VILLAGE OF FLORIDA – Not since the birthplace of William Henry Seward, governor of New York, secretary of state for Presidents Lincoln and Johnson and the purchaser of “Seward’s Folly,” now known as Alaska, has the Village of Florida gained as much notoriety as on Thursday when hundreds of residents and school kids liked Cedar Street to watch as this year’s Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree was harvested on Thursday.
The 77-foot-tall Norway Spruce was donated by Carl Schultz, who noted it is over 60 years old. “It’s just a beautiful tree; shaped beautiful, just like a pyramid. I can’t wait to see it with lights at Rockefeller Center,” she said.
Rock Center head gardener Erik Pauze first spotted the tree from a distance. “Back in 2010 they had sent a picture in to Rockefeller Center to use their tree and early in the spring I came by on my annual tree search and I found this one off in the distance, wiggled my way back to the house, knocked on the door, and after they told me they had sent it in, I said this has got to go to Rock Center now,” he recounted.
The giant tree is being driven on an 115-foot-long trailer to Manhattan where it will arrive on Saturday.
We cannot forget the Village of Florida is also known for Jimmy Sturr, renowned American polka musician, trumpeter, clarinetist, saxophonist and leader of Jimmy Sturr & His Orchestra. His recordings have won 18 out of the 24 Grammy Awards given for Best Polka Album.
