The Great Tree it wasn't.
The 60-foot Douglas County white pine tree that was supposed to sit atop Macy's at Lenox Square for the holiday season never made it that far. As the 11,000-pound tree was being lifted Sunday morning, it cracked. No-go.
The broken trunk means officials will have branch out and find another tree in time for the annual Thanksgiving night lighting.
No problem, said Melissa Goff with Macy's. A backup tree, also in Douglas County, has already been selected, she said.
Tree No. 2 is expected to be cut down Monday, meaning it will likely go up later this week. And don't worry, the tree will be ready for its Thanksgiving night debut, Goff said.
Goff said recent drought conditions have made finding a healthy tree difficult. Many trees are too dry to withstand being hoisted to the roof of the department store.
This isn't the first time the backup tree has been called into duty. In 2004, the original tree's trunk broke.
The lighting of the giant tree has been an Atlanta tradition for the past 63 years, dating back to when it was called the Rich's Great Tree. A tree is decorated in the days leading up to Thanksgiving, when it is lit in the evening.
Monica Pearson and David Chandley of Channel 2 Action News will co-anchor the ceremony on TV from 7 to 8 p.m. A pre-show concert begins at 6:15 p.m.
