Singing Christmas Tree
Encyclopedia
A Singing Christmas Tree, sometimes called a Living Christmas Tree, is an artificial Christmas tree
filled with singers used as part of nativity play
s. First appearing in 1933 in Mississippi
, they later made their debut indoors in 1958 in North Carolina
. Constructed of steel, the tree is actually a conical
circular sector
where between one-third and one-half of an actual Christmas tree
is shown. Depending upon tree size, they can accompany between 30 and 450 singers. These trees can be put up by church
es or communities depending upon the location. Since then, the singing Christmas tree concept has spread to Canada
, the Philippines
, South Korea
, and Switzerland
. The most attended tree takes place in Knoxville, Tennessee
, with 60,000 attendees in 2007.
in the 1740s from Moravia
n (now part of the Czech Republic
) settlers. In 1851, the first commercial tree lot in the United States was set up in New York City
. President of the United States
Franklin Pierce
set up the first Christmas tree in the White House
in 1856. Artificial trees were first developed in Germany
in the 19th century over concerns of deforestation
in the their native homeland along with fire safety
issues. By the 1960s, artificial trees become very popular in the United States.
Christmas carol
ing originated in Europe
in the 13th century with an interest in the birth of Jesus
, including the nativity. Caroling continued throughout Europe until the Protestant Reformation
of 1517–1648 which led to the halt of the religious use of carols in some Protestant countries, such as England
and Scotland
. Despite being banned from European churches, they were still sung in homes and by door-to-door carolers on begging visits (charity
solicitation
s) during Christmas despite protestations from the Puritan
revolution in England in the 1640s. Caroling was done a limited basis between 1660 and the 19th century. By 1878, caroling was revived by the Church of England
when it was combined with scripture reading to form a worship service called "Lessons and Carols". Caroling's growth has continued into the 20th century both in Europe and the United States and is now part of Christmas music
.
One of the caroling traditions in homes was to sing around the Christmas tree. In 1933, Belhaven College
(Belhaven University since 1 January 2010) in Jackson, Mississippi
, became the first place to have a "Singing Christmas Tree" though it has been outdoors on an annual basis. The first indoor singing Christmas tree would take place in 1958 in Charlotte, North Carolina
, by the Charlotte Choral Society (Carolina Voices since 2000) as a fundraiser for charity. The tree was first used as an outreach tool for Christmas in 1963 in Van Nuys, California. The first steel-framed tree with choir
risers was constructed by Millard Heath Specialties of Denton, Texas
, for the First Baptist Church in their city in 1972 (That tree was still in use in Callahan, Florida
, as of April 2005.). Millard Heath alone has constructed over 200 "trees" for churches in 30 American states and outside the United States.
Among the locations for Singing Christmas Trees outside the United States are in Pampanga
, Philippines; Suwon
, South Korea; Winnipeg, Manitoba; Yarmouth, Nova Scotia
; and Zurich
, Switzerland.
. They are fitted with artificial fireproof
evergreen
leaves
and Christmas lights in an effort to lessen workload assembly and disassembly. Besides lighting, they are fitted with controls to allow for usage by a master control
within a church sanctuary
or community. As an example, the tree used at the First Baptist Church in Huntsville, Alabama
, holds 150 singers, is 30 feet (9.1 m) tall (39 feet (11.9 m) tall if the star at the top of tree is included), consumes 36 kW of electrical power during its performance run on an annual basis, weighs 6000 pounds (2,721.6 kg), uses 377 pieces of structural steel that is bolted with over 800 pieces, uses 7500 pieces of artificial greenery, and has over 13,000 lights.
s and/or lighter members at the top of the tree, followed by the alto
s and tenor
s in the middle of the tree, and the bass
and heavier singers at the bottom of the tree. In reality, they are arranged in six sections. They are broken down with two sections of sopranos, two sections of altos, a section of tenors, and a section of bass. Singers who require sitting in a chair or a stool during the performance are located in the bottom two rows of the tree. Choir members who are acrophobic
(fear of heights) are located near the bottom of the tree while claustrophobic
(fear of restriction or suffocation) choir members are located at the outside of the tree. Most choir members stand for the entire time period of the performance. Male choir members are arranged in the middle of the tree.
located away from the tree in the same building to provide the music for the choir members to sing. Many trees are part of nativity play
s or nativity scene
s that celebrate the birth of Jesus. As an example, the First Baptist Church of Alexandria, Virginia
, had theirs in 2009 dealing with the spirit of Christmas despite the chaos of a college
freshman
coming home to find their grandparent
s moving into their parent
s house along with other relatives visiting during Christmas vacation.
Artificial Christmas tree
Artificial Christmas trees are artificial pine and fir trees manufactured for the specific purpose of use as a Christmas tree. The earliest artificial Christmas trees were wooden, tree-shaped pyramids or feather trees, both developed by Germans...
filled with singers used as part of nativity play
Nativity play
A Nativity play or Christmas pageant is a play which recounts the story of the Nativity of Jesus. It is usually performed at Christmas, the feast of the Nativity.-Liturgical:...
s. First appearing in 1933 in Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, they later made their debut indoors in 1958 in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. Constructed of steel, the tree is actually a conical
Cone (geometry)
A cone is an n-dimensional geometric shape that tapers smoothly from a base to a point called the apex or vertex. Formally, it is the solid figure formed by the locus of all straight line segments that join the apex to the base...
circular sector
Circular sector
A circular sector or circle sector, is the portion of a disk enclosed by two radii and an arc, where the smaller area is known as the minor sector and the larger being the major sector. In the diagram, θ is the central angle in radians, r the radius of the circle, and L is the arc length of the...
where between one-third and one-half of an actual Christmas tree
Christmas tree
The Christmas tree is a decorated evergreen coniferous tree, real or artificial, and a tradition associated with the celebration of Christmas. The tradition of decorating an evergreen tree at Christmas started in Livonia and Germany in the 16th century...
is shown. Depending upon tree size, they can accompany between 30 and 450 singers. These trees can be put up by church
Christian Church
The Christian Church is the assembly or association of followers of Jesus Christ. The Greek term ἐκκλησία that in its appearances in the New Testament is usually translated as "church" basically means "assembly"...
es or communities depending upon the location. Since then, the singing Christmas tree concept has spread to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. The most attended tree takes place in Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
, with 60,000 attendees in 2007.
History
The first Christmas trees came to the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the 1740s from Moravia
Moravia
Moravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...
n (now part of the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
) settlers. In 1851, the first commercial tree lot in the United States was set up in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce was the 14th President of the United States and is the only President from New Hampshire. Pierce was a Democrat and a "doughface" who served in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. Pierce took part in the Mexican-American War and became a brigadier general in the Army...
set up the first Christmas tree in the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
in 1856. Artificial trees were first developed in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in the 19th century over concerns of deforestation
Deforestation
Deforestation is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a nonforest use. Examples of deforestation include conversion of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use....
in the their native homeland along with fire safety
Fire safety
Fire safety refers to precautions that are taken to prevent or reduce the likelihood of a fire that may result in death, injury, or property damage, alert those in a structure to the presence of a fire in the event one occurs, better enable those threatened by a fire to survive, or to reduce the...
issues. By the 1960s, artificial trees become very popular in the United States.
Christmas carol
Christmas carol
A Christmas carol is a carol whose lyrics are on the theme of Christmas or the winter season in general and which are traditionally sung in the period before Christmas.-History:...
ing originated in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
in the 13th century with an interest in the birth of Jesus
Nativity of Jesus
The Nativity of Jesus, or simply The Nativity, refers to the accounts of the birth of Jesus in two of the Canonical gospels and in various apocryphal texts....
, including the nativity. Caroling continued throughout Europe until the Protestant Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
of 1517–1648 which led to the halt of the religious use of carols in some Protestant countries, such as England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. Despite being banned from European churches, they were still sung in homes and by door-to-door carolers on begging visits (charity
Charity (practice)
The practice of charity means the voluntary giving of help to those in need who are not related to the giver.- Etymology :The word "charity" entered the English language through the Old French word "charité" which was derived from the Latin "caritas".Originally in Latin the word caritas meant...
solicitation
Solicitation
Literally, solicitation means: 'urgently asking'. It is the action or instance of soliciting; petition; proposal. In criminal law, it most commonly refers to either the act of offering goods or services, or the act of attempting to purchase such goods or services...
s) during Christmas despite protestations from the Puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
revolution in England in the 1640s. Caroling was done a limited basis between 1660 and the 19th century. By 1878, caroling was revived by the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
when it was combined with scripture reading to form a worship service called "Lessons and Carols". Caroling's growth has continued into the 20th century both in Europe and the United States and is now part of Christmas music
Christmas music
Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music normally performed or heard around the Christmas season, which tends to begin in the months leading up the actual holiday and end in the weeks shortly thereafter.-Early:...
.
One of the caroling traditions in homes was to sing around the Christmas tree. In 1933, Belhaven College
Belhaven College
Belhaven University is a private Christian liberal arts university located in Jackson, Mississippi. Founded by Dr. Lewis Fitzhugh and later donated to the now defunct Presbyterian Church in the United States, the school has been independently run by a Board of Trustees since 1972...
(Belhaven University since 1 January 2010) in Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
, became the first place to have a "Singing Christmas Tree" though it has been outdoors on an annual basis. The first indoor singing Christmas tree would take place in 1958 in Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
, by the Charlotte Choral Society (Carolina Voices since 2000) as a fundraiser for charity. The tree was first used as an outreach tool for Christmas in 1963 in Van Nuys, California. The first steel-framed tree with choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
risers was constructed by Millard Heath Specialties of Denton, Texas
Denton, Texas
The city of Denton is the county seat of Denton County, Texas in the United States. Its population was 119,454 according to the 2010 U.S. Census, making it the eleventh largest city in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex...
, for the First Baptist Church in their city in 1972 (That tree was still in use in Callahan, Florida
Callahan, Florida
Callahan is a town in Nassau County, Florida, United States, adjacent to Downtown Jacksonville. The population was 962 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Callahan is located at ....
, as of April 2005.). Millard Heath alone has constructed over 200 "trees" for churches in 30 American states and outside the United States.
Among the locations for Singing Christmas Trees outside the United States are in Pampanga
Pampanga
Pampanga is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is the City of San Fernando, Pampanga. Pampanga is bordered by the provinces of Bataan and Zambales to the west, Tarlac and Nueva Ecija to the north, and Bulacan to the southeast...
, Philippines; Suwon
Suwon
Suwon is the provincial capital of Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. A major city of over a million inhabitants, Suwon lies approximately south of Seoul. It is traditionally known as "The City of Filial Piety"....
, South Korea; Winnipeg, Manitoba; Yarmouth, Nova Scotia
Yarmouth, Nova Scotia
Yarmouth is a town and fishing port located on the Gulf of Maine in rural southwestern Nova Scotia, Canada. It is the shire town of Yarmouth County. The town is located in the heart of the world's largest lobster fishing grounds and has Canada's highest lobster catch.- History :The townsite may...
; and Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, Switzerland.
Tree structure and composition
Singing Christmas Trees are constructed to hold between 30 and 450 choral singers at one time. These trees can come in four models ranging in height from 18 to 48 ft (5.5 to 14.6 m) for indoor use and can be custom fit for outdoor use. They can also come in circular design of 120, 150, or 180 degree models. Trees can also have seating for choir members with special needsSpecial needs
In the USA, special needs is a term used in clinical diagnostic and functional development to describe individuals who require assistance for disabilities that may be medical, mental, or psychological. For instance, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and the International...
. They are fitted with artificial fireproof
Fireproofing
Fireproofing, a passive fire protection measure, refers to the act of making materials or structures more resistant to fire, or to those materials themselves, or the act of applying such materials. Applying a certification listed fireproofing system to certain structures allows these to have a...
evergreen
Evergreen
In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant that has leaves in all seasons. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage during the winter or dry season.There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, both trees and shrubs...
leaves
Leaves
-History:Vocalist Arnar Gudjonsson was formerly the guitarist with Mower, and he was joined by Hallur Hallsson , Arnar Ólafsson , Bjarni Grímsson , and Andri Ásgrímsson . Late in 2001 they played with Emiliana Torrini and drew early praise from the New York Times...
and Christmas lights in an effort to lessen workload assembly and disassembly. Besides lighting, they are fitted with controls to allow for usage by a master control
Master control
Master control is the technical hub of a broadcast operation common among most over-the-air television stations and television networks. It is distinct from a production control room in television studios where the activities such as switching from camera to camera are coordinated...
within a church sanctuary
Sanctuary
A sanctuary is any place of safety. They may be categorized into human and non-human .- Religious sanctuary :A religious sanctuary can be a sacred place , or a consecrated area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar.- Sanctuary as a sacred place :#Sanctuary as a sacred place:#:In...
or community. As an example, the tree used at the First Baptist Church in Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 Census....
, holds 150 singers, is 30 feet (9.1 m) tall (39 feet (11.9 m) tall if the star at the top of tree is included), consumes 36 kW of electrical power during its performance run on an annual basis, weighs 6000 pounds (2,721.6 kg), uses 377 pieces of structural steel that is bolted with over 800 pieces, uses 7500 pieces of artificial greenery, and has over 13,000 lights.
Choral composition within the tree
Choral composition within the tree ideally would have an equal number of men and women in the tree with the sopranoSoprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
s and/or lighter members at the top of the tree, followed by the alto
Alto
Alto is a musical term, derived from the Latin word altus, meaning "high" in Italian, that has several possible interpretations.When designating instruments, "alto" frequently refers to a member of an instrumental family that has the second highest range, below that of the treble or soprano. Hence,...
s and tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
s in the middle of the tree, and the bass
Bass (voice type)
A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C...
and heavier singers at the bottom of the tree. In reality, they are arranged in six sections. They are broken down with two sections of sopranos, two sections of altos, a section of tenors, and a section of bass. Singers who require sitting in a chair or a stool during the performance are located in the bottom two rows of the tree. Choir members who are acrophobic
Acrophobia
Acrophobia is an extreme or irrational fear of heights. It belongs to a category of specific phobias, called space and motion discomfort that share both similar etiology and options for treatment.Most people experience a degree of natural fear when exposed to heights, especially if there is little...
(fear of heights) are located near the bottom of the tree while claustrophobic
Claustrophobia
Claustrophobia is the fear of having no escape and being closed in small spaces or rooms...
(fear of restriction or suffocation) choir members are located at the outside of the tree. Most choir members stand for the entire time period of the performance. Male choir members are arranged in the middle of the tree.
Tree as part of the Christmas program
In all trees, they accompanied with an orchestraOrchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
located away from the tree in the same building to provide the music for the choir members to sing. Many trees are part of nativity play
Nativity play
A Nativity play or Christmas pageant is a play which recounts the story of the Nativity of Jesus. It is usually performed at Christmas, the feast of the Nativity.-Liturgical:...
s or nativity scene
Nativity scene
A nativity scene, manger scene, krippe, crèche, or crib, is a depiction of the birth of Jesus as described in the gospels of Matthew and Luke...
s that celebrate the birth of Jesus. As an example, the First Baptist Church of Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
, had theirs in 2009 dealing with the spirit of Christmas despite the chaos of a college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
freshman
Freshman
A freshman or fresher is a first-year student in secondary school, high school, or college. The term first year can also be used as a noun, to describe the students themselves A freshman (US) or fresher (UK, India) (or sometimes fish, freshie, fresher; slang plural frosh or freshmeat) is a...
coming home to find their grandparent
Grandparent
Grandparents are the parents of a person's own parent, whether that be a father or a mother. Every sexually-reproducing creature who is not a genetic chimera has a maximum of four genetic grandparents, eight genetic great-grandparents, sixteen genetic great-great-grandparents, etc...
s moving into their parent
Parent
A parent is a caretaker of the offspring in their own species. In humans, a parent is of a child . Children can have one or more parents, but they must have two biological parents. Biological parents consist of the male who sired the child and the female who gave birth to the child...
s house along with other relatives visiting during Christmas vacation.
Noted Singing or Living Christmas trees
- The Belhaven College Tree is the oldest tree done in 1933.
- The Singing Christmas Tree in Portland, OregonPortland, OregonPortland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, for 2009 had noted guest singers such as Timothy Greenridge, Michael Allen HarrisonMichael Allen HarrisonMichael Allen Harrison is an American New Age musician, songwriter and pianist from Portland, Oregon.- Early years :Michael started playing the piano at age six. He was prompted by his mother, who thought that playing the piano would help the young Michael to overcome his shyness...
, Georgine Rice, Aaron Meyer, and The Jefferson DancersThe Jefferson DancersThe Jefferson Dancers is the performance group of advanced students from the magnet arts dance program at Jefferson High School in Portland, Oregon, United States. The company was founded by Mary Vinton Folberg in the early 1980s...
. - Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia, features singing Christmas trees decorated with a custom midi light set that changes colors and design that is precisely synched to music.
- Carolina Voices in Charlotte, North Carolina, also uses four ensembles outside their tree to promote the Christmas message.
- Sevier Heights Baptist Church of Knoxville, Tennessee, began theirs in 1989 at their church, drawing 2800 people. The tree was held at the church annually until 1994. The following year, the tree moved to the Tennessee TheatreTennessee TheatreThe Tennessee Theatre is a 1920s-era movie palace, located within the Burwell Building in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, at 604 South Gay Street.-History:...
in downtown Knoxville where they started with six performances and 10,000 attendees in 1995 to twelve performances and 19,000 attendees in 2000. By 2001, the tree moved again to Thompson-Boling ArenaThompson-Boling ArenaThompson-Boling Arena is multi-purpose arena on the campus of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The arena opened in 1987. It is home to the Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Vols basketball teams. Since 2008, it has been home to the Lady Vol volleyball team. It is named after B....
, located on the campus of the University of TennesseeUniversity of TennesseeThe University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
where 37,000 people total saw the tree in four separate performances. 55,000 attended the 2006 tree while 60,000 people attended the five services of the 2007 tree that also involved 600 salvationSalvationWithin religion salvation is the phenomenon of being saved from the undesirable condition of bondage or suffering experienced by the psyche or soul that has arisen as a result of unskillful or immoral actions generically referred to as sins. Salvation may also be called "deliverance" or...
s. The 2008 tree included SpanishSpanish languageSpanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
translation along with 350 salvations. - In 2009, several trees posted on the Internet also had their 25th presentation. Among them were Ozark Christian CollegeOzark Christian CollegeOzark Christian College is a private, not-for-profit college located at 1111 North Main Street, Joplin, Missouri.-History:In 1942, it was founded in Bentonville, Arkansas by Seth Wilson. In 1985, OCC received accreditation by the Association for Biblical Higher Education...
(Joplin, MissouriJoplin, MissouriJoplin is a city in southern Jasper County and northern Newton County in the southwestern corner of the US state of Missouri. Joplin is the largest city in Jasper County, though it is not the county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 50,150...
), United Baptist Church of Ashland, KentuckyAshland, KentuckyAshland, formerly known as Poage Settlement, is a city in Boyd County, Kentucky, United States, nestled along the banks of the Ohio River. The population was 21,981 at the 2000 census. Ashland is a part of the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH, Metropolitan Statistical Area . As of the 2000 census, the...
; and First Baptist Church of Huntsville, Alabama. The First Baptist Church of Montgomery, AlabamaMontgomery, AlabamaMontgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
, celebrated their 30th year of the tree in 2009.