COVID cancels annual Tree for Boston event at Grand Parade
Posted Nov 6, 2020 06:09:00 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Nova Scotia will still be sending a Christmas tree to Boston this year, but there will be no public events in the province before it leaves on its 1,100 km journey to Massachusetts.
Usually there is a tree cutting ceremony and a public send-off at Grand Parade.
It would also normally make an appearance in Halifax's Parade of Lights, however the in-person parade has been replaced by a best-of broadcast due to COVID-19.
This year's tree is 45-foot white spruce donated by Heather and Tony Sampson from West Bay, Richmond Co.
Tony said his stepfather's mother was adopted from Boston, and the Cape Breton property it comes from has been passed down through the family.
“It has quite a bit of meaning to me and my family to send Nova Scotia's gift to the people of Boston,” he said.
“I also worked in the machine shop at Halifax Shipyards in the 1980s, in one of the buildings re-built after the Halifax Explosion. Only two columns of the original building were left standing after the explosion. When I lived near Fort Needham, I could look down towards the water and imagine the destruction.”
Heather, who works at a nursing home in St. Peter's, hopes the annual tradition will be put a smile on people's faces during this tough year.
We send a Christmas tree every year to thank Bostonians for the assistance they sent following the Halifax Explosion. This year, Nova Scotia is dedicating it to health-care workers and those who are working on the frontlines during the pandemic.
“We thank Boston for their kindness during our time of need by sending a big, beautiful Nova Scotia Christmas tree. This important tradition symbolizes gratitude, friendship and remembrance,” said Lands and Forestry Minister Derek Mombourquette in a news release.
“It's also our way of honouring those who have worked so hard to keep us healthy and safe during the pandemic.”
Nova Scotians will still be able to watch the tree-lighting on Boston's ABC affiliate on Dec. 3.
