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Seasonal Bloomington landmark will light again
A seasonal landmark along Highway 77 is planned to return after more than a decade. FOX 9’s Maury Glover explains.
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (FOX 9) - A popular tree in Bloomington will be covered in 40,000 white lights to make the season bright once more.
Making memories
Local perspective:
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas along Meadowview Road in Bloomington, with crews putting up strings of white lights around a giant oak tree in the front yard of a home on that street.
Soon an iconic holiday tradition will light up the night once again.
"I am so excited. We've wanted to do this for several years," Marlena Hemenway, owner of the home, told FOX 9.
One big project
The backstory:
Bob and Julie Little hung thousands of lights on the tree for years to spread a little Christmas cheer.
But when Marlena Hemenway and her husband bought the house and turned it into residential assisted living, they pulled the plug on the lights because the $20,000 to $30,000 a year price tag was too high.
"The tree was starting to get sick from having the lights on for too long. So we removed the lights and gave the tree a little bit of a break and then also, to fund the project, we needed a little more time," said Hemenway.
After more than a decade in the dark, the Hemenways have decided to re-ignite the "Lighted Oak", that is more than 60 feet tall and more than 100 years old.
They're asking the public to help cover the costs through a crowdfunding campaign and to enjoy the tree from the street so they don't disturb the half dozen vulnerable adults who live in the home.
"It's been kind of dark lately with all the different tragedies and just so much going on, and we thought what a great way to enhance the lives of the Bloomington Twin Cities community by lighting the tree and bringing some joy this Christmas season," said Hemenway.
Reigniting tradition
What they're saying:
The Hemenways hope the site of so many Christmas memories will shine for many more.
"We are hoping that the community loves this tradition as much as we do and gets really excited about it and helps contribute so that we can keep the tradition going," said Hemenway.
The Lighted Oak will be officially re-lit on Sunday evening, Dec. 7, and it will be lit every night after that through Jan. 31.