A summer staple of the Naperville Riverwalk has been transformed for the holiday season.
“We’re here by what is usually the home of the Dandelion Fountain area, and instead of the fountain in the winter time, we put a platform and put the tree in the fountain,” said Tiffany Picco, Parks Operations Manager at the Naperville Park District.
18-foot-tall tree on the Riverwalk
On Monday morning, Picco and a dozen Naperville Park District staff members installed the artificial tree covered in lights. It is located in the Civic Plaza, right at the corner of Webster Street and Jackson Avenue.
“This tree is 18 feet tall, it comes in four different sections,” said Picco. “We started at about 9:30 a.m., we’re about an hour and a half in, and it’s almost done. So it’s one of those that has a big impact, but it doesn’t take a ton of our staff time.”
This year, the park district crew used a new method to put up the tree.
“In the past, we’ve tried to use a lift to help bring the top of the tree at the end, we’ve always had issues with that, with the walls here next to me that surrounding the fountain, it’s hard to get close with those lifts,” Picco said. “This year, we decided to actually build it starting at the top first and then push it up.”
The park district has installed the same artificial tree on the Riverwalk for the past six years.
“I’m very proud to be here and helping take care of the Riverwalk and to showcase the Riverwalk for people who not only live here, but the ones who come and visit as well,” Picco said.
How long will the tree stay up?
Picco said the Dandelion Fountain tree will stay up through the first week of the new year.
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