a small tree to decorate, but we have a lot of fence line, and we have trees throughout that could be decorated," Alferio said. "If we could get lights on those trees an if people have outdoor displays that maybe they are not using that they may want to loan or donate. Anything to make it feel big."
"Maybe what we lack in height we are going to spread around, and we hope its going to be a really exciting bright and festive event," Holland said.
Anyone willing to loan or donate extra lights, festive decorations, and creative displays is being asked to call the Cultural Arts Center at 804-262-2787. Alferio said they are asking folks to refrain from donating any inflatable decorations.
"We actually have re-envisioned the event, and it actually stands to be even more festive and more fun this year," Alferio said.
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