November 1, 2005 News Media Release

Zilker Tree of Lights Going Up

Austin Energy crews will assemble the 38 th annual Zilker Tree of Lights Wednesday, November 2nd at Zilker Park. The tree is recognized as one of the tallest holiday displays in the nation.

The Zilker Tree, which is built on a moonlight tower, is 152 feet tall and consists of over 3,309 lights on 39 streamers. The streamers are 137 feet long and each streamer holds 81 red, yellow, blue and green 25-watt bulbs. Two stars at the top of the tree each measure 10 feet from point to point and each contain 75 lights.

One of the key visual design elements of the tree is a swirl created by the placement of the yellow bulbs. This requires placement of each yellow bulb in escalating order that changes incrementally from streamer to streamer. One person, dubbed the "yellow-bulb-man," is responsible for ensuring that the yellow bulbs are installed properly. An error in the placement of even a single yellow bulb would throw the entire swirl off from the point of the error to the top of the tree.

The idea of decorating a moonlight tower as a holiday tree is credited to Mrs. Alden Davis who came up with the idea in 1965 while serving as Special Chairperson for the City's holiday activities committee. The tree was designed and built in 1967 by Austin Energy electricians M.V. Wheeler and Odie Bull. The Tree was lit for the first time on December 10, 1967.

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For more information, contact Ed Clark, Public Information.
Phone: (512) 322-6514
Pager: (512) 802-2000