Block Club Chicago
The city has picked this year's Christmas tree for Millennium Park.Provided

City Picks 60-Foot Christmas Tree From Elmhurst To Decorate Millennium Park This Winter

The tree will be in Millennium Park by the end of the week.

Downtown Primary category in which blog post is published
Kelly Bauer

kelly@blockclubchi.org

See more

DOWNTOWN — The city has found this year’s massive Christmas tree for Millennium Park.

The tree will come from suburban Elmhurst and is a 60-foot Norway spruce — a popular pick for Christmas trees. It was picked from 79 submissions and is being donated by the Orth family, according to a city news release.

Norway spruces have “dark green needles and drooping branchlets” and can grow up to 130 feet tall in the United States, according to the National Christmas Tree Association. The group describes Norway spruces as having “fair to excellent” color  when it comes to Christmas trees, though they tend to drop their needles.

Here’s a look at the spruce:

A 60-foot Norway spruce from Elmhurst will be used as the Christmas tree in Millennium Park this year.
Provided

The tree will be cut Thursday morning and delivered to Millennium Park at 7 p.m. Friday. It’ll be decorated and lit up during a ceremony with the Orth family and Santa Claus Nov. 16.

RELATED: Christkindlmarket Is Being Set Up In Daley Plaza (Yes, Even Though It’s Not Even Halloween Yet)

The tree lighting ceremony is free. It begins at 6 p.m. Nov. 16 in Millennium Park near Washington Street and Michigan Avenue, with the actual lighting happening at about 6:30 p.m.

Here’s what past trees have looked like when they’re all done up:

The city celebrates the holidays with an enormous Christmas tree in Millennium Park.
Provided
Provided
The city has picked this year’s Christmas tree for Millennium Park.
Provided
Uptown, Edgewater, Rogers Park Primary category in which blog post is published

Candyality To Close Andersonville Shop, Consolidate Into Lakeview Location To ‘Survive’ Coronavirus

Candyality is at least the fourth Andersonville small business to close due to the coronavirus.

Downtown Primary category in which blog post is published

Grief Camp Helps Chicago Kids Find Community, Heal From Trauma After Losing Loved Ones To Violence

Camp Sheilah was started by Kevin Doyle, who was a teenager when his mother was murdered in a 1993 robbery in Palos Park. It helps kids heal while remembering their lost loved ones.

Austin, Garfield Park, North Lawndale Primary category in which blog post is published

West Side Group Wins $300,000 Grant For Program That Helps Young Men At Risk Of Violence Become Local Leaders

The grant will allow MAAFA Redemption Project to rehab a building to house more men in the program, which provides job training, counseling and mentorship.