A Christmas Eve visit to Elk Grove's District56 found its unique, one-of-a-kind Holiday Tree unlit



For those hoping to catch the spirit of the season on Christmas Eve by visiting Elk Grove's newly purchased Holiday Tree at the city's District56 facility, were left puzzled and bewildered.

Instead of finding the City of Elk Grove's official Holiday Tree, which is one of only a few like it in the world, illuminated, discovered that during the early evening hours of Christmas Eve, it was unlit. 

Our group, which made our trek to the Holiday tree around 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 24, included two families, a couple of out of town visitors and three young grandchildren, found light decorated trees in the promenade area, the flags flying on the flagpoles lit, an illuminated water slide in the swimming pool and ample lighting on the grounds to offer a safe, inviting visit. The tree, well, that was another matter.

Along with being slightly embarrassed by taking our visitors to the unilluminated Holiday Tree - which we were chided by our visitors asking us what sort of hicks were running the city who forgot to the lights on - there were other groups expressing similar puzzlement by the lighting failure. There was one family with three small daughters, who were visibly shivering in the cool evening air,  dressed to be photographed by parents equipped with not only a professional-grade 35mm camera but also a lighting umbrella to ensure a high-quality image, probably to send to kith and kin around the world. 
An unlit Holiday Tree at Elk Grove's District56 didn't
diminish the exuberance on this internationally
recognized figure who visited Elk Grove on Christmas Eve. 

There was also a couple in their late 20s or early 30s who came to be photographed in front of the Holiday tree with a special announcement for their families. They were specially designed red and green t-shirts announcing they were expecting their first child and that it would be arriving early next summer.

What was curious about the unlit tree not being addressed was given how many surveillance cameras are deployed throughout the city by Elk Grove Police Department, one cannot help but imagine this area would be continuously monitored. If it is under surveillance, why was there not some sort of announcement placed near the tree notifying visitors of some malfunction and notification to maintenance personnel to fix the lighting failure?

Subsequently, we were told by a city official that the culprit of the Holiday tree light failure was probably caused by a blown fuse. A friend visited the Holiday tree on Christmas night and reported it was fully illuminated, so the problem was fixed.

Nonetheless, it was a bit embarrassing to take young grandkids and out of town visitors to your community's new, one of a kind tree on Christmas Eve, only to find someone forgot to flip the switch. It is reminiscent of the Clark W. Griswold character in the fan-favorite movie Christmas Vacation, who gathered his family to flip the switch on his gaudy Christmas lighting display only to discover they didn't light.

Better luck next Christmas Eve!  

Copyright by Elk Grove News © 2019. All right reserved.



 






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2 comments

D.J. Blutarsky said...

Hey, where can I get one of those potholders?

Spoons and Forks said...

Kind of a crummy look for the city. Even though it is just the first year, it is kind of like going to Times Square on New Years Eve and the big ball fails to drop.

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