Christmas Tree arrives at Heavenly Village in South Lake Tahoe

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - For the fifth consecutive year, a tree was cut down and transported to the Heavenly Village for the annual Christmas Tree Lighting celebration.

Early Tuesday morning, Ken Curtzwiler of K & K Services, Ed Cook Crane Services, and Haen Construction orchestrated the cutting of the large tree in South Lake Tahoe and transportation to its final destination.

A group of trees next to the airport were slated to be removed several years ago, and instead of cutting them all at once, Curtzwiler marked those that will be cut for the annual Christmas Tree for several years. The one cut down there year was diseased and ready to be cut, according to Curtzwiler.

There is a contest to guess the height of the tree in inches on the Heavenly Village Facebook page. The winner receives a village gift basket.

The tree will be officially lit during a celebration on Friday, November 26 at 6:30 p.m. Not only will Santa arrive, but a special guest will also be lighting the tree during a unique ceremony. The evening will be dedicated to first responders and those responsible for fighting the Caldor Fire. Assemblyman Kevin Kiley will speak, along with South Lake Tahoe Mayor Tamara Wallace and the Calfire chief.

We want to thank firefighters, locals, visitors, and tourists for helping bring the community back," said Dreu Murin, organizer of the event. "This is a start to the holiday season."

Murin wanted to thank the Lake Tahoe Visitor's Authority, Tahoe Douglas Visitor's Authority, and South Lake Tahoe Tourism Improvement for their support of Heavenly Holidays.

The parking garage is open, and costs $5 all night after 5:00 p.m., $10 on holidays.

Kudos to those involved in the tree removal and parade to the Village:

CHP Lt. Nelson coordinated and sent Officer Nunes to escort
SLT Police Chief Stevenson coordinated and sent Sgt. Liles, and officers Trapani, Sullivan, Fritz, Wallace, and CSO Wheeler to escort the tree to Stateline and provide traffic control.
Ed Cook (Crane Service) sent Tom Loomis to operate the crane and load and unload the tree.
Robert Haen (Haen Construction) sent William and the truck and trailer to transport the tree to Stateline.
City Manager Joe Irvin coordinated the city portion.
Airport Manager Mark Gibbs provided all the paperwork necessary to complete the project.
Marriott Maintenance Manager Alphonse and his crew provided help at the installation and are decorating the Christmas Tree.
Skibumfamily Inc. dba K & K Services provided the labor to move and install the Christmas Tree. Kenny, Josh, Mark, Dylan, Gerardo, and Ricardo.
Gary Casteel and Dreu Murin of the Heavenly Village.