To the editor:

O Christmas tree, O Christmas Tree

Thy leaves are so unchanging

This year the leaves of the Christmas tree in the Bicentennial Park will be changed as the blue spruce that has nobly served its purpose is suffering from old age and disease.  The original town Christmas tree went down in Hurricane Bob in 1991 and a generous resident donated the existing blue spruce.

This year, the Tree and Parks Committee ran a campaign over Christmas to raise the $2000 to buy a new tree, bring it across country and plant and maintain it until it can stand alone. Steve Gonsalves of Eden Landscaping has generously offered the tree  - a concolor fir ­ at wholesale to the town.

The entire town responded to the campaign with checks sent into the Town House and filled colorfully decorated boxes around town with cash.   We raised well over $2000 so the tree is now on order and should be planted later this spring. We would like to thank the children of all ages who made this happen and all the businesses and organizations that put out the collection boxes.    Special thanks to Margot Stone for providing the boxes and Thom O. Shaughnessey for the very clever poster.

We look forward to the lighting of the new Christmas tree in 2013!  In the meantime, look for the planting this spring and celebrate all the seasons of this wonderful concolor fir that you made happen.

Margie Baldwin, Margot Stone, and Chrissie Bascom

Marion Tree and Parks Committee