October 31, 2006 News Media Release

Zilker Tree of Lights Going Up

Austin Energy crews assembled the 40^th annual Zilker Tree of Lights Wednesday, November 1 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 150 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 contains 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 a single yellow bulb would throw the entire swirl off from the point of the error to the top of the tree.

The decoration of 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.

The 39^th lighting ceremony will be held Sunday, December 3 at 6:00 p.m. Thereafter, the Tree, which can be seen from Mopac, will be lit each day from 6:00 p.m. until midnight through December 31.

The Tree lighting ceremony and the Trail of Lights are coordinated by the City’s Parks and Recreation Department and draw in excess of 400,000 spectators each year.

- end -

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