Bangor’s holiday tree has arrived.
The tree went up around 9 a.m. Thursday in West Market Square. It’s a blue spruce that’s about 40 feet tall, according to Dan Sprague of Sprague’s Nursery and Garden Center.
Sprague has sourced and donated a tree to the city every year for about 30 years.
“I’ve lost count,” he said of how long he’s performed the service.
This year’s tree was donated by a woman from Brewer in honor of her mother, Pam Martin, who volunteered for numerous local organizations, according to Sprague.
The tree will again feature a daily light and music show, which was first added last year, according to Betsy Lundy, executive director of the Downtown Bangor Partnership. The show is programmed by Scott Stitham, technical director for the Collins Center for the Arts at the University of Maine in Orono, and sponsored by Hollywood Casino Hotel & Raceway.
The tree lighting, and the premiere of this year’s light show, will kick off at 4 p.m. on Nov. 28. The lighting coincides with “Plaid Friday,” Bangor’s annual shopping event that is designed to be a more laid-back, local alternative to Black Friday.
Shoppers are encouraged to wear plaid, and this year will be able to scan QR codes at some downtown stores where they can enter for the chance to win tickets to the “Miracle on 34th Street” musical at the Cross Insurance Center, Lundy said.
Bangor will also hold its annual Festival of Lights parade Dec. 6 at 4:30 p.m. with the theme “Unite for Good.”
Sprague said he already has next year’s tree picked out.
“I ride around all summer and I stop and talk to people that have trees on their front lawns,” he said.
