GARDINER – The normally quiet Town of
Gardiner was a bustle Wednesday morning with large crowds of spectators
from all over lining the street to see this year’s Rockefeller Center
Christmas tree in its natural state one last time before it would be transported
to New York City.
Albert Asendorf and his partner Nancy Puchalski, lifetime residents of
the small Shawangunk town, donated the 78-foot-tall, 47-foot-diameter,
10-ton and approximately 80-year-old Norway spruce to Rockefeller Center.
Asendorf’s mother, Gertrude, said that she had purchased and planted
the tree around 1957. According to the Asendorf family, the tree was a
beloved part of their lives providing scenery and recreation to multiple
generations of the family; however, Albert said that the tree was becoming
overgrown, presenting a hazard if it potentially fell and that they didn’t
want to just get rid of it, so, they reached out.
“We we’re going to knock it down and we figured, maybe, somebody
might want it,” said Asendorf. “We went on the web, Rockefeller’s
website there and they gave us the information, what you had to plug into
the form and stuff like that and then, in last August, they came up and
liked the tree and everything went downhill ever since, or uphill, however
you want to say it.”
Head gardener for the Rockefeller Center Erik Pauzer, who scouted the
tree, said he knew immediately that Asendorf’s tree was the right
choice.
“As soon as I saw the tree last year in August, I knew that I had
to just come up and see that tree and when I came up, I got out of my
car and I said, ‘Wow, that’s going to look awesome down at
Rock Center’,” he said.
Pauzer added that he had great experience in Gardiner and everyone was
very helpful.
“Gardiner was a great town; I had a lot of fun here. I met a lot
of great people that helped me out through the whole summer with watering
the tree and feeding the tree and I met some great people with Al and
his family and Nancy and her family and we had a lot of fun,” said
Pauzer.
Dozens showed up to send off the tree
Giant boom is used to place the tree on flatbed truck
Although the Asendorf family members were sad
to see the tree go, they were glad to see it go to good use and provide
a sense of pride to the people of Gardiner.
“A lot of the people you talk to, they almost seem more excited
than I was. They were all giggling and stuff like that, that the tree
is from here, from the area you know, a lot of them were like that,”
said Asendorf. “I mean you always see the tree down there and you
never know where it’s coming from; now they know.”
Since their beloved tree is making its journey to the city for thousands
to see during the Christmas season, the Asendorfs have decided to plant
another one in its place so their grandchildren’s grandchildren
might be able to have this same experience for themselves.
The Rockefeller Christmas tree lighting ceremony, featuring the Asendorf
tree, will be held on Wednesday, December 2 from 7 p.m. to 9p.m.
